You’d probably have to be pretty deep in the weeds of Vermont politics, or perhaps a resident of Manchester, to recognize the name “Jim Ramsey.” (Pictured above with a slightly better known figure.) He’s only been involved in #vtpoli for a few years, but he’s been on a sharp upward trajectory that culminated on Saturday with his election as the new chair of the Vermont Democratic Party, replacing the prematurely departed David Glidden.

Well, technically Ramsey is the interim chair, filling out the remaining months of Glidden’s two-year term between now and November, when Ramsey will doubtless be elected permanent chair.

Members of the party’s state committee held a special meeting via Zoom on Saturday morning to choose Glidden’s replacement. Two people were nominated: Ramsey and former state senator Andy Julow, who was a late entry in the race.

If you needed any evidence that Ramsey had the inside track, you got it from VDP state committee member Susan Borden. In formally nominating Ramsey, she noted that he’d been endorsed by Treasurer Mike Pieciak, Attorney General Charity Clark, and Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas. The vote wasn’t close; Ramsey took 38 of the 45 votes cast. Julow received the other seven. In pre-vote remarks to the committee, Julow more or less acknowledged his longshot status. But even so, it’s telling that a former officeholder from the most populous region of Vermont finished a poor second to a guy from Bennington County who’d only been active in state party politics for about five years. It seemed clear that Ramsey was the choice all along.

And having heard his pitch to party leaders and learned a bit more about him, I can understand why.

Ramsey’s involvement in Vermont Democratic circles began in the spring of 2020 when he got to know state Rep. Kathleen James, who was then chair of the Manchester Democratic Committee. He replaced her in that role and, as James recalls, “quickly impressed people in the community.” Impressed enough that he became Bennington County party chair the following year, and was recruited by then state party chair Anne Lezak to co-chair the party’s fundraising committee. As Bennington County chair, he oversaw a significant expansion of town party committees. And in a historically bad 2024 election for Vermont Dems, his county held its ground in the Legislature, retaining both Senate seats and seven of its eight House seats.

James calls Ramsey “the perfect leader” with strong people skills, a focus on grassroots organizing and “the nuts and bolts of fundraising.”

In his remarks to the state committee, Ramsey came out swinging against Gov. Phil Scott. “The governor continuously pushes harmful policies,” Ramsey said, and added that Democrats “haven’t done enough to draw contrasts. …The days of Phil Scott defining what it means to be a Democrat are over.” He called on the party to nominate “a competitive gubernatorial candidate” in 2026, concluding “Let’s go to work and let’s win.”

That would be a stark contrast to recent gubernatorial elections, when Democratic nominees were given lip service but not the resources needed to challenge a popular incumbent.

Ramsey certainly seems like the total package: a dedicated Democrat with solid fundraising and organizing credentials who’s coming off a strong performance in the challenging 2024 campaign. He now steps into a job that has chewed up and spit out a lot of people in recent years. But the party leadership has closed ranks behind him, and he’ll get every opportunity to prove that he can do statewide what he’s done in Bennington County. If he does, he might very well lead a Democratic comeback in 2026.