United States Senate election in Vermont, 2018

United States Senate election in Vermont, 2018

November 6, 2018

Nominee Bernie Sanders Party Independent Democratic Republican

U.S. Senator before election Bernie Sanders Independent Elected U.S. Senator TBD

The 2018 United States Senate election in Vermont will be held on November 6, 2018, alongside a gubernatorial election, U.S. House election, and other state and local elections. Incumbent Independent Senator Bernie Sanders announced on July 30, 2016 that he would be running for reelection to a third term.

Background

Two-term independent Senator Bernie Sanders was re-elected with 71% of the vote in 2012. Sanders, a former candidate for president in the 2016 election and one of two independent members of Congress, is a self-described democratic socialist.^[1][2] Sanders has caucused with the Democratic Party since taking office in 2007, and he is the Ranking Member of the Budget Committee. He will be 77 years old in 2018. Sanders ran for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination. In November 2015, Sanders said that he would run as a Democrat in future elections.^[3] On July 28, 2016, Sanders announced he would return to the Senate as an independent and two days later in an interview on Real Time with Bill Maher that he would run for re-election.

Activist and journalist Al Giordano has stated he intends to challenge Sanders for the Democratic nomination to protest Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign, which Giordano claims has divided the Democratic Party.^[4][5][6]

Candidates

Independent

• Bernie Sanders, incumbent U.S. Senator

Democratic Party

Potential

• Al Giordano, activist and journalist
• Sue Minter, 2016 Democratic nominee for Governor of Vermont
• Peter Welch, Representative from Vermont's at-large congressional district

See also

• United States Senate elections, 2018
• Vermont gubernatorial election, 2018

References

1. Lisa Lerer (July 16, 2009). "Where's the outrage over AIG bonuses?". The Politico. Retrieved April 19, 2010.
2. Michael Powell (November 6, 2006). "Exceedingly Social But Doesn't Like Parties". Retrieved November 26, 2012.
3. Blomquist, Dan and Way, Robert. "Bernie Sanders files for Democratic ballot in N.H. primary", Boston Globe (November 5, 2015): "When a reporter asked Sanders his party allegiance after he filed, Sanders responded, 'I’m a Democrat.' He then called on Buckley, the Democratic chairman, who confirmed the senator’s party allegiance. Sanders added that he would run as a Democrat in any future elections."
4. Joy-Ann Reid (June 6, 2016). "Meet Al Giordano, the Man Who Wants to Take Bernie Down". The Daily Beast. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
5. Noah Berlatsky (June 9, 2016). "Could this political gadfly steal Bernie Sanders' Senate seat?". TheWeek. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
6. Clauss, Kyle Scott (June 8, 2016). "Former Boston Phoenix Reporter Wants to Take Bernie Sanders' Senate Seat". Boston Magazine. Retrieved June 16, 2016.