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