1988 United States House of Representatives election in Vermont
← 1986 November 8, 1988 1990 →
 
Nominee Peter Plympton Smith Bernie Sanders Paul N. Poirier
Party Republican Independent Democratic
Popular vote 98,937 90,026 45,330
Percentage 41.20% 37.49% 18.88%
Smith      30-40%      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80-90%
Sanders      30-40%      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%
Poirier      30-40%      40-50%
Representative before election

Jim Jeffords
Republican

Elected Representative

Peter Plympton Smith
Republican

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The 1988 United States House of Representatives election in Vermont was held on November 8, 1988. Republican nominee Peter Plympton Smith defeated independent candidate Bernie Sanders and Democratic nominee Paul N. Poirier.

Incumbent Republican Representative Jim Jeffords chose to run for a seat in the United States Senate instead of seeking reelection to the United States House of Representatives. Former Lieutenant Governor Peter Plympton Smith won the Republican nomination against David Gates. State Representative Paul N. Poirier won the Democratic nomination against Peter Welch, James A. Guest, and Dolores Sandoval. Sanders, the Mayor of Burlington, Vermont ran as an independent candidate.

This is the most recent election in which a Republican was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Vermont's at-large congressional district.

Background

From 1854 to 1958, the Vermont Republican Party won every statewide election in Vermont. William H. Meyer became the first member of the Democratic Party to win a statewide election in Vermont since 1853, when he won election to the United States House of Representatives from Vermont's at-large congressional district in the 1958 election.[1]

Jim Jeffords, a member of the Republican Party, was elected from Vermont's at-large district in the 1974 election and served for fourteen years.[2][3] In the 1986 election he faced no Democratic opponent and won with 89.12% of the popular vote against three other candidates.[4]

Campaign

Candidates

Major parties

Republican

Senator Robert Stafford, who had been appointed to the United States Senate in 1971, announced on April 10, 1987, that he would not seek reelection in the 1988 election.[5] Representative Jeffords announced that he would seek the Republican nomination to succeed Stafford in the United States Senate instead of seeking reelection to the United States House of Representatives.[6]

Dennis Delaney, a member of the Vermont Senate, considered running in a congressional, gubernatorial, or lieutenant gubernatorial election.[7]

Smith had run in the 1986 gubernatorial election with the Republican nomination, but placed second to Democratic Governor Madeleine Kunin in the popular vote and in the Vermont General Assembly vote as no candidate had received more than 50% of the popular vote.[8][9] David Dillon served as Smith's campaign manager.[10]

Smith defeated Gates in the primary with 77.60% of the popular vote.[11]

1988 Vermont at-large congressional district Republican primary[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Peter Plympton Smith 37,230 77.60%
Republican David Gates 9,964 20.77%
Republican Write-ins 784 1.63%
Total votes 240,131 100.00%
Democratic

On April 8, 1987, Paul N. Poirier, the Majority Leader of the Vermont House of Representatives, announced that he would seek the Democratic nomination for congressional election.[7][12]

Poirier defeated Welch, Guest, and Sandoval in the primary with 41.27% of the popular vote.[13]

1988 Vermont at-large congressional district Democratic primary[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Paul N. Poirier 11,024 33.98%
Democratic Peter Welch 10,758 33.16%
Democratic James A. Guest 8,301 25.58%
Democratic Dolores Sandoval 2,131 6.57%
Democratic Write-ins 231 0.71%
Total votes 32,445 100.00%

Minor parties and other candidates

Independent

Bernie Sanders won election as Mayor of Burlington, Vermont, in the 1981 mayoral election as an independent and won reelection in the 1983, 1985, and 1987 elections.[14][15][16][17] Sanders had run for governor in the 1986 election and had received 14.45% of the popular vote in the election and support from one member of the state legislature.[8][9] During the 1987 campaign Sanders stated that he would not seek reelection in 1989, stating that "eight years is enough and I think it is time for new leadership, which does exist within the coalition, to come up".[18] Sanders announced on March 10, 1988, that he would run in the election as an independent candidate.[19] Terry Bouricius served as Sanders' campaign treasurer.[20] During the campaign he received the support of the Rainbow Coalition.[21]

Other

Jim Hedbor announced that he would run in the election with the Libertarian nomination on February 25, 1988, at a press conference in Montpelier, Vermont.[22] Hedbor won the Libertarian primary without opposition.[23]

Peter Diamondstone, who had unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives five times, announced on June 3, 1988, that he would run in the election with the nomination of the Liberty Union Party.[24] Diamondstone faced no opposition in the party's primary.[25] Diamondstone also sought the position of Vermont Attorney General during the 1988 election. During the campaign he accused his opponents of excluding the candidates of smaller parties from debates and forums.[10]

Morris Earle, who had unsuccessfully ran in five elections including for Vermont's at-large congressional district in 1986, announced that he would run and appeared on the Small Is Beautiful ballot line.[26]

1988 Vermont at-large congressional district Libertarian primary[23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Libertarian Jim Hedbor 80 84.21%
Libertarian Write-ins 15 15.79%
Total votes 95 100.00%
1988 Vermont at-large congressional district Liberty Union primary[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberty Union Peter Diamondstone 124 92.54%
Liberty Union Write-ins 10 7.46%
Total votes 134 100.00%

