There hasn't been a lot of press attention to the federal races in Vermont, and with good reason. After all, it is a given that Peter Welch will be reelected to the House of Representatives and Bernie Sanders will be reelected to the Senate. They will probably each get over 60% of the vote.

What's happening in the Senate race, though, is worth a brief comment. The Republican candidate is John MacGovern, a former Massachusetts legislator who moved to Vermont in the 1990's. In what is one of the most liberal of liberal states, MacGovern has staked out the most extreme anti-choice position, aligning himself with Richard Mourdock (“If you're raped your baby is a gift from god”) and other extremists.

As Will Saletan has  reported in Slate:

 In Vermont, the state right-to-life committee certified Republican nominee John MacGovern as “fully pro-life.” When MacGovern was asked whether “a woman should be forced by the government to give birth to a rapist’s baby,” he answered: “I’ve always in my career and to this day been loyal to the principle of life. I’m pro-life. I’m profoundly pro-life. I’m pro-life to my core.”

MacGovern's statement above about being “profoundly pro-life” comes from a debate with Bernie Sanders, available on YouTube. 

As I say, this guy has no chance of winning, but the fact that in a contested primary where only one of the candidates espoused this extreme anti-choice message, he is the one chosen by Vermont Republicans is very troubling.

This is a reminder that even in Vermont constant vigilance is essential.