Esther Charlestin, the former Democratic nominee for governor of Vermont, launched a bid for the state’s second-highest office on Wednesday.
Charlestin is the third Democrat to join this year’s race for lieutenant governor. Molly Gray, who held the office from 2021 to 2023, announced her bid just after New Year’s. Ryan McLaren, a former top aide to Vermont’s Democratic U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, launched his campaign two weeks ago.
All three candidates will face off in a primary election in August. Republican John Rodgers, the current lieutenant governor, has said he plans to run again, and so far no one else has indicated that they will seek the GOP nomination.
Charlestin challenged Republican Gov. Phil Scott in 2024. She was the first Black woman to win a major party nomination for Vermont governor, and only the second Black woman to ever get a major party backing for governor in the country.
Scott defeated her overwhelmingly, winning 72% of the vote to Charlestin’s 21%. Neither of the two Democrats who challenged Scott before Charlestin garnered more than 30% of the general election vote, either.
In a campaign press release Wednesday, Charlestin highlighted her leadership on the Vermont Commission on Women, a state body she chairs that advises the Legislature and the governor’s administration on issues impacting women and girls. Charlestin also owns and manages a consulting firm.
“I’ve spent my entire career bridging the gap between communities,” she said in the release. “Far too many people are feeling unheard, unseen, and left out by our current leadership, so I’m running to give everyone a seat at the table.”
Charlestin said her campaign would focus on making sure Vermonters can access a good education, lowering the cost of living and giving people “economic freedom.”
