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By Guy Page
Two days before Vermont Republicans choose their next state party chair, incumbent Paul Dame is pushing back against an anonymous postcard that questioned his fundraising record and salary — while rolling out endorsements for what he calls his “Team Progress” slate.
Challenger Russ Ingalls meanwhile condemned Dame’s Thursday morning email in which Dame said there are “cowards who support my opponent tear us apart and trash our party to the press.”
A graphic of all the candidates up for election at Saturday’s state meeting in Burlington can be seen below and here.
The postcard, sent from a Hartford, CT bulk mailing center, with no author or organization reference, cited VT GOP contributions made under previous chairs, at significantly higher amounts than under Dame’s four-year stint at the helm. It also questioned his $60,000 + salary and what it claimed was a low balance in the party checking account.
In an email sent Thursday morning, Dame described the postcard as “poorly designed and confusing” and said it appeared to come from someone “looking desperate to support my opponent.” He said many Republicans had told him the message was divisive and disheartening.
Ingalls condemns ‘cowards’ characterization
Dame’s email has drawn a response from the campaign to elect challenger Russ Ingalls in the form of a letter from Ingalls, a Newport businessman and state senator:
“Earlier this morning you likely saw an announcement from Team Progress. If you made it to the bottom of the email you saw Chairman Dame call all of you cowards for supporting me. Let me be very clear, you are not cowards. Like me, you love our state and you are proud, unapologetic Republicans. You are small business owners, farmers, mothers, doctors, loggers, and lawyers. The furthest thing from cowards.
“When I set out to run this campaign I was fueled by optimism and aspirations for the VTGOP and Republicans around our state. A lot has been made of a recent mailer that was sent to delegates. I was not responsible and do not know who was, but has Paul refuted or disputed how much he has been paid? Even once? No. Our party IS on the verge of bankruptcy, you know it and I know it. We cannot rely on a progressive approach instead of good old fashioned hard work, something I know a thing or two about.
“If calling members of our party cowards is Paul Dame’s campaign strategy, by all means go ahead. But just know that you are so much more than that. I hope I can count on your vote on Saturday.”
“This kind of division is what often kills Republican efforts,” Dame wrote. “We have to work as a team, support each other, and avoid the temptation of tearing down a fellow Republican.”
Dame announced endorsements for seven candidates seeking leadership roles and invited party members to a 7:30 p.m. Zoom “Meet & Greet” on Thursday to hear from them directly.
Dame said what he calls his “Team Progress” theme reflects gains he believes Republicans made in the last election — enough, he said, to block some Democratic initiatives in Montpelier, though not yet enough to advance GOP priorities.
Dame’s endorsed slate of ‘Team Progress’ includes:
- William Kolb for vice chair. Other candidates: Greg Thayer and Zachary Harvey.
- Rachel Stringer for secretary. Also running: Sherilyn Matthans of Northfield.
- Ken Sekuterski of Franklin County for treasurer. Lynn LaFleur of Lamoille County is also a candidate.
- Tom Koch for assistant treasurer, a longtime Republican legislator and source of “wisdom and guidance,” according to Dame. He is running unopposed.
- Joe Luneau and Stacey Malloy for at-large delegate. Other candidates for at-large delegate, who as members of the executive committee make decisions for the party, include Mike Tagliavia of East Corinth, Wendy Wilton of Milton, Dale Gassett of Vernon, and August Murray of Weathersfield.
Dame emphasized that he will work with whoever the State Committee elects but said the candidates he endorsed have “proven themselves to be reliable people who can accomplish what they say they will.”
The email also referenced internal conflicts during his tenure, including a lawsuit filed by a member of the executive committee, public criticism from within the party, and what Dame described as an attempt by one member to discourage a potential donor.
“We can’t win if our executive committee lets personal gripes get in the way of us achieving our team goals,” he wrote.
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Categories: Elections
Re: “In an email sent Thursday morning, Dame described the postcard as “poorly designed and confusing” and said it appeared to come from someone “looking desperate to support my opponent.” He said many Republicans had told him the message was divisive and disheartening.”
A classic ‘non-denial denial’?
Well stated Jay. “Read between the lines”. I find it interesting that he (Dame) mentioned team work. Is he talking about the Exec. Comm or all of the VTGOP? I have been concerned about the solvency of of the VTGOP for quite a while, and it seems that my concerns may be justified. I hope and pray that some positive changes can be made on Sat.
Saturday’s litmus test:
“Did you REALLY vote for Kamala Harris?!”
lol……..
Yeah, simple questions….lol.
Did you vote for Biden too?
Can you tell me what a woman is?
What is in the womb of pregnant person?
How many times, as male hominid, do I have to have sex, in order to become pregnant? Just curious……
Oh, if you don’t have any donors, how are you going to win a race?
If you vote for Biden, how are going to be taken serious?
Do we have to wear masks at the meeting? Just curious, asking for a friend.
Oh, the pandemonium!
Hey Jay…….
poorly designed and confusing………
When you use your marxist decoder ring…it translates this.
Effective and Truthful.
