2006 United States Senate election in Vermont

2006 United States Senate election in Vermont
	County results; Sanders: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
U.S. senator before election; Jim Jeffords; Independent	Elected U.S. Senator ; Bernie Sanders; Independent

The 2006 United States Senate election in Vermont was held November 7, 2006. Incumbent independent Senator Jim Jeffords decided to retire rather than seek reelection to a fourth term in office and Bernie Sanders was elected to succeed him.

Sanders represented Vermont's at-large House district as an independent, won the Democratic primary and then dropped out to run as an independent. Many Democratic politicians across the country endorsed him, and no Democrat was on the ballot. The state committee of the Vermont Democratic Party voted unanimously to endorse Sanders.^[1]

Sanders won the seat with 65% of the vote. His win marked the first Republican loss for this seat in 152 years, ending the longest single-party Senate winning streak in history.^[2]

Democratic primary[]

Candidates[]

Declared[]

Larry Drown, retired plumber and perennial candidate^[3]
Peter D. Moss, a Republican and retired chemical engineer^[4]
Louis W. Thabault, former postal worker^[1]
Bernie Sanders, U.S. Representative and candidate for the seat in 1972^[1]

Declined[]

Howard Dean, former Governor of Vermont, chair of the Democratic National Committee^[5]

Results[]

Sanders won the Democratic primary, but declined the nomination, leaving no Democratic nominee on the ballot. This victory ensured that no Democrat would appear on the general election ballot to split the vote with Sanders, an ally of the Democrats, who had been supported by leaders in the Democratic Party.^[6]

Democratic primary results^[7]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Bernie Sanders	35,954	94.15
	Democratic	Louis W. Thabault	585	1.53
	Democratic	Craig Hill	504	1.32
	Democratic	Larry Drown	403	1.05
	Democratic	Peter Moss	384	1.00
	Democratic	Write-ins	355	0.93
Total votes			38,186	100.0

Republican primary[]

Candidates[]

Cris Ericson, perennial candidate and marijuana legalization activist^[8]
Greg Parke, retired US Air Force lieutenant colonel^[8]
Richard Tarrant, businessman^[8]

Declined[]

Jim Douglas, Governor of Vermont^[9]
Brian Dubie, Lieutenant Governor of Vermont^[9]

Results[]

Republican primary^[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Richard Tarrant	22,008	61.84
	Republican	Greg Parke	10,479	29.44
	Republican	Cris Ericson	1,722	4.84
	Republican	Write-ins	1,382	3.88
Total votes			35,591	100.00

General election[]

Candidates[]

Pete Diamondstone (Liberty Union)
Cris Ericson (I)
Craig Hill (Green), electronics marketer^[1]
Peter Moss (I)
Bernie Sanders (I)
Richard Tarrant (R)

Campaign[]

In mid-August 2006, the campaign heated up considerably, with Tarrant fully engaged in heavy media advertising, most of which criticized Sanders's public stances. Tarrant ran several ads accusing Sanders of representing himself differently from his voting record in the House of Representatives, citing such examples as Sanders's votes against Amber Alert and against increased penalties for child pornography. Sanders responded with an ad stating that Tarrant's claims were "dishonest" and "distort my record" and presented what he viewed as more accurate explanations of his voting record.^[11] Tarrant also claimed that Sanders's election would lead to an exodus of businesses from the state.^[12] Sanders based his campaign on a well-tested message of fixing economic inequality, and ran a positive campaign that took advantage of his high name recognition in the state.^[13]

Endorsements[]

hide

Bernie Sanders (I)

Federal officials

Barack Obama, U.S. Senator from Illinois^[14]
Harry Reid, U.S. Senator from Nevada^[15]
Chuck Schumer, U.S. Senator from New York^[15]

State officials

Howard Dean, chair of the Democratic National Committee; former Governor of Vermont

Individuals

Willie Nelson, musician and activist^[13]

Organizations

Democracy for America^[16]

Newspapers and publications

Esquire^[17]
Vermont Woman^[18]

