Gaye Symington made her announcement this morning, saying it was time for a change in the governor's office.
"Vermont is stuck in neutral," she told the crowd of about 150. "And the failure to move forward is a failure of leadership."
That, you can expect, will be a familiar theme in the race, criticizing Gov. Jim Douglas' leadership.
You can also expect Republican incumbent Jim Douglas to defend his leadership and to characterize Symington's record as one of willingness to spend.
Many Democratic legislators turned out, some party officials and elected leaders such as Rep. Peter Welch, Secretary of State Deb Markowitz and former Gov. Madeleine Kunin, none of whom spoke.
Instead, little-known Rep. John Malcolm, D-Pawlet, was among those who introduced Symington. He acknowledged that the crowd might be wondering why John Malcolm. He was a legislator Symington recruited and who said she always made him feel like he was being heard.
In the end, the weather was perfect. Just goes to show you not to put too much stock in a four-day weather forecast.
- Terri Hallenbeck
