Ryan McLaren, left, and Molly Gray, right, Democratic candidates for the states second-highest office. Courtesy and Glenn Russell/VTDigger Two of the Democrats running to be Vermont’s lieutenant governor are neck-and-neck in fundraising after two months on the campaign trail, according to new reports filed this week.  Together, the filings by Molly Gray and Ryan McLaren — as well as a third Democratic candidate, Esther Charlestin — show some $325,000 has been infused into the race for the state’s second-highest office, by far the most of any statewide contest so far.  McLaren, a longtime aide to U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., had raised $156,000 as of last week, which marked the end of the campaign finance reporting period covering July 2025 through mid-March. McLaren lives in Essex Junction and has not previously run for a state-level office. His total is almost identical to the $155,500 that Gray — who served as lieutenant governor from 2021 to 2023 — raised over the same period. The Burlington resident and former candidate for U.S. House has raised about $53,000 more, at this point in the race, than she did when running for lieutenant governor in 2020. Charlestin, meanwhile, has raised about $13,000 so far for her campaign. The consultant, who’s from South Burlington, was the Democratic Party’s candidate for governor in 2024 against Gov. Phil Scott. All three of the Democrats now running for lieutenant governor announced their bids in January. McLaren has spent $35,600 on the race so far, Gray has spent $16,400 and Charlestin has spent $4,700, filings show. Notably, two former Democratic governors have lined up behind different candidates: Peter Shumlin has donated to McLaren’s camp, while Howard Dean is supporting Gray. The March 15 deadline offers an early look at how much support some candidates are garnering across the state. But it’s not comprehensive, because those seeking a major political party’s nomination for state-level office have until late May to declare they’re running. Whoever wins this year’s Democratic primary will, as it stands, face the current lieutenant governor, Republican John Rodgers, in the November general election. No other Republicans have announced campaigns for that office so far. Rodgers has raised $36,700 as of last week, reports show. Fundraising for the state’s second-highest office has so far well outpaced fundraising for governor. As of Monday, only one person has announced a 2026 bid for that office: Amanda Janoo. The Burlington economist reported raising $80,300 as of last week. That’s much more than the $6,300 Charlestin had raised for her bid against Scott in 2024 at this point two years ago, according to past filings. It’s not certain, though, that Janoo will be the only candidate in this year’s Democratic primary for governor. Meanwhile, Republican Gov. Phil Scott has not said whether he’ll be seeking what would be a sixth term in office. Janoo’s haul includes support from a former Scott challenger: Christine Hallquist, a Democrat who ran against the governor in 2018. Scott’s recent fundraising pales in comparison to Janoo’s. The governor raised only $2,400 between July 2025 and mid-March. At this point in 2024, when he last ran for office, Scott had raised $13,200, past reports show. (To be sure, Scott has just shy of $200,000 in cash on hand, the latest report also shows.) One question, if Scott does run again, is whether he’ll need to use money to fend off a strong challenge from Democrats, or whether he’ll instead use that money to support other GOP candidates down the ballot, as he did in 2024. Those efforts yielded historic Republican gains in the state House and Senate. The only other competitive primary for a statewide office this year, so far, is for the Democratic nomination for state auditor. Tim Ashe, the current deputy auditor, has raised $53,100, reports show. Nicholas Graeter, who’s also running, has raised $500 from a single donation attributed to someone with his name. Mike Pieciak, Vermont’s state treasurer, has not said whether he’s running for office again, though he raised about $57,800 over the most recent reporting period. Pieciak has been rumored, at least previously, to be a contender to challenge Gov. Scott.  Charity Clark, the attorney general, raised about $80,700 in the most recent window. Clark has not declared whether she’s running again, either. Sarah Copeland Hanzas, Vermont’s secretary of state — who has announced a reelection bid — raised $4,500, reports show. Some candidates for state Senate and House races filed campaign finance disclosures this week, too. That includes two candidates, who aren’t incumbents, vying for an open seat in the Chittenden Central Senate district now that President Pro Tempore Phil Baruth has announced he plans to retire.  Nikhil Goyal, a University of Vermont adjunct assistant professor who’s from Burlington, raised $86,200, filings show. Essex Junction City Councilor Elaine Haney, former executive director of Emerge Vermont, raised $38,700. Read the story on VTDigger here: Leading Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor are closely matched in early fundraising. ...read more read less