United States Senate election in Vermont, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Vermont

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bernie Sanders (Independent)	67.3	183,649
		Lawrence Zupan (R)	27.4	74,663
		Brad Peacock (Independent)	1.4	3,787
		Russell Beste (Independent)	1.0	2,763
		Edward Gilbert Jr. (Independent)	0.8	2,244
		Folasade Adeluola (Independent)	0.7	1,979
		Jon Svitavsky (Independent)	0.5	1,280
		Reid Kane (Liberty Union Party)	0.4	1,171
		Bruce Busa (Independent)	0.3	914
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	294

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 272,744
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• H. Brooke Paige (R)

Elections in Vermont, 2018

• General election: Nov. 6
• Voter registration deadline: Nov. 6
• Early voting: Sept. 21 - Nov. 5
• Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 5

• Online registration: Yes
• Same-day registration: Yes
• Voter ID: No
• Poll times: 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

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On the ballot: U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Governor • Lt. Gov • Attorney General • Secretary of State • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • Local judges • Democratic primaries • Republican primaries

2022 → ← 2016
U.S. Senate, Vermont
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: May 31, 2018
Primary: August 14, 2018 General: November 6, 2018 Pre-election incumbent: Bernie Sanders (Independent)
How to vote
Poll times: Open between 5 a.m. to 10 a.m.; close at 7 p.m. Voting in Vermont
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Democratic Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic Inside Elections: Solid Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
See also
U.S. Senate, Vermont U.S. Senate • At-large Vermont elections, 2018 U.S. Congress elections, 2018 U.S. Senate elections, 2018 U.S. House elections, 2018 Arizona U.S. Senate raceCalifornia U.S. Senate raceConnecticut U.S. Senate raceDelaware U.S. Senate raceFlorida U.S. Senate raceHawaii U.S. Senate raceIndiana U.S. Senate raceMaine U.S. Senate raceMaryland U.S. Senate raceMassachusetts U.S. Senate raceMichigan U.S. Senate raceMinnesota U.S. Senate raceMinnesota U.S. Senate race (special)Mississippi U.S. Senate raceMississippi U.S. Senate race (special)Missouri U.S. Senate raceMontana U.S. Senate raceNebraska U.S. Senate raceNevada U.S. Senate raceNew Jersey U.S. Senate raceNew Mexico U.S. Senate raceNew York U.S. Senate raceNorth Dakota U.S. Senate raceOhio U.S. Senate racePennsylvania U.S. Senate raceRhode Island U.S. Senate raceTennessee U.S. Senate raceTexas U.S. Senate raceUtah U.S. Senate raceVermont U.S. Senate raceVirginia U.S. Senate raceWashington U.S. Senate raceWest Virginia U.S. Senate raceWisconsin U.S. Senate raceWyoming U.S. Senate raceSubmit

Voters in Vermont elected one member to the U.S. Senate in the election on November 6, 2018.

The election filled the Class 1 Senate seat held by Bernie Sanders (I). He was first elected in 2006.

Candidates and election results

See also: Statistics on U.S. Congress candidates, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Vermont

The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. Senate Vermont on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bernie Sanders (Independent)	67.3	183,649
		Lawrence Zupan (R)	27.4	74,663
		Brad Peacock (Independent)	1.4	3,787
		Russell Beste (Independent)	1.0	2,763
		Edward Gilbert Jr. (Independent)	0.8	2,244
		Folasade Adeluola (Independent)	0.7	1,979
		Jon Svitavsky (Independent)	0.5	1,280
		Reid Kane (Liberty Union Party)	0.4	1,171
		Bruce Busa (Independent)	0.3	914
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	294

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 272,744
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• H. Brooke Paige (R)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Vermont

Incumbent Bernie Sanders defeated Folasade Adeluola in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Vermont on August 14, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bernie Sanders	94.4	63,322
		Folasade Adeluola	5.6	3,748

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 67,070
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Vermont

H. Brooke Paige defeated Lawrence Zupan, Jasdeep Pannu, and Roque De La Fuente in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Vermont on August 14, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		H. Brooke Paige	39.6	9,805
		Lawrence Zupan	37.9	9,383
		Jasdeep Pannu	18.3	4,527
		Roque De La Fuente	4.3	1,057

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 24,772
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Independent primary election

No Independent candidates ran in the primary.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Cris Ericson (Independent)

Key votes

Key votes cast by Sanders

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) cast the following key votes—votes that help citizens understand where their legislators stand on major policy issues—during the 115th Congress, which convened on January 3, 2017, and adjourned on January 3, 2019.

Click show to see key votes for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) →

