The 2012 United States Senate election in Vermont will be held on November 6, 2012 alongside a presidential election, other elections to the United States Congress

United States Congress

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....

, as well as various state and local elections. Incumbent Independent U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders

Bernard "Bernie" Sanders is the junior United States Senator from Vermont. He previously represented Vermont's at-large district in the United States House of Representatives...

 is running for re-election to a second term.

Background

Then-U.S. representative Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders

Bernard "Bernie" Sanders is the junior United States Senator from Vermont. He previously represented Vermont's at-large district in the United States House of Representatives...

, an independent

Independent (politician)

In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...

 and self-described democratic socialist was elected with 65% of the vote in the 2006 U.S. senatorial election in Vermont.

Declined

• Jim Douglas
  Jim Douglas
  James H. Douglas is an American politician from the U.S. state of Vermont. A Republican, he was elected the 80th Governor of Vermont in 2002 and was reelected three times with a majority of the vote...
  
  , former Vermont governor
• Tom Salmon
  Thomas M. Salmon
  - Early life :Salmon was born in Bellows Falls, Vermont. He graduated from Bellows Falls Union High School and attended Worcester Academy as a postgraduate year and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Boston College...
  
  , state auditor

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Randy Brock (R)	Bernie Sanders (I)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling (report)	July 28-31, 2011	1,233	± 2.8%	28%	65%	—	7%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Brian Dubie (R)	Bernie Sanders (I)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling (report)	July 28-31, 2011	1,233	± 2.8%	34%	60%	—	6%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Thom Lauzon (R)	Bernie Sanders (I)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling (report)	July 28-31, 2011	1,233	± 2.8%	24%	63%	—	13%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Phil Scott (R)	Bernie Sanders (I)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling (report)	July 28-31, 2011	1,233	± 2.8%	30%	61%	—	9%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Mark Snelling (R)	Bernie Sanders (I)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling (report)	July 28-31, 2011	1,233	± 2.8%	25%	62%	—	13%

{| class="navbox collapsible collapsed" style="text-align:left; border:0; margin-top:0.2em;"
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! style="background:#cff; font-weight:normal;"|
Hypothetical polling
|-
| style="border:solid 1px silver; padding:8px; background:white;"|

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign= bottom
! Poll source
! style="width:120px;"| Date(s)
administered
! class=small | Sample
size
! Margin of
error
! style="width:100px;"| Jim
Douglas (R)
! style="width:100px;"| Bernie
Sanders (I)
! Other
! Undecided
|-
| Public Policy Polling (report)
| align=center| July 28-31, 2011
| align=center| 1,233
| align=center| ± 2.8%
| align=center| 38%
| align=center| 56%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 6%
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign= bottom
! Poll source
! style="width:120px;"| Date(s)
administered
! class=small | Sample
size
! Margin of
error
! style="width:100px;"| Tom
Salmon (R)
! style="width:100px;"| Bernie
Sanders (I)
! Other
! Undecided
|-
| Public Policy Polling (report)
| align=center| July 28-31, 2011
| align=center| 1,233
| align=center| ± 2.8%
| align=center| 28%
| align=center| 62%
| align=center| —
| align=center| 10%
|}

See also

• United States Senate elections, 2012
  United States Senate elections, 2012
  Elections to the United States Senate are to be held on November 6, 2012, with 33 of the 100 seats in the Senate being contested in regular elections whose winners will serve six-year terms from January 3, 2013 until January 3, 2019. Additionally, special elections may be held to fill vacancies...
  
  
• United States House of Representatives elections in Vermont, 2012
• Vermont gubernatorial election, 2012
  Vermont gubernatorial election, 2012
  The 2012 Vermont gubernatorial election will be held on November 6, 2012 to elect the Governor of Vermont. Democratic incumbent Peter Shumlin will be eligible to seek re-election.-Potential:* Randy Brock, state senator and former state auditor...
  
  

External links

• Elections and Campaign Finance Division at the Vermont Secretary of State
• U.S. Congress candidates for Vermont at Project Vote Smart
  Project Vote Smart
  Project Vote Smart is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States...
  
  

Official campaign websites

• Cris Ericson for U.S. Senate
• Bernie Sanders for U.S. Senate