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

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., won reelection on 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 considered a leading progressive and has championed measures such as Medicare for All and a higher federal minimum wage. Sanders was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1991, moved to the Senate in 2007 and ran for president in 2016 and 2020.

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

Malloy, a former U.S. Army officer and business executive from Perkinsville, Vermont, entered the campaign as a staunch conservative. Originally from Boston, he graduated from West Point in 1984 and holds a degree from Temple University.

The result was eagerly awaited in a state that last elected a Republican U.S. senator in 2000. Malloy, 62, had already run for the Senate in 2022 and lost to Democrat Peter Welch.

A stark difference between two candidates

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

On inflation, Malloy blamed the government's “massive overspending,” saying it had driven up prices, particularly for food. Sanders argued that corporate greed and supply chain problems were the main drivers, citing high profits in the food industry at the expense of consumers.

Climate change brought further divisions, with Sanders emphasizing urgent action and pointing to his own renewable energy legislation. He warned that a Republican-led Congress could hamper progress. Malloy acknowledged climate change but advocated for market-based solutions rather than government mandates and emphasized the need for U.S. energy independence.

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

Jeremy Yurow is a Hawaii-based political reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected] or on X, formerly Twitter @JeremyYurow

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