of Representatives. Tuttle's candidacy was partly an attempt to generate publicity for the film, and partly an attempt to mock McMullen as a carpetbagger and flatlander (Vermont slang for an out-of-stater) who had moved to Vermont only because he thought it would be easier to run for the Senate there than in more populous Massachusetts, where McMullen had previously resided. On primary day, Tuttle beat McMullen 55 percent to 45. Tuttle immediately announced his intention to vote for incumbent Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, after which the two made several joint appearances. On election day, Leahy defeated Tuttle and several minor candidates to win reelection. In 2000, Stafford lent credibility to Vermont's movement to allow civil unions for gay and lesbian couples. In announcing his support, Stafford remarked that if two same sex people united in love, he could see no harm to any individual or any society. Stafford died in Rutland on December 23, 2006. He was buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Rutland. His wife Helen Stafford died February 27, 2011, at the age of 93. Legacy In 1988, Congress renamed the Federal Guaranteed Student Loan program the Robert T. Stafford Student Loan program, in honor of his work on higher education. In 2007, Congress renamed the White Rocks National Recreation Area in the State of Vermont as the Robert T. Stafford White Rocks National Recreation Area. See also List of members of the American Legion References External links Retrieved on 2008-01-26 History of the Stafford Federal Student Loan Program CNN Obituary for Stafford (inactive) Wife of late Vermont US Sen. Stafford dies at 93 National Governors Association The Political Graveyard 1913 births 2006 deaths 20th-century American politicians American environmentalists United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy personnel of the Korean War Boston University School of Law alumni Republican Party governors of Vermont Lieutenant Governors of Vermont Middlebury College alumni Military personnel from Vermont People from Rutland (city), Vermont Republican Party United States senators from Vermont United States Navy officers University of Michigan Law School alumni Vermont lawyers State's attorneys in Vermont Vermont Attorneys General Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont 20th-century American lawyers Burials at Evergreen Cemetery (Rutland, Vermont)