By Nancy Remsen, Free Press Staff Writer • Monday, July 12, 2010

When State Auditor Tom Salmon switched political parties 10 months ago, Democratic leaders promised there would be a challenger to face the newly minted Republican in his bid for re-election.

“A lot of Democrats think he wouldn’t have gotten elected in the first place without their help,” explained Eric Davis, a political analyst and retired Middlebury College professor. Salmon won in 2006 by just 102 votes. “Democrats would definitely like to win this race because of their anger about Tom Salmon switching parties.”