# 1992 United States House of Representatives election in Vermont

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vte :
The 1992 United States House of Representatives election in Vermont was held on Tuesday, November 3, 1992, 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.

## Republican primary
### Candidates

* Tim Philbin, insurance agent
* Ralph Sinclair, snack company owner (Withdrew, endorsed Philbin)
* Jeff Wennberg, mayor of Rutland

### Campaign

A total of three candidates made the ballot in the Republican primary, insurance agent Tim Philbin, Rutland mayor Jeff Wennberg, and Ralph Sinclair. Wennberg was considered a moderate Republican, backing abortion rights and tax increases on the rich, while Philbin and Sinclair were conservative Republicans who were opposed to abortion and any tax increases. Originally, Wennberg was considered the frontrunner in the primary, but in early September 1992 Sinclair, who had fallen into a distinct third place in the race, withdrew his candidacy and backed Philbin, which was viewed as potentially giving the latter the edge.

### Endorsements

Federal officials
* Jim Jeffords, U.S. Senator from Vermont
Organizations
* NRA Political Victory Fund
Newspapers and publications
* Rutland Daily Herald

### Results

Republican primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Tim Philbin | 18,489 | 50.21 |
| | Republican | Jeff Wennberg | 14,881 | 40.41 |
| | Republican | Ralph H. Sinclair (Withdrawn) | 3,250 | 8.83 |
| | Republican | Write-ins | 203 | 0.55 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 36,823 | 100.00 |

## Democratic primary
### Candidates
#### Declared

* Lewis E. Young, chef and candidate for Vermont Secretary of State in 1988

#### Declined

* David Wolk, state senator

### Results

Democratic primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Lewis E. Young | 16,305 | 90.08 |
| | Democratic | Write-ins | 1,796 | 9.92 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 18,101 | 100.00 |

## Liberty Union primary

Liberty Union primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberty Union | Peter Diamondstone | 308 | 95.36 |
| | Liberty Union | Write-ins | 15 | 4.64 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 323 | 100.00 |

## General election
### Candidates

* John Dewey (Natural Law), former director of Flight Training at the Florida Institute of Technology
* Peter Diamondstone (Liberty Union), perennial candidate and socialist activist
* Douglas M. Miller (Freedom for LaRouche)
* Tim Philbin (Republican), insurance agent
* Bernie Sanders (Independent), incumbent U.S. Representative
* Lewis E. Young (Democratic), chef and candidate for Vermont Secretary of State in 1988

### Campaign

As the campaign began Sanders and Philbin immediately began to attack each other in the press, with their sniping deemed by the Brattleboro Reformer as a "fax war". Sanders attacked Philbin for opposing abortions, even in cases of rape and incest, and championed his own record supporting abortion rights. Philbin responded by accusing Sanders of misrepresenting his position, and accused the incumbent of supporting "fat budgets and high taxes".

### Debates

1992 Vermont at-large congressional district general election debates :
| No. | Date & Time | Host | Moderator | Link | Participants | Participants | Participants | Participants |
| Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Non-invitee | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Non-invitee | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Non-invitee | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Non-invitee | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Non-invitee | | | | |
| Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Non-invitee | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Non-invitee | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Non-invitee | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Non-invitee | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Non-invitee | Peter Diamondstone | Timothy Philbin | Bernie Sanders | Lewis E. Young |
| 1 | September 26, 1992 | The Burlington Free Press | | | P | P | P | P |

### Endorsements

Federal officials
* Jim Jeffords, U.S. Senator from Vermont
Newspapers and publications
* Caledonian-Record
State officials
* Donald M. Hooper, state representative and Democratic nominee for Vermont Secretary of State
Labor unions
* National Education Association
* United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America
Newspapers and publications
* Rutland Daily Herald
State officials
* Howard Dean, Governor of Vermont

### Polling

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Tim Philbin | Bernie Sanders | Lewis E. Young | Other | Undecided |
| Political/Media Research | September 15, 1992 | 610 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 22% | 43% | 9% | | |
| The Burlington Free Press | | | ± 5.0% | 23% | 49% | 5% | 1% | 22% |

### Results

Vermont's at-large congressional district election, 1992 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Bernie Sanders (incumbent) | 162,724 | 57.78 |
| | Republican | Tim Philbin | 86,901 | 30.86 |
| | Democratic | Lewis E. Young | 22,279 | 7.91 |
| | Liberty Union | Peter Diamondstone | 3,660 | 1.30 |
| | Natural Law | John Dewey | 3,549 | 1.26 |
| | Freedom for LaRouche | Douglas M. Miller | 2,049 | 0.73 |
| | Write-ins | N/A | 464 | 0.16 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 281,626 | 100.00 |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold | Independent hold |