BOSTON -- Vermont Gov. Howard Dean announced last week that he will run for re-election to the state's highest office.
In an announcement to supporters, Dean, 45, said that during the last year the state has made progress and he wants to remain at the helm to finish out his plans.
"We have turned the corner on the recession," Dean said. "In the two years since the last election, and after four consecutive tough budgets, I am proud to report that as of July 1, the deficit will be retired, the income tax has been lowered, we have projected essential services, and have controlled spending."
Dean, a Democrat, has been governor since August 1991. He took over the post when former Gov. Richard Snelling, a Republican, died unexpectedly of a heart attack. Dean was elected to a full term in 1992.
Dean had been elected lieutenant governor three times and had previously served as a member of the state's House of Representatives.
He said that seeing the state through the recent recession is the accomplishment of which he is most proud.
"On the economic front, the unemployment rate now is 4%; two years ago, it stood at 7%," Dean said. "This month, because of that low rate, I announced an $8 million reduction in the unemployment tax paid by Vermont businesses."
Dean has gained national attention within the last year because of his outspoken support for health care reform. A physician himself, Dean gave up his practice only when he assumed the governor's job.
He has recently been named as the next chairman of the National Governors' Association.
Deam is a graduate of Yale University and the Albert Einstein School of Medicine.
In his announcement, Dean said that he would continue to fight for the civil rights of Vermont citizens.
"Government plays an important and positive role in our lives," he said. "Government protects the helpless, shelters the innocent, and safeguards individual freedoms ... and more remains to be accomplished."
Dean will be opposed by either Thomas Morse or Gus Jacceci on the Republican side and perennial candidate Homer St. Francis, a member of the Abenaki Indian tribe.