Key votes: 115th Congress, 2017-2018 For detailed information about each vote, click here. Votes on domestic policy (click to expand) Voted Yea on: First Step Act of 2018 (S 756)  Motion Agreed to (87-12) on December 18, 2018 Proposed making changes to the criminal justice system. Voted Yea on: Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (HR 2)  Conference Report Agreed to (87-13) on December 11, 2018 Proposed providing funding for commodity support, conservation, trade and international food aid, nutrition assistance, farm credit, rural development, research and extension activities, forestry, horticulture, and crop insurance through fiscal year 2023. Voted Nay on: "Brett M. Kavanaugh, of Maryland, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States" (PN2259)  Nomination Confirmed (50-48) on October 6, 2018 Brett M. Kavanaugh, of Maryland, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Voted Nay on: "Brett M. Kavanaugh, of Maryland, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States" (PN2259)  Cloture Motion Agreed to (51-49) on October 5, 2018 Brett M. Kavanaugh, of Maryland, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Voted Yea on: Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 (HR 2)  Bill Passed (86-11, 3/5 majority required) on June 28, 2018 Proposed providing funding for commodity support, conservation, trade and international food aid, nutrition assistance, farm credit, rural development, research and extension activities, forestry, horticulture, and crop insurance. Voted Nay on: Immigration reform proposal from Sen. Chuck Grassley and the Trump administration (S Amdt 1959 to HR 2579)  Cloture Motion Rejected (39-60, 3/5 majority required) on February 15, 2018 Proposed providing a path to citizenship for 1.8 million individuals brought into the U.S. without legal permission as children, $25 billion for border security, limits on chain migration or family-based migration, and eliminating the visa lottery system. Voted Yea on: Immigration reform proposal from the Common Sense Coalition (S Amdt 1958 to HR 2579)  Cloture Motion Rejected (54-45, 3/5 majority required) on February 15, 2018 Proposed providing a path to citizenship for individuals brought into the U.S. without legal permission as children, $25 billion for border security, and limitations on chain or family-based immigration. Voted Nay on: Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act amendment (S Amdt 1948 to S Amdt 1959)  Cloture Motion Rejected (54-45, 3/5 majority required) on February 15, 2018 Proposed withholding funding from sanctuary jurisdictions for not cooperating with federal immigration officials. Voted Yea on: Coons-McCain immigration plan (S Amdt 1955 to S Amdt 1958)  Cloture Motion Rejected (52-47, 3/5 majority required) on February 15, 2018 Proposed providing a path to citizenship for individuals brought into the U.S. without legal permission as children and conducting a study to determine what border security measures were needed. It also proposed requiring the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to secure the U.S.-Mexico border by 2021. Voted Nay on: Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (S 2311)  Cloture on the Motion to Proceed Rejected (51-46, 3/5 majority required) on January 29, 2018 Proposed amending the federal criminal code to make it a crime for any person to perform or attempt to perform an abortion if the probable post-fertilization age of the fetus was 20 weeks or more. The bill proposed providing exceptions for an abortion: (1) that was necessary to save the life of the pregnant woman, or (2) when the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest. Voted Nay on: An amendment to repeal the requirements for individuals to enroll in health insurance and for employers to offer it—"Skinny bill" (S Amdt 667 to S Amdt 267 to HR 1628 the American Health Care Act of 2017)  Amendment Rejected (49-51) on July 28, 2017 The amendment proposed repealing the requirements for individuals to enroll in health insurance and for employers to offer it. Voted Nay on: An amendment to repeal the ACA, including Paul amendment (No. 271) (S Amdt 271 to S Amdt 267 to HR 1628)  Amendment Rejected (45-55) on July 26, 2017 An amendment to repeal the ACA, including Paul amendment (No. 271) Voted Nay on: Motion to advance the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017, including Cruz and Portman amendments (S Amdt 270 to S Amdt 267 to HR 1628)  Motion Rejected (43-57, 3/5 majority required) on July 25, 2017 A procedural vote to advance the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 (BCRA), including the Cruz and Portman amendments. Voted Nay on: Motion to begin debate on the American Health Care Act of 2017 (HR 1628)  Motion to Proceed Agreed to (50-50, Vice President voted Yea) on July 25, 2017 Proposed providing for reconciliation pursuant to title II of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2017. Voted Nay on: Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (PN55(4)—confirmation vote)  Nomination Confirmed (54-45) on April 7, 2017 Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States—confirmation vote. Voted Nay on: Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (PN55(3))  Cloture Motion Agreed to (55-45) on April 6, 2017 Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States—second vote to end debate and move to a vote on Gorsuch's nomination under the new precedent requiring only a simple majority to pass. Voted Yea on: Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (PN55(2))  Decision of Chair Not Sustained (48-52) on April 6, 2017 Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States—a vote to keep the Senate precedent of requiring 60 votes to close debate on Supreme Court nominations. Voted Nay on: Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (PN55)  Cloture Motion Rejected (55-45, 3/5 majority required) on April 6, 2017 Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States—initial vote to end debate and move to a vote on Gorsuch's nomination. Votes on economic affairs and regulations (click to expand) Voted Nay on: "Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act, 2019" (HR 6157)  Conference Report Agreed to (93-7) on September 18, 2018 Proposed authorizing FY2019 appropriations and policies for the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and Education. Voted Yea on: "Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2019" (HR 5895)  Conference Report Agreed to (92-5) on September 12, 2018 Proposed authorizing FY2019 appropriations and policies for the Department of Energy, water resources, the legislative branch, military construction, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, among other programs. Voted Nay on: "Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act, 2019" (HR 6157)  Bill Passed (85-7) on August 23, 2018 Proposed authorizing FY2019 appropriations and policies for the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and Education. Voted Yea on: "Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2019" (HR 5895)  Bill Passed (86-5) on June 25, 2018 Proposed authorizing FY2019 appropriations and policies for the Department of Energy, water resources, the legislative branch, military construction, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, among other programs. Voted Nay on: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 1625)  Motion Agreed to (65-32) on March 23, 2018 Proposed providing appropriations for fiscal year 2018, and for other purposes. Voted Nay on: The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (HR 1892)  Motion Agreed to (71-28) on February 9, 2018 Proposed providing further continuing appropriations through March 23, 2018 Voted Nay on: Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 695)  Cloture Motion Rejected (55-44, 3/5 majority required) on February 8, 2018 Proposed providing further continuing appropriations through March 23, 2018. Voted Nay on: Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 195)  Motion Agreed to (81-18) on January 22, 2018 Proposed providing further continuing appropriations through February 8, 2018. Voted Nay on: Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 195)  Cloture Motion Agreed to (81-18, 3/5 majority required) on January 22, 2018 Proposed providing further continuing appropriations through February 8, 2018. Voted Nay on: Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 195)  Cloture Motion Rejected (50-49, 3/5 majority required) on January 19, 2018 Proposed providing further continuing appropriations through January 19, 2018. Voted Nay on: Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 1370)  Motion Agreed to (66-32, 3/5 majority required) on December 21, 2017 Proposed providing further continuing appropriations through January 19, 2018. Voted Nay on: Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (HR 1)  Motion Agreed to (51-48) on December 20, 2017 Proposed providing for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018 and proposed changes to the tax code. Voted Nay on: "A joint resolution making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2018, and for other purposes." (HJ Res 123)  Joint Resolution Passed (81-14) on December 7, 2017 Proposed funding the government until December 22, 2017. Voted Nay on: Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (HR 1)  Bill Passed (51-49) on December 2, 2017 Proposed amending the Internal Revenue Code to reduce tax rates and modify policies, credits, and deductions for individuals and businesses. Voted Nay on: A concurrent resolution establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2018 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2019 through 2027. (H Con Res 71)  Concurrent Resolution Agreed to (51-49) on October 19, 2017 Proposed establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2018 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2019 through 2027. Voted Yea on: Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2017 (Included amendments to suspend the debt ceiling and fund the government) (HR 601)  Motion Agreed to (80-17) on September 7, 2017 Proposed suspending the debt ceiling and funding the government until December 8, 2017, and providing funding for Hurricanes Harvey and Irma relief efforts. Voted Yea on: Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017 (HR 244)  Motion Agreed to (79-18) on May 4, 2017 The $1.2 trillion budget bill proposed funding the government through the end of the fiscal year on September 30, 2017. Votes on foreign policy and national security issues (click to expand) Voted Yea on: "A joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress." (SJ Res 54)  Joint Resolution Passed (56-41) on December 13, 2018 Proposed removing United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that were not authorized by Congress. Voted Nay on: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (HR 2810)  Bill Passed (89-8) on September 18, 2017 Proposed authorizing appropriations for fiscal year 2018 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, and to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes. On November 15, 2017, the Senate passed the defense policy bill by voice vote. This bill was the result of compromises made in the conference report. For more information on the compromise bill, click here. Voted Nay on: Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (HR 3364)  Bill Passed (98-2) on July 27, 2017 Proposed providing congressional review and proposed countering aggression by the governments of Iran, the Russian Federation, and North Korea, and for other purposes. Voted Nay on: Countering Iran's Destabilizing Activities Act of 2017 (S 722)  Bill Passed (98-2) on June 15, 2017 Proposed providing congressional review and proposed countering aggression by the governments of Iran, the Russian Federation, and North Korea, and for other purposes.

Noteworthy events

Brett Kavanaugh confirmation vote

See also: Supreme Court vacancy, 2018: An overview

On October 6, 2018, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. Fifty senators voted to confirm Kavanaugh's nomination, 48 voted against, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voted present. A simple majority was required to confirm Kavanaugh.