Fundraising[]

The election was the most expensive political campaign in Vermont history.^[19]

Tarrant was a self-funded candidate, with 98% of all his campaign expenditures coming from personal sources. He spent $7,315,854 total.^[20] Sanders' top contributors include the plaintiffs' law firm Baron & Budd; the International Union of Operating Engineers; the Laborers' International Union of North America; and the Communication Workers of America. Sanders raised $5,554,466 total.^[21] In total, Tarrant and Sanders spent $13,771,060.^[20] Tarrant spent $85 per vote, the largest cost per vote of any race in the country during 2006, while Sanders spent $34 per vote.^[22]

Debates[]

Complete video of debate, October 23, 2006

Polling[]

Source	Date	Bernie Sanders (I)	Richard Tarrant (R)
Research 2000	November 1, 2005	64%	16%
Rasmussen	January 5, 2006	70%	25%
Doyle Poll	March 7, 2006	62%	26%
Research 2000	May 11, 2006	61%	24%
Rasmussen	June 16, 2006	67%	29%
American Research Group	July 27, 2006	56%	35%
Rasmussen	August 3, 2006	62%	34%
American Research Group	September 15, 2006	55%	40%
Research 2000	September 18–19, 2006	58%	33%
Research 2000	October 23–24, 2006	57%	36%

Results[]

Official results from the Vermont United States Senate.^[23]

2006 United States Senate election in Vermont
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Bernie Sanders	171,638	65.4%	n/a
	Republican	Richard Tarrant	84,924	32.3%	-33.2
	Independent	Cris Ericson	1,735	0.66%	n/a
	Green	Craig Hill	1,536	0.59%	n/a
	Independent	Peter D. Moss	1,518	0.58%	n/a
	Liberty Union	Peter Diamondstone	801	0.31%	-0.2
	Write-in		267	0.10%	0
Total votes			262,419	100.0%	n/a
	Independent gain from Republican

Sanders won a majority of the votes in every county in the state, with 57% as his lowest county total. He has served as a U.S. Senator for Vermont since.

References[]

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d Democratic primary is far from ordinary (September 11, 2006). Barre-Montpelier Times-Argus.
^ The partisan history of every U.S. Senate seat, in 1 awesome chart. The Washington Post.
^ M.D. Drysdale, Primary Election Is Next Tuesday Archived July 16, 2016, at the Wayback Machine (September 7, 2009). Herald.
^ Klein, Rick (July 13, 2006). "Party shuns Vermont Democrats in race: Seeks to clear way for independent in US Senate bid". Boston Globe.
^ Scott, Julia (April 25, 2005). "Dean stays in his chair". Salon. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
^ Thursday, April 21, 2005, Bernard Sanders, 63, announces run for Vermont's U.S. Senate seat after Incumbent Independent Jim Jeffords announces his retirement.
^ "2006 U.S. Senate Democratic Primary". Vermont Secretary of State. 2006. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c "Republicans face ideological choice in primary". The Burlington Free Press. September 5, 2006. p. 1. Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Stolberg, Sheryl Gay (April 21, 2005). "Jeffords to Leave the Senate, Setting Off Vermont Scramble". The New York Times. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
^ "2006 U.S. Senate Republican Primary". Vermont Secretary of State. 2006. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
^ "How Bernie Sanders Responds to Negative, Mudslinging Attack Ads: Check the Facts!". Youtube. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
^ Allen, Darren M. (November 8, 2006). "Sanders whips Tarrant for U.S. Senate seat". Times Argus. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Heintz, Paul (February 24, 2020). "Bernie vs. 'Richie Rich': The 2006 Race That Prepared Sanders for Bloomberg". Seven Days VT. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
^ Talbot, Toby (November 30, 2016). "Bernie Sanders and Barack Obama, 2006". Journal Times. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Gachon, Nicolas (2021). Bernie Sanders’s Democratic Socialism: Holding Utopia Accountable. Springer Nature. p. 90. ISBN 9783030696610.
^ "DFA Backs Sanders and Welch". WCAX. February 13, 2006. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved February 3, 2007.
^ "Esquire Endorses America". Esquire. November 1, 2006. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
^ "Vermont Woman's Candidate Endorsements". Vermont Woman. October 2006. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
^ Wilson Ring, Sanders, Welch win in Vermont races (November 8, 2006). Associated Press.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "Congressional Races - 2006 Vermont Senate". Opensecrets.org. Center for Responsive Politics. February 2, 2007. Archived from the original on February 19, 2007. Retrieved February 3, 2007.
^ "Vermont Senate: 2006 Race Profile - Top Contributors". Opensecrets.org. Center for Responsive Politics. December 11, 2006. Archived from the original on December 14, 2006. Retrieved February 3, 2007.
^ Ottenhoff, Patrick (January 31, 2007). "What's the value of a vote". NBC News.
^ "Our Campaigns - VT US Senate Race - Nov 07, 2006". ourcampaigns.com. 2008. Retrieved August 25, 2015.

