Jeffords will not seek reelection
Senator from Vermont cites health concerns
WASHINGTON -- Senator James M. Jeffords of Vermont, whose defection from the Republican Party forced a historic shake-up in the Senate, shocked Washington yesterday when he announced he would not seek reelection in 2006.
The veteran lawmaker, who until recently had maintained he would run again, cited both his and his wife's health in his decision to retire. Liz Jeffords has ovarian cancer, and rumors have swirled on Capitol Hill about Jeffords's occasional forgetfulness, a matter the Senate's only Independent, who turns 71 next month, touched on in his remarks yesterday.
''There have been questions about my health, and that is a factor, as well. I am feeling the aches and pains when you reach 70. My memory fails me on occasion, but Liz would probably argue this has been going on for the last 50 years," Jeffords said at a news conference in South Burlington, Vt.
''After much thought and consultation with my family and staff, I have decided to close this chapter of my service to Vermont and not seek reelection in 2006."
Representative Bernard Sanders, an Independent and former Socialist mayor of Burlington who votes with the Democrats in the House, all but announced yesterday that he would seek Jeffords's seat, and several Democrats said Sanders would run.
''I have told the people of Vermont my intentions," Sanders said. But ''today is Jim's day."
Representative Barney Frank, Democrat of Massachusetts, said his party members expected Sanders to run for the Senate. If that happens, Frank said, senior members of the party would discourage other Democrats from challenging Sanders, avoiding a three-way race that could tip the election to a Republican in the liberal-leaning state.
Jeffords, who served as Vermont's only congressman from 1975 until his election to the Senate in 1988, declined to take questions at his news conference.
CNN reported yesterday that Jeffords showed up on the House side of the Capitol, apparently confused and unaware that the Senate chamber was on the other end of the building, the network said.
''Jim has been very distracted in his public discourse, and it shows," said Garrison Nelson, professor of political science at the University of Vermont.
Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts and a friend of Jeffords, said Jeffords has been ''completely articulate" in recent conversations, but added that he was not surprised the Vermont lawmaker was retiring. In recent meetings, Jeffords reminisced about his congressional career, suggesting that he might be contemplating an end to it, Kennedy said.
Jeffords began his political career in 1967, as a member of the Vermont Senate, then served as state attorney general from 1968 to 1972. His successful 1974 campaign for Congress left him so broke that he had to live temporarily in a trailer parked next to a dumpster.
A Republican until 2001, Jeffords always had a reputation as a determinedly independent lawmaker, voting against the Reagan tax cuts as a House member and against the articles of impeachment of Bill Clinton as a senator.
Soft-spoken and gentle in demeanor, Jeffords managed to befriend both sides of the aisle with his work on environmental and education issues.
But Jeffords, enmeshed in the bitter partisanship of the 50-50 Senate in 2001, grew increasingly frustrated with the failure of the GOP-controlled Congress to back full funding for special education programs. When Republican leaders refused to promise Jeffords the education money he wanted, he followed through on a threat to abandon the Republican Party and become an Independent. The move that caused a historic, midyear shift in power to the Democrats infuriated the Republicans.
Jeffords became a folk hero in his home state, where cars sported bumper stickers that said, ''Thank you, Jim."
In Brattleboro yesterday, many Vermonters were dismayed by Jeffords's decision.
''I didn't see this coming," said Gregory Lesch, 42, who works for the local chamber of commerce and said he admired Jeffords's stance on environmental issues. ''It does leave a big hole. Vermont tends to be liberal-leaning and more Democratic, so I suspect someone will emerge. But those are big shoes to fill."
Not everyone in Brattleboro was sad to learn of Jeffords's decision. ''I was never impressed with him," said barber Eric Mayhew, 36. He, like Lesch, was enthusiastic about the idea of a run by Sanders for Senate.
Jeffords's retirement leaves an opening for a seat that seemed out of reach for Republicans, who hope to expand their majority next year. While the state is largely liberal and voted for John F. Kerry in 2004, it has also elected a moderate Republican governor, Jim Douglas, considered a leading choice for the GOP Senate nomination.
Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie has also been mentioned as a possible contender, but his more conservative politics make him a tougher sell in Vermont, said Nelson, the political science professor.
''We had a feeling this might turn into a competitive race. We've already been laying some groundwork," said Brian Nick, spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Former Vermont governor Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, will not run for the Senate seat ''because of his long-term commitment to the Democratic Party," said spokesman Josh Earnest.
As he did when he announced his decision to leave the Republican Party, Jeffords yesterday returned to the Green Mountains to announce what he called ''a new chapter, both for me personally and for the people of Vermont."
''I have been blessed by a wonderful family, great friends, and a fine staff over my entire career. And I am forever grateful for the trust of the people of our state. Thanks, Vermont."
Globe correspondent Michael Levenson contributed to this report from Brattleboro. 