1980 United States Senate election in Vermont
The 1980 United States Senate election in Vermont took place on November 4, 1980. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy narrowly won reelection to a second term, defeating Republican Stewart Ledbetter, the Vermont Commissioner of Banking and Insurance.
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 County results Leahy: 40–50% 50–60% Ledbetter: 40–50% 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Vermont |
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Democratic primary
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Patrick Leahy (incumbent) | 27,548 | 97.54% | |
| Democratic | Other | 696 | 2.46% | |
| Total votes | 28,244 | 100.0% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- T. Garry Buckley, former Lieutenant Governor of Vermont[2]
- Anthony Doria, founder of Vermont Law School[3]
- Tom Evslin, computer consultant[2]
- Stewart Ledbetter, Vermont Banking and Insurance Commissioner[4]
- James Mullin, former Chair of the Republican Party of Vermont[5]
- Robert Schuettinger, former advisor to the Republican Study Committee[6]
Campaign
The majority of the candidates in the Republican primary field were conservative Republicans, with Ledbetter being seen as the only moderate.
Over the course of the campaign, a dispute broke out between T. Garry Buckley, a former Lieutenant Governor, and James Mullin, the former Vermont GOP Chair. Buckley vigoriously attacked Mullin for being a Mormon, claiming that if elected Mullin would be the "third Senator from Utah."[7] Mullin in turned accused Buckley of bigotry, stating "I thought this nonsense went out when Jack Kennedy was elected President."[7]
Endorsements
Tom Evslin
- Newspapers and publications
Stewart Ledbetter
- Newspapers and publications
James Mullin
- Statewide officials
- Deane Davis, former Governor of Vermont[11]
- F. Ray Keyser, former Governor of Vermont[12]
- State officials
- Arthur Gibb, state senator[13]
Robert Schuettinger
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Stewart M. Ledbetter | 16,518 | 35.28% | |
| Republican | James E. Mullin | 12,256 | 26.18% | |
| Republican | Tom Evslin | 8,575 | 18.31% | |
| Republican | T. Garry Buckley | 5,209 | 11.1% | |
| Republican | Robert Schuettinger | 3,450 | 7.39% | |
| Republican | Anthony N. Doria | 496 | 1.06% | |
| Republican | Other | 316 | 0.68% | |
| Total votes | 46,820 | 100.0% | ||
Liberty Union primary
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty Union | Earl S. Gardner | 135 | 80.36% | |
| Liberty Union | Other | 33 | 19.64% | |
| Total votes | 168 | 100.0% | ||
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Patrick Leahy (incumbent) | 104,089 | 49.76% | |
| Republican | Stewart M. Ledbetter | 101,647 | 48.59% | |
| Independent | Anthony N. Doria | 1,764 | 0.84% | |
| Liberty Union | Earl S. Gardner | 1,578 | 0.75% | |
| Write-in | 110 | 0.06% | ||
| Total votes | 209,188 | 100.00% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
See also
References
- "Primary Election Results" (PDF). Office of the Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
- Vita, Matthew (September 10, 1980). "It's Buckley's 'last hurrah', but Mullin, Evslin may be back". Bennington Banner. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
- "Warped Sense of Issues". Rutland Herald. August 4, 1980. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
- "Stewart Ledbetter bets $170,000 voters want Middle-of-Road Senator". Barre-Montpelier Times Argus. August 27, 1980. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
- Baumann, Steve (March 14, 1980). "Remark about Ellsworth Bunker Shadows James Mullin". Rutland Daily Herald. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
- Page, Candace (August 16, 1980). "Candidate Schuettinger sticks to the far right". The Brattleboro Reformer. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
- Vita, Matthew (August 18, 1980). "Mullin, the top spender, sees Buckley as threat". Bennington Banner. Miller Group. Associated Press. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
- "Evslin for the GOP nod". Bennington Banner. September 4, 1980. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
- "How We Picked Candidates". The Burlington Free Press. September 1, 1980. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
- "Evslin backed by 4th paper". Bennington Banner. Associated Press. September 6, 1980. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
- "Davis Endorses Mullin". The Times Argus. Vermont Press Bureau. June 6, 1980. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
- Graff, Christopher (August 18, 1980). "'Tis the season for the endorsement". Bennington Banner. Associated Press. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
- "Sen. Gibb Supporting Ledbetter". The Burlington Free Press. Associated Press. May 10, 1980. Retrieved January 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "General Election Results - U.S. Senator - 1914-2014" (PDF). Office of the Vermont Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
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