Democrats see opportunity to regain governor's post
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By SUSAN ALLEN STAFF WRITER - Published: August 28, 2009
The political world tilted on its axis Thursday with Republican Gov. James Douglas' announcement that he won't seek re-election in 2010, opening the door – for the first time in eight years – to Democrats reclaiming the governor's office.
"The question for Democrats has always been, who is the best candidate to beat Jim Douglas," said Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin, D-Windham. "Today the question now is, who is the best candidate to lead Vermont?"
Douglas has had a lock on the governor's post since first winning it in 2002, an election (and re-elections since) made easier at times because a strong Independent or Progressive candidate divided the Democratic vote.
With Douglas out of the race for 2010, however, all bets are off.
"The challenge for the Democrats now is finding a candidate that will also appeal to the Progressives," said former Gov. Madeleine Kunin, a Democrat. "With this seat wide open, a Democrat now has a really strong chance of being elected, as long as the vote isn't split by having a third person in the race."
The Democratic Governors Association announced Thursday that given the governor's decision to pass on the 2010 election, Vermont's Democratic candidate will receive the organization's top backing – which comes with money.
"With such strong leaders in this race, we have an excellent opportunity to win back Vermont's governorship," said DGA Executive Director Nathan Daschle in a statement. "As a top-tier pickup opportunity for our organization, we are committed to ensuring that a Democrat wins this race in 2010.
"Our political program will dedicate the same attention and day-to-day involvement that other top-tier states such as Florida and California receive," he added.
Eric Davis, professor emeritus of political science at Middlebury College, said Douglas takes with him Republicans' best shot at maintaining their eight-year hold on the state's top elected office.
Save for Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie, Davis said, no Republican candidates have enjoyed the kind of cross-party appeal that helped Douglas clear the 50-percent margin in the 2008 governor's race.
"I would say it's easier now for Democrats," Davis said. "This state has gone Democratic up and down the ballot in recent years, and Douglas had appeal that went way beyond his Republican base."
The candidates who are officially in the race, or those whose names are mentioned as possible contenders, were careful in choosing their words Thursday.
"There's going to be plenty of time to make political speculations," said Secretary of State Deborah Markowitz, who has begun fundraising and hired staff in her bid for the governor's office in 2010. "Today is really a day to honor Jim Douglas' years of service. This is the day to be grateful for that service."
Shumlin, who confirmed Thursday that he is eyeing the race, also voiced respect for Douglas.
"This is Jim Douglas' day," Shumlin said. "He has served Vermont with distinction, and while I have not always agreed with the direction he has taken us, I have tremendous admiration for his service to the state."
That said, Shumlin added, the governor's exit from the race makes it more likely that other Democrats will enter the primary race for the party's nomination.
And, he said, "This will make the next session easier. People like me, who are considering a run for governor, don't want to engage in politics while trying to negotiate policy with the person they would be running against. Well, the veil has now been lifted."
"I was in, regardless," said Sen. Douglas Racine, D-Chittenden, of the gubernatorial race. Like Markowitz, Racine has begun fundraising and hired his first campaign staff for the 2010 election.
"I've been getting organized and raising money and looking at staff. I'm not going to do anything different tomorrow than I did today," he said Thursday, after watching the governor's speech, which was made in Douglas' historic ceremonial office at the Statehouse.
Racine said even though he is no longer running against Douglas – assuming he wins the Democratic primary – he will continue to campaign against the policies of the Republican governor that he feels have been harmful to the state.
"I've been talking a lot about Jim Douglas and critiquing his policies. I'll be doing less of that," he said. He will be able to focus more on where he wants to take the state as a candidate, but added that Douglas would still be a focus because, "Those are state policies, those are his proposals."
Interestingly, Racine, who lost the gubernatorial race against Douglas in 2002 with an Independent in the race, differed from Kunin in his assessment of the third-party impact on the election.
"My discussions with the Progressives, it's about how we move Vermont forward and how we get new leadership," Racine said. "It's the same dynamic, whether there's an incumbent running or an open seat."
Douglas' announcement "doesn't change anything for us," said Martha Abbott, chairwoman of the Vermont Progressive Party.
"We're still looking for that perfect candidate to support," Abbott said, referring to the field of Democrats. "Only now we will have a much larger pool to choose from."
Sen. Susan Bartlett, D-Lamoille, another announced candidate for governor, said she never built her campaign thinking around running against an incumbent.
"I'm running on a platform of my ideas and values that I believe in," she said Thursday. However, she said she expects the Republicans will now have a primary to choose their gubernatorial nominee, which is generally thought to weaken any general-election candidate who survives. That, she said, might encourage more Democrats to enter the race.
One name that was mentioned as a possible Democratic candidate Thursday was State Auditor Thomas Salmon.
"Somebody asked me while I was walking out of the building (after the governor's announcement), what are you going to do?" he said Thursday. "I said I'm going to walk back to my office and I have a staff meeting and we're interviewing three people for the auditor's office. I'm really keenly focused on the activities of the office."
Salmon said he has made no decisions about his political future.
"I'm concerned about the financial stability of the state and have been since I ran in '06," he said. "I think that he (Douglas) did have a combination of being a steady fiscal conservative, while meeting the needs of the people. We need a person in charge of this state who has a personal touch, a common sense approach and fiscal responsibility.
"That's really as far as I can comment today in terms of what the state needs," he added.
Former Gov. Howard Dean, who previously chaired the National Democratic Committee, said he would support the party's candidate in November, apparently ruling out any thought he might seek to return to the governor's office.
"The Democratic Party of Vermont has a number of outstanding candidates and it will no doubt be a spirited primary," he said in a statement. "I look forward to endorsing and campaigning on behalf of our Party's nominee in the 2010 elections."
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