One Step Closer to Senator Sanders (I-VT)

Progressives are one step closer to having Independent Bernie Sanders in the U.S. Senate in 2006, as word out of Vermont today says Sanders has apparently frightened another potential GOP candidate out of the race, setting up a primary between a corporate executive and a far-right Republican officeholder.

The Vermont AP reports that Maj. Gen. Martha Rainville, the commander of the Vermont National Guard, declared herself "a mainstream Republican" and said Thursday she was considering a run for the U.S. House, not the U.S. Senate - more proof that serious Republicans are frightened to take on Sanders, who has become a state and national political force. Interestingly, even as GOP Gov. Jim Douglas takes a controversial stand to stop health care expansion in Vermont, Rainville wrapped her political aspirations around the Governor, saying "I think I fit well in the company of people like Governor Douglas."

With Rainville out, the Republicans are left with a potential hard-fought primary between health care technology executive Richard Tarrant (R), and archconservative Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie (R) - a primary that is sure to further weaken a Republican candidate against Sanders, who has already started raising serious grassroots money and who has lined up support from national Democrats. Tarrant, a multimillionaire, has vowed to spend up to $5 million of his own money to try to buy the Senate seat.

Dubie, meanwhile, only attained statewide office because two other candidates split the vote (meaning institutional Democrats need to not field a candidate against Sanders and make this a three-way race). Dubie is a far-right conservative. According to the Burlington Free Press, he "opposes abortion and same-sex marriage," "he has said Vermont's civil-union law went too far, that the state ought to deregulate electric utilities and that he is 'philosophically opposed' to a single-payer health care system." He also brags about being a "George Bush fighter-pilot Republican" in a state Bush failed to break the 40% mark in 2004.

Either of these people would be a dream candidate for Sanders to run against. Tarrant would allow Sanders to stress his defense of the middle class and up-from-the-bootstraps story. Dubie, meanwhile, would allow Sanders to contrast his politics with that of an out-of-the-mainstream ideologue. Meanwhile, both candidates would have to explain why Vermonters should elect someone to validate the hard-right agenda of the congressional Republicans and President Bush.

As the Rutland Herald noted this week "Sanders is a uniquely popular politician, whose high standing with the voters grows out of the force of his personality and his commitment to the issues." Defeating him in an open-seat Senate race would have been hard for Republicans even with a top-tier candidate - and it will be even harder if his main opponent is one of these guys.