External links[]

Vermont Secretary of State's Draft list of candidates (Excel spreadsheet). (Final version due to be released on July 24, 2006).
2006 Vermont Senate Debate on C-SPAN

Official campaign websites (Archived)

[times-1] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d Democratic primary is far from ordinary (September 11, 2006). Barre-Montpelier Times-Argus.

[2] The partisan history of every U.S. Senate seat, in 1 awesome chart. The Washington Post.

[3] M.D. Drysdale, Primary Election Is Next Tuesday Archived July 16, 2016, at the Wayback Machine (September 7, 2009). Herald.

[4] Klein, Rick (July 13, 2006). "Party shuns Vermont Democrats in race: Seeks to clear way for independent in US Senate bid". Boston Globe.

[5] Scott, Julia (April 25, 2005). "Dean stays in his chair". Salon. Retrieved March 2, 2021.

[sanders-6] Thursday, April 21, 2005, Bernard Sanders, 63, announces run for Vermont's U.S. Senate seat after Incumbent Independent Jim Jeffords announces his retirement.

[DemPrimary-7] "2006 U.S. Senate Democratic Primary". Vermont Secretary of State. 2006. Retrieved May 20, 2021.

[Choice-8] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c "Republicans face ideological choice in primary". The Burlington Free Press. September 5, 2006. p. 1. Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.

[NYTimes-9] Jump up to: ^a ^b Stolberg, Sheryl Gay (April 21, 2005). "Jeffords to Leave the Senate, Setting Off Vermont Scramble". The New York Times. Retrieved May 21, 2021.

[10] "2006 U.S. Senate Republican Primary". Vermont Secretary of State. 2006. Retrieved May 20, 2021.

[11] "How Bernie Sanders Responds to Negative, Mudslinging Attack Ads: Check the Facts!". Youtube. Retrieved January 1, 2020.

[12] Allen, Darren M. (November 8, 2006). "Sanders whips Tarrant for U.S. Senate seat". Times Argus. Retrieved July 15, 2021.

[Bloomberg-13] Jump up to: ^a ^b Heintz, Paul (February 24, 2020). "Bernie vs. 'Richie Rich': The 2006 Race That Prepared Sanders for Bloomberg". Seven Days VT. Retrieved July 15, 2021.

[14] Talbot, Toby (November 30, 2016). "Bernie Sanders and Barack Obama, 2006". Journal Times. Retrieved July 15, 2021.

[Gachon-15] Jump up to: ^a ^b Gachon, Nicolas (2021). Bernie Sanders’s Democratic Socialism: Holding Utopia Accountable. Springer Nature. p. 90. ISBN 9783030696610.

[16] "DFA Backs Sanders and Welch". WCAX. February 13, 2006. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved February 3, 2007.

[17] "Esquire Endorses America". Esquire. November 1, 2006. Retrieved July 15, 2021.

[18] "Vermont Woman's Candidate Endorsements". Vermont Woman. October 2006. Retrieved July 15, 2021.

