Senator Leahy D-Vermont(D +30) believes he’s “the only Democrat that can win the seat

[SWE]

If you disagree, please show me another Democrat who has ever won a Senate race in Vermont. All evidence we have suggests it can't be done.

[Big Abraham]

If you disagree, please show me another Democrat who has ever won a Senate race in Vermont. All evidence we have suggests it can't be done.

It's pretty obvious that we'll need to revive the real Horatio Seymour to get the job done.

The D-R party was technically the predecessor of the D party, so it counts.

[DrScholl]

Scott saying that he wouldn't support McConnell as Majority Leader wouldn't do much to help him with Republicans. Nearly 31% of the state voted for Trump and federally any Republican would need all of those votes. Republicans would almost certainly run their own candidate if Scott ran as an independent.

[TML]

If you disagree, please show me another Democrat who has ever won a Senate race in Vermont. All evidence we have suggests it can't be done.

By the same token, you could also say back in the 1960s that most southern states can't elect Republican senators.

[Horus]

To a degree, he may be right in that any other Democrat would likely lose to an independent Phil Scott campaign.

Is this really true? This feels like the flipside of running Bredesen and Bullock for the Dems.

If Dems run Zuckerman they'll start as underdogs.

Senator Linda Lingle agrees with this assessment.

Hawaii Dems weren't running an anti vaxxer.

[Born to Slay. Forced to Work.]

If you disagree, please show me another Democrat who has ever won a Senate race in Vermont. All evidence we have suggests it can't be done.

By the same token, you could also say back in the 1960s that most southern states can't elect Republican senators.

To an extent you’d be right

[Mister Mets]

Scott saying that he wouldn't support McConnell as Majority Leader wouldn't do much to help him with Republicans. Nearly 31% of the state voted for Trump and federally any Republican would need all of those votes. Republicans would almost certainly run their own candidate if Scott ran as an independent.

The ideal scenario for Republicans would be if Phil Scott runs as someone promising to keep his distance from Senate Republicans, but still votes for Mitch McConnell to be the Senate Majority Leader. He could support McConnell as much as Joe Manchin supports Schumer.

[brucejoel99]

Scott saying that he wouldn't support McConnell as Majority Leader wouldn't do much to help him with Republicans. Nearly 31% of the state voted for Trump and federally any Republican would need all of those votes. Republicans would almost certainly run their own candidate if Scott ran as an independent.

The ideal scenario for Republicans would be if Rick Scott runs as someone promising to keep his distance from Senate Republicans, but still votes for Mitch McConnell to be the Senate Majority Leader. He could support McConnell as much as Joe Manchin supports Schumer.

Look, I'm all for Voldemort getting out of FL as much as the next Floridian Democrat, but even I think that VT's a stretch.

[LtNOWIS]

Zuckerman would be a Great candidate for his seat though, it's VT and let's face it Bernie and Leahy aren't retiring

Zuckerman's worse than a Generic Dem, and Vermont has plenty of Generic Dems they should run instead of him, whenever a congressional vacancy opens up.

[Mister Mets]

Scott saying that he wouldn't support McConnell as Majority Leader wouldn't do much to help him with Republicans. Nearly 31% of the state voted for Trump and federally any Republican would need all of those votes. Republicans would almost certainly run their own candidate if Scott ran as an independent.

The ideal scenario for Republicans would be if Rick Scott runs as someone promising to keep his distance from Senate Republicans, but still votes for Mitch McConnell to be the Senate Majority Leader. He could support McConnell as much as Joe Manchin supports Schumer.

Look, I'm all for Voldemort getting out of FL as much as the next Floridian Democrat, but even I think that VT's a stretch.

Heh.

Typo obviously.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

Even if Phil Scott were to run as an indy, he would still have to pick a party to caucus with in order to get committee assignments. He would still have to choose between McConnell and Schumer. So his only path would be to either run as a Democrat or as an Independent who caucuses with Democrats.

In other words, this is all bullcrap coming from Leahy and there will not be another Republican senator from Vermont in the near future.

[LabourJersey]

Why does everyone seem to assume that Scott wants to run for Senate?

His particular brand of Yankee conservatism does not exist on the national level. He'd have to become a Susan Collins-esque "I may vote for everything McConnell tells me to but I have independent leanings!!!!" Republican, and that kind of fealty to the national GOP would kill his brand and popularity.

[brucejoel99]

Why does everyone seem to assume that Scott wants to run for Senate?

His particular brand of Yankee conservatism does not exist on the national level. He'd have to become a Susan Collins-esque "I may vote for everything McConnell tells me to but I have independent leanings!!!!" Republican, and that kind of fealty to the national GOP would kill his brand and popularity.

Why does anybody ever wanna run for the Senate? To either serve &/or to seek a higher political status for themselves. If he wanted to remain in politics & go for the Senate, then it's not out of the question for him to maintain his brand & popularity by being either a legit indy or post-2001 Jim Jeffords 2.0, especially since doing so would likely be more in-line with his own views as well as acceptable enough to a majority of his constituents than just being VT's Susan Collins would.

[DaleCooper]

Scott saying that he wouldn't support McConnell as Majority Leader wouldn't do much to help him with Republicans. Nearly 31% of the state voted for Trump and federally any Republican would need all of those votes. Republicans would almost certainly run their own candidate if Scott ran as an independent.

The ideal scenario for Republicans would be if Phil Scott runs as someone promising to keep his distance from Senate Republicans, but still votes for Mitch McConnell to be the Senate Majority Leader. He could support McConnell as much as Joe Manchin supports Schumer.

This may have worked in a favorable GOP environment a few years ago but it won't now. Anything other than a whole-hearted rejection of McConnell is a death-sentence for Republicans running for Senate in a D +30 state. The same goes for Manchin. If he had been running in 2020 he would've been lucky to come within 10 points of winning.

[Figueira]

Whoa you mean that an incumbent seeking to run again might say some outrageous and hyperbolic things to justify that? That's insane!

What is insane is that a large number of Atlas posters in this thread appear to believe him.

[Torie]

I missed the gravamen for Leahy's case that he is the sole barrier to a non Dem being elected. Is his claim that he is the sole barrier to a Sander's clone, or the Pub governor getting elected, or something else? Please help the senior challenged old man. Thanks.

[brucejoel99]

Whoa you mean that an incumbent seeking to run again might say some outrageous and hyperbolic things to justify that? That's insane!

What is insane is that a large number of Atlas posters in this thread appear to believe him.

To be fair to said posters, they've at least put forth legitimate, sane rationales as to why/how he may indeed have a point.

[Wormless Gourd]

If the seat were to become vacant during Leahy's term, who does Phil Scott appoint?

[Literally Just a Contrarian]

This guy is like boomers who think Tennessee and California are still competitive lmao

[brucejoel99]

f the seat were to become Vacant during Leahy's term, who does Phil Scott appoint?

Maybe Marcelle Leahy, if she were down to accept? In addition to the obvious that'd be her being the 1st woman whom VT sent to Congress, thereby finally putting an end to VT being the sole remaining state to have never done so, she'd - as the daughter of Québécois immigrants - be VT's 1st bilingual Senator too, & she'd obviously be very unlikely to run to serve out the remaining unexpired portion of the term in the special that'd occur within 6 months of her appointment. It'd be something of a win-win for everybody: Scott would keep his promise to appoint a Democrat to represent VT in the meantime & - by appointing a widow's-succession placeholder in doing so - would position himself well for a run in the special as a 'unifier,' all the while VT would finally get to drop its stigma of having never sent a woman to Congress.