Peter Galbraith

During two meetings last November and again in January, Peter Galbraith, a former state Democratic Party chair, and Anthony Pollina, the vice chair of the Vermont Progressive Party, discussed mounting a combined effort for statewide office.

Pollina, currently the Progressive Party's candidate for governor, proposed the idea of running for lieutenant governor on a ticket led by Galbraith, a former diplomat.

"This was not my idea, it was Anthony's," Galbraith told PolitickerVT.com. The conversation ended with no hard commitment but with an agreement that they'd be in touch, according to Galbraith.

As U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy's stock rises, state Republican Party chief Rob Roper is facing an ugly fall. Here are Vermont's Winners & Losers for May 23, 2008.

Ending weeks of speculation, former House Speaker Gaye Symington (D-Jericho) announced her candidacy for governor this morning.

Symington becomes the first Democratic candidate to enter the gubernatorial field that currently features Progressive Party candidate Anthony Pollina and the incumbent, three-term Republican Gov. Jim Douglas.

With Monday's expected announcement by former Vermont House Speaker Gaye Symington that she will launch a bid to unseat Republican Gov. Jim Douglas, the once bright gubernatorial candidacy of Peter Galbraith looks as though it will fade quickly as Symington seems poised to rally state Democrats around her.

This is especially true if Galbraith doesn't send out any positive political signals soon. In recent weeks, we had been hearing from Democratic insiders that Galbraith, a former ambassador and state Democratic Party chairman, would decide on a run for governor by May.

Yet it may be too late.

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While not yet an official candidate for governor, former state Democratic Party chairman Peter Galbraith is beginning to act like one, touting his credentials and earning visibility in a statewide email to party supporters.

The author and former ambassador praised U.S. Sen. and former presidential candidate Chris Dodd, D-Conn., who is slated to headline the state Democratic Party’s David W. Curtis Leadership Awards dinner next Friday.

Progressive Michael Colby confirmed today that he is close to entering the race for governor in a conversation with PolitickerVT.com

“I look forward to launching the campaign in the very near future,” he said.

Former Democratic Governor Madeleine Kunin believes that Democrat Peter Galbraith would pose a stronger challenge to Republican Governor Jim Douglas than would Progressive Anthony Pollina, she told PolitickerVT.com Monday.

“I see (Galbraith) as a stronger challenger than Anthony Pollina,” she said.

The formal launch of Progressive Anthony Pollina’s gubernatorial campaign was the subject of a Vermont Public Radio report Wednesday morning.

But the story also features a quote from potential Democrat Peter Galbraith, who is considering jumping into the race.  read more »