2026 Vermont lieutenant gubernatorial election
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November 3, 2026
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The 2026 Vermont lieutenant gubernatorial election will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the lieutenant governor of Vermont. Republican incumbent John Rodgers is seeking a second term. He is being challenged by Democratic former lieutenant governor Molly Gray.
Primary elections were held on August 11, 2026. Rodgers secured the Republican nomination unopposed. Gray defeated DNC member Ryan McLaren and 2024 gubernatorial nominee Esther Charlestin in the Democratic primary with 60.8% of the vote.
Republican primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]Nominee
[edit]- John Rodgers, incumbent lieutenant governor (2025–present)[1]
Endorsements
[edit]John Rodgers
- Statewide officials
- Jim Douglas, former governor of Vermont (2003–2011)[2]
- Phil Scott, governor of Vermont (2017–present)[2]
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Rodgers (incumbent) | 20,173 | 97.2 | |
| Write-in | 585 | 2.8 | ||
| Total votes | 20,758 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]Nominee
[edit]- Molly Gray, former lieutenant governor (2021–2023)[4]
Eliminated in primary
[edit]- Esther Charlestin, chair of the Vermont Commission on Women and nominee for governor in 2024[5]
- Ryan McLaren, member of the Democratic National Committee[6]
Endorsements
[edit]Esther Charlestin
- Organizations
Molly Gray
- Executive branch officials
- Madeline Kunin, former ambassador to Switzerland (1996–1999)[7]
- Statewide officials
- Howard Dean, former governor of Vermont (1991–2003)[8]
- State legislators
- Organizations
Ryan McLaren
- U.S. senators
- Peter Welch, Vermont (2023–present)[7]
- U.S. representatives
- Statewide officials
- Jim Condos, former secretary of state of Vermont (2011–2023)[7]
- David Zuckerman, former lieutenant governor of Vermont (2017–2021, 2023–2025)[7]
Polling
[edit]| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Esther Charletin |
Molly Gray |
Ryan McLaren |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of New Hampshire[11] | July 15–20, 2026 | 560 (LV) | ± 4.1% | 9% | 39% | 11% | 1%[b] | 41% |
| University of New Hampshire[12] | June 18–23, 2026 | 511 (LV) | ± 4.3% | 11% | 39% | 7% | 1%[b] | 42% |
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Molly Gray | 50,884 | 60.8 | |
| Democratic | Ryan McLaren | 23,111 | 27.6 | |
| Democratic | Esther Charlestin | 9,135 | 10.9 | |
| Write-in | 587 | 0.7 | ||
| Total votes | 83,717 | 100.0 | ||
Third party candidates
[edit]Freedom and Unity primary
[edit]Nominee
[edit]- Charlie Bass, high school student[13]
General election
[edit]Polling
[edit]| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Molly Gray (D) |
John Rodgers (R) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary elections | |||||||
| University of New Hampshire[11] | July 15–20, 2026 | 954 (LV) | ± 3.2% | 49% | 29% | 2%[c] | 20% |
| University of New Hampshire[12] | June 18–23, 2026 | 887 (LV) | ± 3.3% | 45% | 29% | 1%[b] | 26% |
Hypothetical polling
Esther Charlestin vs. John Rodgers
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Esther Charlestin (D) |
John Rodgers (R) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of New Hampshire[11] | July 15–20, 2026 | 954 (LV) | ± 3.2% | 40% | 30% | 5%[d] | 25% |
| University of New Hampshire[12] | June 18–23, 2026 | 887 (LV) | ± 3.3% | 35% | 30% | 2%[e] | 33% |
Ryan McLaren vs. John Rodgers
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Ryan McLaren (D) |
John Rodgers (R) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of New Hampshire[11] | July 15–20, 2026 | 954 (LV) | ± 3.2% | 43% | 27% | 3%[f] | 26% |
| University of New Hampshire[12] | June 18–23, 2026 | 887 (LV) | ± 3.3% | 32% | 30% | 1%[b] | 37% |
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Robinson, Shaun (August 14, 2025). "Vermont Lt. Gov. John Rodgers, Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas say they're running for reelection". VTDigger. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
- 1 2 "Lt. Gov. John Rodgers announces re-election campaign; Democrats announced previously". Bennington Banner. February 4, 2026. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
- 1 2 "Vermont Election Night Results". Vermont Secretary of State. August 11, 2026. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
- ↑ Flanders, Colin (November 18, 2025). "Molly Gray to Run for Lieutenant Governor Again". Seven Days. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
- ↑ Pastor, Adrian (January 28, 2026). "Esther Charlestin launches 2026 bid for Vermont Lieutenant Governor". WPTZ. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
- ↑ Robinson, Shaun (January 15, 2026). "Ryan McLaren, former top aide to Peter Welch, enters lieutenant governor race". VTDigger. Retrieved January 16, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 McCallum, Kevin (July 29, 2026). "Three Democrats Are Vying to Take on Republican LG John Rodgers". Seven Days. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
- 1 2 Robinson, Shaun (January 5, 2026). "Molly Gray is running for Vermont lieutenant governor — again". VTDigger. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
- 1 2 Walters, John (January 6, 2026). "With a Friendly Affect and Some Damn Sharp Elbows, Molly Gray Officially Enters the Race for LG". The Vermont Political Observer. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
- ↑ Breen, Ben (July 5, 2026). "Sanders denies endorsing Molly Gray for Lt. Governor". myChamplainValley. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 McKinley, Sean; Azem, Zachary; Andrew, Smith; Keirns, Tracy (July 21, 2026). "Vermont Divided on Scott's Job Performance as VT Dems Undecided on Candidate to Face Him". University of New Hampshire. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 McKinley, Sean P.; Smith, Andrew E.; Azem, Zachary S.; Keirns, Tracy (June 30, 2026). "Scott Sees Job Approval Fall To New Low In Vermont But Holds Early Lead Over Prospective Dem Challengers". University of New Hampshire. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
- ↑ Du, Jonas (November 23, 2025). "Meet the 14-Year-Old Running for Governor of Vermont". The Free Press. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
External links
[edit]Official campaign websites