WATERBURY, Vt. (WCAX) – Former Democratic governor Howard Dean says he will not challenge incumbent Republican Gov. Phil Scott in November. Party leaders said it’s disappointing but not surprising, and that it would have been an uphill fight either way.
Dean’s announcement on Monday comes as another high-profile Democrat says he won’t run either.
In a room packed with the press at the Waterbury town offices, former governor Howard Dean addressed weeks of speculation.
“I am not a candidate for the office of governor,” he said.
Dean pointed to internal polling conducted by Change Research showing taxes are the top issue on voters’ minds. The polls put him within 10 points of beating incumbent Republican Gov. Phil Scott, but Dean said closing the gap would require raising $2 million and a “scorched earth” campaign style filled with negative attack ads.
“I don’t want to bring that to Vermont and I didn’t trust myself with three weeks to go to be nice and civil if I thought a couple of bad ads would put me in front,” the former governor said.
Dean also said he isn’t running to spend more time with his family and to allow younger people to run.
“I think the future of the party is 40-year-olds, not 75-year-olds,” he said.
Dean was widely seen as a strong challenger to Phil Scott, who polls show as the most popular governor in the country.
Former Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger, who was considering running, says he’s ” … committed to doing what I can to forge further progress on housing, climate and our other urgent challenges, however, I do not intend to be a candidate for public office this fall.”
Democratic party leaders say Scott is politically vulnerable on issues of education and flood recovery, but they say closing the gap will be challenging.
“You have to make the case that the incumbent should not be reelected. That takes a lot of time, money and energy. Then you have to convince people your vision is the right one,” said Jim Dandeneau, the executive director of the Vermont Democratic Party.
Dandeneau says a number of factors, including Vermont’s two-year election cycle, make it challenging to unseat incumbents.
Former Middlebury school administrator Esther Charlestin, a Democrat, and social worker Poa Mutino, an independent, are the only challengers to Scott so far.
“I haven’t solicited feedback, I’ve just merely stated I’m running for governor,” Mutino said. “Vermonters are ready for change on both sides of the aisle.”
The deadline for candidates to get on the ballot is at the end of the month.