[19] Wilson Ring, Sanders, Welch win in Vermont races (November 8, 2006). Associated Press.

[OpenSecrets-20] Jump up to: ^a ^b "Congressional Races - 2006 Vermont Senate". Opensecrets.org. Center for Responsive Politics. February 2, 2007. Archived from the original on February 19, 2007. Retrieved February 3, 2007.

[OS-Sanders-21] "Vermont Senate: 2006 Race Profile - Top Contributors". Opensecrets.org. Center for Responsive Politics. December 11, 2006. Archived from the original on December 14, 2006. Retrieved February 3, 2007.

[Pervote-22] Ottenhoff, Patrick (January 31, 2007). "What's the value of a vote". NBC News.

[23] "Our Campaigns - VT US Senate Race - Nov 07, 2006". ourcampaigns.com. 2008. Retrieved August 25, 2015.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

show v t (2005 ←) 2006 United States elections (→ 2007)
U.S. Senate	Arizona California Connecticut Delaware Florida Hawaii Indiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Jersey New Mexico New York North Dakota Ohio Pennsylvania Rhode Island Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
U.S. House	Alabama Alaska Arizona 8th Arkansas California 50th sp Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia 4th Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota 5th 6th Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio 2nd Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas 22nd and 22nd sp Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Governors	Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Lt. Gov Colorado Connecticut Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Iowa Kansas Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Mexico New York Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Lt. Gov Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Vermont Wisconsin Wyoming
State Attorney Generals	California Florida Maryland Michigan Minnesota New York
State officials	California Insurance Commissioner Secretary of State Controller Treasurer Superintendent of Public Instruction Florida Chief Financial Officer Commissioner of Agriculture Maryland Comptroller Michigan Secretary of State Minnesota Auditor New York Comptroller
State legislatures	Arizona California Assembly Senate Connecticut Senate Iowa Senate House Massachusetts House Senate Michigan House Senate Minnesota House Senate Montana House North Carolina House Senate Pennsylvania House Senate Texas
Mayors	Anaheim, CA Anchorage, AK Austin, TX Chandler, AZ Fort Lauderdale, FL Irvine, CA Long Beach, CA Newark, NJ New Orleans, LA Richmond, CA San Bernardino, CA San Jose, CA Norfolk, VA Oakland, CA Providence, RI Tallahassee, FL Tulsa, OK Washington, District of Columbia
States	Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

