Voters walk in and out of a polling place in Essex Junction on Primary Day, Tuesday, August 11, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger This story was updated at 8:56 p.m. Updates will continue into the night of Aug. 11, 2026. Across Vermont, thousands turned out for primary day, casting ballot s in contested races for U.S. House, governor, lieutenant governor and many more county and local positions.  The VTDigger newsroom is covering the primary election with reporters, editors and photographers across the state. As of 7 p.m., the polls have closed.  Races we’re watching Read all of our coverage leading up to primary day. Lieutenant governor Molly Gray prevailed in a closely-watched Democratic primary for Vermont Lieutenant Governor Tuesday evening. She will face incumbent Lt. Gov. John Rodgers in November’s general election. The Associated Press called the race just after 8 p.m., with roughly 24% of votes counted. Gray held 59% of the vote at that time. Gray, who previously held the position from 2021 to 2023, weathered challenges from Ryan McLaren, a former top aide to U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Esther Charlestin, who was the Democratic nominee for governor in 2024. Read the full story here.  U.S. House Gerald Malloy won Vermont’s Republican primary for U.S. House on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press, setting up the Weathersfield veteran and defense contractor to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Becca Balint in the general election this fall. Malloy beat out Mark Coester, a logger and sugarmaker from Westminster. As of just before 8 p.m., Malloy had 76% to Coester’s 22%, according to unofficial results from the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office. Vermont has only one seat in the U.S. House. With his win Tuesday, this fall’s election will be the third in a row in which Malloy has run for a seat in Congress. He was the Republican nominee for one of Vermont’s U.S. Senate seats in 2022 and 2024, losing both contests. Malloy has said his experience working with the military and other parts of the federal government gives him the know-how to be an effective member of Congress. He argues  Balint spends too much time criticizing the Trump administration as opposed to finding ways to work with the president and his allies. In an interview after the race was called, Malloy said he thought Republican voters recognized that experience when casting ballots on Tuesday and that he was looking forward to debating Balint in the coming months. “She has not produced results for Vermont from Washington, D.C. She has not supported our Republican governor,” Malloy said. “I have many things that I’m going to do in Washington, D.C. to address affordability for Vermonters — and turn it around so the economy and Vermont as a whole can start to thrive.” Balint easily won Vermont’s Democratic primary for U.S. House on Tuesday. The Associated Press called the race for Balint, who did not have any opponents on the ballot.  Since President Donald Trump took office a second time, Balint has been among the administration’s most ardent critics in Congress, including for its focus on expanding immigration enforcement and waging a costly war in Iran alongside Israel. Balint has said that if she’s elected again, she’ll continue to stand against the administration’s priorities and advocate to nullify the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission as well as to bar members of Congress and their families from trading stocks. In a statement Tuesday night, Balint said she was “focused on the work ahead of the November election.” “I’m grateful to Vermonters for their continued trust and support,” she added. “It’s an incredible honor to represent our state in Congress, and I never take that responsibility for granted. — Shaun Robinson Read the story on VTDigger here: The latest results from Vermont’s 2026 primary election. ...read more read less