Posted on 09/08/2009 9:56:36 AM PDT by LdSentinal
MONTPELIER — Democratic Vermont Auditor Tom Salmon is switching parties to the GOP.
Salmon announced his plans today, saying he is frustrated with the Democrats’ handling of the budget, and says the party has moved too far to the left.
Salmon says he plans to run for auditor next year, but says if Republican Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie does not run for governor, there’s a very slim chance he might.
Salmon says he’s been considering switching parties for some time and says the Republican party is the closest to accepting the realities of the times. He says when he returned from deployment in Iraq, he witnessed a budget process rife with deficiencies and dysfunction.
well that sounds like a good sign
if there is Dem to GOP party switching in VT or all places can the rest of the nation be far behind?
I was thinking the same thing — Vermont. Have a hunch we are going to be seeing this with the Blue Dogs next.
Wow ... honor in an elected official?
He is announcing his intention to change parties, and intends to run in next year’s election as a Republican? I’m pleasantly surprised.
I believe in a little thing called ‘honor’. If you run with Party’s support, be it Repub or Dem.; you have an obligation to that party. To switch parties after elections is to ‘steal’ votes from people who support the party you were sponsored by. I don’t care which way you flip-flop; there is no honor in deception.
This man sounds like an honorable man; which is very rare.
There must be a mistake. VERMONT???
I thought the GOP had been banned there?!
I think Vermont has been infected with NY and Mass residents moving in. Remember, Vermont was the ONLY state to vote against FDR in each of his 4 elections. One of the Senate seats had been in Republican hands since before Lincoln until a few years ago.
“Tom Salmon is switching parties...”
Tom Salmon? Sounds fishy. Must be a Pisces, probably working for scale.
Is he for real, or is he a RINO?
“...and says the party has moved too far to the left.”
Just now figured that out, did he?
- JP
I think the key to that might be in this:
He says when he returned from deployment in Iraq...
Being in a war zone, I imagine, can clarify your vision on what is fundamentally important in life.
I dunno about that. When you vote, you vote for a person, not a party.
A Republican in Vermont will still be further to the left than, say, a Democrat from a Red district in Oklahoma. The ‘Pub label sounds nice, but we’re still talking about Ben & Jerry land...
Very interesting. Vermont? Amazing.
I think when wealthy libs see their money or trust funds slipping away - they may be getting more conservative.
hey, they do have some of the most relaxed gun laws in the USA!
In one sense I'm glad to hear it, but we need to be careful that this type of thing doesn't end up diluting GOP conservatism even further and pushing the party to the Left even more.
Tom...? Tom Kavet...?
Are you paying attention?
Not a trend, but this is something that happened a bunch in 1993-94.
yep i remember a few Senators who switched - Be Knighthorse Campbell for one. i do hope that this is the beginning of a trend for the next two years. Doubtful i know but dare to dream
Phil Gramm did the same thing when he switched from Dim to GOP when he was in the House. Ran as a ‘pubbie in a Special Election, and won.
Shocking development in Vermont. Tom Salmon, Sr. is a stalwart of the VT Democrat party and former Governor, and he must be horrified to see his namesake son switch to the GOP.
A new rino is born!
GOVERNOR: Jim Douglas (R)
LT. GOVERNOR: Brian Dubie (R)
STATE TREASURER: Jeb Spaulding (D)
SECRETARY OF STATE: Deb Markowitz (D)
STATE AUDITOR: Tom Salmon Jr. (R)
ATTORNEY GENERAL: Bill Sorrell (D)
I think Vermont's changed politically more than other any other state in the 20th century (except some states in the deep south), since Vermont used to be not only entirely Republican but one the most conservative states in the country (voted for Taft in '12 over the less conservative but far more popular Teddy Roosevelt), but by the mid 70s Vermont had socialist RATs holding statewide office, and by the 90s it was so far left that a lot of the RATs weren't marxist enough for them so they'd elect openly socialist kooks like Bernie Sanders.
