An Independent Senator, a Republican Governor and Democrat Congressman

I'm just back from spending the long weekend in Vermont with family and visiting many Vermonter friends when I was struck by the absolute independent streak that runs through this state that is the home of Patrick Leahy, Howard Dean and Bernie Sanders.

Imagine for a moment that any other state in the union was running an 8 term independent (I think he dropped the socialist part of his degination years ago) congressman as an independent to replace the retiring Senator Jim Jeffords (most recently an independent) and that the independent congressman was ahead by 20 points - why that's enough to make Joe Lieberman take notice.

In a poll taken by American Research Group of Manchester, N.H. based on phone interviews of 600 likely Vermont voters on July 26 and 27, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Poll numbers

U.S. Senate:
Bernie Sanders (I) 56 percent
Richard Tarrant (R)35 percent
Undecided/Other 9 percent

U.S. House
Martha Rainville (R)42 percent
Peter Welch (D)41 percent
Undecided/Other16 percent

Governor
Jim Douglas (R)47 percent
Scudder Parker (D)36 percent
Undecided/Other16 percent

What really floors me is that a guy like Scudder Parker despite having travelled the State for the better part of a year hitting local markets is making absolutely no inroads. With a name like Scudder, wouldn't he be better off in a coastal state?

UPDATE!!! I know that in the poll attached the Republican Congressional candidate and the Democrat are virtually tied, there were polls out this weekend that had Welch taking the lead.