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 County results Municipality resultsLeahy: 40-50% 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% Ledbetter: 40-50% 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-90% | |||||||||||||||||
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The1980 United States Senate election in Vermont took place on November 4, 1980. IncumbentDemocratic U.S. SenatorPatrick Leahy narrowly won reelection to a second term, defeating Republican Stewart Ledbetter, the former Vermont Commissioner of Banking and Insurance.
The state of Vermont was a Republican stronghold, albeit one with independent leanings. For many years, the state had a predisposition for electing moderate Republicans to represent the state in the U.S. Senate.[1] Even on the presidential level, due to a strong third party candidacy fromJohn Anderson, who performed well in the state's presidential primary, the state became close though ultimately favoringRonald Reagan.[2]
Under this background, freshman Democrat Patrick Leahy, the first Democrat ever elected to represent Vermont in the United States Senate, entered his re-election campaign as one of the most vulnerable incumbents up that cycle.[3] Leahy himself knew this would be a tough race, and even though early polls showed him up, he noticed a much more sour tone among voters while campaigning.[4]
Leahy declared his bid for re-election on May 9, 1980, and was unopposed in the state's primary.[5]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Patrick Leahy (incumbent) | 27,548 | 97.54% | |
| Democratic | Other | 696 | 2.46% | |
| Total votes | 28,244 | 100.0% | ||
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 betweenT. Garry Buckley, a former Lieutenant Governor, and James Mullin, the former Vermont GOP Chair. Buckley vigorously attacked Mullin for being aMormon, claiming that if elected, Mullin would be the "third Senator fromUtah."[12] Mullin in turned accused Buckley of bigotry, stating, "I thought this nonsense went out whenJack Kennedy was elected President."[12] The amount of spending in this primary was a record for the time.[13]
Ledbetter, who had resigned his position to run for Senate, ran a different campaign, notably walking 450 miles across the state to gain attention for his candidacy, and to draw a contrast with Mullin's high spending campaign.[14][9] He also emphasized his moderate credentials, claiming they would make him the best candidate to win the election.[9]
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Ledbetter would end up the victor, due in part to his appeal to the Vermont Republican establishment. On election night, he was joined by Mullin, Evslin, and Schuettinger as a sign of unity against Leahy.[21]
| 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% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty Union | Earl S. Gardner | 135 | 80.36% | |
| Liberty Union | Other | 33 | 19.64% | |
| Total votes | 168 | 100.0% | ||
As the environment of 1980 became increasingly Republican leaning, Leahy faced a tough battle. Ledbetter focused on his calls for a balanced budget, and criticized Leahy for votes against spending for theB1 Bomber. In turn, Leahy criticized Ledbetter for dirty campaign tactics, which he contended went against how Vermont politics went.[22]
There was also a large amount of attention from special interest groups targeting Leahy and other vulnerable Democrats.[23] Owing to the successful efforts by these groups to oustIowa SenatorDick Clark in1978, these groups took an increasing role this cycle, adding pressure to assailable Democrats.[24]
Per public polling, Leahy held a comfortable lead, and was the favorite to beat Ledbetter.[25] However, he later acknowledged in his memoirs that he had seen a different mood among voters, and his internal polls, conducted late in the campaign, showed him trailing.[4]
Even though Republicans performed strongly in Vermont, winning thePresidential,Gubernatorial, andHouse elections, Leahy pulled ahead by a narrow margin. However, due to how close the outcome was, neither candidate claimed victory or defeat that night.[26] In the following weeks, recounts were conducted by the state's courts to see if Leahy's victory would hold up.[27] Ultimately, the recounts showed Leahy's victory would stand, and it would be certified. Despite protestation, Ledbetter would concede the race on December 22.[28] This would be Patrick Leahy's closest race during his 48-year tenure in the U.S. Senate.
| 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% | ||
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