State Political Profile: Vermont
Governor
With Vermont one of only two states with two-year terms for governors, Gov. Jim Douglas, a Republican, must face the voters again this year. But a strong re-election victory in 2004 showed his 2002 election in this strongly Democratic state was not a fluke. Douglas's triumph in 2002 was by just 5,000 votes out of a total of 230,000 ballots cast; in 2004, though, he handily defeated Peter Clavelle, the popular and longtime mayor of Burlington, winning almost 60 percent of the tally.
This year Douglas will face Democrat Scudder Parker, a former state senator and ex-chairman of the state Democratic Party. In his campaign kickoff Parker said that Douglas avoids the tough decisions. "They say Mr. Douglas has a high favorability rating," he said. "This is not surprising. Mr. Douglas works very hard to be liked."
U.S. Senate
Sen. Jim Jeffords' decision to retire makes this a watershed year in Vermont: Both a Senate seat and the state's lone seat in the House are open, an event that has happened only twice in the past 30 years.
U.S. Rep. Bernie Sanders is the favorite to replace Jeffords in Senate. Both men are independents, but Jeffords was a Republican for most of his political career, becoming an independent in 2001 because of a belief the Bush administration was too conservative.
Sanders has always been an independent and is a self-described socialist. He is extremely popular in Vermont, having served in the House since 1991.
The Democrats have agreed not to put up a candidate for the Senate seat and to put all of their energies and dollars into backing Sanders, who caucuses with the Democrats in Washington and is treated as a Democrat for committee assignments.
The Republicans appear likely to nominate Richard Tarrant, a wealthy businessman who has never before sought elective office. Tarrant built IDX, a health care software company, into an international success that was sold this year to GE for $1.2 billion. Challenging Tarrant for the GOP nomination is Greg Parke, a Rutland charter pilot.
U.S. House
Vermont's lone seat in the House, now held by independent Bernie Sanders, is up for grabs with Sanders' bid for the Senate.
Peter Welch, the president pro tem of the state Senate, is the likely Democratic candidate, while Republicans Martha Rainville and Mark Shepard will compete in the September primary.
Rainville, the states adjutant general, is expected to win, although she is untested on the campaign trail. Shepard, considered more conservative than Rainville, is a state senator from Bennington County. Welch's bid could be complicated if a Progressive Party candidate enters the race, thereby splitting the liberal vote. State Rep. David Zuckerman, a Progressive, is considering doing so.
Legislature
Vermont's House and Senate are both solidly Democratic and are expected to remain so, although Republicans plan a major push to cut the margins in both chambers.
-- Associated Press
