1996Final resultsIncumbent defeated
1996 election for Vermont Senate District WSR
Vermont State Senate · Vermont
3 seats: Richard J. McCormack (D), Cheryl P. Rivers (D), Ben Ptashnik (D) won.
3 seatsRichard J. McCormackDemocrat · winner · incumbent
20.3%12,827
Cheryl P. RiversDemocrat · winner · incumbent
18.7%11,788
Ben PtashnikDemocrat · winner
17.5%11,068
Ruth HarvieRepublican · incumbent
15.3%9,676
Tom HayesRepublican
14.5%9,156
Jeff WhittemoreRepublican
10.9%6,888
Mark WhitneyLibertarian
2.8%1,740
63,143 votes
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1996
Races before and after
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The candidates
Richard J. McCormack (D)Cheryl P. Rivers (D)Ben Ptashnik (D)Ruth Harvie (R)Tom Hayes (R)Jeff Whittemore (R)
Also on the ballot: Mark Whitney (Libertarian), 2.8%