Sanders voted against Kavanaugh's confirmation on October 6, 2018. He also voted against advancing Kavanaugh's nomination to a vote the day prior. After the latter vote, Sanders said in a statement, "First, I have no doubt that Kavanaugh will become a part of the hard-right majority on the Supreme Court which has cast decision after decision in favor of the wealthy and the powerful and against the needs of working families, women, the environment, campaign finance reform, children and the poor. ... Second, there are very credible allegations of sexual assault which I believe have not been fully investigated. ... Third, I think the evidence is clear that on a number of occasions Judge Kavanaugh has not told the truth to the Judiciary Committee regarding a wide variety of issues."

Ballotpedia did not find a statement from Zupan on Kavanaugh.

2016 Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties and Congressional districts intersecting with Pivot Counties

Vermont's single congressional district intersects with one or more Pivot Counties. These 206 Pivot Counties voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012.

The 206 Pivot Counties are located in 34 states. Iowa, with 31, had the most such counties. The partisan makeup of the 108 congressional districts intersecting with Pivot Counties is more Republican than the partisan breakdown of the U.S. House. Of the 108 congressional districts that have at least one Pivot County, 63 percent are held by a Republican incumbent, while 55.4 percent of U.S. House seats were won by a Republican in the 2016 elections.

Campaign finance

The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Bernie Sanders	Independent	$13,141,105	$8,200,325	$9,099,921	As of December 31, 2018
Lawrence Zupan	Republican Party	$168,278	$170,527	$-2,199	As of December 31, 2018
Reid Kane	Liberty Union Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Folasade Adeluola	Independent	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Russell Beste	Independent	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Bruce Busa	Independent	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Edward Gilbert Jr.	Independent	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Brad Peacock	Independent	$9,114	$9,038	$74	As of November 26, 2018
Jon Svitavsky	Independent	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2018. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). * According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." ** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election. *** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

Campaign themes

Bernie Sanders

Sanders' campaign website stated the following:

“	The American people must make a fundamental decision. Do we continue the 40-year decline of our middle class and the growing gap between the very rich and everyone else, or do we fight for a progressive economic agenda that creates jobs, raises wages, protects the environment and provides health care for all? Are we prepared to take on the enormous economic and political power of the billionaire class, or do we continue to slide into economic and political oligarchy? These are the most important questions of our time, and how we answer them will determine the future of our country. Income and Wealth Inequality It’s Time to Make College Tuition Free and Debt Free Getting Big Money Out of Politics and Restoring Democracy Creating Jobs Rebuilding America A Living Wage Combating Climate Change to Save the Planet A Fair and Humane Immigration Policy Racial Justice Fighting for Affordable Housing Fighting for Women’s Rights Working to Create an AIDS and HIV-Free Generation Fighting for LGBT Equality Empowering Tribal Nations Caring for our Veterans Medicare for All Strengthen and Expand Social Security Fighting to Lower Prescription Drug Prices Fighting for Disability Rights Ending the Humanitarian Crisis in Puerto Rico Standing With Guam Preventing a Global Race to the Bottom in the Airline Industry General Electric Must Pay to Restore the Hudson River Constitution Pipeline Must Be Defeated Supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities Ending the Race to the Bottom Fighting for the Rights of Native Hawaiians Improving the Rural Economy Fighting for Nurses Reforming Wall Street Real Family Values War and Peace War Should Be the Last Option: Why I Support the Iran Deal Making the Wealthy, Wall Street, and Large Corporations Pay their Fair Share How Bernie pays for his proposals	”
—Bernie Sanders’ campaign website (2018)

Lawrence Zupan

Note: Ballotpedia did not find campaign themes information on Lawrence Zupan's campaign website on October 18, 2018.

Reid Kane

Kane's campaign website stated the following:

“	This campaign stands for the principles of liberty and democratic self-government upon which this nation was founded. For working people, liberty means self-employment. Yet the wealth of society is overwhelmingly concentrated in the hands of a tiny class of investors—the capitalists—who thereby monopolize the means of employment. Working people are dependent upon and subordinate to this ruling class and the bureaucrats that do their bidding in the public and private sectors. Self-employment is impossible for the immense majority. Under capitalism, production has long ceased to be individual, becoming social and collective. Practically everything is made or done by thousands, or even millions of people — often separated by seas or continents — working together for the same end. But the working people have no control over what they make and how they make it, and no claim to the profits of their labor. From this springs all the miseries, disharmonies, and contradictions of our society. This nation was founded on the promise of economic independence to each individual. But under the guise of defending private property, capitalism is using our political institutions to make it impossible for the vast majority to ever become economically independent by owning the means to employ themselves. Life, liberty, and happiness have been reduced to empty phrases. Capitalism is the enemy and destroyer of essential private property, grounding society in an economic slavery that renders intellectual and political tyranny inevitable. It has divided the people into a ruling capitalist class and a subordinate working class. Yet these two classes are not fully conscious of their distinction from each other. The lines of division and interest are not yet clearly drawn. The Democratic and Republican parties alike struggle for power to perpetuate the dependency and degradation of working people and maintain the rule of the capitalist class. In their hands, the state is an instrument by which the capitalists maintain their power over working people. The socialist program is not a theory imposed upon society for its acceptance or rejection. It is but the interpretation of what is, sooner or later, necessary. Capitalism already constantly undermines itself. It is a world in continuous crisis. The capitalist class is no longer competent to organize or administer society. The capitalist state attempts to compensate for this incompetence through regulation of industry, redistributive welfare programs, and other policy measures, but these reforms never resolve the underlying problem. The majority remain unfree, unable to determine their own lives, unable to take responsibility for themselves and their society. Into the midst of this crisis of civilization, the socialist party comes as the only conservative force. If society is to be saved from the universal disorder that presently prevails, the working people of all nations must unite and take responsibility for it. The socialist party offers the only program for intelligently and deliberately organizing the labor process for the common good of all human beings. It proposes that humanity, for the first time, dedicate itself to the conscious and rational organization of social life, so that every individual can freely and fully realize their potential. Socialism means that all those things upon which the people in common depend shall by the people in common be owned and administered. It means that working people will control the means of their own employment; that all production will serve the interests of the producers; that we will all be workers together, and that the opportunity to live freely and pursue happiness will be equally open to all. It means that every individual will securely possess the private property in the means of life upon which the liberty of being, thought, and action depend. It comes to rescue the people from the successful assault of capitalism upon the liberty of the individual. Working people must organize themselves to take complete control of the powers of government, to thereby establish the co-operative commonwealth. The socialist party stands to oppose the power of the capitalist class in society as well as the electoral arena, and to offer working people the opportunity to represent themselves. To that end, this campaign raises the following demands: A 30-hour work week at no loss of pay. End of all exemptions from overtime pay. 6 weeks annual paid time off. Paid parental leave. The right of retirement with guaranteed income at 55. A minimum wage of $25 per hour, indexed to cost of living. Abolition of unpaid internships. Subsidies for small employers to offset increased labor costs. The right to employment for all seeking work. A system of public works and improvements for the employment of the unemployed. The right of all workers, including military personnel and prisoners, to unionize and to strike. Abolition of sales tax, payroll tax, property tax, sin taxes, and all other indirect and regressive taxes. To defray public expenditures, a steeply graduated tax on income from all sources, including capital gains, dividends, and inheritance. Public education to be fully and equitably funded through federal taxation. Community autonomy in the administration of school districts. Proportional representation and ranked choice voting for all legislative offices. All legislative representation to be based on population. Popular election of Supreme Court justices for a fixed term. Term limits for all elected offices. Election days to be national holidays. Free and open ballot access for all candidates and parties. Universal and affordable public provision of comprehensive health care; rental housing; transportation; child care; domestic services, including meal preparation, house cleaning, and laundry; elder care; support services for the disabled; legal services; trade education and higher education. Public appropropriation of all monopolistic corporations—especially those which dominate finance, energy, transportation, communications, media, pharmaceuticals, food, agriculture, mining, and defense—by eminent domain in exchange for government bonds. Socially owned enterprises to be organized and administered democratically, as public goods. Forgiveness of all outstanding consumer and student debt. Cheap public credit for cooperative enterprises and the self-employed. Unconditional amnesty for all undocumented immigrants. Full citizenship upon demonstrating residency for six months. Decriminalization of all drugs, and immediate amnesty for all non-violent drug offenders. Free voluntary treatment programs for addicts. Prison labor to be compensated at the minimum wage. Abolition of involuntary prison labor. Expansion of community release programs and other alternatives to prison. Abolition of private prisons. The full diplomatic and military influence of the United States to be used to advance the cause of working and oppressed people in all countries. All seeking refuge for political or economic reasons to be welcomed.	”
—Reid Kane’s campaign website (2018)

