Former Vermont Lt. Gov. Molly Gray on Monday announced her campaign to regain that seat, which she had held from 2021 until January 2023. She left the position following an unsuccessful primary bid for Vermont’s congressional seat against Democrat Becca Balint. Gray subsequently became the director of the Vermont Afghan Alliance.
After she announced her 2026 campaign, Gray told WAMC North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley why she wants to return to Montpelier:
We know that Vermonters are really struggling, and not only are they feeling Vermont as a deeply unaffordable state, but they're also deeply concerned about the chaos and cruelty coming from Washington. And from where I sit, there is not a moment to waste. Vermonters deserve a lieutenant governor who's going to speak out, who's going to elevate their voices, who's going to fight for them and that starts today with this campaign. We won't wait, you know, we won't. There's not a moment to waste. And we're going to do that day in and day out. I'm going to get to every corner of the state, earn every single vote and help give Vermonters a voice and protection during a very, very challenging time.
After you left the lieutenant governor's seat, you became the head of the Vermont Afghan Alliance and you looked very emotional as some of your coworkers there commented.
It is emotional. I've witnessed the most remarkable, inspiring courage from so many of the Vermont Afghan allies who risked their lives for our government and who are now resettled across our state. Vermont is home to one of the largest populations of Afghans in the nation, 650. And we started as a scrappy Go Fund Me funded volunteer effort and are now a statewide organization. We've helped with jobs, housing, driver's licenses, the things that you need to be able to work in Vermont. And it's not just the right thing to do. It's not just part of our Vermont values of humanity and hospitality, but it's also super necessary in growing our workforce and growing our tax base, which we know we need to do as an aging state. And a very important thing for me has always been helping to address our generational questions, our demographic crisis. How do we keep a generation here, bring a generation back and bring a new generation to the state? And I've been helping to do just that. Plus I had a baby and, if there you know. that change is just about everything. So as a mom and caregiver, I also know that healthcare and diapers and daycare and housing are extremely important and Vermonters deserve a champion in the lieutenant governor who's going to fight for them every single day.
The last three years seems like it has opened up maybe new perspectives?
The last three years have been a time of big change and even bigger perspective and I announce my candidacy with a lot of humility, tremendous amount of humility and a lot of hope. There's a lot of hard work ahead but I know that the solutions lie right here in the state and I'm ready to work with our legislature, work with our attorney general and treasurer and secretary of state and so many of the people who are on the front lines right now helping to hold the line against Trump and fighting every day for Vermonters. And that's what I'll do as lieutenant governor. I'll fight for fundamental rights, help lower costs and be a champion for working families.
What will set you apart and why do you feel you're a better candidate if current Lt. Gov. John Rodgers decides to run for reelection?
This is an important time. There are no ceremonial offices. No one can be quiet or sit back. We need lieutenant governors who are deeply connected to every corner of Vermont who understand what working families are facing. And I get that as a mom and a caregiver to a mom who's been battling multiple sclerosis. I know what it's like to help people find jobs and get to work and navigate housing. I've been doing that every day over the last three years and we need that kind of experience. Plus, I've done the job. I know the job. I know Vermont. I know I can do it well and I know I can deliver for our state.
So, you've done the job as lieutenant governor from 2021 to 2023. Why not run for governor since you have experience as lieutenant governor?
Listen, I'm pretty self-aware. I know myself and I know what I have to offer. I know I can be a deeply effective lieutenant governor and what it means to both be working in the legislature and helping to preside over the Senate, to be working with the governor, whomever that might be, but really to be out there in our communities elevating the voices of Vermonters and being a real champion for these specific issues at this specific time. I don't know what the future holds but I know what I have to offer now, and I'm going to, I will fight to solve problems and give what I can for as long as that's helpful.
Molly Gray, a lot of politicians are waiting to decide what they're going to do based on what Gov. Scott is going to do, but that could be April or May because traditionally he waits until the end of the legislative session. Do you think announcing your campaign this early gives you an advantage?
I don't know what Gov. Scott is going to do. That's a decision he needs to make. I'm not running for governor. I'm not running for federal office. I know right now, when it comes to lieutenant governor's office, we can't afford to have any ceremonial offices. Vermonters deserve a champion who's going to fight for them, for their rights, for our families and for our future and that's why I'm running. And there's no time to waste. We need leadership now and we will show that throughout this campaign. We're going to be on the road in communities, elevating the voices of rural communities and working families and then doing everything we can and using every tool at our disposal to help protect and support folks who are under attack from Washington and the Trump administration.
Along those lines, the lieutenant governor does not develop any legislation. You do preside over the Senate, but you don't make the legislation. So how much can you do to buffer the negative impacts of the federal government?
Yeah. At a bare minimum, Vermonters deserve a lieutenant governor who's going to use their voice and I will use my voice every day. I will fight unapologetically for our state, our communities, our families, our rights and our needs. And that's what we need right now. I'm a trained attorney. I'm a human rights lawyer, been leading a statewide organization. I know what's happening on the ground right now. I'm a mom. I'm a caregiver. We need people who understand that and are going to put Vermonters first, not personal interests, nothing else but our state and our needs and we deserve that. Not everyone can do everything, but we all have to do something, and the lieutenant governor has a role to play.
Now, will you be staying at the Afghan Alliance through the campaign?
Over the coming month, I'll be winding down my time as the executive director of the Vermont Afghan Alliance. The role started as an interim role and it has become deeply personal work because of this, the ability to work with these courageous and brave allies who risk their everything for our government. I'm excited for whomever the next executive director is. It's a very special organization. I look forward to staying connected and showing my support, but really bringing everything I've learned from the job, from being out in our communities, from working with all of our employers across the state, so many employers, bringing that to the lieutenant governor's office and helping us to solve some of the big challenges
Is it difficult to think about leaving the alliance?
It's always a bit nerve wracking to put yourself out there again. And politics are hard. Politics are hard in Vermont. Politics are hard and divisive nationally, but for Vermont it's worth it. For our state and communities, it's worth it. And I will never give up on Vermont and I will never give up on fighting for fundamental rights and working families.
Gray may face a primary. After her rally, a former aide to U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, Ryan McLaren, said he is considering running for the state’s second highest office.