Every Vermont should get a marxist decoder ring. The VTGOP should sell them on their website. Friends don’t’ let friends be NWO pimps.
Should be a very interesting meeting on Saturday, that’s for sure!
Too funny, who let the truth out!
Oh my God, the truth really struggles to find day light in this state, and then when it does, there is so much, so much cover and spin.
And the really sad part, there is much support to keep things the same, all the while claiming everything is good. Look at the Lt. Gov, carrying water for the status quo…….all carefully orchestrated denials of a completely failed, totally ineffective, completely corrupt, complete owned by NWO pimps, Lobbyist and NGO spun VTGOP.
Is it pride that has blinded so many? Is it not wanting to step down from power? Is it the good ole boy network? Is it the uniparty playing games. Is it personal ambition? Is it ignorance? Is it naivete?
Probably all of the above.
Good lord, let the truth out, let it be heard from one end of the state to the other, I ask in your name, Jesus Christ.
They have no money, because nobody deems the organization worthy of money.
In the last few campaigns, nobody wanted to fund the VTGOP, they only funded candidates, which made things even more chaotic and ineffective. By design? By poor planning?
Now, a really interesting question, why does one person own and fund the entire VTGOP? They need to die or flourish on their own. Stop funding poor work.
That question won’t win my any awards, but again……..
Typical democrat tactic, attack the opposition ignore the issue altogether.
The real question is…is all the information on the postcard true???
Please Mr. Dame address the elephant.
Paul, how can you expect for Vermont Republicans to work as a Team when you call half of the eligible voters who will vote for your opponent Cowards. It was a poor choice of words at the very least on your behalf Paul and you might do well by making a public apology now. God Bless You And Good Luck…
What’s worse is that Bruce Roy sent a picture of his own postcard — his address only got blacked out afterward. Good job Bruce!
Just like with those flyers, if you’re going to report something, at least stand by it with your name.
“Thou protests too much !”…come to mind.
Back in the day the Chair didn’t take a salary…only the executive director, and their assistant, took a salary, and the job of insuring the fundraising lay at the feet of the Chairman, so if the Chairs salary is 60K, and only 20K plus in the kitty, someone has dropped the ball, and at this point it looks like crap flows from uphill, and unfunded crap at that.
Again I say a new broom sweeps clean hence my support for Ingalls!
Again the Chair takes a salary leaving the party underfunded ,?!?
Looks like a failed model to me.
Time for a change.
Be like Trump…if you are really game, for the game…don’t take a salary!
It’s a labor of love and duty…mission driven.
Please Vote for Russ Ingalls and Gregory Thayer 🇺🇲🗽🇺🇲 Get-R-Done Patriots Get-R-Done!!
Ridiculous acting this way. You’re not on the playground at elementary school.
Oh, yeah! Well you started it.
Oh, yeah! You’re liar, liar pants on fire.
Etc., etc, etc…..good luck guys!
Looks like Pauly Dame is not liking people to know what is really going on. At best he is a rino but probably a communist-democrat mole. At any rate, he is well passed his expiration date and needs to be given the boot if the VTGOP is to survive.
Hmm, someone’s upset they lost their SNAP benefits. What’s wrong Skippy – too afraid to give your real name?
My Grandparents are rolling in their graves ! The Republican Party in Vermont has totally lost it ! We are doomed if we continue with Dames nonsense ! Hell of a paycheck you got there !! I have not and will not donate to “The Party” I think you will find many that think this way. In case no one has noticed we already have a RINO Governor and we don’t need any more of that !
In the 2024 election the Republican party in Vermont made historic gains in the legislature which effectively put a halt to the impractical overeach of the Democratic supermajority in the legislature.
There is an opportunity to build on that success or to move toward what some would call ideological purity, that would also end up with the legislature being again dominated by the extreme left in Montpelier. It is an important choice for all who value our traditions and care deeply about the future of Vermont.
The only way we will ever help this state of vermont is to purge this party… We have been sold out from the top down for far too many years… And we have another player doing exactly the opposite of what he promised he would do, and that is john rodgers our supposed republican lieutenant governor.
He fooled me and it won’t happen again.He has lied to me.He is not a man of his word…
All he’s working on now is his reelection and making the uniparty stronger in the state of vermont….
He stands side by side with the likes of becca balint and peter welch denouncing the best president in recent history…. And what does the republican party in the state of vermont do they have them up there speaking for us?For the republican party…. Is there any sanity left in the state of vermont.
We need to clean house and bring in decent representation into the state of vermont under the golden dome and that means eliminating anyone running for office that has lied to us in any way shape or form…
If we’re going to dig out of the hole we are in in this state we need to start today…
I’m just wondering, is there anyone representing real republicans in the state of vermont any longer…. Seems like everybody from out of state owns the republican party.
I would like to know how many people are leaving.Our state each month because they are sick of what’s going on here… Paul dame do you have those figures…
And I want to commend whoever sent that postcard, even though it was anonymous… without people like that, we never know what is really happening under the golden dome.
Shouldn’t the republican party be reporting those figures to us…