Vermont Voter Guide: Who is running for U.S. Senate?
On Nov. 5, Vermonters will cast votes to choose their next U.S senator.
Independent Bernie Sanders is seeking his fourth term, and faces five other competitors, including Republican Gerald Malloy, fellow independent Steve Berry and Libertarian Matt Hill. The remaining two U.S Senate candidates, Mark Stewart Greenstein and Justin Schoville, are running as members of the EPIC and Green Mountain Peace & Justice parties, respectively.
Other races on the Nov. 5 ballot include U.S. House, governor, lieutenant governor, treasurer, secretary of state, auditor of accounts, attorney general and high bailiff. Voters will also choose all 50 state senators, 150 state representatives and 1,800 justices of the peace.
Here is what to know about the six Vermonters running for the U.S. Senate.
U.S. Senate
Bernie Sanders, Independent
Sanders, 82, is seeking a fourth term in the U.S. Senate, having held his seat since 2007. Prior to his stint in the U.S. Senate, Sanders served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 16 years and as Burlington mayor for eight years. He also ran for president in 2016 and 2020, failing both times to win the Democratic nomination. Sanders − who has historically declined the Democratic nomination for U.S Senate in favor of running as an Independent − is the longest serving independent member of Congress.
Gerald Malloy, Republican
Malloy, 62, graduated from U.S, Military Academy at West Point, served 22 years in U.S Army and worked 16 years as a defense contractor. He has a background in business, earning a master's in business administration from Temple University. He won the Republican nomination for U.S senator in 2022, but lost to Democrat Peter Welch in the general election.
Steve Berry, Independent
Berry, 74, is a minister ordained in the United Church of Christ and the author of several books and articles. He previously served one term in the Vermont House of Representatives for Bennington from 2015-2017, losing his re-election bid in 2016. Berry is also running for election to the Vermont Senate. Berry's top priorities include lowering health care costs, environmental stewardship and preserving democracy, partially through the continuation of the Town Meeting Day tradition, according to his Vote Smart profile.
Mark Stewart Greenstein, EPIC
Greenstein, 60, is a business owner, former attorney and an educator. Co-founder of the Every Politically Independent Candidate EPIC Party, Greenstein describes himself as "Conserv-a-Tarian," defined as fiscally conservative but "socially permissive." He is opposed to the two-party system. According to his candidate information on Vote Smart, Greenstein is perennial candidate, having run for U.S president in 2000, 2016, 2020, 2024; Connecticut State Senate in 2019; and Connecticut governor in 2018.
Matt Hill, Libertarian
Hill is a certified public account and financial advisor who, if elected, promises to be a "financial hawk watching Vermont's money at all times," according to his website. He supports a mixture of liberal policies, like universal heath care, and conservative policies, such as increased military spending and border security. Hill previously served on the Hartford Hispanic Health Council in Hartford, Connecticut, from 2000 to 2012.
Justin Schoville, Green Mountain Peace and Justice Party
Schoville is an attorney for the Mountain View Law firm in Killington, which he helped found. For almost a year, he has served as the state chair of the Green Mountain Peace & Justice Party − a "nonviolent socialist" party that once counted Sanders among its members. Some of Schoville's platform issues include establishing a living wage, universal basic income and Medicare-for-all; increasing taxes on the wealthy; and cutting "bloated" military spending.
Megan Stewart is a government accountability reporter for the Burlington Free Press. Contact her at mstewartyounger@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Here are the Vermonters running for U.S. Senate in November