(Reuters) - State legislators in Vermont confirmed that Democrat Peter Shumlin will remain in office as governor after the incumbent failed to a win the support of more than half the state's voters in November during a multi-candidate race.
Shumlin, a former state senator first elected governor in 2010, faced a significant challenge from Republican businessman Scott Milne, a political newcomer, who won about 45 percent of the vote in the November election to Shumlin's 46 percent.
The Democratic-controlled legislature, which normally approves the candidate with the greatest number of votes, confirmed Shumlin in one of its first actions on Thursday. Shumlin was approved by a margin of 110-69 to serve a third two-year term, according to the clerk's office of the state senate.
"It's been an incredible honor to serve as governor of Vermont and I am so grateful for the opportunity to continue serve this state I love," Shumlin said on Twitter after the vote.
Shumlin had a decidedly liberal record as governor, making the Vermont the first U.S. state to mandate labeling of foods made with genetically modified organisms, raising the minimum wage to $10.50 and focusing state efforts on tackling a surge in deaths related to heroin overdoses.