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Vermont State Senate Bennington District
Vermont State Senate Bennington District is represented by Seth Bongartz (D) and Robert Plunkett (D).
As of the 2020 Census, Vermont state senators represented an average of 21,450 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 21,011 residents.
About the office
Members of the Vermont State Senate serve two-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Vermont legislators assume office the first Wednesday after the first Monday in January.
Qualifications
The Vermont Constitution states, "No person shall be elected a Representative or a Senator until the person has resided in this State two years, the last year of which shall be in the legislative district for which the person is elected."[1]
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[2] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $843.32/week during session | No per diem paid during session. Members can receive $168.66/day in per diem outside of session. |
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the Vermont General Assembly, the governor must select a replacement to fill the vacant seat.
The governor must select a replacement that will serve for the remainder of the unexpired term. There are no deadlines set by statute on when a vacancy has to be filled.[3][4]
See sources: Vermont Const. Chap. 2, Art. 45, Vermont Stat. Ann. tit. 2, §4, and Vermont Stat. Ann. tit. 2, §9
District map
Redistricting
2020 redistricting cycle
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) signed H722 on April 6, 2022, enacting new legislative districts for the state House and Senate.[5] The Vermont House of Representatives voted 129-13 to advance the state legislative redistricting bill on March 16.[6] On March 25, the Vermont State Senate unanimously approved H722, sending it to Scott.[7] These maps took effect for Vermont's 2022 legislative elections.
How does redistricting in Vermont work? Because Vermont has only one congressional district, congressional redistricting is not necessary. The state legislature draws state legislative district lines with the assistance of an advisory commission. This advisory commission consists of the following members:[8]
- The governor appoints one member each from the state's political parties. To qualify for consideration in this context, a political party must have had "at least three state legislators for six of the previous 10 years."
- The chairs of the aforementioned political parties each appoint an additional member.
- The chief justice of the Vermont Supreme Court appoints the commission's chair.
Commissioners cannot be legislators, nor can they be employed by the legislature. The commission may make recommendations to the legislature, but these recommendations are non-binding.[8]
State law requires that state legislative districts be contiguous and compact and that they "adhere to county and other political subdivision boundaries, except where necessary to comply with other legal requirements." In addition, state statutes specify that districts should account for "patterns of geography, social interaction, trade, political ties, and common interests."[8]
Vermont State Senate Bennington District
until January 3, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Vermont State Senate Bennington District
starting January 4, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections
2024
See also: Vermont State Senate elections, 2024
General election
General election for Vermont State Senate Bennington District (2 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Vermont State Senate Bennington District on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Seth Bongartz (D) | 27.3 | 10,053 |
| ✔ |  | Robert Plunkett (D) | 24.9 | 9,160 |
| Joe Gervais (R) | 23.5 | 8,647 | ||
| Lawrence Whitmire (Independent) | 9.6 | 3,539 | ||
 | Cynthia Browning (Independent) | 7.8 | 2,867 | |
 | Steve Berry (Independent) | 6.7 | 2,459 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 60 | ||
| Total votes: 36,785 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Bruce Busa (R)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Vermont State Senate Bennington District (2 seats)
Seth Bongartz and Robert Plunkett defeated incumbent Richard Sears (Unofficially withdrew) in the Democratic primary for Vermont State Senate Bennington District on August 13, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Seth Bongartz | 49.0 | 2,641 |
| ✔ | | Robert Plunkett (Write-in) | 30.0 | 1,616 |
 | Richard Sears (Unofficially withdrew) | 15.5 | 837 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 5.5 | 294 | ||
| Total votes: 5,388 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Vermont State Senate Bennington District (2 seats)
Joe Gervais and Bruce Busa advanced from the Republican primary for Vermont State Senate Bennington District on August 13, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Joe Gervais | 83.8 | 1,036 | |
| ✔ |  | Bruce Busa (Write-in) | 6.8 | 84 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 9.4 | 116 | ||
| Total votes: 1,236 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2022
- See also: Vermont State Senate elections, 2022
General election
General election for Vermont State Senate Bennington District (2 seats)
Incumbent Richard Sears and incumbent Brian Campion won election in the general election for Vermont State Senate Bennington District on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Richard Sears (D / R) | 51.7 | 12,202 |
| ✔ |  | Brian Campion (D) | 48.1 | 11,345 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 35 | ||
| Total votes: 23,582 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Vermont State Senate Bennington District (2 seats)
Incumbent Richard Sears and incumbent Brian Campion advanced from the Democratic primary for Vermont State Senate Bennington District on August 9, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Richard Sears | 50.4 | 4,436 |
| ✔ | | Brian Campion | 49.2 | 4,327 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.5 | 40 | ||
| Total votes: 8,803 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Vermont State Senate Bennington District (2 seats)
Incumbent Richard Sears and incumbent Brian Campion advanced from the Republican primary for Vermont State Senate Bennington District on August 9, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Richard Sears (Write-in) | 22.3 | 74 |
| ✔ | | Brian Campion (Write-in) | 17.5 | 58 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 60.2 | 200 | ||
| Total votes: 332 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2020
- See also: Vermont State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for Vermont State Senate Bennington District (2 seats)
Incumbent Richard Sears and incumbent Brian Campion defeated Meg Hansen, Michael Hall, and Kevin Hoyt in the general election for Vermont State Senate Bennington District on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Richard Sears (D) | 31.2 | 11,063 |
| ✔ | | Brian Campion (D) | 29.5 | 10,483 |
 | Meg Hansen (R) | 17.7 | 6,275 | |
| Michael Hall (R) | 15.9 | 5,657 | ||
 | Kevin Hoyt (Independent) | 5.5 | 1,943 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 57 | ||
| Total votes: 35,478 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Vermont State Senate Bennington District (2 seats)
Incumbent Richard Sears and incumbent Brian Campion advanced from the Democratic primary for Vermont State Senate Bennington District on August 11, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Richard Sears | 50.5 | 5,086 |
| ✔ | | Brian Campion | 48.9 | 4,923 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.6 | 63 | ||
| Total votes: 10,072 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2018
- See also: Vermont State Senate elections, 2018
General election
General election for Vermont State Senate Bennington District (2 seats)
Incumbent Richard Sears and incumbent Brian Campion defeated Jeff Kaufer in the general election for Vermont State Senate Bennington District on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Richard Sears (D) | 45.4 | 10,525 |
| ✔ | | Brian Campion (D) | 42.0 | 9,734 |
| Jeff Kaufer (L) | 11.9 | 2,762 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.8 | 175 | ||
| Total votes: 23,196 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Vermont State Senate Bennington District (2 seats)
Incumbent Richard Sears and incumbent Brian Campion advanced from the Democratic primary for Vermont State Senate Bennington District on August 14, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Richard Sears | 51.7 | 3,828 |
| ✔ | | Brian Campion | 48.3 | 3,570 |
| Total votes: 7,398 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
- See also: Vermont State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the Vermont State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 9, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was May 26, 2016.
