The 1974 United States Senate election in Vermont took place on November 5, 1974. The incumbent Republican

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

George Aiken George David Aiken (August 20, 1892November 19, 1984) was an American politician and horticulturist. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 64th governor of Vermont (1937–1941) before serving in the United States Senate for 34 years, ...

, did not run for re-election to another term in the United States Senate. The

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

nominee, attorney and prosecutor Patrick Leahy, defeated Republican nominee, then-

Rep. Representative may refer to: Politics * Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people * House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities * Legislator, som ...

Richard W. Mallary Richard Walker Mallary (February 21, 1929 – September 27, 2011) was an American businessman and politician. He served for three years as a U.S. Representative from Vermont and was the Republican nominee for United States Senator in 1974, losing ...

, to become Aiken's successor. This election featured future Mayor of

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

, U.S. Representative, and Leahy's future U.S. Senate colleague,

Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...

, who was the nominee for the Liberty Union Party. Sanders won only 4.1% of the vote and failed to win any counties but managed to obtain 5.6% of the vote in Chittenden County, where the city of

is located. This election marked the first time in the state's history that Vermont elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate, the last remaining U.S. state to do so. Leahy, who still holds this seat as of , remained as the only Democrat ever elected to the Senate in the state until

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

, when he retired and was replaced by

Peter Welch Peter Francis Welch (born May 2, 1947) is an American lawyer and politician who is a United States senator-elect from Vermont, and the current U.S. representative for since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, he has been a major figure in ...

, who is also a Democrat. The last non-Republican elected to the Senate from Vermont at this point in time was

Lawrence Brainerd Lawrence Brainerd (March 16, 1794May 9, 1870) was an American businessman, abolitionist and United States Senator from Vermont. A longtime anti-slavery activist, after leaving the Jacksonian democracy, Jacksonians in the 1830s, Brainerd was act ...

, who was elected as a member of the Free Soil Party in 1854. Sanders would later be elected to Vermont's other U.S. Senate seat in

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

; he has caucused with the Democratic Party but serves as an independent.

Republican primary

Candidates

*T. Serse Ambrosini, former Vice President of the Chase Manhattan Bank *Charles R. Ross, former member of the

Burlington City Council Burlington City Council is the city council responsible for the city of Burlington, Ontario, Canada. The council consists of the mayor plus six councillors. Current City Council (2022-2026) Council elected in the 2022 municipal election: Past ...

and Professor of Economics at the University of Vermont *

, U.S. Representative from Vermont's at-large congressional district

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

*Nathaniel Frothingham, former teacher * Patrick Leahy, State Attorney for Chittenden County

Results

General election

Candidates

* Patrick Leahy (D), State Attorney for Chittenden County *

(R), U.S. Representative from Vermont's at-large congressional district *

(LU), carpenter and social worker

Results

References

Vermont

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...

1974 Vermont elections Bernie Sanders {{Vermont-election-stub

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results

General election

Candidates

Results

See also

References