Jim Douglas

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{{Infobox_Governor |name= James Douglas |image= |caption= |order=80^th |office= Governor of Vermont |term_start= 2003 |term_end=present |lieutenant= Brian Dubie |predecessor= Howard Dean |successor=incumbent |birth_date= June 21, 1952 |birth_place= Springfield, Massachusetts |death_date= |death_place= |spouse= Dorothy Foster Douglas |profession= Politician |party= Republican |footnotes= }} James H. "Jim" Douglas (born June 21, 1952) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Vermont. Douglas is a Republican and currently the Governor of Vermont.

Douglas was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1972 he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont, where he had been active in the College Republicans. In November 1972 he was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives, where he became the House Majority Leader during his third two-year term at the age of twenty-five. He retired from the Vermont General Assembly in 1979, afterwards serving as a top aide to Governor Richard A. Snelling. Douglas was elected Vermont Secretary of State in 1980, a post which he held until 1992. That year he sought election to the U.S. Senate, but was defeated by Democratic incumbent Patrick Leahy. In 1994 he was elected State Treasurer, after receiving the endorsement of both major parties.

In the 2002 gubernatorial election to succeed five-term Governor Howard Dean, Douglas narrowly defeated Democrat Lieutenant Governor Doug Racine, 45 to 42 percent. Although the Vermont constitution requires that the state legislature select the governor if no candidate receives over 50% of the votes, both Douglas and Racine had agreed to bow out in the case gaining less votes then the other and neither candidate gaining the 50% majority. Racine honored his pledge and conceded to Douglas,<ref>Remsen, Nancy. "Douglas claims win: Racine concedes close election." Burlington Free Press, November 7, 2002</ref><ref>"Vt. gov's race settled by concession." United Press International, November 7, 2002</ref> after which Douglas was officially selected by the legislature as required by the state constitution. Douglas thus became the first Republican to win a gubernatorial election in Vermont in twelve years.

Douglas won reelection to a second two-year term in 2004, defeating Democrat Peter Clavelle, 59 to 38 percent.

He recently announced that he would not be running in the Senate race against Democratic-leaning Independent Jim Jeffords, but in April 2005, Jeffords announced that he would not seek re-election, which led to speculation that Douglas would throw his hat into the ring against Vermont independent Congressman Bernard Sanders. On April 30, Douglas announced again that he would not seek Jeffords' seat, and simultaneously announced that he would run for re-election in 2006.

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