By Sam Douglass

In a post made on the Rural Vermont Rising Facebook page around 2 p.m. on Thursday, Senator Russ Ingalls (R-Essex) announced his plans for a new political party in Vermont called “The Vermont Party.” As indicated by comments on the post, the creation of the new party builds on the momentum and grassroots action of anti-Act 181 sentiment that rose up during this year’s legislative session.

Ingalls confirmed the news this evening in response to an email from VDC: “Hi Russ Can you confirm that you are starting the Vermont Party?.” He responded, “Yes, I can confirm.” Ingalls, chair of the Agriculture Committee, was first elected to the Senate in 2018. The Irasburg native is a real estate broker and owner of multiple radio stations in the Northeast Kingdom.

Shortly after Ingalls made his post, sources closely familiar with the discussions told VDC that conversations about forming a new political party have been taking place for some time among Ingalls and others involved with the Rural Vermont Rising community.

Many Vermonters feel ignored by the Democratic Party but are not interested in becoming Republicans, one source said, creating a demand for a political alternative focused on Vermont issues.

“There’s energy around people who want to focus on Vermont,” one source said, referencing the status quo in the State House. “Political parties come and go and many Vermonters are looking for a viable third-party option.”

In a short phone interview with the Newport Daily Express late Thursday afternoon, Ingalls confirmed that his post was made in reference to the creation of a new platform to give Vermonters another option. 

“There are a lot of people who don’t feel represented by either party,” Ingalls said. “We’re looking at creating something people can get behind that focuses on Vermont.”

Ingalls told the Express that he has yet to file for official party status and doesn’t yet have a website.

“We’ll see where it goes,” he said.

His Facebook post announcement consisted of a graphic with the headline, “Let’s Work Together to Keep Vermont, Vermont.” Comments on the post varied but were mostly positive and encouraging with some commenters asking for his platform for the party and others asking to help start it. 

In one comment on the post, Ingalls wrote, “This is just the first day of announcing it. Let’s see where we go! But it’s exciting for sure!”

VDC will update this story with more information as it becomes available.