Paul Dame and Russ Ingalls campaigned in Barre Saturday, November 1 for election as the next Republican state chair. VDC was there to capture audio clips of their leadership vision and positions on public safety, health care, and school reform.
By Guy Page
Next Saturday November 8, in a Burlington hotel ballroom, Vermont Republican Party delegates will choose as their next party chairman either incumbent Paul Dame of Williston or challenger Russ Ingalls.
Dame is a financial planner, former Essex House member, and St. George resident. He has served as state chair since 2021. Ingalls, the Essex County state senator, owns a real estate office and a chain of Northeast Kingdom radio stations.
Today, Saturday November 1, the two candidates stumped at the Barre Town Committee breakfast at a local social organization, the Canadian Club. VDC asked each candidate: why should delegates choose you?
Dame cited his success and experience:
Ingalls said Vermont Republicans are looking for change, unity and bringing back big donors:
On winning elections
Ingalls reminded his listeners that Republicans are family, we fight then forgive. The enemy isn’t us. The enemy in this state is Progressives:
Ingalls said he will set up the Grassroots Organization Committee (GROC), a fast-response group of volunteers to help understaffed candidates in small towns:
Dame said the 2024 ‘Red Wave’ election, which happened on his watch, helped Republicans stop bad legislation. The 2026 election will help them pass good legislation:
Dame said that “if we flip the Senate, that is my number one goal:”
On public safety, school reform, and health care costs
Although the state chair doesn’t write the party platform or lobby for laws, voters still want to know where they stand. Barre Town Chair Terry Reil asked each candidate about the hot button issues of public safety, education reform, and health care.
Dame praised Gov. Scott’s public safety plan and progressive Chittenden County state’s attorney:
Ingalls said he will find a good candidate to run against George:
Ingalls said if Republicans become the Senate majority they can put forth a constitutional amendment to make Vermont bail laws tougher.
Education reform:
Dame: Simply put, the Democrat majority will not make meaningful change. It’ll take a Republican majority in at least one chamber of the Legislature:
Ingalls told a story about a small local school parking lot crowded with 30 cars – all of them owned by staff at a school with less than 100 students:
Health care:
Dame recounted how his wife being in a coma in a foreign country sparked his opposition to government-run health care:
Ingalls said the Green Mountain ‘Do Not Care’ Board is a relic of the state’s failed foray into single-payer health insurance. More insurance companies competing will drive down premium costs:
Rep. Mike Tagliavia, who is running for one of the two ‘at large’ seats on the state executive committee, summarized the debate:
Coverage of the upcoming GOP election will continue this week on VDC and Hot Off The Press, the Monday-Friday 11 AM radio program on WDEV.
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Categories: politics
Great coverage Guy!
Groc makes a ton of sense, even more so, because cancel culture is so strong in this state it is detrimental to campaign in your own town, but not a few towns over!
We could have sign waves, we could have car flag trains, and then when they do go locally for a bite to eat, put the signs in your car and let others experience what nice people you truly are!
Answering phones, having an office manned, coordinating people and events, there is much work and many hands make light work, and it can all be much fun!
Probably just having meet and greets in large numbers would be wonderful for moral, we think we are all alone because we are afraid to say anything in public’s for losing our jobs, just ask the school principle or the bus driver…it’s a real legit concern.
Having a flag wave up and down I-89 would be a hoot, down south you have the football flags on the cars. I’d have a big flag off of my trailer hitch, American, pine tree with Appeal to Heaven…..Trump 2028……
It could be fun.
The national GOP controls the White House, the Congress, and the Supreme Court – on paper anyway. In Vermont, “Gov. Phil Scott speaks with Samuel Douglass, one of the Republicans who flipped a state Senate seat, at an election night party at the Associated General Contractors garage in Montpelier on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. ”
Wow, what a difference a year makes eh!? Things are going great now and only going to get even better! The DNC lights the country on fire, the RNC brings a garden hose to the wildfire, then proceeds to screw it up further their way by flipping funds from social programs to war programs, the fire rages on, then they switch it all back again…the pattern and platitudes don’t change. It is not time for a change – it is time for prosecution of fraudsters, tricksters, and traitors.
Russ, is completely aware of a neglected source of funds, people who are abused by Montpelier without representation
Second Home Owners.
Anyone having to pay the new transfer tax to own quality property in Vermont will never forget the astronomical bill they had to pay! Vermont wants to be paid a real estate commission too!
Lists, contacts and websites
Russ knows this is the life blood of an organization, he deals with them every day Lord knows you can readily buy them should the VTGOP not have them.
There are many people who want to contribute time and money to make a change from our Marxist proclivities…..God Speed.
He knows we need to build a team, a deep bench, people with many gifts in their appropriate places……how can you get a star pitcher on your team, when all the other people are hockey players?
Governor Scott lead education reform, resulting in the disastrous passage of Act 73 proposed consolidation measures, which will most likely go forward without a consensus on school districts, and will eventually wipe out school choice without outwardly repealing the Town Tuitioning law (sneaky!). Republicans had enough power without a majority in either state house chamber to insist on taking up school choice by voting down H454. Instead, many Republicans fell in line behind Governor Scott’s lead.
SMH
I’m for Russ…
Let’s keep up the momentum the voters asked for get rid of Dame!!!!! Dame did not have anything to do with it yet he is claiming to be responsible for it. So goes politics….
Please vote and support Russ Ingalls period folks Get-R-Done Patriots Get-R-Done 🇺🇸