Gaye Symington

Infobox State Representative
name = Gaye Symington




nominee = Governor of Vermont
election_date = November 4, 2008
runningmate =
opponent = Jim Douglas (R)
incumbent = Jim Douglas
state_house2 = Vermont
state2 = Vermont
district2 = Chittenden-8
term_start2 = 1996
preceded2 =
succeeded2 = Incumbent
party = Democratic
date of birth = date of birth and age|1954|4|20
place of birth = Boston, Massachusetts
date of death =
place of death =
alma_mater = Williams College,
Cornell University
profession = Business management
residence = Jericho, Vermont
spouse = Chuck Lacy
religion = Unitarian Universalism
website = [http://symingtonforgovernor.com/ symingtonforgovernor.com]

Gaye R. Symington (born 20 April, 1954 in Boston, Massachusetts) is the Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives, the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly. She is the 2008 Democratic nominee for the 2008 Vermont gubernatorial election against incumbent Republican Governor Jim Douglas.

Symington is married to Chuck Lacy, movie producer and former president of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. The couple have three teenage children. Symington attended Williams College as an undergraduate, and holds a master's degree in business administration from Cornell University. [ [http://www.leg.state.vt.us/speaker/SpeakerBio.htm Office of the Speaker] "The State of Vermont Legislature"]

Vermont House of Representatives

First elected to the House in 1996 as a Democrat, Symington represents the Chittenden-8 district. As a freshman legislator, she served on the Ways and Means Committee. After the 2002 legislative elections, Symington was elected House Minority Leader in 2003 by her Democratic caucus and led the Vermont Democratic House Campaign (VDHC) in recruitment of Democratic candidates for the House of Representatives in 2004. The Democrats retook the House of Representatives in the 2004 legislative races after four years in the minority.

In January 2005, Symington was unanimously elected Speaker of the House, becoming the second woman to hold the position. In the 2006 elections, the Democratic Party increased its majority in the chamber. There were now enough Democrats, Progressives, and independents in the Vermont House to overturn a gubernatorial veto. Symington won re-election to the post in 2007 without opposition.

2008 Governor campaign

In 2008, Symington announced she would not seek re-election to the House of Representatives. In May 2008 she announced she would seek the Democratic nomination for the 2008 Vermont gubernatorial election against incumbent Republican Governor Jim Douglas. She won the September 9, 2008 Primary election with 91.5% of the vote. [ [http://vermont-elections.org/elections1/2008FINALPECanvassReport9.15.pdf Official Report of the Canvassing Committee] "Vermont Secretary of State"]

References

External links

* [http://www.leg.state.vt.us/speaker/ Office of the Speaker of the House] "official Vermont government website"
* [http://symingtonforgovernor.com/ Gaye Symington for Governor] "official campaign website"
* [http://votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=13321 Project Vote Smart - Senator Gaye Symington (VT)] profile
*"Follow the Money" - Gaye Symington
** [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=91994 2006] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=71554 2004] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=5539 2002] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=54469 2000] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=54114 1998] campaign contributions
* [http://vermont-elections.org/elections1/2005Rep.pdf 2005 Vermont House biographies]