Elections for the United States Senate were held on November 7, 2006, with 33 of the 100 seats in the
United States SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the lower house being the House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate and the House are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution . Each U.S state is represented by two senators,...
being contested. Senators are elected for six-year terms, with one third of the Senate seats up for a vote every two years. The term of office for those elected in 2006 runs from January 3, 2007, until January 3, 2013. Senators who were elected in
2000In 2000, elections for one-third of the seats in the United States Senate occurred In 2000, elections for one-third of the seats in the United States Senate occurred In 2000, elections for one-third of the seats in the United States Senate occurred (they coincided with the election of George W....
(known as
Class 1The three classes of United States Senators are currently made up of 33 or 34 Senate seats, with the groups staggered so that one of three classes is up for election every two years....
) were seeking reelection or retiring in 2006.
The Senate election was part of the Democratic sweep of the
2006 electionsThe 2006 United States midterm elections were held on Tuesday, November 7, 2006. All United States House of Representatives seats and one third of the United States Senate seats were contested in this election, as well as 36 state governorships, many state legislatures, four territorial...
, in which no Congressional or gubernatorial seat held by a
DemocratThe Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
was won by a
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
. Democratic candidates defeated six Republican incumbents:
Rick SantorumRichard John Santorum is a former United States Senator from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Santorum is a member of the Republican Party and was the chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, the number-three job in the party leadership of the Senate.Santorum is usually considered a social...
(
Penn.The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a state located in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States...
),
Mike DeWineRichard Michael "Mike" DeWine is a former two-term Republican senator from Ohio, serving from 1995 to 2007.Born in Springfield, Ohio, to Jean and Richard L. DeWine, DeWine lives in Cedarville but grew up in neighboring Yellow Springs, Ohio...
(
OhioOhio is a Midwestern state of the United States. The thirty-fourth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the seventh-most populous with nearly 11.5 million residents...
),
Lincoln ChafeeLincoln Davenport Chafee is a former United States Senator from Rhode Island. Running as a Republican, he lost his re-election bid in 2006 to Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse. In the summer of 2007, he left the Republican Party and became an independent...
(
R.I.Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
),
Jim TalentJames Matthes "Jim" Talent is an American politician and former Senator from Missouri. He is a Republican and resided in the St. Louis area while serving in elected office. He identifies with the conservative wing of the Republican party, being particularly outspoken on judicial appointments,...
(
Mo.Missouri is a state in the Midwest region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. Missouri is the 18th most populous state with a 2008 estimated population of 5,911,605. It comprises 114 counties and one independent city....
),
Conrad BurnsConrad Ray Burns is a former United States Senator from Montana. He was only the second Republican to represent Montana in the Senate since the passage in 1913 of the Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution and is the longest-serving Republican senator in Montana history.While in the Senate,...
(
Mont.Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of the state contains numerous mountain ranges; other 'island' ranges are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
), and
George AllenGeorge Felix Allen is a former Republican United States Senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the son of former NFL head coach George Allen. Allen served Virginia in the state legislature, as Governor, and in both bodies of the U.S. Congress...
(
Va.The Commonwealth of Virginia is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents. The geography and climate of the state are shaped by the Blue...
). Incumbent Democratic Senator
Joe LiebermanJoseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman is the junior United States Senator from Connecticut. First elected to the Senate in 1988, Lieberman was elected to a fourth term on November 7, 2006...
(
Conn.Connecticut is a state in the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and New York to the west and south ....
) lost an August Democratic
primaryA primary election , also referred to simply as a primary, is an election in which voters in a jurisdiction select candidates for a subsequent election...
challenge but won re-election as an independent. Democrats kept their two open seats in
MinnesotaMinnesota is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.2 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the...
and
MarylandMaryland is a state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east. It is comparable in size to the European country of Belgium. According to the U.S...
, and Republicans held onto their lone open seat in
TennesseeTennessee is a state located in the Southeastern United States. According to the 2008 census, it has a population of 6,214,888, an increase of nearly 9.5% since 2000. Tennessee is the 14th fastest growing state in the US and is ranked 17th by population. It is ranked 36th by total land area. In...
. In
VermontThe State of Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd by land area, , and 45th by total area. It has a population of 621,270, making it the second least-populated state...
,
Bernie SandersBernard "Bernie" Sanders is the junior United States Senator from Vermont, elected on November 7, 2006. Before becoming Senator, Sanders represented Vermont's at-large district in the United States House of Representatives for 16 years.Sanders is a self-described democratic socialist, but because...
, an independent, was elected to the seat left open by independent Senator
Jim JeffordsJames Merrill "Jim" Jeffords is a former U.S. Senator from Vermont. He served as a Republican until 2001, when he left the party to become an independent.-Background:...
