@wcax: With Nov. 3 only 48 days away, the campaign for lieutenant governor pits Democrat Molly Gray against incumbent Republican John Rodgers, both of whom have served as Vermont’s second in command before, and both say they’ll fight for working-class Vermonters, though their campaigns have key differences. Both lieutenant governor candidates already know the role. Molly Gray, raised on a farm in South Newbury, previously held the seat from 2021 to 2023. Now she wants her old job back. Her 2026 campaign priorities include lowering health care and housing costs for Vermonters. She also says she’s seen the impacts of changes at the federal level on her family, both being a mother herself and taking care of her own mom. About a year into her term, she sought out a U.S. House seat when it opened up, but lost. “We were the only state at the time to have never sent a woman to Washington, and I also felt I had something to offer in that moment. But what I feel very strongly right now are in the states,” Gray said. Raised in West Glover on his family’s dairy farm, Rodgers says he will continue to fight for rural Vermonters. Rodgers started his political career with eight years in the Vermont House of Representatives, then an additional eight years in the Vermont Senate, all as a Democrat. A few years ago, he changed parties. But he says he doesn’t stand for President Trump’s policies. “I was the only Republican in the entire country to speak at a ‘Hands Off’ rally against some of the policies that I think are very harmful to Vermonters and Americans,” Rodgers said. Earlier this year, Rodgers used his tie-breaking powers in favor of Vermont’s acting US Attorney, Michael Drescher, for an associate justice’s position on the Vermont Supreme Court. A lieutenant governor hadn’t cast a tie-breaking vote in years. When asked about it, he defends his choice. “Michael Drescher is not a Trump lawyer. Michael Drescher has a long record of public service,” Rodgers said. Full report linked 🔗 #VermontElection#VermontPolitics #JohnRodgers #MollyGray #LieutenantGovernor

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Thursday 17 September 2026 16:48:18 GMT