1996 United States House of Representatives election in Vermont
← 1994 November 5, 1996 1998 →
 
Nominee Bernie Sanders Susan Sweetser Jack Long
Party Independent Republican Democratic
Popular vote 140,678 83,021 23,830
Percentage 55.2% 32.6% 9.4%
County results
Sanders:      40–50%      50–60%
Representative
At-large before election

Bernie Sanders
Independent

Elected Representative
At-large

Bernie Sanders
Independent

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The 1996 United States House of Representatives election in Vermont was held on Tuesday, November 5, 1996, to elect the U.S. representative from the state's at-large congressional district. The election coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial presidential election.

Republican primary

Republican primary results[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Susan Sweetser 18,829 95.27
Republican Write-ins 935 4.73
Total votes 19,764 100.00

Democratic primary

Democratic primary results[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jack Long 9,291 67.95
Democratic Bernie Sanders (Write-in) 4,037 29.52
Democratic Susan Sweetser (Write-in) 203 1.48
Democratic Write-ins 143 1.05
Total votes 13,674 100.00

Liberty Union primary

Liberty Union primary results[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Liberty Union Peter Diamondstone 237 88.76
Liberty Union Write-ins 30 11.24
Total votes 267 100.00

General election

Candidates

Campaign

National Republicans were eager to unseat Sanders, and had placed him on a list of 10 incumbent Representatives they would most heavily target in the 1996 cycle.[4] The Republican nominee, state senator Susan Sweetser, was viewed as a rising star within the party[4] and campaigned as a "social moderate and fiscal conservative", though she was viewed as a strictly conservative Republican.[5][6] Sweetser's gender was viewed as a potential advantage by University of Vermont political analyst Garrison Nelson, who felt that it would prevent Sanders from utilising his traditional aggressive campaign style.[7] There was also a prominent Democratic candidate in the form of Jack Long, former commissioner of the Vermont Environmental Conservation Department, who campaigned as a moderate alternative to the other major candidates.[8] Long's campaign faced staunch opposition from national Democratic strategists, with Rob Engel, political director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, accusing him of being a spoiler candidate attempting to throw the election to Sweetser.[9]

Sweetser's campaign faced a major scandal after it was revealed that she had hired private investigator Cathy Riggs, the wife of California Congressman Frank Riggs, to perform opposition research on Sanders, with Riggs proceeding to investigate Sanders' first marriage by calling his ex-wife.[10] This tactic was denounced by both Sanders and Long as a violation of privacy and political etiquette. Sweetser quickly apologised and claimed that she was not aware of Riggs' activities, but the event severely damaged her campaign nonetheless, as it was largely viewed as unacceptable "dirty campaigning" by the electorate.[11][4]

Polling

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin
of error 		Bernie
Sanders 		Susan
Sweetser 		Jack
Long 		Other Undecided
Becker Institute October 1996 52% 33% 5% 10%

Endorsements

Jack Long (D)
State officials
Newspapers and publications
Bernie Sanders (I)
Executive officials
Federal officials
State officials
Individuals
Organizations
Susan Sweetser (R)
Executive officials
Federal officials
Individuals

Results

Vermont's At-large congressional district election, 1996[24]
Party Candidate Votes %
Independent Bernie Sanders (incumbent) 140,678 55.23
Republican Susan Sweetser 83,021 32.59
Democratic Jack Long 23,830 9.36
Libertarian Thomas J. Morse 2,693 1.06
Liberty Union Peter Diamondstone 1,965 0.77
Grassroots Robert Melamede 1,350 0.53
Natural Law Norio Kushi 812 0.32
Write-ins N/A 357 0.14
Total votes 254,706 100.00
Independent hold

References

  1. ^ a b c "1996 Primary Election Results" (PDF). Vermont Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 31, 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Congress". Brattleboro Reformer. November 1, 1996. p. 21. Retrieved August 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Wallace, Anne (April 19, 1996). "Commuter rail on fast track". The Burlington Free Press. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Freyne, Peter (November 4, 1998). "GOP Throws In the Towel". Seven Days VT. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  5. ^ Nelson, Andrew (August 23, 1996). "Sweetser takes aim at Congress". Bennington Banner. Miller Group. p. 1. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Freyne, Peter (May 22, 1996). "Politics, Politics, Politics". Seven Days VT. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  7. ^ Freyne, Peter (November 15, 1995). "Ho-Ho Come Home". Seven Days VT. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Lisberg, Adam (October 14, 1996). "Long struggles to catch up". The Burlington Free Press. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  9. ^ Gugliotta, Guy (July 9, 1996). "Candidate has his party to contend with". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  10. ^ Sneyd, Ross (September 12, 1996). "Is there dirt on Sanders? Sweetser hires private eye to investigate". The Brattleboro Reformer. Miller Group. Associated Press. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  11. ^ Lisberg, Adam (September 13, 1996). "Sweetser: Investigation prompts apology". The Burlington Free Press. Gannett. p. 5. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  12. ^ Sneyd, Ross (October 28, 1996). "Congressional candidates in high gear; Long gets endorsement". Brattleboro Reformer. Associated Press. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  13. ^ Bradsher, Keith; et al. (November 6, 1996). "Northeast". The New York Times. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  14. ^ Schmaler, Tracy (August 10, 1996). "Frank crosses party lines, endorses Sanders". Brattleboro Reformer. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  15. ^ Karp, Matt (January 24, 2016). "Bernie in the Age of Clinton". Jacobin. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  16. ^ Derby, Diane (July 28, 1996). "Long: The Lonely Candidate". Rutland Daily Herald. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  17. ^ a b Singer, Mark (November 18, 1996). "The Vital Center, Part II". The New Yorker. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  18. ^ Gugliotta, Guy (July 9, 1996). "Candidate has his party to contend with". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  19. ^ Murphy, Tim (February 4, 2016). "That Time Bernie Sanders Said He Was a Bigger Feminist Than His Female Opponent". Mother Jones. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  20. ^ Hoffman, Jack (July 16, 1996). "Sanders wins endorsement of the national Sierra Club". Rutland Herald. Vermont Press Bureau. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  21. ^ Liley, Betsy (July 18, 1996). "GOP chief sets sights on Sanders". The Burlington Free Press. Gannett. p. 11. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  22. ^ Allen, Anne Wallace (October 23, 1996). "New York congresswoman stumps for Sweetser". Bennington Banner. Associated Press. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  23. ^ Scherer, Ron (July 8, 1996). "Flat-Tax King Is Back On Chicken-Pie Circuit". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  24. ^ "United States Representative (One District): 1932-2014" (PDF). Vermont Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
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