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The 2006 United States Senate election in Vermont was held on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Republican turned independent U.S. Senator Jim Jeffords decided to retire. Bernie Sanders, who has represented Vermont's At Large district as one of the few federally elected independents in the country, won the Democratic primary and then dropped out to run as an independent. Many liberal and Democratic politicians across the country endorsed Sanders, as no Democrat was on the ballot. Sanders won the open seat with 65% of the vote.[1] CNN called the race in Sanders' favor shortly after 7 p.m. on the day of the election.[2][3]
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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 has been supported by leaders in the Democratic Party.
Tarrant won.
In mid-August 2006, the campaign heated up considerably, with Tarrant fully engaged in heavy media advertising, most of which criticized Sanders' 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' votes against Amber Alert and against increased penalties for child pornography. Sanders responded with an ad stating that Tarrant's claims are "dishonest" and "distort my record" and presented what he viewed as more accurate explations of his voting record.
Since Sanders is allied with the Democrats in the House of Representatives, Democratic leadership successfully dissuaded any serious challengers from their party. Sanders was endorsed by prominent Democrats such as DNC Chairman and former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, and Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. On February 13, 2005 Sanders received an endorsement from Democracy for America, the political action committee that was founded by Dean after he withdrew from the 2004 Presidential race.[5]
The election was the most expensive political campaign in Vermont history.[1] Tarrant did not seek outside funding, raising 98% of all funds through personal sources, for a total of $7,315,854. [6] Sanders' top contributors include the plaintiff's law firm Barron & Budd, Operating Engineers Union, Laborers Union, and Communication Workers of America, for total raised of $ 5,554,466.[7] In total, Tarrant and Sanders spent $13,771,060.[6] Tarrant spent $85 per vote, the largest cost per vote of any race in the country during 2006, while Sanders spent $34 per vote.[8]
| Source | Date | Sanders (I) | Tarrant (R) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research 2000 | October 23-24, 2006 | 57% | 36% |
| Research 2000 | September 18-19, 2006 | 58% | 33% |
| American Research Group | September 15, 2006 | 55% | 40% |
| Rasmussen | August 3, 2006 | 62% | 34% |
| American Research Group | July 27, 2006 | 56% | 35% |
| Rasmussen | June 16, 2006 | 67% | 29% |
| Research 2000 | May 11, 2006 | 61% | 24% |
| Doyle Poll | March 7, 2006 | 62% | 26% |
| Rasmussen | January 5, 2006 | 70% | 25% |
| Research 2000 | November 1, 2005 | 64% | 16% |
Official results from the Vermont Secretary of State [1]:
| 2006 United States Senate election, 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 | 0.6 | n/a | |
| Green | Craig Hill | 1,536 | 0.5 | n/a | |
| Independent | Peter D. Moss | 1,518 | 0.5 | n/a | |
| Liberty Union | Peter Diamondstone | 801 | 0.3 | -0.2 | |
| Write-ins | 267 | 0.1 | 0 | ||
| Majority | 86,741 | 33.1 | |||
| Turnout | 262,419 | ||||
| Independent hold | Swing | ||||
Sanders won a majority of the votes in every county in the state, with 57% as his lowest county total.
| Preceded by 2004 Patrick Leahy (D) |
Vermont U.S. Senate elections 2006 Bernie Sanders (I) |
Succeeded by 2010 TBD |
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