1990 United States House of Representatives election in Vermont

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Peter Plympton Smith, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

• Timothy Philbin, insurance agent

Endorsements

Organizations

• NRA Political Victory Fund

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Dolores Sandoval, professor at the University of Vermont

Eliminated in primary

• Peter Diamondstone, socialist activist and perennial candidate
• Bernie Sanders, former Mayor of Burlington, Vermont (write-in)

Declined

• Peter Welch, state senator

Results

Libertarian primary

General election

Smith, a liberal Republican, was considered to have acquitted himself well in his first congressional term, and The Washington Post noted that under most circumstances he would have been considered safely assured of re-election. However, the presence of Sanders, who was well known in Vermont and who was considered more famous than Smith, meant that he faced a tough re-election battle. Sanders, a democratic socialist, had narrowly lost to Smith in 1988, which was widely attributed to the presence of a strong Democratic candidate in the form of Vermont House Majority Leader Paul N. Poirier. No such event occurred during the 1990 cycle, as the Democratic nominee, Professor Dolores Sandoval, held positions to the left of Sanders on several issues, with her advocating for the legalization of heroin. Smith received the support of some Democrats including Poirier, former Speaker of the State House Timothy J. O'Connor, and former Governor Thomas P. Salmon. Other Democrats, including former governor Philip H. Hoff and Peter Welch, who was the runner-up to Poirier in the Democratic primary in 1988 and was the party's nominee for governor in the concurrent gubernatorial election, backed Sanders.

Smith had an advantage in the polls until March 1990, when he backed a series of bills designed to alleviate the savings and loan crisis, including a bailout bill and a bill that cut funding for social programs. Sanders used Smith's support for these plans to tie him to President George H. W. Bush, who was unpopular in Vermont, and to portray him as overly supportive of the rich. Smith also faced backlash from voters for his support for extensive restrictions on guns, which earned him the enmity of several gun rights organizations. These organizations turned to Sanders as the only viable alternative even though his positions on guns were not radically different from Smith's. Feeling that he was losing ground in the race, Smith ran an ad campaign attempting to tie Sanders to left-wing authoritarian regimes such as Cuba, and attacking him for his self-declared democratic socialist views. This decision backfired, as Smith's tactics were denounced as "red-baiting" and "McCarthyism" in the press, and many Smith backers voiced their displeasure with the campaign.

Ultimately, Sanders defeated Smith in a landslide, claiming 56% of the vote to Smith's 39.5%. Sandoval was a nonfactor, receiving just over 3% of the vote.

Endorsements

State officials

• Sally Conrad, state senator (Democratic)
• Timothy R. Corcoran, state representative (Democratic)
• Philip H. Hoff, former Governor of Vermont (Democratic)
• John F. Murphy Sr., state representative (Democratic)
• Michael J. Obuchowski, state representative (Democratic)
• Peter Welch, former state senator; Democratic nominee for Governor of Vermont in 1990 (Democratic) Individuals
• Jeffrey P. Weaver, political strategist Labor unions
• AFL-CIO
• National Education Association
• United Auto Workers Vermont
• United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America Organizations
• Environmental Action
• NRA Political Victory Fund Newspapers and publications
• Rutland Herald Executive officials
• George H. W. Bush, President of the United States State officials
• Deane C. Davis, former Governor of Vermont
• Stephan A. Morse, former Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives
• Timothy J. O'Connor, former Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives (Democratic)
• Paul N. Poirier, former Majority Leader of the Vermont House of Representatives; Democratic nominee for VT-AL in 1988 (Democratic)
• Thomas P. Salmon, former Governor of Vermont (Democratic) Organizations
• League of Conservation Voters
• NARAL Pro-Choice America
• Sierra Club
• WEZF Newspapers and publications
• Brattleboro Reformer
• St. Albans Messenger
• The Burlington Free Press
• The Caledonian-Record

Results

References

References

1. (June 26, 2019). "Bernie Sanders Debates Gun Control in 1990 Sportsmen's Forum". SevenDaysVT.
2. (September 5, 1992). "Campaign".
3. "1990 Primary Election Results". Vermont Secretary of State.
4. (February 5, 1990). "Rep. Smith courts state Democrats". The Burlington Free Press.
5. (August 22, 1990). "Challenge From the Left in Vermont". The Washington Post.
6. (November 7, 1990). "The 1990 Elections: The Message - Vermont; Socialist Ex-Mayor Elected to House".
7. (August 12, 1990). "Congressional candidate Sanders is relegated to "spoiler" status no longer".
8. (July 15, 1990). "Smith lands endorsement of former critics".
9. (October 25, 1990). "Senior citizens support Sanders". The Burlington Free Press.
10. (August 15, 1990). "UAW local endorses Sanders candidacy".
11. (September 14, 1990). "Sanders wins more union support".
12. (September 25, 1990). "Sierra Club endorses Peter Smith".
13. (July 19, 2015). "How the National Rifle Association helped get Bernie Sanders elected". The Washington Post.
14. (October 25, 1990). "Sanders Endorsed". Rutland Herald.
15. (November 7, 1990). "Former governor still riding high". The Burlington Free Press.
16. (July 22, 1990). "Bernie Sanders: unorthodoxy in full flower".
17. (March 23, 1990). "Democrats urge state party to back Smith".
18. (October 27, 1990). "Sanders backed by police union; Smith backed by abortion group".
19. Editorial Board. (November 1, 1990). "Smith for Congress".
20. (October 20, 1990). "St. Albans Messenger endorses Smith".
21. (October 26, 1990). "Congressional hopefuls win endorsements". Brattleboro Reformer.
22. "United States Representative (One District): 1932-2014". Vermont Secretary of State.
23. Tuesday, March 20, 1990, Bernard Sanders, 48, returns to the political battlefield as he tells a Montpelier news conference he will challenge U.S. Representative Peter Smith, Republican of Vermont, for the state's lone House seat. Sanders decides to eschew a possible run for governor following Governor Madeleine Kunin's decision to step down after three terms. "This campaign for Congress is about hope," he says. "It is saying to the people of Vermont, especially the working people, the elderly people, environmentalists, peace activists, people who year after year feel that they've been knocking their heads against Washington: 'Please don't give up.'" http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/politics/2015/05/26/sanders-begin-political-revolution/27991467/