Democrats target Douglas, and see an opportunity

When presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain hedged yesterday after being asked if he would be interested in finding a place in his White House cabinet for Governor Jim Douglas, it caught the eye of Democratic Governrors Association Press Secretary Brian Namey, who believes Douglas just might have his hands full running for reelection this November.

“(McCain) said it because he knows Douglas might be in trouble,” Namey said.

With Douglas running for a third term, Democrats do not yet have a challenger. But Democrats insist that, if author and former ambassador Peter Galbraith jumps in the race and Progressive Anthony Pollina, the sole Douglas challenger at this point, flames out, the Vermont governor’s seat just might turn blue.

Democrats interviewed for this article see opportunities to target Douglas on multiple fronts, including campaign finance reform, the war in Iraq, and property taxes.

This week, Democrats launched attacks on Douglas on all three fronts, with House Speaker Gaye Symington hitting Douglas – implicitly – after the House voted on campaign finance House vote.

It was on Wednesday, one day before McCain’s scheduled visit to the state, that the Vermont Democratic Party and, separately, Galbraith hit Douglas on over McCain and the war.

Democrats say they have another issue with which they believe they can target Douglas: property taxes. On Thursday, Symington and Senate President accused Douglas of “making life less affordable for Vermonters,” and raising property taxes in the budget.

National Democrats see the race as a “sleeper race,” and a potential gubernatorial pick up along with races in Missouri and Indiana.

But Democrats acknowledge that, to pick up the seat, they need a candidate. And while Galbraith has done everything to show he’s seriously interested in pursuing the seat, he has not made anything official.

Should Galbraith wade into the race, many believe, he would face significant challenges. Chief among them: raising his name identification in the state.

“He doesn’t strike me as a candidate of stature,” former Republican House Speaker Walt Freed told PolitickerVT.com earlier this week.

Galbraith, Freed argued, has achieved recognition on a national level for his work in the diplomatic world but isn’t a known commodity in Vermont households.

Galbraith has taken steps to boost his name in the state. Earlier this week it was announced that he has become a trustee at Marlboro College.

With everything taken together, Democrats are optimistic about Galbraith and a potential battle with Douglas.

“It could shape up well,” said the DGA's Namey.