Quick - guess who the most popular politician is in Vermont. Hint: It’s a Republican.

I thought it was Bernie Sanders or Patrick Leahy. But Governor Phil Scott won re-election this November with 67 percent of the vote. Bernie won by a similar margin in his re-election but Scott won far more votes - 248,412 to Bernie’s 183,649. Their campaigns came in different years and maybe apples and oranges.

Dear Mom,

I thought I would attempt to explain how the presidential election really works in this country. I did some research and was shocked at how little I knew about the process and even worse how little the press explains it. After a lifetime of reading about politics, you and I should understand this better!

For those of you weary of the political landscape and my incessant writing about it, I offer you hope this week. I sooo wanted to write about why Democrats lose elections and why Trump won the votes of more than 70 million Americans. But alas, it is time for a week of common ground. 

Biden wins. Nothing much changes beyond that. No blue wave. Legislatures stayed almost exactly the same. The U.S. House under Speaker Nancy Pelosi lost seats. More than four million more people voted for Trump after four years of watching. 

Republicans will likely control the Senate and Biden will wrestle with Mitch McConnell for a long time over the future of the country.