The 2000 Vermont gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 2000. Democratic incumbent Howard Dean was re-elected to a sixth term in office over Ruth Dwyer and Anthony Pollina. Dean narrowly won a majority of the vote by 0.45 percent of the total vote, avoiding a contingent election in the Vermont General Assembly.
The campaign was dominated by fallout from the passage of a civil union bill and subsequent backlash, encapsulated by the slogan Take Back Vermont. Ruth Dwyer, the 1998 Republican nominee, ran again and was closely tied to the Take Back Vermont movement, which targeted Dean over his support for civil unions.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Howard Dean, incumbent governor since 1991
- Brian Pearl
Republican primary
Candidates
- Ruth Dwyer, former state representative from Bradford and 1998 gubernatorial nominee
- William Meub
Progressive nomination
The Vermont Progressive Party unanimously selected to give its nomination to Anthony Pollina on February 13, 2000. Elizabeth Skarie, the wife of Jerry Greenfield, also sought the nomination.
General election
Candidates
- Marilyn Verna Christian (Independent)
- Howard Dean, incumbent governor since 1991 (Democratic)
- Ruth Dwyer, former state representative from Bradford and 1998 gubernatorial nominee (Republican)
- Richard F. Gottlieb (Liberty Union)
- Hardy Macia (Libertarian)
- Anthony Pollina, activist and perennial candidate (Progressive)
- Phil Stannard Sr. (Independent)
- Joel W. Williams (Grassroots)
Debates
- Complete video of debate, September 24, 2000
Results
Pollina's candidacy nearly succeeded in holding Dean to less than 50 percent, which would have required the Vermont General Assembly to choose a winner. In such races, the joint meeting of the Vermont House and Senate almost always chooses the candidate who received the highest number of votes, but Republicans took control of the Vermont House of Representatives, which might have resulted in a contested election.
Results by county
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Bennington (largest municipality: Bennington)
- Grand Isle (largest municipality: Alburgh)
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Franklin (largest municipality: St. Albans)