Vermont: Lots of Cows, Not Many Elephants
Vermont's Republican Governor Jim Douglas announced that he will not seek reelection next year, leaving Republicans with an open gubernatorial race in what is perhaps the most liberal state in the nation. Just how liberal is Vermont? It went into Barack Obama's column in 2008 with 68 percent of the vote. The state's lone congressman is a Democrat, as is its senior U.S. senator. The state's junior senator, Bernie Sanders, is a full-blown socialist. In fact, Douglas and Lt. Governor Brian Dubie are the only Republicans serving in statewide office. The fact that Douglas was able to effectively govern under those conditions for four two-year terms is a testament to his political abilities.
Douglas has been in politics ever since 1972, when he was elected to the Vermont House at the age of 21. He's been on the ballot for one elected office or another every two years since, holding positions as secretary of state and state treasurer until 2002, when he won the election to replace retiring governor Howard Dean.
Douglas claims to have no aspirations for higher office, and that he just wants to move on. In his absence, Vermont's gubernatorial seat remains up for grabs. Three Democrats have already announced their candidacy, and the Democratic Governor's Association has promised to provide all necessary resources to reclaim the state. Lt. Gov. Dubie has made no decision about whether he is going to run, but he has time. It doesn't take a lot of cash to win statewide office in Vermont, and he literally has the Republican field all to himself.
The problem Dubie or any Republican faces in Vermont is reaching out to an electorate that is steadily trending more liberal. Douglas's opposition to gay marriage and Democratic fiscal policies earned him two veto overrides this past session, something that has never happened to Douglas before. He still maintains that the voters support his decisions, and that they want lower taxes and a smaller state government. However, since Douglas is resigning, it appears that he is not personally willing to put that belief to the test in 2010.