Incumbent Brian Campion and Richard Sears were unopposed in the Vermont State Senate Bennington District general election.[9][10]
| Vermont State Senate, Bennington District General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Brian Campion Incumbent |
46.32% | 11,507 | |
| Democratic | Richard Sears |
53.68% | 13,333 | |
| Total Votes | 24,840 | |||
| Source: Vermont Secretary of State | ||||
Incumbent Brian Campion and Richard Sears were unopposed in the Vermont State Senate Bennington District Democratic primary.[11][12]
| Vermont State Senate, Bennington District Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Brian Campion Incumbent |
45.76% | 2,253 | |
| Democratic | Richard Sears |
54.24% | 2,670 | |
| Total Votes | 4,923 | |||
2014
- See also: Vermont State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for the Vermont State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on August 26, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 12, 2014. Bennington has two state senators. Incumbent Richard Sears and State Representative Brian Campion were unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Warren Roaf was unopposed in the Republican primary. Sears and Campion defeated Roaf in the general election.[13]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dick Sears Incumbent |
43% | 7,905 | |
| Democratic | Brian Campion |
34.1% | 6,273 | |
| Republican | Warren H. Roaf | 22.9% | 4,217 | |
| Total Votes | 18,395 | |||
2012
- See also: Vermont State Senate elections, 2012
Elections for the office of Vermont State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 28, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. Democratic incumbents Robert Hartwell and Richard Sears were unchallenged in the general election. Hartwell and Sears were unopposed in the Democratic primary election.[14][15][16][17]
Campaign contributions
From 2000 to 2024, candidates for Vermont State Senate Bennington District raised a total of $409,516. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $9,524 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, Vermont State Senate Bennington District | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2024 | $77,174 | 7 | $11,025 |
| 2022 | $3,650 | 2 | $1,825 |
| 2020 | $46,738 | 4 | $11,684 |
| 2016 | $6,841 | 2 | $3,421 |
| 2014 | $18,477 | 3 | $6,159 |
| 2012 | $21,060 | 2 | $10,530 |
| 2010 | $22,532 | 4 | $5,633 |
| 2008 | $28,510 | 4 | $7,128 |
| 2006 | $45,064 | 3 | $15,021 |
| 2004 | $48,170 | 4 | $12,043 |
| 2002 | $52,038 | 4 | $13,010 |
| 2000 | $39,263 | 4 | $9,816 |
| Total | $409,516 | 43 | $9,524 |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Vermont Constitution, "Chapter II, Section 15," accessed May 23, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Legislative Council of the General Assembly for the State of Vermont, "Vermont Statutes Unannotated and Vermont Court Rules," accessed February 3, 2021 (Statute, 2-1-4, Vermont Statutes)
- ↑ Legislative Council of the General Assembly for the State of Vermont, "Vermont Statutes Unannotated and Vermont Court Rules," accessed February 3, 2021 (Statute, 2-1-9, Vermont Statutes)
- ↑ VTDigger, "Scott signs new legislative maps into law, solidifying Vermont’s political playing field for next decade," April 6, 2022
- ↑ VTDigger, "House advances redistricting bill by a wide margin," March 16, 2022
- ↑ VTDigger, "Senate unanimously approves new district maps with little debate," March 25, 2022
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 All About Redistricting, "Vermont," accessed April 22, 2015
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "Candidate listings," accessed November 4, 2016
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "2016 general election results," accessed November 28, 2016
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "Qualified candidates for the statewide primary - August 9, 2016," accessed May 26, 2016
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "Vermont Election Night Results," accessed August 9, 2016
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "2014 Candidate Listing," June 13, 2014
- ↑ Vermont Elections, 2012 General Election Results, accessed October 23, 2013
- ↑ Vermont Elections, Official Primary Election Results, accessed October 23, 2013
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, Major party primary candidate list, accessed October 23, 2013
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, 2012 draft, independent, and minor party candidate list, accessed October 23, 2013
