Looking over the Super Tuesday states, it’s easy to overlook Vermont. In fact, everyone has.
Vermont is easily the smallest of the Super Tuesday contests, offering a total of 15 potential delegates (in contrast, California will divide up 370 delegates). John Edwards isn’t even on the ballot in Vermont, with his campaign having decided months ago to skip the state since Howard Dean was expected to cruise to an easy victory in his home state.
Dean’s campaign may be finished, but his supporters are still working (volunteering, actually) to help their candidate pick up delegates for the convention and maybe — just, maybe — win one.
Dean may have lost every contest he competed in before suspending his campaign, but tomorrow he stands his best chance yet of coming in first, even though he’s no longer trying.
As the Burlington Free Press reported today:
Howard Dean’s exit from the race for president is no reason to avoid voting for him in Tuesday’s primary in his home state.
That’s what his legions of dedicated supporters are saying as they prepare for Vermont’s share of Super Tuesday, the day 10 states hold elections to help select the Democratic nominee for president.
A movement is afoot among Dean’s backers — without any support from the candidate’s dwindling campaign organization — to secure a win in Vermont for the state’s former governor. Dean’s name remains on the ballot despite his withdrawal from the race, and votes for him count.
Will this work? There’s a distinct possibility that it will. Dean remains an incredibly popular figure in the state he led for 11 years. His volunteers are still out there, hoping to deliver a primary victory as a “thank you” to Dean.
At this point, it’s really a two-man race in the state’s primary between Kerry and Dean, but it’s as quiet as one hand clapping. There are no ads on Vermont TV or radio, no direct mail letters, no town hall meetings, no polls, and certainly no candidate appearances. It’s also highly unlikely that any national news outlets will be conducting exit polls tomorrow in the Green Mountain State.
In this environment, however, the Vermonters most likely to head to the polls are the most motivated and engaged Dems in the state. Don’t be surprised if a majority of them stick with the candidate they know best.