How Republican in deep-blue Vermont became America’s most popular governor: Phil Scott MOWS GRASS to keep town tidy, refuses to insult rivals and set-up successful construction business before becoming a lawmaker

A Republican in deep blue Vermont has become America's most popular governor, with his down-to-earth character winning over voters.

Governor Phil Scott, 65, scored a stunning 84 percent approval rating in a recent poll and has done so consistently through the mid-1970s.

And with each election, Scott, a Republican in the bluest state in the country, continues to see his popularity grow.

He won 53 percent of the vote when he became governor in 2016, only to increase this to 71 percent last year, gaining a majority in every city and municipality.

His overwhelming popularity is largely attributed to his genuine character and lack of ego – exemplified by the fact that he regularly mows the grass around a public statue in his hometown of Barre.

He has also won praise for his work across the political divide and for steering the state through the Covid and flood crises.

Last year, Scott won his fourth two-year term with 71 percent, gaining a majority in every city and municipality

Scott is the only Republican elected statewide and has won a greater percentage of the vote than any Democrat or independent U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders.

Scott won much respect for his sensible handling of the Covid pandemic, in which he appeared in daily, low-key televised briefings to reassure Vermonters and encourage them to take social distancing and mask-wearing seriously.

He was similarly seen as a steady hand during last summer's historic floods that hit the state.

The popular governor has also built a reputation for refusing to offend his political rivals and has won their respect.

And residents have high praise for his willingness to get his hands dirty after he took on the task of mowing the lawn around a statue honoring the Italian stonemasons who made Barre the “Granite Capital of the World.”

“We have a digger here that has planted grass,” Scott told the Boston Globe.

“I saw the grass starting to grow and thought, 'I better mow it.' Now I feel responsible for it.'

Scott grew up in Barre, raised by his widowed mother, and opened a motorcycle shop and then a successful construction company before entering politics.

The popular governor has also built a reputation for refusing to offend his political rivals and has won their respect

Phil Baruth, the Democratic leader of the Vermont State Senate, praised Scott for his courage in working with the Democratic-dominated Legislature to pass the state's first major gun control measures in 2018.

Recalling the moment Scott signed the bill on the steps of the State House, Baruth told the Globe, “It was a chaotic scene, with angry gun owners yelling at him.

“There were people with earphones, afraid someone would shoot him.”

He added: “It was one of the most politically courageous acts I have seen in my life.”

Scott grew up in Barre, raised by his widowed mother, and opened a motorcycle shop and then a successful construction company before entering politics.

In 2011, after Tropical Storm Irene devastated large parts of Vermont, Scott organized the removal of damaged mobile homes at no cost to homeowners or taxpayers by asking people he knew in the construction industry to help out of civic duty.

Despite his successes, Scott has drawn the ire of some within the Republican Party for his social liberalism, his support of the LGBTQ community and by publicly rejecting Donald Trump and voting for Joe Biden.

“He is a supporter of the LGBTQ community, which is unique given the national Republican party,” said Christine Hallquist, a trans Democrat from Vermont.

“It's important to our Vermont brand to be nice people. And he's a nice, ethical person.”