Late add: Apparently the Republicans have an unnamed “in case of Peyton, break glass” emergency candidate. See below.
Oh boy oh boy oh boy. Time to throw tomatoes at the Republican lifeboat. VTDigger:
Republican Randy Brock will not seek a rematch with Gov. Peter Shumlin.
I don’t blame Brock; he did his good-soldier duty in 2012, taking on a long-odds challenge with a bankrupt and disorganized party “behind him,” and spending a goodly chunk of his own money because his alleged friends failed to muster sufficient resources. I’m actually surprised it took him this long to say “no.” But apparently, a lot of folks — most of them the same people who failed him two years ago — were strongly urging him to run. (Not for his sake, nor for Vermont’s; but so the party’s conservative wing could keep up the pretense of being influential.)
Well, he’s not gonna do it.
And where does that leave moderate Republican Scott Milne, who has said he would run only if Brock did, thus setting the stage for a primary battle that would help raise the party’s profile through the summertime?
“If Randy’s not going to run, I’ve got to rethink what the path is to victory, which is greatly reduced without a Republican primary,” Milne said Saturday. “It’s a tough row to hoe to beat Shumlin anyway. He’s publicly said he’s not going to talk until after September. I can’t talk to myself all summer.”
Milne apparently has petition signatures in his pocket, but won’t decide whether to turn them in until the Thursday deadline. And if he doesn’t?
Perpetual candidate Emily Peyton, advocate of legalized marijana and a state bank, and 9/11 truther, who’s already filed as a Republican candidate for Governor, may become the official face of the VTGOP.
Bwahahahaha.
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Update. Brock told the Freeploid’s Terri Hallenbeck that if Milne decides against running, “another unidentified Republican is ready to step in at the last moment.” So, things not looking so good for Ms. Peyton, I guess.
It does set up the amusing scenario of Scott Milne and the Mystery Man (it’s almost certainly a man, right?) showing up at the Secretary of State’s office on Thursday afternoon and having a staredown: Milne won’t file petitions unless he has a non-Peyton primary contender, and the unnamed potential candidate will only file if he’s the only non-Peyton name on the ballot. As the clock ticks the final seconds before 5:00 p.m., who will blink first? Or will neither of them file?
As for the Mystery Man’s identity, please let it be Jack McMullen. Please please pleeeeeeeeease!
I am running dangerously low on popcorn.
And from the crazy speculation department:Draft Lisman,draft Dubie? Wasn’t there was a Snelling around the party somewhere? He’s been scarce.
“As the clock ticks the final seconds before 5:00 p.m., who will blink first?”
That whole thing is HILARIOUS!!!
As they stare at each other, the clerk checks her watch… Ding! 5 o’clock on the dot! And she closes the door, neither having filed, leaving them to their staring contest…
“another unidentified Republican is ready to step in at the last moment.”
Wait. Who is going to fund the Secret Candidate? Someone has to put up One Million Dollars…