A Douglas reelection strategy comes into focus

With the State of the State speech behind him and Progressive Anthony Pollina now certain to be running for his seat in November, Governor Jim Douglas’s election-year strategy is coming into view: focusing on achieving his legislative agenda.

“The best political strategy is to advance good public policy,” Douglas spokesperson Jason Gibbs said. Gibbs said Douglas believes Vermont “faces serious challenges,” and was intent on pushing forward his plans for health care, economic development, and property and income tax relief.

Republican officials insist that, for now, they are not focused on the race. As he did in his 2004 and 2006 runs for reelection, Douglas intends to start up his campaign apparatus when the legislative session wraps up at the end of May or the beginning of June. The Douglas campaign will then accelerate around July 4th. Douglas has a website set up, but for now his reelection campaign is on something of an autopilot mode, with one junior level staffer keeping matters in place.

Douglas has yet to attract a Democratic challenger. Senate Majority Leader John Campbell, Senator Doug Racine, former Senator Matt Dunne, and former ambassador to Croatia Peter Galbraith are considering a challenge to Douglas, but none have committed to the race. Pollina, a community activist who ran for Governor in 2002, has said that he will run. Today his campaign announced that it had met its 100K fundraising goal for January.

Republicans would not detail how they planned run against Pollina, but indicated they would turn the race into a choice election between two men who had starkly different governing philosophies. “Let Douglas be Douglas and let Pollina be Pollina and at the end of the day Vermonters will pick Douglas,” State Republican chair Rob Roper said.

While Republicans would not discuss how they thought Pollina would fare against Douglas, one aide pointed out that in 2004 Progressive Steve Hingtgen, running for lieutenant governor, received fewer votes in the state than President George W. Bush – perhaps an inauspicious omen for Mr. Pollina.

Douglas aides say that the governor has directed his staff to focus on his policies. “He’s been clear that there is a time for political campaign,” Gibbs said. “But now is the time to focus on our agenda.”

In the meantime, Republican officials express confidence.

“We’re confident Jim Douglas will be the next governor of Vermont,” Roper said.