Group grills governor hopeful

Author: Derek Schlickeisen

Amidst the release of national polls predicting significant Republican losses in this November's elections, Vermont Governor Jim Douglas '73 (R) looks well-positioned in his re-election race against challenger Gaye Symington (D), speaker of the democratically-controlled State House. But Symington is not showing signs of slowing down. In a lunchtime discussion last Tuesday with students and local leaders from the Town and Gown Group at the Middlebury Inn, Symington vigorously criticized Douglas' administration for "short-sighted" policies that have stretched the state's budget and tied his governing philosophy to the unpopular policies of national Republicans.

Members of the group were particularly interested in the state's aging infrastructure, questioning Symington on how she as governor would allocate Vermont's limited transportation dollars.

"Governor Douglas' administration has been failing to make basic repairs to our roads in Vermont," Symington told the group, "and as a result, a project that might have initially cost $250,000 has now deteriorated to the point where it will cost $2.5 million. Governor Douglas has avoided dealing with the tough issues, and has offered half measures that are short-term in nature."

With the latest public poll in the race showing Symington trailing Douglas by 15 points, Symington worked to attach her campaign's message to the "change" mantra associated with Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (IN), and to associate Douglas with Obama's opponent, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).

"In these difficult economic times," she said," we need to make major changes to turn our economy around, and those changes will not occur under Governor Douglas and the presidential candidate he strongly supports, John McCain. If you believe in the kind of change Barack Obama wants to bring to our country, you should know that I'm the candidate who lines up with him on the major issues and will be a strong partner for him here in Vermont."

Yet that message may not prove enough for Symington in a race that has turned increasingly negative. In an advertisement released Sept. 23, Douglas' campaign criticized Symington for failing to fully release her family's income tax information for public inspection. While Symington in August followed the voluntary yet expected practice among political candidates of releasing her own income tax returns, she did not do so for her husband, a former executive with Ben & Jerry's.

In response to Douglas' ad, Democratic officials in the state have accused the Governor of running a "nasty" campaign that abandons the spirit of recent contests in Vermont. In 2006, the House race between Rep. Peter Welch (D) and Martha Rainville (R) was found to have been the only Congressional race in the country to have been entirely devoid of negative advertising. For Douglas, however, the tactic seems to have paid off.

"My sense is that Symington simply hasn't gotten traction due to the negative publicity surrounding her taxes, and therefore has spent more time on the defensive than she might like," explained Professor of Political Science Matthew J. Dickinson.

Despite a relatively high disapproval rating for an incumbent governor - 43 percent - Douglas has also gained from the presence of progressive third-party candidate Anthony Pollina, who polls in the high single digits.

"Although Pollina has a strong core of supporters, most people view him as a spoiler," said Dickinson. "As a result, although Douglas is not overwhelmingly popular, he benefits from a divided opposition."