.
In the 2006 election, two new female Senators (
Claire McCaskillClaire Conner McCaskill is an American Democratic politician, currently the junior United States Senator from the state of Missouri and former State Auditor of Missouri. She defeated Republican Senator Jim Talent in 2006 by a margin of 50% to 47%. She is the first female senator from Missouri...
and
Amy KlobucharAmy Jean Klobuchar is the senior United States Senator from Minnesota. She is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, an affiliate of the Democratic Party...
) were elected to seats previously held by men. This brought the total number of
female senatorsThere have been 38 women in the United States Senate since the establishment of that body in 1789. Women were first elected in number in 1992. Today, 17 of the 100 U.S. Senators are women...
to an all-time high of 16.
Following the elections, the party balance for the Senate stood at 51-49 in favor of the Democrats (including independent Bernie Sanders and
Independent DemocratIndependent Democrat is a term occasionally adopted by members of the United States Congress to refer to their party affiliation.The first Independent Democrat in the United States House of Representatives was Zadok Casey in the mid-19th century...
Joe Lieberman, who caucused with the Democrats). The Democrats needed 51 seats to control the Senate because the
Vice President of the United StatesThe Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people through the Electoral College to a four-year term...
, Republican
Dick CheneyRichard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 in the administration of George W. Bush....
, would have broken a 50-50 tie in favor of the Republicans.
Close races, open seats, and party switches
"Close races" are those in which a candidate won by less than 10 points.
Missouri
Senator
Jim TalentJames Matthes "Jim" Talent is an American politician and former Senator from Missouri. He is a Republican and resided in the St. Louis area while serving in elected office. He identifies with the conservative wing of the Republican party, being particularly outspoken on judicial appointments,...
of
MissouriMissouri is a state in the Midwest region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. Missouri is the 18th most populous state with a 2008 estimated population of 5,911,605. It comprises 114 counties and one independent city....
, who was narrowly elected in a
2002 special electionThe 2002 United States Senate election featured a series of fiercely-contested elections that resulted in a victory for the Republican Party, which gained two seats and thus a narrow majority from the Democratic Party in the United States Senate. Senators who were elected in 1996, known as Senate...
for the remaining four years of one term, faced a strong Democratic challenge for his seat. Missouri did not hold an election for governor in 2006, making this the only major statewide race in a traditional battleground state. Talent faced state Auditor
Claire McCaskillClaire Conner McCaskill is an American Democratic politician, currently the junior United States Senator from the state of Missouri and former State Auditor of Missouri. She defeated Republican Senator Jim Talent in 2006 by a margin of 50% to 47%. She is the first female senator from Missouri...
, a former
Jackson CountyJackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of 2000, the population was 654,880. The 2005 Census estimates put the population of Jackson County at 662,959. It is the second most populous county in Missouri after St. Louis County, owing mostly to the presence of Kansas...
Prosecutor and the 2004 Democratic
gubernatorialThe United States gubernatorial elections of 2004 were held on November 2, 2004. Eleven states voted to select a governor . There was no net gain in seats for either party.-Election results:...
nominee.
McCaskill carried some political baggage from her 2004 loss; however, Talent was elected to the Senate after a nearly successful gubernatorial bid, the same position McCaskill was in for the 2006 election. McCaskill went out of her way to appeal to rural voters, who had largely favored her opponent in the gubernatorial race. She also benefited from talking up her support of
embryonic stem cellEmbryonic stem cells are pluripotent stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst, an early-stage embryo. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4–5 days post fertilization, at which time they consist of 50–150 cells....
research, which a slight majority of Missourians supported but which Talent opposed. A related
constitutional amendmentMissouri Constitutional Amendment 2 is a state constitutional amendment initiative that concerns stem cell research and human cloning in Missouri...
was also on the ballot and narrowly passed.
The race was among the most competitive in the nation. McCaskill and Talent exchanged small leads in various polls throughout the campaign. In the end, McCaskill defeated Talent 50%-47%.
Montana
Senator
Conrad BurnsConrad Ray Burns is a former United States Senator from Montana. He was only the second Republican to represent Montana in the Senate since the passage in 1913 of the Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution and is the longest-serving Republican senator in Montana history.While in the Senate,...
of
MontanaMontana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of the state contains numerous mountain ranges; other 'island' ranges are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
faced a strong challenge from
Brian SchweitzerBrian David Schweitzer is an American politician from the U.S. state of Montana. Schweitzer is a Democrat and the current governor of Montana, serving since January 2005. Schweitzer currently has one of the highest approval ratings among governors in the nation, with polls regularly showing a...
