Bernie Sanders

★ U.S. Senator● In office

Born: September 8, 1941
Current age: 85
Home state: Vermont
Party: Independent
In office: U.S. Senator, Vermont (present)
Years in office: 19 years in the U.S. Senate, 16 years in the U.S. House
On the ballot: 1976–2024

Career timeline

1976Gov 1986Gov 1988Rep 1990Rep 1992Rep 1994Rep

1996Rep 1998Rep 2000Rep 2002Rep 2004Rep 2006Sen

2012Sen 2018Sen 2024Sen

12-3

RecordWin–Loss

Total Popular Votes

Sanders2.1M

Opponents1.7M

Elections run

Between 1976 and 2024, Bernie Sanders ran in 15 elections across 3 offices (Governor, U.S. House, and U.S. Senate), winning 12 and losing 3. Sanders's biggest single-election total was 229,429 votes, in the 2024 U.S. Senate election in Vermont. Sanders's closest win came in the 1994 U.S. House election in Vermont's at-large district, decided by 6,979 votes.

Browse every U.S. Senate election in Vermont, every U.S. House race in Vermont's at-large district, or every governor election in Vermont.

How many votes has Bernie Sanders received?

Bernie Sanders has received 2,131,806 popular votes across 15 U.S. elections, with a career record of 12–3.

Election history

Bernie Sanders’s election history
Year	Office	Result	Votes	Opponent(s)
2024	U.S. SenateVermont	Won	229,42961.53%	Gerald Malloy Steve Berry Matt Hill Justin Schoville Mark Stewart Greenstein
2018	U.S. SenateVermont	Won	183,52967.32%	Lawrence Zupan Brad J. Peacock Russell Beste Edward S. Gilbert Jr. Folasade Adeluola Jon Svitavsky Reid Kane Bruce Busa
2012	U.S. SenateVermont	Won	207,84871%	John MacGovern Chris Ericson Peter Diamondstone (head-to-head) Peter Moss (head-to-head) Laurel Laframboise
2006	U.S. SenateVermont	Won	171,63865.41%	Rich Tarrant Cris Ericson Craig Hill Peter Moss (head-to-head) Peter Diamondstone (head-to-head)
2004	U.S. HouseVermont	Won	205,77467.47%	Greg Parke Larry Drown Jane Newton (head-to-head)
2002	U.S. HouseVermont	Won	144,88064.32%	William Bill Meub Jane Newton (head-to-head) Fawn Skinner Daniel H. Krymkowski (head-to-head)
2000	U.S. HouseVermont	Won	196,11869.21%	Karen Ann Kerin Peter Diamondstone (head-to-head) Stewart Skrill Jack Rogers (head-to-head) Daniel H. Krymkowski (head-to-head)
1998	U.S. HouseVermont	Won	136,40363.4%	Mark Candon Matthew S. Mulligan Peter Diamondstone (head-to-head) Robert Maynard
1996	U.S. HouseVermont	Won	140,67855.23%	Susan W. Sweetser Jack Long Thomas J. Morse Peter Diamondstone (head-to-head) Bob Melamede Norio Kushi
1994	U.S. HouseVermont	Won	105,50249.89%	John Carroll Carole Banus Jack Rogers (head-to-head) Annette Larson
1992	U.S. HouseVermont	Won	162,72457.88%	Tim Philbin Lewis E. Young Peter Diamondstone (head-to-head) John Dewey Douglas M. Miller
1990	U.S. HouseVermont	Won	117,52256%	Peter Smith (head-to-head) Dolores Sandoval Peter Diamondstone (head-to-head)
1988	U.S. HouseVermont	Lost	90,02637.49%	Peter Smith (head-to-head) Paul N. Poirier Jim Hedbor Peter Diamondstone (head-to-head) Morris Earle
1986	GovernorVermont	Lost	28,41814.4%	Madeleine Kunin Peter Smith (head-to-head)
1976	GovernorVermont	Lost	11,3176.1%	Richard Snelling Stella B. Hackel

Identity & sources. Identity verified against the Congressional Bioguide (S000033) and Wikidata (Q359442). Election results come from official certified totals and the MIT Election Data and Science Lab; see methodology.

Cite this profile. PolitiFinder, “Bernie Sanders: election history & vote totals.” https://politifinder.com/p/bernie-sanders. Accessed [date].

Compiled by PolitiFinder. Election results from official certified sources and the MIT Election Lab. See Data & sources and methodology. Data last verified September 25, 2026.