Wally Edge's blog

While some Democrats had been turning to sites like eBay and Craigslist hoping to scoop up scalped tickets to see U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's (D-Ill.) speech tonight at INVESCO Field in front of an estimated crowd of over 75,000 people, Republicans are still giving away tickets for U.S. Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) Ohio rally tomorrow, where he had been expected to announce his vice presidential running mate.

The McCain campaign is working to build a crowd of 10,000 for the event in Dayton.

There is no shortage of second and third generations of American political families addressing delegates at the Democratic National Convention in Denver this week: Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, the daughter of President John F. Kennedy; James Roosevelt, Jr., the grandson of President Franklin D. Roosevelt; U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL), the son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988; U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), the daughter of former New Orleans Mayor/U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Moon Landrieu; U.S. Sen. Robert Casey (D-PA), the son of former Pennsylvania Gov. Bob Casey; Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, the daughter of former Ohio Gov. John Gilligan; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), the daughter of former Baltimore Mayor/U.S. Rep. Thomas D’Alesandro; Iowa Gov. Chet Culver, the son of former U.S. Sen. John Culver (D-IA); New York Gov. David Paterson, the son of former New York Secretary of State Basil Paterson; and Cecile Richards, the daughter of former Texas Governor Anne Richards.

Also: U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), the son of former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Joseph Kennedy, and the grandson of former Boston Mayor John Fitzgerald.

Jeb Spaulding and U.S. Sen. Pat Leahy (D-Middlesex) were both among the winners this week, while Anthony Pollina (I) ends up on the loser side again. Find out why and see who else made this week's Winners & Losers. | CLICK HERE

State Rep. Rachel Weston (D-Burlington) will hold a press conference this afternoon to respond to U.S. Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) comments that he wasn't sure how many houses he owns. The press conference will be held at her home.

In an interview with Politico, the senator was asked how many houses he owns and responded: "I think — I'll have my staff get to you. It's condominiums where — I'll have them get to you."

The Democratic National Campaign Committee announced today that U.S. Sen. Pat Leahy (D-Middlesex) will be speaking at the Democratic convention.

Vermont is the only state that President Bush has yet to visit during his presidency, but don't give up all hope yet.

Until June of last year, Rhode Islanders feared they might be one of two states to never get a visit from the president, but he managed to fit them into his schedule.

The first president to visit all 50 states was Richard Nixon. Like Bush, at least one Vermont town voted to impeach Nixon. First Lady Laura Bush has visited Vermont a few times, and despite a rough visit to Brattleboro when he was vice president, George H. W. Bush visited the state twice during his presidency.

If Joe Lieberman and Mitt Romney are, as expected, speakers at the 2008 Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, it will become the first time two former presidential candidates addressed consecutive national political conventions, but of different parties.  Lieberman and Romney spoke at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston.  Romney, as Governor of Massachusetts, welcomed the delegates.

Gov. Jim Douglas (R-Middlebury), Speaker Gaye Symington (D-Jericho) and Anthony Pollina (I-Middlesex) all made this week's Winners & Losers list. | CLICK HERE

Has former Governor Philip Hoff become a more centrist Democrat than he was as a young Governor in the 1960's? That's what his endorsement of New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson for the 2008 presidential nomination suggests.

When Hoff ousted Republican Governor Ray Keyser in 1962 (by 1,348 votes), the 38-years-old one-term State Representative became Vermont's first Democratic Governor since before the Civil War.

A short lesson in history for Democrats thinking about a challenge to Republican Governor Jim Douglas next year: Vermonters don’t oust incumbent Governors.

The last time a sitting Governor lost re-election was back in 1962, when Republican Ray Keyser lost his bid for a second term to Democrat Philip Hoff by just 1,348 votes – 50.6%-49.4%. That was the only loss for an incumbent Governor in the 20th century.