It is as if they are hovering over Vermont airspace, lined up and ready to land. Political figures from Oregon to New Jersey are headed to the Green Mountain State to help out the Democratic and Republican candidates for U.S. House.
U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer from Portland, Ore., will be here Thursday to spend the day with Democrat Peter Welch. They will, among other things, visit a Charlotte farm and attend a global warming forum in Middlebury. Blumenauer is not exactly a tip-of-the-tongue name, but Welch’s campaign said it’s a good chance to show off Vermont farming to a congressman from elsewhere who might have some sway on the issue.
Christie Todd Whitman, former New Jersey governor and former Environmental Protection Agency head who runs a political action committee called It's My Party Too, will campaign for Republican Martha Rainville on Oct. 16. A trip to Stowe is on the agenda. Whitman's PAC lists Rainville and Gov. Jim Douglas as "supported candidates," but says Vermont has no state PAC captain.
Robert Kennedy Jr., prosecuting attorney for the environmental organization Riverkeeper, will join Welch at an environmental rally at the University of Vermont on Oct. 13.
Perhaps it’s an easy sell to lure a politician from elsewhere to Vermont the first half of October. Will they still be coming when all the leaves are gone and before the snow flies?
— Terri Hallenbeck
