1987 Burlington mayoral election
March 3, 1987
 
Nominee Bernie Sanders Paul Lafayette
Party Independent Democratic
Popular vote 6,759 5,335
Percentage 55.23% 44.77%
Results by city council district
Sanders:
  Sanders—50-60%
  Sanders—60-70%

Lafayette:
  Lafayette—50-60%
Mayor of Burlington before election

Bernie Sanders
Independent

 Elected Mayor of Burlington

Bernie Sanders
Independent

The 1987 Burlington mayoral election was held on March 3, 1987.[1] Incumbent Mayor Bernie Sanders won election to his fourth and final term as mayor with 55.23% of the popular vote against Democratic nominee Paul Lafayette, a member of the city council.

Sanders ran his final independent campaign for mayor stating that he would not seek reelection to another term after 1987. The Democratic Party selected Lafayette against Caryl Stewart while the Republican Party did not run a candidate.

Campaign

Independent

Incumbent Mayor Bernie Sanders, who had recently came in third in the 1986 Vermont gubernatorial election, announced on December 1, 1986, that he would seek reelection to a fourth term as Mayor of Burlington, Vermont, despite close associates stating that he was tired of being mayor.[2] Sanders stated that he would not seek another mayoral term after the 1987 election stating that "eight years is enough and I think it is time for new leadership, which does exist within the coalition, to come up".[3] During the campaign Sanders raised $37,480, spent $37,034, and had remaining debts of $2,020.[4]

Democratic

Caryl Stewart, who unsuccessfully sought a seat in the Burlington city council from the 3rd ward, and Paul Lafayette, who served as a member of the city council from the 5th ward, stated on August 24, 1986, that they were considering running for the Democratic mayoral nomination.[5] Stewart announced her mayoral campaign on September 16, and Lafayette announced his campaign on December 2.[6][7] Lafayette defeated Stewart for the Democratic nomination with 636 votes to Stewart's 240.[8]

Republican

Frederick Bailey, a member of the Burlington city council, was considered as a possible nominee for the Republicans, but later announced that he would not run.[5] The Republicans did not select a candidate to run in the mayoral election.[9]

Results

1987 Burlington mayoral election[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Bernie Sanders (incumbent) 6,901 55.23% -0.09%
Democratic Paul Lafayette 5,594 44.77% +13.32%
Total votes 12,495 100.00%

Results by ward

Ward Sanders Votes Lafayette Votes Total votes[10] Votes
Ward 1 63.16% 1,106 36.84% 645 100.00% 1,751
Ward 2 67.82% 1,140 32.18% 541 100.00% 1,681
Ward 3 64.50% 1,050 35.50% 578 100.00% 1,628
Ward 4 43.63% 1,547 56.37% 1,999 100.00% 3,546
Ward 5 50.02% 1,041 49.98% 1,040 100.00% 2,081
Ward 6 56.25% 1,017 43.75% 791 100.00% 1,808

Endorsements

Sanders Endorsements
Newspapers

References

  1. ↑ Donnelly, John (March 4, 1987). "Sanders wins tough election bid". Bennington Banner. Associated Press. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ Bressor, Jamie; Bookchin, Debbie (December 2, 1986). "Sanders Announces for Fourth Term, Says He Has 'Energy and Enthusiasm'". Rutland Herald. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ Finnie, Charles (December 7, 1987). "Sanders Proclaims '87 Race Will Be His Last Mayoral Bid". The Burlington Free Press. p. 21. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ Scagliotti, Lisa (March 18, 1989). "Clavelle's fund raising, spending set records". The Burlington Free Press. p. 21. Archived from the original on December 6, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 Schoch, Deborah (August 25, 1986). "2 Democrats Weigh Possible Mayoral Bid". The Burlington Free Press. p. 16. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Bookchin, Debbie (September 17, 1986). "Two Democrats Enter Race To Succeed Sanders as Mayor". Rutland Herald. p. 11. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Johnson, Mark (December 3, 1986). "Lafayette Enters Mayoral Contest". The Burlington Free Press. p. 13. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Lafayette Picked to Take on Sanders". Rutland Herald. January 15, 1987. p. 13. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ Johnson, Mike (January 25, 1987). "Issues, Images Highlight City Mayor Race". The Burlington Free Press. p. 17. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. 1 2 "1987 election results". The Burlington Free Press. March 4, 1985. p. 11. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "The Burlington Free Press Endorses Sanders". The Burlington Free Press. February 27, 1987. p. 4. Archived from the original on December 6, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
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