Vermont's at-large congressional district

Vermont's At-large congressional district
Current Representative		Peter Welch (D–Norwich)
Area	9,620 mi2 (24,923 km2)
Population (2000)	608,827
Median income	$51,755
Ethnicity	95.2% White, 0.8% Black, 0.9% Asian, 1.4% Hispanic, 0.4% Native American, 1.2% other
Occupation	24.6% blue collar, 61% white collar
Cook PVI	D+13

Vermont has been represented in the United States House of Representatives by a single at-large congressional district since the 1930 census, when the state lost its second seat, obsoleting its 1st and 2nd congressional districts. There were once six districts in Vermont, all of which have been redistricted after various censuses.

Bernie Sanders (Independent) held the seat from 1991 until 2007, when he became a U.S. Senator. Democrat Peter Welch has represented the state since 2007.

List of representatives

Vermont has elected its representatives at-large from 1813 to 1821, beginning with the 13th Congress; 1823 to 1825, with the 18th Congress; and from 1933 to the present, beginning with the 73rd Congress, after being reduced to one representative as a result of the 1930 Census. In all other years, Vermont elected its representatives from separate districts.

1813–1821: Six seats

Congress	Seat	Years	Representative	Party	Electoral History
13	A	March 4, 1813 – March 3, 1815	William C. Bradley	Democratic- Republican	Lost re-election
	B		William Strong	Democratic- Republican	Lost re-election
	C		James Fisk	Democratic- Republican	Lost re-election
	D		Charles Rich	Democratic- Republican	Lost re-election
	E		Richard Skinner	Democratic- Republican	Lost re-election
	F		Ezra Butler	Democratic- Republican	Lost re-election
14	A	March 4, 1815 – May 5, 1816	Daniel Chipman	Federalist	Resigned
		May 6, 1816 – March 3, 1817	Vacant
	B	March 4, 1815 – March 3, 1817	Luther Jewett	Federalist	Lost re-election
	C		Chauncey Langdon	Federalist	Retired
	D		Asa Lyon	Federalist	Lost re-election
	E		Charles Marsh	Federalist	Lost re-election
	F		John Noyes	Federalist	Lost re-election
15	A	March 4, 1817 – March 3, 1819	Orsamus C. Merrill	Democratic- Republican	Re-elected
	B		Mark Richards	Democratic- Republican	Re-elected
	C		Charles Rich	Democratic- Republican	Re-elected
	D	March 4, 1817 – April 20, 1818	Heman Allen	Democratic- Republican	Resigned
		April 20, 1818 – March 3, 1819	Vacant
	E	March 4, 1817 – March 3, 1819	Samuel C. Crafts	Democratic- Republican	Re-elected
	F		William Hunter	Democratic- Republican	Retired
16	A	March 4, 1819 – January 12, 1820	Orsamus C. Merrill	Democratic- Republican	Election overturned
		January 13, 1820 – March 3, 1821	Rollin C. Mallary	Democratic- Republican	Re-elected to the 1st district
	B	March 4, 1819 – March 3, 1821	Mark Richards	Democratic- Republican	Lost re-election
	C		Charles Rich	Democratic- Republican	Re-elected to the 3rd district
	D		William Strong	Democratic- Republican	Lost re-election
	E		Samuel C. Crafts	Democratic- Republican	Re-elected to the 5th district
	F		Ezra Meech	Democratic- Republican	Lost re-election

1823–1825: Five seats

Congress	Seat	Years	Representative	Party	Electoral History
18	A	March 4, 1823 – March 4, 1825	Rollin C. Mallary	Democratic- Republican
	B		William C. Bradley	Democratic- Republican
	C		Charles Rich	Democratic- Republican
	D		Daniel A. A. Buck	Democratic- Republican
	E		Samuel C. Crafts	Democratic- Republican

