2000 United States House of Representatives election in Vermont
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The 2000 United States House of Representatives election in Vermont was held on Tuesday, November 7, 2000, to elect the U.S. representative from the state's at-large congressional district. The election coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial presidential election and an election to the U.S. Senate.
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November 7, 2000
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  Sanders: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Kerin: 40–50% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Independent Bernie Sanders defeated Republican nominee Karen Ann Kerin, the first ever openly transgender candidate for Congress, and Democratic nominee Peter Diamondstone, a socialist activist and perennial candidate.
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
- Karen Ann Kerin, lawyer and former engineer[1]
Withdrawn
- Lloyd Robinson, transportation consultant[2]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Karen Ann Kerin | 47,632 | 92.47 | |
| Republican | Write-ins | 2,981 | 5.79 | |
| Republican | Bernie Sanders (write-in) | 895 | 1.74 | |
| Total votes | 51,508 | 100.00 | ||
Democratic primary
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Peter Diamondstone | 20,539 | 90.94 | |
| Democratic | Bernie Sanders (write-in) | 1,337 | 5.92 | |
| Democratic | Write-ins | 710 | 3.14 | |
| Total votes | 22,586 | 100.00 | ||
General election
Candidates
- Peter Diamondstone (Democratic), perennial candidate and socialist activist[4]
- Karen Ann Kerin (Republican), lawyer and former engineer[1][5]
- Daniel H. Krymkowski (Libertarian), professor at the University of Vermont[6]
- Jack Rogers (Grassroots), farmer and educator[7]
- Bernie Sanders (Independent), incumbent U.S. Representative[4]
- Stewart Skrill (Independent), farmer and flower grower[8]
Campaign
Kerin, a transgender woman, received national media attention for being the first openly transgender candidate for Congress.[9] She expressed frustration with the media focus on her transgender status rather than her political positions, stating to Newsweek that she wanted reporters to "ask me more about what's in my head and less about what's between my legs".[9] There was some surprise at Kerin's decision to run as a Republican, due to that party's opposition to LGBT rights at the time; Kerin stated to The Advocate that she believed that Republicans were stauncher defenders of civil rights than Democrats.[10] Kerin's campaign was primarily based around economic issues, but she nevertheless expressed pride at being the first transgender congressional candidate.[10][11]
There was substantial confusion surrounding the reason that Kerin had decided to undergo a sex change; Kerin herself claimed that it was for medical reasons after she was diagnosed with prostate cancer in order to avoid a colostomy, but an investigation by several newspapers revealed that whether Kerin had ever been diagnosed with prostate cancer was in question, with Kerin's ex-wife claiming that Kerin had simply wanted to change her sex, and Kerin having given an interview to a Delaware newspaper a decade prior where she discussed her reasons for changing sex, not mentioning cancer.[1] When questioned by the Barre Montpelier Times Argus Kerin was unable to explain how getting a sex change would have prevented her from needing a colostomy.[1]
Endorsements
Individuals
- David McReynolds, activist and Socialist Party USA nominee for President of the United States[12]
Results
Sanders carried every country and all but one municipality in the state, with Kerin winning the town of Stratton.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Bernie Sanders (incumbent) | 196,118 | 69.21% | |
| Republican | Karen Ann Kerin | 51,977 | 18.34% | |
| Democratic | Peter Diamondstone | 14,918 | 5.26% | |
| Independent | Stewart Skrill | 11,816 | 4.17% | |
| Grassroots | Jack Rogers | 4,799 | 1.69% | |
| Libertarian | Daniel H. Krymkowski | 2,978 | 1.05% | |
| Write-ins | N/A | 760 | 0.27% | |
| Total votes | 283,366 | 100.00 | ||
| Independent hold | ||||
Results by county
| County[13] | Bernie Sanders Independent |
Karen Ann Kerin Republican |
Peter Diamondstone Democratic |
Various candidates | Margin | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Addison | 12,252 | 72.8% | 2,900 | 17.2% | 767 | 4.6% | 919 | 5.4% | 9,352 | 55.6% | 16,838 |
| Bennington | 10,017 | 59.3% | 4,404 | 26.1% | 1,555 | 9.2% | 917 | 5.4% | 5,613 | 33.2% | 16,893 |
| Caledonia | 8,744 | 66.1% | 2,663 | 20.1% | 605 | 4.6% | 1,222 | 9.2% | 6,081 | 46.0% | 13,234 |
| Chittenden | 51,161 | 74.5% | 10,498 | 15.3% | 2,902 | 4.2% | 4,119 | 6.0% | 40,663 | 59.2% | 68,680 |
| Essex | 1,591 | 57.6% | 715 | 25.9% | 218 | 7.9% | 239 | 8.7% | 876 | 31.7% | 2,763 |
| Franklin | 14,070 | 75.3% | 2,692 | 14.4% | 799 | 4.3% | 1,133 | 6.1% | 11,378 | 60.9% | 18,964 |
| Grand Isle | 2,584 | 73.3% | 554 | 15.7% | 152 | 4.3% | 233 | 6.6% | 2,030 | 57.6% | 3,523 |
| Lamoille | 8,174 | 74.9% | 1,757 | 16.1% | 390 | 3.6% | 593 | 5.4% | 6,417 | 58.8% | 10,914 |
| Orange | 8,984 | 62.8% | 2,278 | 15.9% | 659 | 4.6% | 2,374 | 16.6% | 6,706 | 46.9% | 14,295 |
| Orleans | 8,263 | 70.0% | 1,828 | 15.5% | 490 | 4.1% | 1,227 | 10.4% | 6,435 | 54.5% | 11,808 |
| Rutland | 17,682 | 62.6% | 6,763 | 24.0% | 1,571 | 5.6% | 2,212 | 7.8% | 10,919 | 38.6% | 28,228 |
| Washington | 21,229 | 74.0% | 4,134 | 14.4% | 1,222 | 4.3% | 2,090 | 7.3% | 17,095 | 59.6% | 28,675 |
| Windham | 13,127 | 63.6% | 4,672 | 22.6% | 1,711 | 8.3% | 1,145 | 5.5% | 8,455 | 41.0% | 20,655 |
| Windsor | 18,240 | 64.8% | 6,119 | 21.7% | 1,877 | 6.7% | 1,930 | 6.8% | 12,121 | 43.1% | 28,166 |
| Totals | 196,118 | 69.2% | 51,977 | 18.3% | 14,918 | 5.3% | 20,353 | 7.2% | 144,141 | 50.9% | 283,366 |