Folasade Adeluola

Note: Ballotpedia did not find campaign themes information or a campaign website for Folasade Adeluola on October 18, 2018.

Russell Beste

Beste's campaign website stated the following:

“	- BESTE BRINGING WELL PAYING JOBS TO VERMONT – STOP THE EXODUS OF OUR FAMILIES AND CHILDREN FROM OUR GREAT STATE, REDUCE OUR TAXES TO A REASONABLE RATE VIA FISCAL MANAGEMENT OF OUR GOVERNMENT - INDEPENDENT(Resolve Issues Not Take Sides) SELF-FUNDED (Take No Money, Owe No Favors) U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE - IS WORKING HARD TO STOP GLOBAL WARMING, CLEAN LAKE CHAMPLAIN, AND CONTROL WORLD POPULATION GROWTH (IS 7.6 PEOPLE BILLION ENOUGH?) - IS A UNITER NOT A DIVIDER, BELIEVES ALL FUNDED PROGRAMS MUST BE RUN EFFICIENTLY AND IN A FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE MANNER INORDER TO MANAGE SPENDS - PERFORMANCE METRICS: - SUPPORTS OUR YOUTH, WORKING FAMILIES, AND SENIORS: - TO STOP THE POLITICAL DIVISION, FOCUS ON ISSUES NOT TAKE SIDES, FIND POSITIVE SOLUTIONS AND COMPROMISE WHERE APPROPRIATE: -BRINGING NEW WELL-PAYING JOBS IN BIOTECHNOLOGIES, ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, AND PROACTIVELY SUPPORTING OUR UNIQUELY VERMONT ARTISAN AND CREATIVE FARM-TO-FRESH/MICROBREW COUNTER CULTURE - ADVOCATES SENATORIAL TERM LIMITS TO 12 YEARS: - TO LOWER STUDENT DEBT, EXPAND 2 YEAR ONLINE COLLEGIATE AND SKILL OPPORTUNITIES TO CUT COLLEGE EXPENSES AND SKILL TRAINING COSTS IN HALF: - SUPPORT 2nd AMENDMENT RIGHTS vs. MASS MURDER BY LIMITING ACCESS TO RAPID FIRE ASSAULT WEAPONS, MENTAL HEALTH ASSISTANCE, SAFE HAVENS, SITE INSPECTIONS, RAPID AND SEVER CRIMINAL PENALTIES: - TO LIMIT CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS, SUPER PACS, AND DARK MONEY: - SUPPORTS OUR ARMED FORCES TO ENSURE CONTINUED U.S.LEADERSHIP IN PROTECTING WORLD FREE MARKETS: - STANDS UP AND SPEAKS OUT FOR EQUALITY: - FOR CLEAN, SUSTAINABLE ENERGY: - SUPPORTS WORKING FAMILIES AND WORKING MOTHERS: - BELIEVES VERMONT SHOULD STRONGLY SUPPORT OUR ARTISTIC CULTURE, FARM TO TABLE, AND MOVE FORWARD ON TECHNOLOGIES: - TO PUSH WALL STREET TO BE PROACTIVELY MANAGED: - WORKING TO REDUCE NATIONAL DEBT: - WORKING TO BALANCE IMMIGRATION, HELPING OTHERS, WHILE PRESERVING AND BUILDING UPON OUR GREAT AMERICAN SOCIETY DETAILS MEET INDEPENDENT SELF-FUNDED U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE RUSSELL BESTE (pronounced Bestie!): Independent Vermonter, focused on resolving issues not taking sides Self-funded, $0.00 budget, owes no favors, free to fight for what is right, not what is easy or paid for Positive, hard-working, financially self-made, highly experienced leader w tremendous private and public experience creating and running consultancy; developing life-saving medicines at low cost; and home design, engineering, and construction Bringing clean, well-paying jobs to Vermont such as CAR-T Cell Therapy (biotech), Additive Manufacturing Maker Space, and supporting our amazing and uniquely Vermont artisan creative counter-culture. Fighting to get the U.S. to lead efforts to stop global warming, as well as protection of our beautiful Lake Champlain Pro-outdoors, pro-working families, pro-seniors, pro-youth, pro-term limits, pro-equal opportunity for all, pro-armed forces, pro clean-up of Lake Champlain(!!), pro-health care control, pro-equality and diversity, pro-free online collegiate education, pro- Father of 3 amazing kids, stay-home dad first 5 years (great respect for you VT Moms out there!), coached boys and girls soccer and little league baseball; lead cub scout and boy scout; elementary school VP PTO for many years Active outdoors man with many plans and a long track record of planning AND finishing what he starts, a doer not a talker BESTE TO CREATE CLEAN WELL PAYING JOBS – STOP THE EXODUS OF OUR FAMILIES AND CHILDREN FROM OUR GREAT STATE: If we provide great education for our children, but don't provide them with the opportunity to come back to a good job in Vermont, then we have failed Bringing clean well-paying biotechnology jobs from nearby Boston and Montreal to Vermont, + support organic growth startups Gene therapy companies using CAR-T technologies to help patients use their own T-cells to fight cancer Gene therapy companies using Gene edit technologies to change patient stem cells to fix instead of treat patients Leverage local water-based fermentation technologies expertise and adapt to the booming biotechnologies field – similar expertise in many ways (yeast vs. human cells) Bring creative “Maker” additive manufacturing jobs that taps into Vermont’s legendary creative free and artistic spirit Empower our extraordinary local high school and collegiate talent to groom and train and make our great state even greater Focus on clean small to mid-size companies Recognize Vermont is hopelessly mired in debt especially when taking into account the massive underfunded pension liabilities that continue to grow each year Protect our uniquely Vermont artistic charm, our farm fresh foods, and unmatched microbreweries BESTE IS WORKING HARD TO STOP GLOBAL WARMING, CLEAN LAKE CHAMPLAIN, AND CONTROL WORLD POPULATION GROWTH Our world needs the United States to lead efforts to stop global warming. We as Vermonter's must clean our beautiful and incredibly important Lake Champlain. This starts with waste control and reducing microbial counts Keep Vermont green and clean! Clean air shared by all, work to reduce pollution World population is approaching 7,600,000,000 people (5% is U.S.)! BESTE IS INDEPENDENT, SELF-FUNDED, A UNITER NOT A DIVIDER: Independence keeps the focus on resolving issues, not picking sides Self-Funded keeps special interest entities out of our election process, makes each persons vote equal. Beste opposes PACs, super-PACS, and 501(c) Dark Money who are STEALING YOUR VOTE Positive, flexible, rational voice to unite, stop the uncompromising old-guard rhetoric, start with recognition that we all are wanting a better world for ourselves and our children Create term limits to enable fresh ideas and a positive outlook, force politicians to focus on work not the next campaign BESTE SUPPORTS OUR YOUTH, WORKING FAMILIES, AND SENIORS: Stocks up 300% last 10 years, yet Vermont economy continues to decline, Vermonters are being passed by, proposed increased progressive taxation to create new jobs(infrastructure, environment) for those displaced by technology Need to bring clean new jobs to Vermont and re-birth our economy out of our dire financial situation Incentivize to support the education of our youth Incentivize to provide working families w/new clean well-paying jobs Incentivize all to assist seniors w part