It was like a flashback to the fall, when we were getting fliers from political candidates every day, sometimes five in a day.
There in the mail yesterday was one from Peter Welch, our just-elected congressman. It looked a lot like the campaign fliers. Pastoral picture on the cover. "Working for Vermont," it says. Open it up and there he is in jeans and checked shirt, talking to a farmer.
This time Welch says he wants to hear from constituents about the issues that matter to them. There's a card you can tear off, fill out and send in ranking your issues. It's about constituent services, which are after all the number one purpose of a member of Congress.
Don't kid yourself, though, it's also about getting re-elected. These are two-year terms, so there's no time off from campaigning. There doesn't seem to be any question Welch wants to keep the seat he fought so hard to get. It's exhausting work, he told me recently, what with the trips to Iraq and Jordan, and bouncing between Washington and Vermont, but he likes it.
Which brings us to the next question. Who will the Republicans run against Welch in '08? They are in a spot where they can't afford to give Welch a free ride and let him take easy street into a lifelong career in Washington, yet they don't have an obvious budding candidate. We've heard Randy Brock's name floated out there, but he might also want to take a legitimate stab at snaring back the auditor's job.
Who should run? Who will run? Have at it.
- Terri Hallenbeck
