(Host) Later this week, the five Democratic gubernatorial candidates will reveal how much money they’ve raised in the past year and they’ll detail their expenditures.
Senator Susan Bartlett says there’s no doubt that she’ll be in last place among the Democratic candidates, but she insists that she’s on track to win the race for Governor.
VPR’s Bob Kinzel reports.
(Kinzel) Senator Bartlett opened her press conference at the State House by making an unusual and unprompted declaration:
(Bartlett) "I am not dropping out of the primary race- I have every intention of winning the primary and then going on to beat Brian Dubie."
Later this week, all the candidates will file reports that will detail their contributions and expenses for the last 12 months.
Bartlett says she expects to come in dead last because she doesn’t have the statewide fundraising lists that the other candidates have. She says political pundits will probably write her campaign off but she says that would be a mistake:
(Bartlett) "From the beginning I’ve planned to run a low budget campaign and made the conscious decision to spend my time meeting and talking with voters. If money alone determined the outcome of an election Jack McMullen would have beaten Fred Tuttle."
Bartlett says she has a strategy that will lead her to victory in the Primary:
(Bartlett) "The path is really continuing to be Susan it’s a no nonsense fiscally responsible that reputation is very clearly out there throughout the state, centrist kind of Democrat that is offering people real answers not sound bites to issues that they want to talk abut."
Is there a clear connection between fundraising and the viability of a candidate? Retired Middlebury College political science professor Eric Davis says sometimes there is:
(Davis) "Above a certain level money doesn’t necessarily make a difference the best recent example is in 2006 where Rich Tarrant outspent Bernie Sanders by several times and yet lost that race but a candidate does need to be able to raise enough money to have the minimum in terms of organization, publicity and other activities to run a credible campaign."
Davis says money will play a key role in this Primary campaign to help candidates get their message out:
(Davis) "Whether it’s to make sure that your core supporters are voting early for primary day whether it’s to get out radio and possibly television ads to persuade those who haven’t yet made up their minds mailings to remind voters on the importance of the campaign all of those things do cost money."
It’s expected that the financial reports will show that some of the Democratic gubernatorial candidates have raised close to half a million dollars for their Primary campaign.
For VPR News I’m Bob Kinzel in Montpelier.