time jobs (for those inclined!), identify support resources Assist students with baseline online college and/or skills education to reduce collegiate and skill training costs by 50% BESTE TO STOP THE POLITICAL DIVISION, FOCUS ON ISSUES NOT TAKE SIDES, FIND POSITIVE SOLUTIONS AND COMPROMISE WHERE APPROPRIATE: We must start w our common goal of making a better life for ourselves and our children. No two people are exactly alike, we are all unique individuals w unique talents and skills Internet and communications is polarizing society w incessant blast examples of bad left/right behavior Mass media simplifies their message into left/right to enhance profit w targeted “base” TV audience, we must recognize news as a profit center BESTE TO CREATE SENATORIAL TERM LIMITS: Term limits would enable a constant flow of new ideas w renewed energy, leaders free of baggage or political debts Term limits would ensure that our leaders focus 100% on the job they were elected to do Term limits would prevent our elected leaders from spending time on our nickel campaigning for their next level of office BESTE TO LOWER STUDENT DEBT, EXPAND 2 YEAR VERY LOW COST ONLINE COLLEGIATE AND SKILL OPPORTUNITIES: College costs 50x more than 30 years ago, beer only 3x more! Enough said! Need low cost online accredited collegiate alternative Freshman and Sophomore years, or low cost online skill-based technology training. Thereby reducing collegiate costs and trade skill training by almost half! Online accredited collegiate alternative would push in-school costs down significantly by creating competition by colleges for our students BESTE TO BALANCE 2nd AMENDMENT MODIFICATION TO CAP SHOOT RATE: Critical to protect American 2nd amendment rights, equally important to place keep automatic assault weapons to our armed forces, so that that should the unthinkable happen, the good guys have time to stop the bad guys Need to implement improved controls to prevent mass assaults, including mental health training, rapid and severe penalties on those who commit terrible acts, audits of public use facilities with provision of planned "safe havens" should the unthinkable happen. Preserve and enable majority of controls at state level BESTE TO LIMIT CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS, SUPER PACS, AND DARK MONEY: The value of our individual vote is diluted by wealthy individuals, large corporations, unions, and super PAC contributions, because their money gives them unfair and unequal access to our elected officials Russell Beste is entirely self-funded, AND OWES NO FAVORS TO ANYONE. In this day and age of smart phones and free internet, twitter, linkedin, websites, facebook, and youtube, no politician needs special interest money to get their message out to WE the voters BESTE SUPPORTS OUR ARMED FORCES: Our country represents less than 10% of the world population, yet is the most powerful in the world World order needs us to preserve and protect free markets Need to constantly modernize and support our armed forces, and we must continually strengthen our government technology base – often serves as source for new American technologies Imperative that we immediately and strongly stop election manipulation of any kind, starting with new very strong legislation designed to stop bad behavior by our elected officials BESTE STANDS UP AND SPEAKS OUT FOR EQUALITY: Discrimination is never okay, we must always be proactive and vigilant to immediately stop it wherever it occurs Must always respect the individual’s right to express themselves and live a lifestyle as they see fit BESTE FOR CLEAN, SUSTAINABLE ENERGY: Embarrassing that our great country is not leading the world towards a more sustainable, energy efficient future This is perhaps where the world needs us most, and the United States, more than any other country, is in a position to encourage our world’s worst polluters to act green and clean BESTE SUPPORTS WORKING FAMILIES AND WORKING MOTHERS: Many of Vermont’s workers are struggling, they deserve better pay and more opportunity Recognize that raising children is both rewarding and exhausting at time, support schools to help with early age educational child care. BESTE BELIEVES VERMONT SHOULD STRONGLY SUPPORT OUR ARTISTIC CULTURE, FARM TO TABLE, AND MOVE FORWARD ON TECHNOLOGIES: Support our unique artistic and farm to table lifestyle and culture with dollars, farmer’s market opportunities, state advertising in order to keep our strong tourism Clean Biotechnology: Gene therapy (fixing people (not treating) born with lifelong genetic disorders!), CAR-T Cell Therapy(using one’s own cells to stop cancer!), CRSPR technologies. Similar to our beer fermentation industries, uses only water and save lives! Clean Additive manufacturing – build upon our remarkable can-do Vermont creativity by creating new things in a small workspace BESTE TO PUSH WALL STREET TO BE PROACTIVELY MANAGED: WALL Street buddy” network enables the few access to financial information most of us don’t have, unfair financial advantage over the common person Balance Wall Street regulations with critical recognition that U.S. Global Leadership requires strong powerful global U.S. companies in order to compete and lead BESTE WORKING TO REDUCE NATIONAL DEBT: Current U.S. National Debt works out to $64k per U.S. Citizen (including children). This cannot be acceptable, we must push to reduce the national debt. BESTE WORKING TO BALANCE IMMIGRATION, HELPING OTHERS, WHILE PRESERVING AND BUILDING UPON OUR GREATNESS: Our great country was founded by immigrants, and their can-do attitude and diversity of skills and culture helped create the drive and innovation that enabled our "small" country (only 5% of world population!) to become the greatest leader and protector of the free world on earth We must also recognize that we are only 5% of the world population, and some folks come to our country from "less successful" societies in the sense of war and inability to accept other cultures or other societal issues Consequently we must not be blind to these realities, and as Americans accept and balance this difficult to discuss issue by ensuring that we help where we can while ensuring we do not loose the greatness that we already have It is also imperative that we continue to align and support our wonderful United States with other countries throughout the world. We all live on the same planet earth, and our long term survival depends upon countries working to together.	”
—Russell Beste’s campaign website (2018)

Bruce Busa

Note: Ballotpedia did not find campaign themes information or a campaign website for Bruce Busa on October 18, 2018.

