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Bernie Sanders was re-elected to the US Senate after defeating the Republican opponent
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Bernie Sanders was re-elected to the US Senate after defeating the Republican opponent

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Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., won reelection Tuesday, defeating Republican Gerald Malloy and securing his fourth term in the U.S. Senate. At 83, Sanders will continue his decades-long career in Washington with another six-year term.

Sanders is known as a leading progressive and has championed policies like Medicare for All and a higher federal minimum wage. Sanders was first elected to the U.S. House in 1991, moved to the Senate in 2007 and ran for president in 2016 and 2020.

Although he is an independent, Sanders is expected to continue his consultations with the Democratic Party.

Malloy, a former U.S. Army officer and businessman from Perkinsville, Vermont, campaigned as a staunch conservative. Originally from Boston, he graduated from West Point in 1984 and received a degree from Temple University.

The outcome was widely expected in a state that last elected a Republican U.S. senator in 2000. Malloy, 62, previously ran for Senate in 2022 and lost to Democrat Peter Welch.

A big difference between two candidates

During a debate two weeks ago hosted by Vermont Public and VTDigger, the two candidates took starkly different positions on key issues, including inflation, climate change and the national debt.

On inflation, Malloy blamed “massive overspending” by the government, saying it has driven up prices, especially for groceries. Sanders argued that corporate greed and supply chain problems are the main drivers, pointing to high profits in the food industry at the expense of consumers.

Climate change became more divisive, with Sanders emphasizing urgent action and pointing to his own renewable energy legislation. He warned that a Republican-led Congress could slow progress. Malloy acknowledged climate change but advocated market-driven solutions over government mandates, emphasizing the need for American energy independence.

In a heated moment, Sanders challenged Malloy’s support for presidential candidate Donald Trump and called Trump a “pathological liar.” Malloy defended his position and criticized progressive policies on economic and border issues. Malloy also questioned Sanders about the national debt, while Sanders pointed to the Republican Party’s resistance to tax reform as an obstacle.

Jeremy Yurow is a political journalist based in Hawaii for the USA TODAY Network. You can reach him at [email protected] or at X, formerly Twitter @JeremyYurow