Burlington mayoral election 1981

[buritobr]

It took place on March 3rd 1981. Independent Bernie Sanders had 4,330 votes. Democratic Gordon Paquette had 4,320 votes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_Burlington_mayoral_election
Until that time, Vermont had voted D for president only in 1964, but there was no republican candidate in the 1981 Burlington mayoral election. Bernie Sanders ran against a democrat. Five months earlier, Jimmy Carter narrowly won the Chittenden County: he had 40.4%, Reagan had 39.0%, Anderson had 17.9%. Since Chittenden County is not only Burlington, we can imagine that Carter had a higher margin in Burlington. Even though, the vote for Reagan was significant, and then, there was a Sanders vs Democratic race for mayor.

Here we can see the interview with Bernie Sanders soon after his victory. He was 39 and he had the same face he has now, the only difference is the hair. It is weird to listen to "the conservative state Vermont" in 2020
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OraxqbUjpHw&t=89s

[Orwell]

It's weird to think that almost ten years earlier Biden had been elected to the Senate, but by the time Bernie is elected Mayor Biden is in his 2nd term in the Senate, if Biden had stayed in the Senate he would be the most senior member of the Senate by about 8 years. Onto Bernie iirc when I read Our Revolution the Democratic mayor was really conservative so I guess that's why the GOP didn't field a candidate?

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Onto Bernie iirc when I read Our Revolution the Democratic mayor was really conservative so I guess that's why the GOP didn't field a candidate?

When Hunter S. Thompson ran for Pitkin County Sheriff in 1970, by his telling at least, the Republican basically ceased to campaign and the local machinery went into re-electing the Democrat, so I wouldn't be surprised if a similar dynamic was at play here.