Edward Gilbert Jr.

Note: Ballotpedia did not find campaign themes information on Gilbert's campaign website on October 18, 2018.

Brad Peacock

Peacock's campaign website stated the following:

“	Term Limits & Lobbying Ban I strongly believe in term limits for all members of Congress: 12 years (2 terms) for Senators and 10 years (5 terms) for Representatives. We must ban all forms of lobbying from formerly elected federal office-holders. This will help prevent lawmakers from cashing in at the expense of their constituents and all American taxpayers. Campaign Finance Reform We must work to overturn the disastrous Citizens United decision. Corporations are not people, and they shouldn’t be able to buy congressmen and women. There is no place for dark money in politics, and we should not be electing people who take one cent from corporations or lobbying groups, and do not disclose where every dollar comes from. Super PACs are just a form of bribery and should have no place in our politics. We need real campaign finance reform, and that includes passing a constitutional amendment to allow Congress and the states to regulate money in political campaigns. We need to stop electing legislators who refuse to be transparent about where their money comes from. We deserve to know if our elected officials are bought and paid for. Public funding for campaigns is the only fair way to ensure all citizens have a chance to run for office. LGBTQ Rights We have had a lot of success in expanding our rights over this past decade, but our fight is far from over. We still do not have national protections for all LGBTQ people. Therefore, passing the Equality Act, which expands the Civil Rights Act to include protections for gender identity and sexual orientation, must be a priority. LGBTQ citizens should also be protected from any discrimination, including adoption, medical care, military service, or foster parenting. We also need to pass legislation that protects transgender people and their rights as citizens. We must reject any policy or legislation that uses so-called “religious liberty” to discriminate against others. We must continue to be committed to ending discrimination in all forms. Climate Change As a farmer, I have been on the front lines of climate change. I have witnessed the destruction the weather has brought to friends’ farms due to flooding or the erosion that happens in our fields. I have also seen the number of diseases and pests skyrocket over this past decade. We must continue the work we have done to create a 21st century green economy by embracing all forms of sustainable energy, and the numerous jobs they create. America should be leading the world in the innovation and manufacturing of green, sustainable technology. Climate change is real, and we must do everything within our power to combat the effects of it, both here in the United States and throughout the world. Acknowledging it exists, so we can help reverse its effects, is imperative to our survival as a species. There is no planet B. We are currently the only country in the world not part of the Paris climate agreement, further weakening our stature as a global leader. To continue this path of denial is not only dangerous to our national security, and infrastructure; it is an abdication of our responsibility and leadership in the world. Wages We need a sustainable economy that works for all the working people of this country. We have seen the worst period of wage stagnation in our country’s history. While corporations stash trillions overseas and bring in record profits, our country’s minimum wage hasn’t gone up since 2009, and still sits at $7.25 an hour. We need to raise the minimum wage past a starvation wage to $15 an hour for all Americans. Putting more money in the hands of the working class will help lift people out of poverty while stimulating the economy and creating more opportunities for our younger generations. Student Loan Debt and College Tuition Our student loan debt is out of control. Students should not have to pay such high interest rates for their student loans after graduation. We need a national law that caps the interest rates for student loans at 3%. If America is to compete globally, we need to invest in our future generations by expanding our financial aid and work study programs, so that many students could receive reduced or free tuition at our public colleges and universities. Healthcare Healthcare is a human right, and every American should have access to affordable treatment. This means passing legislation for a universal healthcare system. Think of the anxiety we could eliminate from millions of Americans, if we all knew we would receive dignified healthcare, without the weight of financial hardship. Women’s Rights We need to end pay discrimination against women and pass the Paycheck Fairness Act that ensures all women are paid equally for their work. We must also continue to fight for a women’s right to choose. The choice should always be between a woman and her doctor, and we must keep the government out of personal decisions. We must continue funding for Planned Parenthood, which provides essential healthcare services to millions of women each year. We must also ensure that all women who want birth control can obtain it through their insurance companies with no exemptions, since this is a woman’s right. Voting Rights We must ensure all Americans who are willing to participate in their democracy can. We have seen voter ID laws that are a directed at suppressing voters in poor and minority communities come into law all across the country, and this must stop. We should expand early voting to all states and make Election Day a federal holiday. We also must implement automatic voter registration so that all Americans will be registered to vote when they turn 18. Criminal Justice Reform Today, roughly 2.2 million Americans are in prison, and the majority are from minority communities. We have the largest prison population in the world. The vast expansion of our prison system is a direct result of our nation’s disastrous “War on Drugs,” which overwhelmingly targeted young black men in economically- depressed communities. Too many people are in prison today for minor drug offenses that are better dealt with through diversion and employment training programs. We need to decriminalize marijuana across the entire country and start implementing common sense solutions when it comes to drug offenders. It is time we eliminate mandatory minimum sentences for low-level drug offenders. No one should be profiting from housing inmates in for-profit prisons, and we must do everything we can to reduce our incarceration rate. We need to implement stronger rehabilitation and employment training programs within prisons, so that those who serve their time are better prepared for life on the outside. We also need to work with all states to ensure felons who have served their time are allowed to have their voting rights immediately restored after they are released from prison. Gun Rights I support the second amendment. I am gun owner, hunter, and a fierce advocate for sportsmen and women. I believe we need laws to ensure public safety that do not infringe on anyone’s right to own a legal firearm under state and federal law. Hunting, gun ownership, and conservation are a part of many Vermonters’ identities and have strong roots in our state, and should be respected. I am absolutely for Universal Background Checks. I do not believe this inhibits law-abiding citizens from obtaining firearms. I was not a fan of the way the new gun laws were passed in Vermont. I believe the public is entitled to a hearing on each part of any legislation when we are regulating and creating laws around such a charged topic, that so many people have a stake in. There was a hearing on Universal Background Checks, but language about magazine limits was added after that hearing. Vermonters deserve their voices to be heard and I think there should have been a hearing on magazine limits and raising the age to purchase a firearm to 21. As a hunter, I personally do not need a clip and do not use one. My grandfather’s 32 Winchester Special was passed down to me which has a lever action and only holds 6 rounds with one in the chamber. This is the maximum number of cartridges allowed for hunting in Vermont, so if anyone is hunting with a magazine with over 6 rounds, they are hunting illegally. You can find this law under Vermont statutes, Title 10: Conservation and Development, Chapter 13: Game, Subchapter 1: General Provisions, statute 4704. Automatic rifles are banned in this country, so no person can purchase a weapon that can fire round after round with the trigger depressed. I support the ban on automatic rifles 100%. I believe this is a misconception when we hear of mass shootings. With a semi-automatic weapon (which most hunting rifles are) each time you discharge a round you must pull the trigger. I am absolutely opposed to bump stocks or any other “add on” mechanism that would make a gun shoot any faster or with greater velocity. I believe it is in the public good for Congress to fund a comprehensive study through the CDC on gun violence now that the Dickie Amendment has been lifted. I believe we need to invest in mental health programs and school psychologists. It is imperative we have the resources available for our children so they have access to the people and programs needed to navigate complex issues that arise in their daily lives. Immigration We clearly have an illegal and legal immigration problem in our country. Unfortunately, our current Congress seems unable to work toward a solution that has been desperately needed for years. It is my view that due to the corporatization of both political parties they do not have the will to come together and fix this problem because both parties capitalize monetarily by campaigning off our immigration issues. Congress needs to come together and establish an updated immigration system that enforces our laws in humane ways, while streamlining applications for those legally entering the United States. I am for strong border enforcement, through our border patrol and the technology we have available. I am not for spending billions of dollars on a wall that I feel will do little in the way of deterring folks from attempting to cross illegally, not to mention the fact that, geographically, it is not structurally possible in some areas. Our money is better spent on investing in our crumbling infrastructure and educating our future generations. It is time to find a pathway to citizenship for children brought to this country illegally (DREAMers), so that they may become full members of our communities without living in fear that they will be deported. It is time for Congress to pass the DREAM Act. For others not covered under the DREAM Act who may have illegally come into the United States, but have been living here, working, and paying taxes, it is also time to end their fear of being deported and come up with a pathway to citizenship, so they too can come out of the shadows and be full members of our communities. President Reagan granted amnesty and citizenship to millions of undocumented immigrants under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, and it can be done again. We must come together to find reasonable solutions that will help to heal our divide. I believe separating children from families is morally wrong and goes against our deepest-held American values. I believe we cannot have open borders, but we can have an immigration system that works more efficiently. One solution for our current situation is to hire more immigration judges allowing for greater efficiency in the system, instead of the backlog of cases we are seeing today. I believe we should not be demonizing those who seek a better life, but giving everyone the same opportunity to legally enter this country and be productive citizens. Much of the legal immigration to our country is an employment-based system that looks at our economic needs and sponsorship by employers. We must ensure we take care of our citizens who live here and that Americans have a pathway to upward mobility, before setting our legal employment-based immigration numbers. Humanitarian and refugee immigration is something we should always participate in, as a leader and beacon of hope in the world. The bottom line is this: Congress must do more to assure all Americans that our government takes border and employment security seriously. Racial Justice This is a topic that I am committed to learning more about every chance I get. I believe racial justice is imperative in creating an equal society for all. I have collaborated with several community members in helping me to create this platform of ideas and possible solutions, which are needed and can be implemented now. I encourage anyone who has more to add, to please contact me, so that I may be a better informed candidate. I believe racial justice begins with education. Therefore, developing and implementing multicultural and diverse curricula in Vermont schools is a priority. We should set goals for every school district to have a racially, and ethnically diverse workforce, from teachers, and school board members, to administration and support staff. We should have high level training for all public education employees that includes classroom management based upon difficult discussions, awareness, and identifying and avoiding bias, and encourage innovative curricula around diversity and equality. We should be looking to outside organizations to help assist in these trainings, and holding workshops and forums for parents and citizens, establishing support for more community involvement. When it comes to criminal justice and policing we still have a long way to go in understanding how bias is functioning and perpetuated in our justice system. We must begin to fully understand the problem before implementing the solutions needed. We need to look at police stops, arrests, courtroom representation, sentencing and how hate crimes, among other important issues, are handled. We need rigorous accountability and bias training programs for our police forces in Vermont that are updated and implemented on a frequent basis. This is lifelong training that should be mandated for all officers so they are explicitly aware they will be held accountable for any and all infractions. We also need to implement a strong civilian oversight board that oversees our criminal justice and policing systems in our state. We need to be aware that diversity in our government is extremely important and that we need the voices of people of color in every aspect of our political system. People of color need to be represented when decisions are being made at every level of our federal, state, and local governments. We also need to have all members of our local and state governments undergo racial justice training, so that they have a better understanding of issues facing people of color while voting, making decisions, and legislating. We also need active community dialogue with people of color to better understand their realities of living in Vermont. It is imperative that we all come together to listen and learn in order to be better-informed advocates for racial justice, allowing us to move forward together.	”
—Brad Peacock’s campaign website (2018)

