Molly Gray, candidate for the democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, greets a voter in Colchester on Primary Day, Tuesday, August 11, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Theo Wells-Spackman is a Report for America corps member who reports for VTDigger. Molly Gray prevailed in a clos ely-watched Democratic primary for Vermont Lieutenant Governor Tuesday evening. She will face incumbent Lt. Gov. John Rodgers in November’s general election. The Associated Press called the race just after 8 p.m., with roughly 24% of votes counted. Gray held 59% of the vote at that time. Gray, who previously held the position from 2021 to 2023, weathered challenges from Ryan McLaren, a former top aide to U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Esther Charlestin, who was the Democratic nominee for governor in 2024. McLaren, who lives in Essex Junction, emphasized housing development in his campaign, creating a plan to repurpose the large sums lawmakers have recently used to “buy down” property taxes into a tax credit scheme for communities that allow new homes to be built. Gray, who hails from Newbury and previously worked as an assistant Vermont Attorney General, also prioritized housing, advocating for land-use reforms that relax regulations on development. She, like McLaren, supports universal primary care for the state. Charlestin, a Burlington-based consultant who previously worked at Middlebury Union Middle School, shared her opponents’ focus on housing and healthcare. As a daughter to immigrant parents, she told VTDigger, she is also focused on supporting Vermont’s immigrant communities amid growing federal policy challenges. Gray and McLaren’s campaigns have each drawn substantial contributions in recent months, with the candidates reporting about $339,000 and $409,000 respectively on Aug. 1. Charlestin was at a clear financial disadvantage with only $39,000 in the bank, though a June poll from the University of New Hampshire placed her as Vermonters’ second choice for the job. In strongly worded interviews, McLaren told VTDigger last month that both of his opponents were falling back on the lieutenant governor role after failing to achieve a higher office (referring, in Gray’s case, to an unsuccessful U.S. House run in 2022). His work in Welch’s office gives him the strongest track record of results, he said. Gray, for her part, underlined her work supporting new Vermonters while leading the Vermont Afghan Alliance, working to ensure independence for her clients in the face of increasingly unfriendly federal policy toward humanitarian entrants. All three candidates had also vowed to increase the influence of the lieutenant governor role, a chiefly ceremonial position which presides over Senate operations and breaks the body’s ties when required.  This story will be updated. Read the story on VTDigger here: Molly Gray wins Democratic primary for lieutenant governor of Vermont. ...read more read less