2021 Burlington, Vermont mayoral election

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The 2021 Burlington mayoral election was held on March 2, 2021. Incumbent Democrat Miro Weinberger won re-election, narrowly defeating Progressive candidate Max Tracy and independent Ali Dieng, along with several minor candidates. Weinberger’s victory by 129 votes was the smallest margin in Burlington mayoral races since Bernie Sanders won by 10 votes in 1981.

Candidates and nominations
- Weinberger ran for the Democratic nomination and faced no opposition; C.D. Mattison considered running but did not.
- Max Tracy, president of the city council, won the Progressive nomination over Brian Pine.
- Ali Dieng, an independent city councilor who caucused with Progressives, announced his candidacy in December 2020.
- Haik Bedrosian, who served on the council in the 1990s and had run for mayor in 1991, ran as an independent. Other independents included Patrick White, Will Emmons, and Kevin McGrath.

Election results
- Weinberger: 6,189 votes (42.99%)
- Tracy: 6,060 votes (42.09%)
- Dieng: 1,830 votes (12.71%)
- All other candidates received less than 1% each.

Significance
Weinberger’s win kept Burlington led by a Democrat, and he had previously become the first Democrat mayor since 1981 when he won in 2012 (a feat he later repeated in 2015 and 2018). The Vermont Progressive Party had taken control of the city council after the 2020 elections and retained control afterward, with several Progressive-backed ballot measures also passing.

Campaign money
- Weinberger raised about $126,000 from 461 donors.
- Tracy raised about $63,000 from 547 donors.
- Dieng raised about $10,900 from 115 donors.
- Spending: Weinberger spent about $86,000 (including TV ads and mailers); Tracy about $47,800; Dieng about $6,600.