Could this be the beginning of Republicans FINALLY "taking back" Vermont? They have a good team in place for 2010: Lt. Governor Brian Dubie for Governor, Barre Mayor Thomas Lauzon for Lt. Governor, Williston Selectman Chris Roy for Secretary of State, and now incumbent Tom Salmon for Auditor. Just need some good recruits for Treasurer and A.G. and they'll have a really strong ticket for all offices.
It's too bad Pat Leahy is up for re-election in 2010 instead of 2012, since Salmon would be in a good position to run for Senate if he gets re-elected Auditor as a pubbie.
sounds like Junior is not comfortable around commies.
A Democrat statewide officeholder in VT switches to the GOP? I think this news deserves the headline:
“SALMON SWIMS UPSTREAM”
: )
Isn’t this the gentleman that defeated Randy Brock in a recount in 2006?
The VT GOP’s 2010 slate may not be too bad:
Governor: Brian Dubie?
Lt. Gov.: Randy Brock?
State Auditor: Tom Salmon, Jr.
U.S. Senator: Jim Douglas? (I can dream, can’t I?)
The fact is that Tom Salmon, Jr. is the son of “Mr. Vermont Democrat”, one of the founders of the current Dem majority (and who almost took the other Senate seat to join Leahy in ‘76). To people outside VT, they can’t understand how huge this is, it’s the equivalent of Andrew Cuomo or Lisa Madigan spurning their heritage and switching to the GOP. You also can’t call this rank opportunism, either, because Salmon switching to the minority GOP is a far riskier maneuver on his part. He has a lot more to lose, and VT Dems, I can imagine, will be viscerally outraged at this act of apostasy. And yes, now half the statewide offices are in GOP hands (they were last from 2005-07, as Salmon beat by a heartbreakingly close margin, Black GOP incumbent Randy Brock, now serving in the State Senate). The last time we held a majority (4R-2D) was from 1995-97.
Post #26 - wow, we posted at the same exact second !
Seemingly similar motives to the Treasurer in MA going independent. The fiscally sane dems are in a very uncomfortable spot right now. Arrogant rat legislative leaders are basically telling them to go to hell.
I don’t know of another case where someone with such a rat pedigree has switched, outside of the south.
It’s funny he may now be running on the same slate as Brock, who had his election stolen from him on Salmon’s behalf.
Brock passed on challenging Salmon in a rematch, knowing it would be difficult to run against someone who was also serving in Iraq at the time. Perhaps his military service also played a role in the switch. I don’t know how any active duty military person or vet could be a Dem, knowing how the party has such contempt for them.
it’s AuH2O by a nose!
Eh, phooey.
He's trying to spawn a GOP rally.
He's jumping against the current.
He knows the Dems will get smoked at the polls.
We have a Republican Governor and (separately elected) Lt Governor. Surprised?
Think about this, a Demcrat turned republican because the Dems are too far left...what kind of conservatism will this confused soul bring to the party. Will it be another version of Olympia Snow? No thanks... Stinkweed by any other name is still stinkweed.
So I’m a commie?
Here, let me handle this.
Um, far out, Catherwood.
Governor Salmon was far, far to the right of today’s democrats. When he served as president of UVM he stood up to the race hustlers that had held the university hostage for years.
You haven’t seen the last of me, Danger!
(I’m glad someone finally got it! I’m a fan, as you can tell from my tag line.)
You mean Nancy??
‘So I’m a commie?’
Youre a Freeper. That kinda trumps everything else.
Agreed!
A lot of Democrats became Republicans in the 90’s out of disgust with Clinton’s policies.
big deal. A state auditor? He is a nobody. But it is a start! :)
It’s a big deal because his father was the democrat governor of the state.
Alright, Nancy. What’s the birds-eye lowdown on this caper, whatever that means?
I wonder where he stands on gun rights, abortion, immigration, and health care reform.
Nothing like a little front line service to focus the priorities. God Bless him for seeing the light.
How many bad puns can you build into a brief three line post?
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