2000 United States House of Representatives election in Vermont

2000 United States House of Representatives election in Vermont's at-large district

←  1998 November 7, 2000 2002  →

Nominee Bernie Sanders Karen Ann Kerin Peter Diamondstone Party Independent Republican Democratic Alliance Liberty Union Popular vote 196,118 51,977 14,918 Percentage 69.2% 18.3% 5.3%

County results Municipality results Sanders:     30–40%     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90% Kerin:     40–50%

U.S. Representative before election Bernie Sanders Independent Elected U.S. Representative Bernie Sanders Independent

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.

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Withdrawn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

Republican primary results ^[3]

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

Democratic primary results ^[3]

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. ^[10]

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

Peter Diamondstone (D)

Individuals

• David McReynolds, activist and Socialist Party USA nominee for President of the United States ^[11]

Results

Sanders carried every country and all but one municipality in the state, with Kerin winning the town of Stratton.

Vermont's at-large congressional district election, 2000 ^[4]

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

References

1. "GOP congressional candidate's change of sex questioned". Barre-Montpelier Times-Argus. Associated Press. June 6, 2000. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
2. Eckel, Mike (July 21, 2000). "Race for Congress features unusual mix, as usual". Rutland Herald. Associated Press. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
3. "2000 Primary Election Results" (PDF). Vermont Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
4. "United States Representative (One District): 1932-2014" (PDF). Vermont Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
5. "Obituary: Karen Ann Kerin". Vermont World. January 2014. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
6. King, Wilson (November 1, 2000). "Sanders gets workout from opponent at VPR". The Brattleboro Reformer. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
7. "Candidate for representative to Congress". Rutland Daily Herald. October 29, 2000. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
8. "Stewart Skrill". The Herald. December 14, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
9. "On the trail". The Economist. July 15, 2000. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
10. Dahir, Mubarak (July 18, 2000). "GOP's trans candidate". The Advocate. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
11. Eckel, Mike (October 10, 2000). "Challengers try to shake house race out of the doldrums". The Burlington Free Press. Associated Press. Retrieved January 1, 2022.