6.A. 1974 Campaign Files, 1967-1975

This subseries documents Patrick Leahy's 1974 campaign for Senate, his first bid for federal office. Leahy had gained name recognition as Chittenden County State's Attorney from 1966-1974. Long-time Republican Senator George Aiken announced his retirement in February 1974, and Leahy faced off against then-Congressman Richard Mallary in the general election. Largely considered a long-shot run in a state where Republicans had dominated state-wide seats for nearly a century, Leahy ran on a platform of government accountability, combating inflation, and withdrawing from Vietnam.

Leahy's message of government accountability found favor in the wake of the Watergate scandal and President Nixon's resignation in August 1974. Leahy won the election with 49.47% of the vote against Mallary's 46.38%. Third party Liberty Union candidate Bernie Sanders garnered 4.13%.

Paul Bruhn served as Leahy's campaign manager in the 1974 election. Other members of the campaign staff included Donald Steffens, Patricia McLaughlin Smith, and Dave Schaefer. A small set of Bruhn's files were transferred to the Senator's office in 2021 in anticipation of their incorporation into the Senator's archive.