Help Stop the GOP From Buying A Senate Race

In what will likely be one of the most critical U.S. Senate races in the nation, the national Republican Party announced today that it has recruited one of the wealthiest people in Vermont to run for the seat being vacated by Sen. Jim Jeffords (I) in 2006. The Rutland Herald reports that corporate executive Richard Tarrant (R) has announced he will run for the seat, potentially pitting him against Vermont's Independent Congressman Bernie Sanders (if Tarrant wins the primary). According to Vermont's Dwinell Political Report, Tarrant "has let it be known that he will personally spend $5 million to buy the seat."

The contrast couldn't be more clear: Tarrant drives around Vermont in a $150,000 Bentley, and was a board member at Fletcher Allen (one of Vermont's biggest hospitals) when the executives he was overseeing started committing very serious crimes. Sanders, meanwhile, comes from a very modest background, prides himself on connecting with ordinary citizens through town meetings, and led the fight against Fletcher Allen's abuses.

Tarrant's annoucement came on the same day as the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor - which highlights just how important this race will be. Tarrant will undoubtedly toe the GOP line if he is elected to the Senate, helping confirm fringe-right-wing judges on the Supreme Court that could outlaw abortion, and roll back much of the social progress of the last 50 years. Sanders, on the other hand, has built up a strong record of effectively fighting the right-wing - in recent weeks, despite presidential veto threats, he authored and passed critical progressive legislation that stands up to conservatives.

Interestingly, Tarrant's own campaign treasurer admits that the GOPer will have trouble being so closely affiliated with George W. Bush and Republicans in Washington. "I don't think anyone who is closely associated with the Bush administration is going to win in Vermont," he said. But that is not going to stop him from trying to buy the election.

All of this means Sanders is going to need our help, especially because he refuses to take corporate PAC money. He is going to be relying on small contributions from ordinary people like us. So head over to www.bernie.org and make a donation if you can. It doesn't have to be big (although that would be nice) - Bernie has relied on small contributions of $25, $50 and $100 his entire career.

If you want to read more about Sanders, see this backgrounder. You'll quickly realize this is a guy who fights for ordinary people, which is quite real in Washington, D.C. Let's make sure the GOP isn't allowed to buy this seat, and let's send a real progressive to the U.S. Senate.