Harvey wins vice-chair post
By Guy Page
In a narrow victory, incumbent Paul Dame turned back challenger Russ Ingalls for the state chair position of the Vermont Republican Party by a vote of 50 to 47 Saturday afternoon at the biennial State Convention of the Vermont Republican Party.
Rep. Zachary Harvey (R-Castleton) won a three-way race against William Kolb and Greg Thayer with a majority vote: 52-23-22.
“It is the honor of a lifetime to be elected as the Vice Chairman of the Vermont GOP. The work begins now and I look forward to helping recruit candidates, raise funds, and do the work necessary to position us for success in 2026. I am humbled, and grateful, by the faith placed in me by my fellow delegates and look forward to expanding our movement,” Harvey told VDC after the election.
This will be Dame’s third term. He was first elected in 2021. Other winners – Secretary: Rachel Stringer, Treasurer Lynn Lafleur, Assistant Treasurer Tom Koch, and At-Large Delegates to the State Executive Committee Wendy Wilton and Mike Tagliavia.
Before the vote, supporters of Ingalls were fairly confident that their ground game had picked up enough supporters. However following a strong speech to the voting delegates, Dame narrowly reclaimed the position to lead the party for the next two years.
“Well deserved,” observer and former U.S. Senate candidate Gerald Malloy of Perkinsville said after the vote.
“I think Russ would have been a good chair, but Paul earned this one, particularly with the performance last year.”
Dylan Magwire of Orange County, who voted for Dame, said the vote “shows it’s still pretty split and there is still work to do. I wasn’t surprised by the winner. I was more surprised about how close it was.”
“We got a energized group of people in there,” Scott Milne, former candidate for governor, said. “We just saw, what was it, 50 to 47 vote for chair, so there’s people with opinions but I think everybody’s going to come together and we’re all going to pull on the same oar in the same direction. It’s going to give us some momentum going into a 2026.”
in other GOP news, Lt. Gov. John Rodgers said he plans to seek re-election in 2026.