6.C. 1986 Campaign Files, 1968-1986, bulk: 1980-1986

This subseries is comprised of records created by the Senator's staff during the course of his 1986 campaign for Senate. In 1986, Leahy ran for re-election against popular former Vermont governor Richard Snelling. The race was expected to be competitive due to Snelling's stature in Vermont and endorsement by President Reagan, and the Leahy for Senate campaign mounted an extensive operation in response. Leahy's campaign focused on the accomplishments of his previous two terms in the Senate and crafted a consciously "positive" campaign, in contrast to what they described as Snelling's "negative" approach. Though initially expected to be a competitive race, Leahy ultimately won the election in a landslide with 63.16% of the vote, compared to Snelling's 34.50%.

Campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill oversaw the campaign, working closely with chief of staff Ellen McCullough Lovell. Legislative staff members Eric Newsom and Michael Sher contributed work on research and debate prep. State Director Tom Davis also kept a small set of files on the campaign. The files for the 1986 campaign are significantly more extensive than other campaigns. In particular, there are extensive issue, people, and opponents files maintained by chief of staff Ellen McCullough-Lovell beginning in 1980.