1992 United States House of Representatives election in Vermont
The 1992 United States House of Representatives election in Vermont was held on Tuesday, November 3, 1992, 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 and an election to the U.S. Senate.
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  Sanders: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Philbin: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Republican primary
editCandidates
edit- Tim Philbin, insurance agent[1]
- Ralph Sinclair, snack company owner[2] (Withdrew, endorsed Philbin)[3]
- Jeff Wennberg, mayor of Rutland[4]
Campaign
editA total of three candidates made the ballot in the Republican primary, insurance agent Tim Philbin, Rutland mayor Jeff Wennberg, and Ralph Sinclair.[3] Wennberg was considered a moderate Republican, backing abortion rights and tax increases on the rich, while Philbin and Sinclair were conservative Republicans who were opposed to abortion and any tax increases.[3] Originally, Wennberg was considered the frontrunner in the primary, but in early September 1992 Sinclair, who had fallen into a distinct third place in the race, withdrew his candidacy and backed Philbin, which was viewed as potentially giving the latter the edge.[3]
Endorsements
editFederal officials
Organizations
Newspapers and publications
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tim Philbin | 18,489 | 50.21 | |
| Republican | Jeff Wennberg | 14,881 | 40.41 | |
| Republican | Ralph H. Sinclair (Withdrawn) | 3,250 | 8.83 | |
| Republican | Write-ins | 203 | 0.55 | |
| Total votes | 36,823 | 100.00 | ||
Democratic primary
editCandidates
editDeclared
edit- Lewis E. Young, chef and candidate for Vermont Secretary of State in 1988[9]
Declined
edit- David Wolk, state senator[10]
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lewis E. Young | 16,305 | 90.08 | |
| Democratic | Write-ins | 1,796 | 9.92 | |
| Total votes | 18,101 | 100.00 | ||
Liberty Union primary
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty Union | Peter Diamondstone | 308 | 95.36 | |
| Liberty Union | Write-ins | 15 | 4.64 | |
| Total votes | 323 | 100.00 | ||
General election
editCandidates
edit- John Dewey (Natural Law), former director of Flight Training at the Florida Institute of Technology[11]
- Peter Diamondstone (Liberty Union), perennial candidate and socialist activist[12]
- Douglas M. Miller (Freedom for LaRouche)[12]
- Tim Philbin (Republican), insurance agent[1]
- Bernie Sanders (Independent), incumbent U.S. Representative[12]
- Lewis E. Young (Democratic), chef and candidate for Vermont Secretary of State in 1988[9]
Campaign
editAs the campaign began Sanders and Philbin immediately began to attack each other in the press, with their sniping deemed by the Brattleboro Reformer as a "fax war".[13] Sanders attacked Philbin for opposing abortions, even in cases of rape and incest, and championed his own record supporting abortion rights.[13] Philbin responded by accusing Sanders of misrepresenting his position, and accused the incumbent of supporting "fat budgets and high taxes".[13]
Debates
edit| 1992 Vermont at-large congressional district general election debates | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Date & Time | Host | Moderator | Link | Participants | ||||||||||
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Non-invitee |
|||||||||||||||
| Peter Diamondstone | Timothy Philbin | Bernie Sanders | Lewis E. Young | ||||||||||||
| 1[14] | September 26, 1992
|
P | P | P | P | ||||||||||
Endorsements
editState officials
- Donald M. Hooper, state representative and Democratic nominee for Vermont Secretary of State[17]
Labor unions
Newspapers and publications
State officials
Polling
edit| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Tim Philbin |
Bernie Sanders |
Lewis E. Young |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Political/Media Research[22] | September 15, 1992 | 610 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 22% | 43% | 9% | ||
| The Burlington Free Press[23] | ± 5.0% | 23% | 49% | 5% | 1%[a] | 22% |
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Bernie Sanders (incumbent) | 162,724 | 57.78 | |
| Republican | Tim Philbin | 86,901 | 30.86 | |
| Democratic | Lewis E. Young | 22,279 | 7.91 | |
| Liberty Union | Peter Diamondstone | 3,660 | 1.30 | |
| Natural Law | John Dewey | 3,549 | 1.26 | |
| Freedom for LaRouche | Douglas M. Miller | 2,049 | 0.73 | |
| Write-ins | N/A | 464 | 0.16 | |
| Total votes | 281,626 | 100.00 | ||
| Independent hold | ||||
Notes
edit- ^ Peter Diamondstone with 1%
References
edit- ^ a b "Bernie Sanders Debates Gun Control in 1990 Sportsmen's Forum". YouTube. SevenDaysVT. June 26, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- ^ Stanley, Peter (July 9, 1992). "Sinclair confident he can beat Sanders". Bennington Banner. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Liley, Betsy (September 3, 1992). "Sinclair out of primary, backs Philbin". The Burlington Free Press. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
- ^ "ADI: Burlington-Plattsburgh in Vermont" (PDF). Dole Archives. University of Kansas. 1992. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 27, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
- ^ "Jeffords Endorses Wennberg bid for Congress". Rutland Daily Herald. Southern Vermont Bureau. July 13, 1992. Retrieved August 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "NRA backs Wennberg in U.S. House race". Bennington Banner. Associated Press. September 5, 1992. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
- ^ Mitchell, Robert W.; Wild, Kendall; Van Hoesen, John W. (September 1, 1992). "Making a Choice". Rutland Daily Herald. Retrieved August 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "1992 Primary Election Results" (PDF). Vermont Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 26, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
- ^ a b Donlan, Ann E. (September 8, 1992). "Democrat makes low-key run for congress". The Burlington Free Press. p. 4. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
- ^ Allen, Susan (January 7, 1992). "Rutland mayor enters race for Sanders' seat". Bennington Banner. Associated Press. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
- ^ "John H. Dewey runs for congress". Rutland Herald. October 3, 1992. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ a b c d "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.
- ^ a b c The Editorial Board (September 14, 1992). "Just the fax, ma'am". Brattleboro Reformer. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
- ^ Hill, Toya (September 27, 1992). "House candidates show stark differences in philosophies". The Burlington Free Press. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
- ^ Hemingway, Sam (October 16, 1992). "Jeffords chips in to help GOP". The Burlington Free Press. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
- ^ "More papers endorse Vermont candidates". The Brattleboro Reformer. Associated Press. October 23, 1992. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ "Mudslinging". Bennington Banner. November 3, 1992. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
- ^ "Sanders cites consistency in re-election campaign". The Burlington Free Press. August 17, 1992. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
- ^ Bell, Mary (November 7, 1992). "Local leaders wait to see what Clinton will do". Bennington Banner. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ Mitchell, Robert W.; Wild, Kendall; Van Hoesen, John W. (November 2, 1992). "For Leahy and Sanders". Rutland Daily Herald. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
- ^ "Dean endorses Lewis house bid". Rutland Daily Herald. Vermont Press Bureau. October 23, 1992. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
- ^ Political/Media Research
- ^ The Burlington Free Press