Jon Svitavsky

Note: Ballotpedia did not find campaign themes information or a campaign website for Jon Svitavsky on October 18, 2018.

Other 2018 statewide elections

See also: States with both gubernatorial and U.S. Senate elections in 2018

This race took place in one of twenty-two states that held elections for both governor and U.S. Senate in 2018.

A table of where these elections occurred, the names of incumbents prior to the 2018 elections, and links to our coverage of these races can be viewed by clicking "[show]" on the banner below:

States holding both Gubernatorial and Senate elections in 2018
State	Incumbent Governor	Open Seat?	Incumbent Senator	Open Seat?
Arizona	Doug Ducey	No	Jeff Flake	Yes
California	Jerry Brown	Yes	Dianne Feinstein	No
Connecticut	Dan Malloy	Yes	Chris Murphy	No
Florida	Rick Scott	Yes	Bill Nelson	No
Hawaii	David Ige	No	Mazie Hirono	No
Maine	Paul LePage	Yes	Angus King	No
Maryland	Larry Hogan	No	Ben Cardin	No
Massachusetts	Charlie Baker	No	Elizabeth Warren	No
Michigan	Rick Snyder	Yes	Debbie Stabenow	No
Minnesota	Mark Dayton	Yes	Amy Klobuchar	No
Nebraska	Pete Ricketts	No	Deb Fischer	No
Nevada	Brian Sandoval	Yes	Dean Heller	No
New Mexico	Susana Martinez	Yes	Martin Heinrich	No
New York	Andrew Cuomo	No	Kirsten Gillibrand	No
Ohio	John Kasich	Yes	Sherrod Brown	No
Pennsylvania	Tom Wolf	No	Bob Casey, Jr.	No
Rhode Island	Gina Raimondo	No	Sheldon Whitehouse	No
Tennessee	Bill Haslam	Yes	Bob Corker	Yes
Texas	Greg Abbott	No	Ted Cruz	No
Vermont	Phil Scott	No	Bernie Sanders	No
Wisconsin	Scott Walker	No	Tammy Baldwin	No
Wyoming	Matt Mead	Yes	John Barrasso	No

Wave election analysis

See also: Wave elections (1918-2016)

The term wave election is frequently used to describe an election cycle in which one party makes significant electoral gains. How many seats would Republicans have had to lose for the 2018 midterm election to be considered a wave election?

Ballotpedia examined the results of the 50 election cycles that occurred between 1918 and 2016—spanning from President Woodrow Wilson's (D) second midterm in 1918 to Donald Trump's (R) first presidential election in 2016. We define wave elections as the 20 percent of elections in that period resulting in the greatest seat swings against the president's party.

Applying this definition to U.S. Senate elections, we found that Republicans needed to lose seven seats for 2018 to qualify as a wave election.

