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Vermont United States Senate Election, 2006




The Vermont Senate election of 2006 will be held on November 7, 2006. Whoever is elected will serve from January 3, 2007 to January 3, 2013.

Independent Senator Jim Jeffords , formerly a Republican , has decided to retire rather than seek a fourth term. Richard Tarrant , Republican, and Independent Bernie Sanders , the sole independent member of the House Of Representatives , are the major candidates to announce an intention to run for Jeffords' office. The filing deadline for major parties is July 16, 2006; for third parties, September 21, 2006. The primary (for major parties) is September 12, 2006.

Tarrant, a Republican businessman, recently resigned as Chairman of IDX Systems , a company he founded in 1969, to run for the seat. As of April, 2006, he is mounting a serious effort to win the race. He has held numerous spaghetti dinners throughout Vermont to meet voters, and is running frequent commercials to familiarize Vermont voters with his background. He is expected to run the most extensive campaign for U.S. Senate in Vermont history. {Link without Title}

Since Sanders is allied with the Democrats in the House, Democratic leadership is attempting to dissuade any serious challengers from their party. Sanders has already been endorsed by prominent Democrats such as DNC Chairman and former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, and Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Sanders has received funding from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

On February 13, 2005 Sanders received an endorsement from Democracy for America, Howard Dean's political action committee. {Link without Title}

Greg Parke, a Republican who received 24% of the vote against Sanders in the 2004 Congressional election, is a declared candidate. Republican governor Jim Douglas, widely believed to be a Republican who could possibly defeat Sanders, decided against a Senate run. Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie, who had previously planned to challenge Sanders, withdrew from the race on October 26, 2005. {Link without Title}

A controversy has broken out as of April 15th, 2006, regarding a program the Tarrant Campaign has initiated to provide qualifed students with internships of $3000 and laptop computers for wokring on his behalf during the upcoming summer. A letter written to teachers regarding this progam states "getting our students involved in the democratic process is more important now than ever before". Sanders Campaign Chief of Staff Jeff Weaver responded by saying "He's trying to buy volunteers." {Link without Title}


CAMPAIGN FINANCE DATA


As of March 17th 2006, fundraising for candidates is as follows:

Source: Opensecrets.org (Note: totals not balance indictate pre-existing funding sources.)

As of April 15,2006, fundrasing is as follows

Source: Burlington Free Press {Link without Title}


CANDIDATES


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