For Douglas campaign, the economy is the issue

Gov. Jim Douglas: National Governors Association PhotoLast week, Gov. Jim Douglas (R-Middlebury) officially launched his fourth re-election campaign, announcing his intentions to supporters in a Saint Albans home after a two-day kickoff tour sent him crisscrossing the state.

During this year's election cycle, Douglas faces two challengers: House Speaker Gaye Symington (D-Jericho), who officially announced her plan to run for governor in May and Progressive Party candidate Anthony Pollina, who hit the trail five months ago. Top officials from both camps talked about their campaign plans earlier in the week, and today, Douglas' campaign manager, Dennise Casey, spoke to PolitickerVT.com about the governor's own plans for the weeks and months leading up to Election Day.

"We will be the hardest-working campaign," said Casey, who has a daily countdown to Nov. 4, which is 132 days away. The campaign, Casey stated, aims at "supporting Vermonters in these tough economic times," in addition to securing a solid win in November.

And a weakening economy will be the campaign's primary concern. "Everything centers around the economy," Casey said. "There's only one issue and that's the economy. Everything is tied to that."

Casey emphasized Douglas' record on taxes compared to those of his challengers, which she calls "outside of the mainstream." Just this morning, the campaign issued a statement bashing Symington's taxation record and proposed increases. She added that Douglas will "continue to focus on resisting proposals to raise taxes."

The governor, Casey said, would also continue to be the "voice of change and the voice of reason." While Douglas is a three-term incumbent, Casey noted that positive change will not necessarily come from a new governor, but through implementing the current governor's "innovative ideas."

And Casey considered Douglas' incumbency as an advantage because she said it has allowed the governor to know constituents on a personal level, which she believes is the governor's greatest strength.

Because of Vermonters' close relationship with Douglas, Casey also noted that they will be less inclined to believe attacks from Symington and Pollina. "Vermonters know the governor and they're always reluctant to buy into the political mudslinging," she said.

Although the governor faces a three-way race, Casey is not particularly concerned about splitting the vote: "Voters will have a clear choice in this election between two candidates that are one and the same," referring to the similarities between Symington in Pollina, who she claims have virtually no differences in their views on the economy.

While the political climate has shifted and the economy has stalled since Douglas was elected for a third term in 2006, Casey said they will not stop bringing the governor's message of "change" and "reason" to the Green Mountain State.

PolitickerVT.com will offer analysis on the governor's races on Thursday

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