Every State. Every race. Right here.
This is Number 16 in a planned series of 50 entries between now and November, looking at each of the 50 states in terms of every race on that state's ticket--Presidential, Gubernatorial, Senate, House, State legislatures--the Full Vermonty! Special attention paid to identifying and promoting the most important contests per state.
Since I did the huge, honking, very difficult state of California last time, I figure today I’ll take it a little easy. The good people of VERMONT seem to have things very well in hand for the Democratic party. Let’s join them below...
This is Vermont:
http://www.nationalatlas.com/...
From Burlington to Bennington, it’s a solid blue state, with red pockets only in some of the most rural sections. It began the 20th century as one of the most solidly Republican states in the union, and has evolved to the point where its blueness is rubbing off on New Hampshire and Northern New York (in 2006, blue heroes Paul Hodes and Kirsten Gillibrand both defeated Republican incumbents in districts that border Vermont).
BLOGS: The Green Mountain Daily is Vermont’s delightfully progressive online voice. Highly recommended.
http://www.greenmountaindaily.com/
PRESIDENT: Super-safe Obama. Vermonters interested in helping Obama should road trip into NH, where there’s still some doubt. I won’t be surprised if McAncient bypasses all of New England, where he’d have to spend a crushing amount of his wife’s money with meager hopes of a maximum of 4 EVs to show for it.
SENATE: Not on the ticket in 2008. Note that this is the first even-year election since 1990 in which Bernie Sanders will not appear on Vermont’s ballot! I’ll bet he’s glad he only has to campaign every six years now, instead of every two, for the exact same voters.
GOVERNOR: This is THE BIG ONE for Vermont! Republican Governor James Douglas/Lt. Gov Brian Dubie, up for re-election, is the only dark spot keeping Vermont from tying or surpassing Massachusetts as the bluest state in the union. The leading Democrat in the race is State House Speaker Gaye Symington, and in a blue state like Vermont, she shouldn’t have much trouble finishing Douglas off, right?
The trouble is, according to Green Mountain Daily, Symington has been sitting on her haunches with less than five full months to go. Statewide elections in Vermont are more than usually dependent on ground operations, since in a state this size the voters have come to expect the candidates to meet every one of them personally. Symington is giving up a major power spot in the leg to run for Governor, so it’s hard to see why she would act as a place-sitter.
Also, Vermont is one of those states like HI, RI and until recently MD and MA, where they have Democratic supermajorities that can override pretty much all vetoes, and so they often consider Republicans for Governor as pretty much the only office with a Gooper. It keeps the Democrats from being too complacent or something.
Also on the primary ballot is Peter Galbraith, a "Senior Diplomatic Fellow" and former ambassador to Kvetchnya. Some very liberal progressives are running on alternative party tickets.
http://www.symingtonforgovernor.com/
http://www.armscontrolcenter.org/...
UPDATE: I don't usually link to the sites of alternative party candidates, but in light of some of the comments, I'll make an exception for Anthony Pollina, running on the Progressive Party ticket. This may well be the rare case in which the Democrat is the actual spoiler and the Progressive may get more votes than the Democrat. We'll see. I like the VT Progressive party. If ever there's an appropriate place to challenge the two-party oligarchy from the left, it's Vermont.
http://www.anthonypollina.com/
OTHER STATEWIDE: The other major statewide offices are held by Democrats, as they should be. Here are the sites for incumbent state treasurer Jim Spalding (Check out the Group W Bench grin!):
http://www.vermonttreasurer.gov/
Secretary of State Deb Markowitz:
http://www.sec.state.vt.us/
State Auditor Tom Salmon:
http://auditor.vermont.gov/
And AG Bill Sorrell:
http://www.atg.state.vt.us/
STATE LEGISLATURE: A jubilant Democratic supermajority. The State Senate has 23 Democrats and 7 republicans; the lower house has 93 Democrats, 49 Republicans, 6 members of a progressive alternative party, and 2 independents. This state is so blue that it is on track to have an alternative party challenge the Democrats from the left, without seriously creating the danger that Republicans will fill in the rift. Go Vermont!
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS: At large: Peter Welch (Inc. D). They did their worst against him in 2006, when Bernie moved up to the Senate and Welch sought the open seat. They failed. Welch pretty much has this seat as long as he wants it.
http://www.welchforcongress.com/
Previous diaries in this series:
Delaware: http://www.dailykos.com/...
Arkansas: http://www.dailykos.com/...
Illinois: http://www.dailykos.com/...
Texas, Part One: http://www.dailykos.com/...
Texas, Part Two: http://www.dailykos.com/...
Utah: http://www.dailykos.com/...
Massachusetts: http://www.dailykos.com/...
North Carolina: http://www.dailykos.com/...
Hawaii: http://www.dailykos.com/...
Mississippi: http://www.dailykos.com/...
Oregon: http://www.dailykos.com/...
Ohio: http://www.dailykos.com/...
Maryland: http://www.dailykos.com/...
North Dakota: http://www.dailykos.com/...
Alabama: http://www.dailykos.com/...
California, Part one: http://www.dailykos.com/...
California, Part two: http://www.dailykos.com/...