The Hill reports on Senate contenders in Vermont:
The announcement [by Jeffords] paved the way for a match-up between Rep. Bernie Sanders, the independent whose politics are to the left of most Democrats, and Gov. Jim Douglas (R), a centrist who easily won his second term last year by more than 20 percentage points.
A Vermont source with close ties to the state Republican Party said that President Bush had called Douglas yesterday asking him to run. While Douglas has yet to announce his plans, the source said that Douglas “is definitely going to run for the Senate seat.”
Jason Gibbs, a spokesman for the governor, said Douglas is focused on the state legislative session and has not made any decisions about the Senate race. The governor was attending a policy forum yesterday in Columbus, Ohio, organized by the Republican Governors Association, Gibbs said.
The governor was portrayed as supportive of abortion rights and more middle-of-the-road than the president when it came to the environment. Still, he served as Bush’s campaign chairman in Vermont in 2004.
As for Sanders, he left little doubt that his long-held plan to run for the Senate was unwavering. “I know the discussion will turn quickly to the November 2006 election,” the congressman said in a statement. “I have been clear about my intentions, which have not changed, but today is not the time to talk about politics or elections.”
Also, from the
Boston Globe:
Representative Barney Frank, Democrat of Massachusetts, said his party members expected Sanders to run for the Senate. If that happens, Frank said, senior members of the party would discourage other Democrats from challenging Sanders, avoiding a three-way race that could tip the election to a Republican in the liberal-leaning state.
