Updated at 1:51 p.m.
Molly Gray formally announced on Monday that she is running for lieutenant governor, a post she held from 2020 to 2022 before stepping down to make an unsuccessful bid for Congress.
Gray told Seven Days in November that she intended to return to state office, saying she was “ready to get off the sidelines.”
She made it official on Monday during an event at a Burlington coffee shop, surrounded by friends, family and supporters.
“I’m running for lieutenant governor to help protect the fundamental rights of every Vermonter, to stand up for working families and to help lower costs across the state,” she said.
Gray, 41, attended the event at Nomad Coffee with her husband, Michael Palm, and their 2-year-old son, Jake.
A number of Democratic political leaders were on hand to support Gray, including former governor Howard Dean.
The lieutenant governor’s role is largely ceremonial. The LG presides over the Senate but only votes on legislation when the body has a tie, which is rare.
During her last term, however, Gray was deeply engaged in the legislative process, building support for a number of key legislative initiatives, Dean said. Many lawmakers would welcome her return, he said.
“I expect Molly to win, and I’m going to do everything I can to help her,” Dean said.
Gray burst onto Vermont’s political scene in 2020 when she emerged at the top of a crowded primary field of Democratic candidates for LG and went on to easily defeat Republican Scott Milne for the state’s second-highest office. She was about halfway through her first term when she jumped into the 2022 Democratic primary for Vermont’s lone U.S. House seat. Gray ultimately lost to Becca Balint.
Gray stepped away from politics after her LG term expired and is now the executive director of the Burlington-based nonprofit Vermont Afghan Alliance. The organization helps members of the state’s Afghan community acclimate to new lives.
That effort has become more difficult as the Trump administration has blocked federal funding for refugee organizations and reversed protections for Afghans who helped in the U.S. war effort.
Two of Gray’s colleagues at the nonprofit spoke in support of her at the event. Ilana Miller, who lost her job at the organization after federal funding dried up, said she supports Gray because she’ll advocate for policies that support working families, such as paid family leave.
“Vermonters deserve more than just surviving,” Miller said.
Gray has said she also has become acutely aware that middle-class Vermonters are struggling and wants to find ways to address the cost of living for working families. Since leaving state office, Gray had her first child and has been caring for her ill mother.
If reelected, Gray said she would use her position to push back against federal policies including “inhumane” immigration enforcement and decisions that threaten people’s access to health care.
She applauded other politicians in the state who are fighting back, including the Congressional delegation, Democratic Attorney General Charity Clark and Treasurer Mike Pieciak.
“You can trust that when Trump comes for Vermont, I will not hesitate to speak out, hold the line and help protect every Vermonter,” she said.
Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Baruth (D-Chittenden-Central) also threw his weight behind Gray. He said she was deeply engaged in complex policy debates such as pension reform and also stepped up to lead during the pandemic by going to the Statehouse daily while lawmakers worked remotely.
“In that moment, that was a profile in courage,” Baruth said.
Gray is the first Democrat to announce her candidacy, but she is unlikely to be the last. In 2020, four Democrats sought the office.
Ryan McLaren, a former staffer in U.S. Sen. Peter Welch’s (D-Vt.) Burlington office, confirmed on Monday he is considering running for the post as well. McLaren is an Essex native who suffered a spinal injury in a skiing accident in 2017.
“At this critical moment for Vermont, we all must ask ourselves how we can best serve,” McLaren wrote in an email to Seven Days. “I will continue to have conversations with family, friends, and neighbors to make my decision in the coming weeks.”
It’s not unheard of for former officeholders to reclaim their seats. Progressive Democrat David Zuckerman won back the LG office in 2022 before losing to current LG John Rodgers, a Democrat turned Republican.
Rodgers, who has said he plans to seek reelection, is widely considered a potential candidate for governor once Phil Scott, the most popular governor in the nation, steps aside. Rodgers declined to comment on the race.
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!