The 2012 United States Senate election in Vermont was held on November 6, 2012. Incumbent independent Senator Bernie Sanders won reelection to a second term in a landslide, defeating Republican nominee John MacGovern with 71% of the vote. Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, was first elected with 65% of the vote in 2006 and was the first non-Republican to win this seat since 1850.
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| Turnout | 63.47% (voting eligible)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
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Sanders: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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Democratic primary
editCandidates
edit- Bernie Sanders, incumbent U.S. Senator[2]
Sanders also received the nomination of the Vermont Progressive Party, but declined both the Democratic and Progressive nominations after the primary.[3]
Republican primary
editCandidates
editDeclared
edit- John MacGovern, former Massachusetts State Representative[4]
- H. Brooke Paige, former CEO of Remmington News Service[5]
Declined
edit- Kevin Dorn, former Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development[6]
- Jim Douglas, former governor
- Thom Lauzon, Mayor of Barre[7]
- Tom Salmon, state auditor[8]
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John MacGovern | 6,343 | 75.4 | |
| Republican | H. Brooke Paige | 2,073 | 24.6 | |
| Total votes | 8,416 | 100.0 | ||
General election
editCandidates
edit- Peter Diamondstone (Liberty Union), perennial candidate
- Cris Ericson (U.S. Marijuana), perennial candidate (also running for Governor)[10]
- Laurel LaFramboise (VoteKISS)[11]
- John MacGovern (Republican), former Massachusetts State Representative
- Peter Moss (Peace and Prosperity)[11]
- Bernie Sanders (I), incumbent U.S. Senator[12]
Predictions
edit| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[13] | Solid I | November 1, 2012 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[14] | Safe I | November 5, 2012 |
| Rothenberg Political Report[15] | Safe I | November 2, 2012 |
| Real Clear Politics[16] | Safe I | November 5, 2012 |
Debates
edit- Complete video of debate, October 25, 2012 - C-SPAN
Polling
editHypothetical polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Randy Brock (R) |
Bernie Sanders (I) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[17] | July 28–31, 2011 | 1,233 | ±2.8% | 28% | 65% | — | 7% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Jim Douglas (R) |
Bernie Sanders (I) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[17] | July 28–31, 2011 | 1,233 | ±2.8% | 38% | 56% | — | 6% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Brian Dubie (R) |
Bernie Sanders (I) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[17] | July 28–31, 2011 | 1,233 | ±2.8% | 34% | 60% | — | 6% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Thom Lauzon (R) |
Bernie Sanders (I) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[17] | July 28–31, 2011 | 1,233 | ±2.8% | 24% | 63% | — | 13% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Tom Salmon (R) |
Bernie Sanders (I) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[17] | July 28–31, 2011 | 1,233 | ±2.8% | 28% | 62% | — | 10% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Phil Scott (R) |
Bernie Sanders (I) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[17] | July 28–31, 2011 | 1,233 | ±2.8% | 30% | 61% | — | 9% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Mark Snelling (R) |
Bernie Sanders (I) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[17] | July 28–31, 2011 | 1,233 | ±2.8% | 25% | 62% | — | 13% |
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Bernie Sanders (incumbent) | 207,848 | 71.00% | +5.59% | |
| Republican | John MacGovern | 72,898 | 24.90% | −7.46% | |
| Marijuana | Cris Ericson | 5,924 | 2.02% | N/A | |
| Liberty Union | Peter Diamondstone | 2,511 | 0.86% | +0.55% | |
| Peace and Prosperity | Peter Moss | 2,452 | 0.84% | +0.26% | |
| VoteKISS | Laurel LaFramboise | 877 | 0.30% | N/A | |
| Write-in | 252 | 0.08% | -0.02% | ||
| Total votes | 292,762 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Independent hold | |||||
References
edit- ^ Dr. Michael McDonald (February 9, 2013). "2012 General Election Turnout Rates". George Mason University. Archived from the original on April 24, 2013. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
- ^ Dobbs, Taylor (June 13, 2012). "Sanders' papers filed, Peyton running for governor". VTDigger.org. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
- ^ "Progressives nominate Sanders, Hoffer, Condos and Stanak for statewide office". VTDigger.org. June 12, 2012. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
- ^ Gregg, John P. (March 10, 2012). "MacGovern Plans Run at U.S. Senate". Valley News. Archived from the original on March 18, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
- ^ Gregg, John P. (March 15, 2012). "Republican in Waiting?". Valley News. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
- ^ Hirschfeld, Peter (March 19, 2012). "Kevin Dorn opts against run for office". Vermont Press Bureau. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ "Lauzon wants 2 more years in Barre". Vermont Today. December 21, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ^ Remsen, Nancy (September 23, 2011). "Salmon says he wants to remain as Vermont Auditor". The Burlington Free Press. Retrieved September 24, 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Grasgreen, Allie (January 23, 1964). "2016 Primary Election Results: President Live Map by State, Real-Time Voting Updates". Politico. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
- ^ McCarty, Alicia (November 13, 2011). "A look ahead to the key races in the Northeast in 2012". USA Today. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
- ^ a b Dobbs, Taylor (June 14, 2012). "And they're off: Candidates file for races". VTDigger.org. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
- ^ Hemingway, Sam (January 31, 2012). "Sanders has nearly $3 million for re-election bid". The Burlington Free Press. Retrieved February 15, 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "2012 Senate Race Ratings for November 1, 2012". The Cook Political Report. Archived from the original on August 29, 2018. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- ^ "2012 Senate". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- ^ "2012 Senate Ratings". Senate Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- ^ "2012 Elections Map - Battle for the Senate 2012". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g Public Policy Polling
- ^ "VT Elections Database » Search Elections". Vermont Secretary of State. Archived from the original on July 10, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
External links
edit- Elections and Campaign Finance Division at the Vermont Secretary of State
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Outside spending at Sunlight Foundation
- Candidate issue positions at On the Issues
Official campaign websites (Archived)