Vermont Senator Samuel Douglass resigns over racist chat messages from the Young Republicans

A Vermont state senator has resigned over his involvement in a Young Republican group chat after racist and anti-Semitic chat messages shared among members were made public.

Republican Samuel Douglass announced his resignation, effective Monday, in a lengthy statement posted online, adding that he “deeply regrets the offense” caused by his comments.

Politico had reported on the leaked Telegram messages from a group chat that included young Republican leaders from Vermont, New York, Arizona and Kansas. The messages spanned 2,900 pages of chats over a period of about seven months and included racist comments, jokes about gas chambers, torture and rape, according to Politico.

Douglass, a first-term senator, was the only elected official in the chat, the outlet reported.

The leaked exchanges have drawn condemnation from Democrats and many Republicans, with the Young Republican National Board saying it was “shocked by the vile and inexcusable language.” New York Republican Party officials voted Friday to suspend the Young Republican chapter. Vice President JD Vance has downplayed the incident, dismissing the messages as “edgy” and “offensive jokes” told by “kids” — despite many of the participants being in their 20s and 30s.

Douglass is said to have contributed to the chat on at least two occasions, including responding to a comment from another member of the group about a person dating an “obese Indian woman.” When someone responded that the woman was “not Indian,” Douglass said, “She just didn’t bathe very often,” Politico reported.

In a separate comment, Douglass is said to have described how a Jew may have made a procedural error. His wife Brianna Douglass, who was also involved in the chat in her role as a committee member for Vermont’s Young Republicans, responded with an anti-Semitic comment, Politico reported.

The couple have both resigned from their positions with the Vermont Young Republicans, chairman Chelsea Magwire said in a statement, adding that “racism, discrimination and hateful conduct have no place in our organization.”

In his resignation statement, Douglass said his initial comment was “an unflattering comment about a specific individual, absolutely not a generalization.” He added that he hoped to “repair bridges as best I could” and that “since the story broke, I have reached the majority of my Jewish and BIPOC members.” [Black, Indigenous and people of color] friends and colleagues to ensure they can be honest and upfront with me.”

He said he and his wife have been subjected to “horrendous hatred” since the story broke.

Douglass was elected to represent the Orleans District in 2024 as part of a swing toward Republicans in the Senate and was seen as an up-and-coming politician.

Vermont Republican Party Chairman Paul Dame initially issued a statement saying Douglass’ comments were “not bigoted or racist” but “reflected poorly” on the party. However, the party later changed course and released an updated statement supporting calls from the state’s Republican governor, Phil Scott, for Douglass to resign.

On Saturday, Vermont Senate Republican Leader Scott Beck said the resignation marked the end of a “difficult week” in the state. “Senator Douglass’s resignation is the first step in Vermont’s healing and that of his family,” he told The Washington Post.

Elsewhere, party leaders have also taken steps to denounce young Republican groups or call on those involved to resign. In Arizona, however, the Young Republicans Federation has rejected a so-called “witch hunt” against fellow members.

While most Republican Party leaders quickly condemned the text messages, some, including Vance, also pointed to leaked messages from Jay Jones, a Democrat running for attorney general in Virginia, who suggested in a 2022 conversation that a political opponent deserved two bullets in the head. Jones has since apologized for his comments.

Vance has described the outrage over the Young Republican chat as “pearl clutching” and said, “I really don’t want us to grow up in a country where a kid telling a stupid joke – telling a very offensive, stupid joke – is reason to ruin their life.”