(who later became governor) in 2000, but was re-elected by a mere 3% in a state that went for Bush twice by margins of over 20%. This, combined with the increasing strength of the state Democratic Party and accusations of ethical issues related to the
Jack Abramoff influence-peddling scandalThe Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal is a United States political scandal relating to the work performed by political lobbyists Jack Abramoff, Ralph E. Reed, Jr., Grover Norquist and Michael Scanlon on Indian casino gambling interests for an estimated $85 million in fees. Abramoff and Scanlon...
, made this a highly competitive race. Burns faced Democratic primary winner and state Senate President
Jon TesterJon Tester is an organic farmer and junior U.S. Senator from the state of Montana, and a member of the Democratic Party. Prior to his election in 2006, he served as President of the Montana State Senate.-Background:...
, an organic farmer from Big Sandy.
Burns has long had a history of verbal missteps, and 2006 was no exception. On July 27, he was forced to apologize after he verbally attacked out-of-state firefighters who were preparing to leave Montana after helping contain a summer forest fire and directly questioned their competence and skill; Burns was strongly criticized.
For much of the campaign, Tester led by substantial margins. Burns narrowed the gap by attacking Tester as a liberal extremist. November 2, Mason-Dixon polled Tester and Burns tied at 47% with 5% undecided. On November 4th, Rasmussen Reports had Tester leading 50% to 48%.
Shortly before noon Mountain time November 8, Tester was declared the victor by a slim margin, 198,032 votes to 194,904. The race was the closest Senate election of 2006 in terms of absolute vote difference; the closest race by percentage difference was the
Virginia senate electionThe Virginia Senate election of 2006 was held on November 7, 2006. James H. "Jim" Webb, the Democratic candidate, narrowly defeated Republican incumbent George Allen, and now represents Virginia as its senior in the Senate...
.
Ohio
Senator
Mike DeWineRichard Michael "Mike" DeWine is a former two-term Republican senator from Ohio, serving from 1995 to 2007.Born in Springfield, Ohio, to Jean and Richard L. DeWine, DeWine lives in Cedarville but grew up in neighboring Yellow Springs, Ohio...
of
OhioOhio is a Midwestern state of the United States. The thirty-fourth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the seventh-most populous with nearly 11.5 million residents...
had uninspiring approval ratings and the current Coingate scandal involving the
Ohio Republican PartyThe Ohio Republican Party is the Ohio state affiliate of the United States Republican Party. As of 2009, the Republicans control only the Senate of the Ohio General Assembly due to advances made by Democrats in the other chamber of the General Assembly in 2008 election cycle...
and the widespread unpopularity of Governor
Bob TaftRobert Alphonso "Bob" Taft II is an Ohio Republican Party politician. He was elected to two terms of office as the Governor of the U.S. state of Ohio between 1999-2007...
were thought to be hurting his re-election chances months before the election. He faced primary challenges from several more conservative Republicans, such as
William G. PierceWilliam G. Pierce is an engineer, small business owner, and former candidate for the Ohio United States Senate election, 2006.-Biography:...
, who were unhappy with his relatively centrist stances including his role as one of the
Gang of 14The Gang of 14 was a term coined to describe the bipartisan group of Senators in the 109th United States Congress who successfully negotiated a compromise in the spring of 2005 to avoid the deployment of the so-called nuclear option over an organized use of the filibuster by Senate...
who intervened to stop a showdown over judicial nominations.
LawyerA lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person licensed to practice law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain stability, and deliver...
and
Iraq WarThe Iraq War, also known as the Occupation of Iraq or Operation Iraqi Freedom, is an ongoing military campaign which began on March 20, 2003 with the invasion of Iraq by a multinational force led by troops from the United States and the United Kingdom.Prior to the war, the governments of the United...
veteranA war veteran is a person who has or is serving in the armed forces, or a person who has had long service or experience in an occupation or office....
Paul Hackett, who narrowly lost to
Jean SchmidtJeannette Marie Hoffman Schmidt, is a member of the United States Congress for Ohio's 2nd congressional district, which stretches from eastern Cincinnati to Portsmouth....
in the 2nd congressional district on August 2, 2005, said in October 2005 he would seek the Democratic nomination to challenge DeWine. Rep.
Sherrod BrownSherrod Campbell Brown is the junior United States Senator from the state of Ohio, and a member of the Democratic Party...
announced his candidacy that same month. Hackett withdrew from the race on February 14, 2006. Both DeWine and Brown won their primaries easily. An October 12 Rasmussen Reports poll had Brown leading DeWine 46% to 41%. An October 30th Reuters/Zogby poll had Brown leading DeWine 49% to 42%. A Rasmussen poll released November 4th showed Brown pulling away from DeWine with a 53% to 41% lead.
Brown comfortably won the election, garnering 56% of the vote to DeWine's 44%.
