Editor’s note: This article was written by Steve Cormier.
Campaign season is unlike any of the other four that visit this state throughout the year: That it will end, come Election Day, is the rule, but its commencement has become a matter of speculation.
In Vermont, where great pride is placed in short civil campaigns, the political winds are changing as campaigning, and governing, is becoming more of a full-time gig.
Historically, the state has held one of the latest primary elections in the nation, giving general election candidates less than two months to campaign.
But if a bill that would move the primary election date up three weeks, from Sept. 14 to Aug. 24, is enacted, it will become another prod, pushing candidates to announce earlier and earlier.
The contrast between the 2008 elections, and this year’s campaign season, for example, is stark.
In the last gubernatorial election, Democratic candidate Gaye Symington – then Speaker of the Vermont House – made her official announcement in mid-May of 2008, giving her less than six months to run in a race in which she ultimately finished third.
“Democrats learned by Gaye’s timing that you have to get out much earlier,” said Paul Tencher, campaign manager for Secretary of State Deb Markowitz’s current gubernatorial campaign.
All six gubernatorial candidates in this year’s race – Markowitz, Senate President Pro Tempore Peter Shumlin, State Sens. Susan Bartlett and Douglas Racine and former State Sen. Matt Dunne – along with the sole-Republican candidate – Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie – appear to have taken the lesson to heart – they all filed their candidacy paperwork before 2010 even began.
Tencher says that though Markowitz’s campaign didn’t hold the official kick-off announcement until March 8, the candidate started organizing and raising money last year.
Racine made his official announcement on Jan. 23, but he has been raising funds and organizing his gubernatorial run since early 2009, said Amy Shollenberger, a field director for the campaign.
Candidates for governor do not hold a monopoly on early campaigning in the current election cycle as the Candidate Bank Designation Form reveals, which is a filing requirement for candidates who raise or spend more than $500.
Baruth declared early because upstart candidates like him who race in the state’s most densely populated county need more money and/or time to challenge incumbents. In the last 20 years, he said, only two incumbents have lost re-election bids in the Chittenden County delegation.
Mark Snelling, a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, filed papers in 2009. Also filing in 2009 were three candidates for Secretary of State – Democrats Charles Merriman and Christopher Winters, along with Republican Chris Roy.
In legislative races, Robert Craig of Newbury, a Republican running for state representative, filed in 2009, as did Philip Baruth of Burlington, a Democrat running for state Senate.
Baruth’s campaign, which was launched in May of 2009, stands in contrast to current state Sen. Tim Ashe’s first bid in 2008. Both men hail from Chittenden County, but unlike Baruth, who gave himself a year-and-a-half to organize and campaign, Ashe, like Symington, filed the summer before the 2008 primary.
Baruth declared early because upstart candidates like him who race in the state’s most densely populated county need more money and/or time to challenge incumbents. In the last 20 years, he said, only two incumbents have lost re-election bids in the Chittenden County delegation.
“I have an amazing respect for the Chittenden County delegation,” says Baruth, “but incumbency is a real problem in America.”
For Markowitz, says Tencher, incumbency was a reason she came out early, too. The assumption was that Douglas would be her general election rival who, as a fourth term incumbent, would be very difficult to unseat.
“It takes a solid year to build the organization you need,” said Tencher, “to get people excited and to raise resources.”
Racine’s campaign organization got going early because the candidate, said Shollenberger, was straight up unhappy with the 8-year-old administration.
“It was more that he knew that he wanted to run against Douglas,” said Shollenberger. “He was ready and people were telling him to run.”
After Douglas announced that he would not seek a fifth term, Shollenberger says Racine was just as eager to run against Dubie.
Frank Bryan, a professor of political Science at the University of Vermont, takes a more practical view of Vermont politicians’ early aspirations. He explains that in his lifetime, Vermont state government has changed significantly, forcing candidates to change.
“The Legislature has gone from working four months every other year, to yearly sessions,” Bryan said.
The Legislature’s limited sessions allowed more farmers and workers to get involved in Montpelier, says Bryan, because by the time spring planting started, the General Assembly adjourned.
An increasing work load has become more burdensome for Vermont’s part-time citizen Legislature.
“The state is doing more things now than they used to,” says Bryan, “with Vermont now being the third most centralized state in the union.”
Bryan also points out that Vermont is only one of two states (the other is New Hampshire) where every office is subject to an election every two years. This doesn’t leave much of a break between campaigns.
Opinions vary on what effect early campaigning is having on Vermont politics.
Tencher says it’s natural that a serious candidate would emerge early.
“The two year cycle makes it difficult for a candidate not to be ready and out early,” Tencher said. Vermonters are more personally connected to politics, he said, and voters want to see people working hard.
Baruth, who is a University of Vermont professor, said that early campaign announcements should be a good thing for the citizens of Vermont. Lengthier campaigns allow for more access to the democratic process, while shorter ones limit communication between politicians and voters.
He became involved in “service” politics during Barack Obama’s campaign for president, and he has launched several community service events for his own campaign for state Senate. (His campaign rounded up 20 volunteers on Halloween morning, 2009, and refinished the dance floor at the Essex Teen Center.) The idea is that a candidate who announces early can use their new platform to go out and help community members in any way they can.
Bryan said early announcements do not mean Vermonters are electing more of a professional political class, but it is limiting the process to people who have more time.
Vermont is still one of the states with the fewest lawyers involved in state government, Bryan said, and this is important as professionals, like lawyers and professors may have more time to put into campaigning compared with blue collar workers who may work longer hours.
