Democrat Gaye Symington is campaigning to become the second female governor of Vermont this fall. If elected, she would end incumbent Republican Jim Douglas’s six-year stretch as governor.
Democratic optimism
On Friday, Oct. 17, Suzi Wizowaty hosted a house party for Gaye Symington at her mother’s house in Burlington. A group of about 50 local Democrats crowded into the den of the house overlooking Lake Champlain and listened to the candidate speak. Symington spoke of her motivation to run for governor, Gov. Douglas’s failed leadership, and her plans for Vermont.
Despite the gap between her and Douglas in a Rasmussen Reports poll posted on Oct. 10, the consensus in the room was that there was still a shot to catch up before Nov. 4.
Wizowaty, who recently beat out Rep. Bill Keogh for a legislative seat in the Vermont House of Representatives, says Vermonters’ tendency to vote for candidates from a party other than their own may mean that some Republicans will vote Democratic on Nov. 4.
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Suzi Wizowaty hosted a party for Symington to rally supporters and fund-raise.
(Photo by Sebastian Contratti) |
“I’ll tell you something really quirky about Vermont,” she says. “I’ve worked at the polls before, where you go over the ballots, and people might vote for a Republican, a Democrat, and an Independent on the same sheet… and it happens a lot.”
Through polls, follow-up questions, and analysis, Rasmussen Reports, a media company which specializes in polling, anticipates the voter breakdown on Nov. 4 as follows: incumbent Jim Douglas will garner between 45 and 53 percent of the vote; Symington will receive between 20 and 29 percent of the vote; and Independent Anthony Pollina (who identifies himself as Progressive) will pull in between 4 and 25 percent of the vote.
Despite the assumption that Pollina and Symington are basically splitting the anti-Republican vote and rolling out the red carpet for Douglas, Wizowaty says having a Democratic candidate is important.
“The Democratic party would want a Democrat candidate because a Progressive can’t get enough votes in Vermont,” she says.
Bridging the gap
Symington’s motivation to run for governor was sparked by the realization that schools weren’t being adequately funded in her hometown of Jericho, she says.
Her Bridge to Opportunity program is Symington’s answer to educational difficulties, according to her Web site.
With the embedded interest of having more Vermonters stick around when they’re in their '20s and '30s, Symington would weave college level courses into some high schools and give low-income students a chance to graduate high school with a year of college credit.
Some low-income students would also be able to attend a state university for up to two years free under the program.
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The small crowd listened to Symington's short speech and asked questions.
(Photo by Sebastian Contratti) |
“The Bridge to Opportunity is my effort at creating those opportunities for Vermonters who may not see that path yet,” Symington says. “Creating the opportunity for a high school to sign up and say, ‘We want to be one of these high schools, we’re going to offer this challenging curriculum that gives hands on opportunities in sciences and art education infused into a challenging traditional education.’”
Energy is another issue Symington feels strongly about.
Douglas supports Vermont Yankee, a local power plant that provides over one-third of Vermont’s electricity, according to its Web site.
Symington wishes to shift reliability from Vermont Yankee to renewable sources of energy, like wind power, she says.
One of Symington’s goal as governor would be to have 20 percent of Vermont’s power coming from wind mills.
Keeping the faith
Maggie Gunderson, a Symington supporter who attended the house party, believes Douglas has too narrow a perspective on issues.
“Some people get lost looking at all the individual trees,” she says. “That's what Douglas does. [Symington] looks at the whole picture.”
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Symington is hoping to become the first female governor since Madeleine Kunin, Vermont's governor from 1985-1991.
(Photo by Sebsastian Contratti) |
Gunderson also pointed out Symington’s self-reliance and her ability to relate to people easily.
“She has a tremendous amount of heart and she’s very connected to the people,” Gunderson says. “She’s extremely bright and does her homework; other people depend upon their staff to do that work.”
The party ended and supporters offered words of encouragement to Symington as they walked from the house to their cars. Symington was already late for her son's football game, but she stood outside in the cold, answering peoples' questions until there was no one left.
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