1933–present: 1 seat

Representative	Party	Years	Electoral History
Ernest W. Gibson	Republican	March 4, 1933 – October 19, 1933	Redistricted from the 2nd district and re-elected in 1932 Resigned when appointed to U.S. Senate
Vacant		October 19, 1933 – January 16, 1934
Charles A. Plumley	Republican	January 16, 1934 – January 3, 1951	Won special election in 1934 Re-elected in November 1934 Re-elected in 1936 Re-elected in 1938 Re-elected in 1940 Re-elected in 1942 Re-elected in 1944 Re-elected in 1946 Re-elected in 1948 Retired
Winston L. Prouty	Republican	January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1959	Elected in 1950 Re-elected in 1952 Re-elected in 1954 Re-elected in 1956 Retired to run for U.S. Senate
William H. Meyer	Democratic	January 3, 1959 – January 3, 1961	Elected in 1958 Lost re-election
Robert Stafford	Republican	January 3, 1961 – September 16, 1971	Elected in 1960 Re-elected in 1962 Re-elected in 1964 Re-elected in 1966 Re-elected in 1968 Re-elected in 1970 Appointed to U.S. Senate
Vacant		September 16, 1971 – January 7, 1972
Richard W. Mallary	Republican	January 7, 1972 – January 3, 1975	Won special election in 1972 Re-elected in November 1972 Retired to run for U.S. Senate
James M. Jeffords	Republican	January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1989	Elected in 1974 Re-elected in 1976 Re-elected in 1978 Re-elected in 1980 Re-elected in 1982 Re-elected in 1984 Re-elected in 1986 Retired to run for U.S. Senate
Peter P. Smith	Republican	January 3, 1989 – January 3, 1991	Elected in 1988 Lost re-election
Bernie Sanders	Independent	January 3, 1991 – January 3, 2007	Elected in 1990 Re-elected in 1992 Re-elected in 1994 Re-elected in 1996 Re-elected in 1998 Re-elected in 2000 Re-elected in 2002 Re-elected in 2004 Retired to run for U.S. Senate
Peter Welch	Democratic	January 3, 2007 – Current	Elected in 2006 Re-elected in 2008 Re-elected in 2010 Re-elected in 2012 Re-elected in 2014

Recent elections

1990 election

Independent Bernie Sanders defeated incumbent Republican Peter Plympton Smith.

1992 election

Incumbent Bernie Sanders ran for and won re-election.

1994 election

Incumbent Bernie Sanders ran for and won re-election.

1996 election

Incumbent Bernie Sanders ran for and won re-election.

1998 election

Incumbent Bernie Sanders ran for and won re-election.

2000 election

Incumbent Bernie Sanders ran for and won re-election.

2002 election

Incumbent Bernie Sanders ran for and won re-election.

2004 election

Incumbent Bernie Sanders ran for and won re-election.

2006 election

Incumbent Bernie Sanders retired to run for (and win) a U.S. Senate seat.

Vermont Senate President Pro Tempore Peter Welch (D-Windsor County) was the Democratic nominee and the eventual winner.

Three candidates competed for the Republican nomination:

• Major General Martha Rainville, USANG (ret) (R), former Adjutant General of the Vermont National Guard.
• Vermont State Senator Mark Shepard (R-Bennington County).
• Republican businessman Dennis Morrisseau, who promised to bring articles of impeachment against President George W. Bush.^[1]

Rainville won the Republican primary on September 12, beating Shepard by a wide margin.

There were also numerous third party and independent candidates: Chris Karr (WTP), Bruce Marshall (Green Party), Dennis Morrisseau (Ind), Jane Newton (Liberty Union Party), Keith Stern (Ind), and Jerry Trudell (Ind). Morrisseau gathered the most votes, with 1% or 1,383 votes.

By September 14, 2006, the race between Rainville and Welch was close. An American Research Group poll showed Welch with a 48–45% lead.^[2]

On October 4, 2006, The Burlington Free Press reported that one of Rainville's staffers, Christopher Stewart, resigned from her campaign after committing plagiarism—copying policy statements from other politicians, including Senator Hillary Clinton, and using them on Rainville's website. Rainville's website was off-line for some time while her staff removed the plagiarized passages.

Welch beat Rainville 53% to 45%, or 139,585 votes to 117,211.

2008 election

2010 election

2012 election

Living former Members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Vermont's at-large congressional district

As of April 2015, two former members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Vermont's at-large congressional district are alive.

2008 Presidential primary results

Democratic primary

Then-U.S. Senator and now President Barack Obama of Illinois won the March 4, 2008 Vermont Democratic Primary with 59.31% of the statewide/at-large congressional district vote while then-U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton of New York received 38.59%.

Republican primary

U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona won the March 4, 2008 Vermont Republican Primary with 71.32% of the statewide/at-large congressional district vote while former Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas finished second with 14.30%.

Sources

• Office of the Clerk: Election Statistics since 1920
• Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. 
• Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. 
• Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present

References