Matt Austin, Fox 44 News: http://www.fox44now.com/global/story.asp?s=12886223&ClientType=Printable
You may not be thinking about politics this summer but the five democrats who want to be Vermont’s next governor are and they’re trying to get your attention.
Deb Markowitz, Peter Shumlin and Doug Racine are considered the three front-runners in a crowded democratic primary race for Vermont governor.
“We are seeing the scramble,” said Garrison Nelson, a UVM Political Science professor.
Nelson says Markowitz looked like the frontrunner out of the gate but now seems to have flat-lined and hasn’t gotten the big endorsements.
Those endorsements went to Doug Racine and Peter Shumlin. But Nelson says Racine hasn’t been able to translate endorsements into cash.
Racine says he is focused on grassroots campaigning.
“It’s that kind of word-of-mouth advertising that still works very effectively in Vermont,” said Racine.
Nelson says Shumlin is trying to prove he is aggressive and also has to convince voters this time will be different than the last time he ran against and lost to Brian Dubie.
There are two others in the democratic primary race.
Nelson says Susan Bartlett faces challenges coming from a small county and little money. He says Matt Dunne’s unique background would make him a better national candidate.
“The fact of the matter is that we still have five candidates in the running is real proof that party organization is weak in Vermont,” said Nelson.
Nelson says the Democratic Party should have whittled the field down. Instead voters will do just that in less than four weeks in the August 24th primary.
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