General election

Three debates was held during the campaign which were attended by all of the candidates.[27][28][29][30] Two candidates forums were held with one on foreign policy and the other on elderly issues.[31][32] Smith accused Poirier of conducting a negative campaign while Poirier questioned Smith's statements that he had founded and served as president of the Community College of Vermont.[33]

A straw poll of the six candidates was conducted during one of the debates in which they were asked who they would support if they were not on the ballot. Smith and Earle stated that they would support Poirier, Sanders stated that he would support Earle, Poirier stated that he would support Sanders, and Diamondstone refused to vote.[34]

Smith won in the general election with 41.20% of the popular vote against Sanders' 37.49% and Poirier's 18.88%.[35][36] Smith won the popular vote in eight counties while Sanders won the popular vote in five counties.[37] Smith's victory was the last time that a member of the Republican Party was elected to the United States House of Representatives from Vermont.[38]

Polling

Poll source Date(s) Sample size Margin of Error Smith Sanders Poirier Hedbor Diamondstone Earle Undecided
Terry Bouricius (internal Sanders poll)[39] April 11–12, 1988 424 voters ± 5% 32% 30% 7% 2% N/A N/A 29%
Rutland Herald
Barre Montpelier Times Argus
University of Vermont[40] 		October 6–9, 1988 502 registered voters ± 4.5% 40% 25% 17% 0% 0% 0% 16%

Endorsements

Paul N. Poirier (D)
Organizations
Bernie Sanders (I)
Organizations
Peter Plympton Smith (R)
Organizations

Results

1988 Vermont at-large congressional district election[35]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Peter Plympton Smith 98,937 41.20% -47.92%
Independent Bernie Sanders 90,026 37.49% +37.49%
Democratic Paul N. Poirier 45,330 18.88% +18.88%
Libertarian Jim Hedbor 3,110 1.30% +1.30%
Liberty Union Peter Diamondstone 1,455 0.61% -3.13%
Small is Beautiful Morris Earle 1,070 0.45% -2.65%
Independent Write-in 203 0.08% -0.05%
Total votes 240,131 100.00%

Results by county

County Peter Plympton Smith Votes Bernie Sanders Votes Paul N. Poirier Votes Jim Hedbor Votes Peter Diamondstone Votes Morris Earle Votes Scattering Votes Total
Republican Independent Democratic Libertarian Liberty Union Small is Beautiful Write-in
Addison 39.53% 5,430 44.33% 6,089 12.57% 1,726 1.53% 210 0.39% 53 1.63% 224 0.02% 3 13,735
Bennington 48.33% 7,341 21.89% 3,325 26.78% 4,067 0.74% 113 1.35% 205 0.87% 132 0.03% 5 15,188
Caledonia 49.96% 5,552 35.95% 3,996 12.37% 1,375 1.01% 112 0.49% 55 1.01% 112 0.04% 5 11,114
Chittenden 38.09% 21,675 42.12% 23,968 17.61% 10,023 1.60% 908 0.39% 151 0.27% 114 0.12% 67 56,906
Essex 54.59% 1,272 23.86% 556 19.66% 458 0.47% 11 0.69% 16 0.73% 17 0.00% 0 2,330
Franklin 34.90% 5,140 39.53% 5,823 23.45% 3,454 1.61% 237 0.29% 43 0.17% 25 0.05% 7 14,729
Grand Isle 37.91% 1,094 38.57% 1,113 17.12% 494 6.03% 174 0.10% 3 0.28% 8 0.00% 0 2,886
Lamoille 42.78% 3,456 43.69% 3,529 11.09% 896 1.63% 132 0.41% 33 0.40% 32 0.00% 0 8,078
Orange 42.97% 4,776 38.20% 4,246 16.72% 1,858 1.44% 160 0.34% 38 0.30% 33 0.03% 3 11,114
Orleans 42.29% 4,026 38.90% 3,703 16.65% 1,585 1.27% 121 0.57% 54 0.27% 26 0.05% 5 9,520
Rutland 41.99% 10,838 40.35% 10,415 15.35% 3,961 1.30% 336 0.49% 127 0.42% 109 0.09% 24 25,810
Washington 38.31% 9,972 36.51% 9,503 23.44% 6,101 1.11% 289 0.34% 88 0.27% 69 0.03% 8 26,030
Windham 42.83% 7,782 28.58% 5,193 24.87% 4,519 0.51% 93 2.47% 448 0.68% 124 0.06% 11 18,170
Windsor 43.29% 10,583 35.05% 8,567 19.69% 4,813 0.87% 213 0.58% 141 0.44% 108 0.08% 19 24,444
Total 41.20% 98,937 37.49% 90,026 18.88% 45,330 1.29% 3,109 0.61% 1,455 0.47% 1,133 0.07% 157 240,147[37]

Results by municipality

Municipality Peter Plympton Smith Votes Bernie Sanders Votes Paul N. Poirier Votes Jim Hedbor Votes Peter Diamondstone Votes Morris Earle Votes Scattering Votes Total Reference
Republican Independent Democratic Libertarian Liberty Union Small is Beautiful Write-in
Addison 56.94% 287 30.16% 152 7.14% 36 4.17% 21 0.20% 1 1.39% 7 0.00% 0 504 [36]
Albany 42.31% 143 43.20% 146 11.24% 38 2.37% 8 0.30% 1 0.59% 2 0.00% 0 338 [36]

References

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