Obama's presidential bid casts long shadow in Green Mountain state

The 2008 presidential cycle is breaking new ground: the most successful female and minority candidates, huge leaps in voter turnout, and a reinvigorated excitement about politics.

But the excitement generated from the candidates topping the party ticket is not just confined to the presidential race: Vermont officials and political observers are feeling the enthusiasm too. Many have dubbed the phenomena of heightened interest, activism and turnout the "Obama Factor."

"There's absolutely an Obama Factor," said Garrison Nelson, a professor of Political Science at the University of Vermont. He added that the Democratic voters would probably flock to the polls in November, and Democratic candidates might ride the coattails of their party's presidential nominee, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), who enjoys a high level of popularity in the Green Mountain state.

Vermont Democratic Party Coordinated Campaign Director Kristina Althoff told PolitickerVT.com in an email that "The amount of enthusiasm and energy that has been generated on the Democratic side is palpable." Althoff, who worked on Obama's campaign in New Hampshire, added that "here in Vermont we expect this enthusiasm for Sen. Obama will come together to bring about the change that Americans and Vermonters are looking for in 2008. This energy and enthusiasm will undoubtedly have a huge positive impact for Democrats running for office at all levels."

And some local and state candidates are repackaging Obama's message of hope. "There's a sense of possibility and hope about him," said Michael Carrese, communications director for gubernatorial candidate and House Speaker Gaye Symington (D-Jericho) in an earlier interview. "Obama captures a sense of hope which lines up perfectly with what Symington is saying."

Symington's campaign has been running with a slogan that Vermont is "stuck in neutral" and needs to "get in gear."

Even candidates who are not running a statewide campaign say the "Obama Factor" is affecting their bid. State Rep. Shap Smith (D-Morristown ) noticed increased turnout among youth voters. Both state Rep. Mark Larson (D-Burlington) and House Majority Leader Carolyn Partridge (D-Rockingham) said that enthusiasm for the national elections tends to ignite excitement at a local level, which then travels up the top of ticket.

And though Democrats seemed poised to gain the most as a result of the "Obama Factor," some third party candidates may benefit as well. Meg Brook, campaign director for Progressive Party gubernatorial candidate Anthony Pollina, said in a previous interview that Pollina and Obama share the same "concept to come together," and both generate "a feeling of connectedness" or the "feeling that you might want to go for something different."

"They both magnify the message that your voice really matters," Brook said of Obama and Pollina.

While 2008 may not be the best year for the GOP, Vermont Republicans aren't too worried. Rob Roper, Chairman of the Vermont Republican Party, told PolitickerVT.com that he believes that there is an "Obama Factor" nationally, "but at the local level it's going in the opposite direction," noting that liberal elected officials in Burlington and Brattleboro were replaced in local elections by more conservative politicians.

Some political experts believe that Gov. Jim Douglas' toughest obstacle will be overcoming the growing disenchantment with the GOP. Yet even Douglas (R-Middlebury) has capitalized on Obama's buzzword "change," campaigning on the promise that he is the "voice of change and the voice of reason."

But most officials and observers noted that the Green Mountain state's notorious independence and tendency for split-ticket voting will make almost any outcome virtually unpredictable.