1986 Vermont gubernatorial election

1986 Vermont gubernatorial election
	Kunin: 30-40% 40-50% 50-60% 60-70%; Smith: 30-40% 40-50% 50-60% 60-70%
Governor before election; Madeleine Kunin; Democratic	Elected Governor ; Madeleine Kunin; Democratic

The 1986 Vermont gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 1986. Incumbent Democrat Madeleine Kunin ran successfully for re-election to a second term as Governor of Vermont, defeating Republican candidate Peter Plympton Smith and independent candidate Bernie Sanders. Since no candidate won a majority of the popular vote, Kunin was elected by the Vermont General Assembly per the state constitution.^[1]

This was the first time since 1912 that none of the candidates received a majority of the vote.^[2] Along with Democrats' takeover of the state House for the first time in history, Democrats won a trifecta in the state for the first time ever.

Democratic primary[edit]

Results[edit]

Democratic primary results^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Madeleine M. Kunin (inc.)	19,401	95.1
	Democratic	Write-ins	993	4.9
Total votes			20,394	100

Republican primary[edit]

Results[edit]

Republican primary results^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Peter Plympton Smith	24,837	96.8
	Republican	Write-ins	813	3.2
Total votes			25,650	100

Liberty Union primary[edit]

Results[edit]

Liberty Union primary results^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberty Union	Richard F. Gottlieb	135	86.0
	Liberty Union	Bernie Sanders (write-in)	16	10.2
	Liberty Union	Write-ins (other)	6	3.8
Total votes			157	100

General election[edit]

Pamphlet for Bernie Sanders' campaign

Front and back cover
Inside

Candidates[edit]

Madeleine M. Kunin (D), incumbent Governor of Vermont
Peter Plympton Smith (R), Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
Bernie Sanders (I), Mayor of Burlington, Vermont^[4]
Richard F. Gottlieb (LU)

Results[edit]

1986 Vermont gubernatorial election^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Madeleine M. Kunin (inc.)	92,485	47.0	-3.0
	Republican	Peter Plympton Smith	75,239	38.2	-10.3
	Independent	Bernie Sanders	28,418	14.4	+14.4
	Liberty Union	Richard F. Gottlieb	491	0.2	-0.1
	Write-in	Write-ins	83	0.1	n/a
Total votes			196,716	100

After no candidate received a majority of the vote, the Vermont Legislature, consisting of 150 representatives and 30 senators, voted to decide the winner, per the state constitution.

Vermont legislature vote results^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Madeleine M. Kunin (inc.)	139	77.22
	Republican	Peter Plympton Smith	39	21.66
	Independent	Bernie Sanders	2	1.11
Total votes			180	100

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c "General Election Results - Governor - 1789-2012" (PDF). Office of the Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
^ Doyle 1992, p. 222.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Primary Election Results" (PDF). Office of the Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
^ "Friends honor Sanders as he says goodbye". The Burlington Free Press. April 4, 1989. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 6, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.

Works cited[edit]

Doyle, William (1992). The Vermont Political Tradition: And Those Who Helped Make It. W. Doyle. ISBN 0961548614.

This Vermont elections-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[results-1] "General Election Results - Governor - 1789-2012" (PDF). Office of the Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved December 31, 2014.

[FOOTNOTEDoyle1992222-2] Doyle 1992, p. 222.

[primary-3] "Primary Election Results" (PDF). Office of the Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved December 30, 2014.

[4] "Friends honor Sanders as he says goodbye". The Burlington Free Press. April 4, 1989. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 6, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.

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