The chart below shows the number of seats the president's party lost in the 10 U.S. Senate waves from 1918 to 2016. Click here to read the full report.

U.S. Senate wave elections
Year	President	Party	Election type	Senate seats change	Senate majority
1932	Hoover	R	Presidential	-13	D (flipped)
1958	Eisenhower	R	Second midterm	-12	D
1946	Truman	D	First midterm	-10	R (flipped)
1980	Carter	D	Presidential	-9	R (flipped)
2014	Obama	D	Second midterm	-9	R (flipped)
1942	Roosevelt	D	Third midterm	-8	D
2008	George W. Bush	D	Presidential	-8	D
1926	Coolidge	R	First midterm	-7	R
1930	Hoover	R	First midterm	-7	R
1986	Reagan	R	Second midterm	-7	D (flipped)

Election history

2016

See also: United States Senate election in Vermont, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated Vermont's U.S. Senate race as safely Democratic. Incumbent Patrick Leahy (D) defeated Scott Milne (R), Cris Ericson (United States Marijuana), Pete Diamondstone (Liberty Union), and Jerry Trudell (Independent) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Leahy defeated Cris Ericson in the Democratic primary on August 9, 2016.

U.S. Senate, Vermont General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Patrick Leahy Incumbent	61.3%	192,243
	Republican	Scott Milne	33%	103,637
	United States Marijuana	Cris Ericson	2.9%	9,156
	Independent	Jerry Trudel	1.7%	5,223
	Liberty Union	Pete Diamondstone	1%	3,241
	N/A	Write-in	0.1%	309
Total Votes				313,809
Source: Vermont Secretary of State

U.S. Senate, Vermont Democratic Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Patrick Leahy Incumbent	89.1%	62,249
Cris Ericson	10.9%	7,596
Total Votes		69,845
Source: Vermont Secretary of State

2012

See also: United States Senate elections in Vermont, 2012

Bernie Sanders won re-election to the United States Senate in 2012.

U.S. Senate, Vermont, General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Independent	Bernie Sanders Incumbent	71.1%	207,848
	Republican	John MacGovern	24.9%	72,898
	Third	Cris Ericson	2%	5,924
	Third	Laurel LaFramboise	0.3%	877
	Third	Peter Moss	0.8%	2,452
	Third	Pete Diamondstone	0.9%	2,511
Total Votes				292,510
Source: Vermont Board of Elections "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

State overview

Partisan control

This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Vermont heading into the 2018 elections.

Congressional delegation

• Following the 2016 elections, one Democrat and one Independent held the two U.S. Senate seats in Vermont.
• A Democrat held the only U.S. House seat in Vermont.

State executives

• As of September 2018, Democrats held four of 10 state executive positions, Republicans held one, and the remaining five positions were officially nonpartisan.
• The governor of Vermont was Republican Phil Scott. The state held elections for governor on November 6, 2018.

State legislature

• Democrats controlled both chambers of the Vermont General Assembly. They had a 80-53 majority in the state House and a 21-7 majority in the state Senate.

Trifecta status

• Vermont was under divided government, meaning that the two parties shared control of the state government. Phil Scott (R) served as governor, while Democrats controlled the state legislature.

2018 elections

See also: Vermont elections, 2018

Vermont held elections for the following positions in 2018:

• 1 U.S. Senate seat
• 1 U.S. House seat
• Governor
• 5 lower state executive positions
• All 30 state Senate seats
• All 150 state House seats
• Local judges

Demographics

Demographic data for Vermont
	Vermont	U.S.
Total population:	626,088	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	9,217	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	94.9%	73.6%
Black/African American:	1.1%	12.6%
Asian:	1.4%	5.1%
Native American:	0.3%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0%	0.2%
Two or more:	1.9%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	1.7%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	91.8%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	36%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$55,176	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	13.2%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Vermont. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

As of July 2016, Vermont's largest cities by population were Burlington (pop. est. 42,239), Essex (pop. est. 21,519), and South Burlington (pop. est. 19,141).

State election history

This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Vermont from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Vermont Secretary of State.

Historical elections

Presidential elections

This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Vermont every year from 2000 to 2016.

Election results (President of the United States), Vermont 2000-2016
Year	First-place candidate	First-place candidate votes (%)	Second-place candidate	Second-place candidate votes (%)	Margin of victory (%)
2016	Hillary Clinton	56.7%	Donald Trump	30.3%	26.4%
2012	Barack Obama	66.8%	Mitt Romney	31.1%	35.7%
2008	Barack Obama	67.5%	John McCain	30.4%	37.1%
2004	John Kerry	58.9%	George W. Bush	38.8%	20.1%
2000	Al Gore	50.6%	George W. Bush	40.7%	9.9%

U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Vermont from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

Election results (U.S. Senator), Vermont 2000-2016
Year	First-place candidate	First-place candidate votes (%)	Second-place candidate	Second-place candidate votes (%)	Margin of victory (%)
2016	Patrick Leahy	61.3%	Scott Milne	33.0%	28.3%
2012	Bernie Sanders	71.0%	John Macgovern	24.9%	46.1%
2010	Patrick Leahy	64.3%	Len Britton	30.9%	33.4%
2006	Bernie Sanders	65.4%	Rich Tarrant	32.4%	33.0%
2004	Patrick Leahy	70.6%	Jack McMullen	24.5%	46.1%
2000	James M. Jeffords	65.6%	Ed Flanagan	25.4%	40.2%

Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every two years in Vermont.

Election results (Governor), Vermont 2000-2016
Year	First-place candidate	First-place candidate votes (%)	Second-place candidate	Second-place candidate votes (%)	Margin of victory (%)
2016	Phil Scott	52.9%	Sue Minter	44.2%	8.7%
2014	Peter Shumlin	46.5%	Scott Milne	45.2%	1.3%
2012	Peter Shumlin	58.0%	Randy Brock	37.7%	20.3%
2010	Peter Shumlin	49.5%	Brian Dubie	47.7%	1.8%
2008	Jim Douglas	53.4%	Anthony Pollina	21.9%	31.5%
2006	Jim Douglas	56.4%	Scudder Parker	41.2%	15.2%
2004	Jim Douglas	58.7%	Peter Clavelle	37.9%	20.8%
2002	Jim Douglas	44.9%	Doug Racine	42.4%	2.5%
2000	Howard Dean	50.5%	Ruth Dwyer	37.9%	12.6%

Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

See the list below for the members elected to represent Vermont in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Vermont has one at-large representative in the House. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

• Peter Welch (2007-Present)
• Bernie Sanders (1991-2007)

Trifectas, 1992-2017

“A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.”

Vermont Party Control: 1992-2024
Ten years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Governor	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
Senate	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
House	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

See also

• United States House of Representatives election in Vermont, 2018
• United States Senate elections, 2018
• Bernie Sanders
• United States Senate election in Vermont (August 14, 2018 Democratic primary)
• United States Senate election in Vermont (August 14, 2018 Republican primary)

Footnotes

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Vermont's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Bernie Sanders (I)

Peter Welch (D)

Representatives

Becca Balint (D)

Democratic Party (2)

Independent (1)