show v t Notable third party performances in United States elections
* Third party is endorsed by a major party
Presidential (since 1832)	1832 1848 1856 1860 1872* 1892 1912 1924 1948 1960 1968 1980 1992 1996
Senatorial (since 1940)	California 1940 Minnesota 1940 North Dakota 1940 Wisconsin 1940 Minnesota 1942 Minnesota 1942 Nebraska 1942 Virginia 1942 North Dakota 1944 Wisconsin 1944 North Dakota 1946 North Dakota 1946 Tennessee 1946 Arkansas 1948 Alabama 1950 New Hampshire 1950 California 1952 Maine 1952 New York 1952 North Dakota 1952 Virginia 1952 South Carolina 1954 (Democratic write-in) Virginia 1954 Utah 1958 Virginia 1958 Virginia 1960 Virginia 1964 Mississippi 1966 Virginia 1966 Virginia 1966 Alabama 1968 Alaska 1968 Maryland 1968 New York 1968 Connecticut 1970 Mississippi 1970 New York 1970 Virginia 1970 Louisiana 1972 Florida 1974 Hawaii 1974 New York 1974 Utah 1974 Minnesota 1976 Virginia 1976 Alabama 1978 Arkansas 1978 Maine 1978 Mississippi 1978 New York 1980 Washington 1982 Tennessee 1984 Virginia 1990 Alaska 1992 Arizona 1992 Hawaii 1992 Louisiana 1992 Ohio 1992 Arizona 1994 Minnesota 1994 Ohio 1994 Vermont 1994 Virginia 1994 Alaska 1996 Minnesota 1996 Arizona 2000 Massachusetts 2000 Minnesota 2000 Alaska 2002 Kansas 2002 Massachusetts 2002 Mississippi 2002 Oklahoma 2002 Virginia 2002 Oklahoma 2004 Connecticut 2006 Indiana 2006 Maine 2006 Vermont 2006* Arkansas 2008 Idaho 2008 Minnesota 2008 Oregon 2008 Alaska 2010 (Republican write-in) Florida 2010 Indiana 2010 South Carolina 2010 Utah 2010 Indiana 2012 Maine 2012 Maryland 2012 Missouri 2012 Montana 2012 Vermont 2012* Kansas 2014 South Dakota 2014 Wyoming 2014 Alaska 2016 Arizona 2016 Idaho 2016 Indiana 2016 Kansas 2016 Maine 2018 New Mexico 2018 Vermont 2018* Alaska 2020* Arkansas 2020 Minnesota 2020 Nebraska 2020
Gubernatorial (since 1940)	Minnesota 1940 Wisconsin 1940 Connecticut 1942 Minnesota 1942 New York 1942 Wisconsin 1942 North Dakota 1944 Wisconsin 1944 California 1946 Tennessee 1950 Maine 1952 Vermont 1952 Tennessee 1954 Nebraska 1956 Texas 1956 Utah 1956 Oklahoma 1958 Tennessee 1958 North Dakota 1960 Tennessee 1962 Virginia 1965 Alabama 1966 Georgia 1966 Idaho 1966 Maryland 1966 New York 1966 Tennessee 1966 Alabama 1970 Arkansas 1970 New Hampshire 1970 New York 1970 Mississippi 1971 New Hampshire 1972 Texas 1972 Washington 1972 Virginia 1973 Maine 1974 Nebraska 1974 Nevada 1974 Texas 1974 Vermont 1974 Vermont 1976 Alaska 1978 California 1978 Maine 1978 Rhode Island 1978 Alaska 1982 Arizona 1982 Hawaii 1982 Alaska 1986 Arizona 1986 Illinois 1986 Maine 1986 Oklahoma 1986 Vermont 1986 Utah 1988 Alaska 1990 Connecticut 1990 Kansas 1990 Maine 1990 New York 1990 Oklahoma 1990 Oregon 1990 Utah 1992 West Virginia 1992 Alaska 1994 Connecticut 1994 Hawaii 1994 Maine 1994 New Mexico 1994 Oklahoma 1994 Pennsylvania 1994 Rhode Island 1994 Vermont 1994 Alaska 1998 Maine 1998 Minnesota 1998 New York 1998 Pennsylvania 1998 Rhode Island 1998 Kentucky 1999 New Hampshire 2000 Vermont 2000 Arizona 2002 California 2002 Maine 2002 Minnesota 2002 New Mexico 2002 New York 2002 Oklahoma 2002 Vermont 2002 Wisconsin 2002 Alaska 2006 Illinois 2006 Maine 2006 Massachusetts 2006 Minnesota 2006 Texas 2006 Louisiana 2007 Vermont 2008 New Jersey 2009 Colorado 2010 Idaho 2010 Maine 2010 Massachusetts 2010 Minnesota 2010 Rhode Island 2010 Wyoming 2010 Kentucky 2011 Virginia 2013 Alaska 2014* Hawaii 2014 Maine 2014 Rhode Island 2014 Wyoming 2014 Maine 2018 Kansas 2018 Indiana 2020 Vermont 2020*
Portal:Politics Third party (United States) Third party officeholders in the United States Third-party members of the United States House of Representatives

2006 United States Senate election in Vermont

Contents

Democratic primary[]

Candidates[]

Declared[]

Declined[]

Results[]

Republican primary[]

Candidates[]

Declined[]

Results[]

General election[]

Candidates[]

Campaign[]

Endorsements[]

Fundraising[]

Debates[]

Polling[]

Results[]

See also[]

References[]

External links[]