Pennsylvania
Senator
Rick SantorumRichard John Santorum is a former United States Senator from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Santorum is a member of the Republican Party and was the chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, the number-three job in the party leadership of the Senate.Santorum is usually considered a social...
of
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a state located in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States...
, then the third-highest ranking member of the Republican caucus, was the Democrats' top target in 2006. He was a very
conservativeConservatism in the United States is a major American political philosophy. In contemporary American politics, it is often associated with the Republican Party...
member of the Senate in a state that last voted for a Republican presidential nominee in 1988.
In his last election in the year 2000, Santorum received 7,706 more votes than
Al GoreAlbert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. is an American environmental activist and former politician who served as the 45th Vice President of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He is an author, businessperson, former U.S. Senator and former journalist...
, the Democratic candidate for President, who won Pennsylvania by 4.5 percent. That year, Santorum ran against U.S. Rep.
Ron KlinkRonald "Ron" Klink is a Democratic politician and former United States Representative from Pennsylvania.Klink was born in Canton, Ohio, and graduated from Meyersdale High School in Pennsylvania in 1969. Klink originally worked behind the scenes at WTAJ-TV in Altoona, Pennsylvania...
, a
pro-lifeThe pro-life movement is a political and social movement focused chiefly around opposition to abortion, and especially support for the criminalization of abortion. Those involved in the movement generally maintain that human fetuses and embryos are persons, and that therefore they have a right to...
Democrat who wasn't supported by party contributors and was heavily outspent. Democrats thus saw Santorum's seat as extremely vulnerable and made it a priority for a pick-up in 2006. Popular pro-life
State TreasurerIn the state governments of the United States, 49 of the 50 states have the executive position of treasurer. Texas abolished the position of Texas State Treasurer in 1996....
Bob Casey, Jr.Robert Patrick "Bob" Casey, Jr. , is the junior United States Senator from Pennsylvania, and a member of the Democratic Party. Before his election to the Senate in 2006, he served as Pennsylvania's Treasurer and Auditor General....
was the Democratic nominee and was fully supported by the party establishment.
Santorum did not benefit from his recent controversial book,
It Takes a FamilyIt Takes a Family is a 2005 book by then Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum. The title is a response to the 1996 book It Takes a Village by then-First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. In the book, Santorum states that the family structure is necessary...
, in which he criticized public schools and questioned whether or not both parents in a family should work, alleging that women who work are making a selfish decision and only do so because they find it "empowering". These stances were seized on by the Casey campaign as proof that Santorum was too conservative for Pennsylvania voters. Santorum also suffered from controversy concerning both his residency and a
charter schoolThe Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, also known as PA Cyber, is an online school providing a free public education for the children of Pennsylvania residents age 4 kindergarten through grade 12, using internet technology and highly qualified teachers....
his children were enrolled in. He also voiced many social views that some thought extreme, including the belief that tolerating homosexuality was a slippery slope toward tolerating bestiality. This earned him the moniker Rick "Man On Dog" Santorum.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-04-23-santorum-excerpt_x.htm
Every public poll taken during the campaign showed Casey ahead. Most polling done after Labor Day showed Casey with a double-digit lead. On election night, Casey defeated Santorum 59%-41%. Polls conducted in the final closing days of the campaign showed Casey leading 52%-39% and 48%-40%, meaning that the Democrat had performed much better than what the polls showed. This was the largest margin of defeat for an incumbent Senator since
George McGovernGeorge Stanley McGovern is a former United States Representative, Senator, and Democratic presidential nominee. McGovern lost the 1972 presidential election in a landslide to Richard Nixon. As a decorated World War II combat veteran, McGovern was known for his opposition to the Vietnam...
's loss to
James AbdnorJames Abdnor is a politician from the state of South Dakota. He graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1945 where he became a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity...
in
1980The 1980 U.S. Senate elections coincided with Ronald Reagan's election to the Presidency. Reagan's large margin of victory over incumbent Jimmy Carter pulled in many Democratic voters and gave a huge boost to Republican senate candidates....
.
Rhode Island
Senator
Lincoln ChafeeLincoln Davenport Chafee is a former United States Senator from Rhode Island. Running as a Republican, he lost his re-election bid in 2006 to Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse. In the summer of 2007, he left the Republican Party and became an independent...
of
Rhode IslandRhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, a liberal Republican, faced a primary challenge from conservative
CranstonCranston, once known as Pawtuxet, is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. With a population of 79,269 at the 2000 census, it is the third largest city in the state. The center of population of Rhode Island is located in Cranston...
Mayor
Steve LaffeyStephen Laffey was the Republican mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island with his term ending in 2007.-Background:Laffey was born in 1962 in Warwick, Rhode Island, one of five children born to John and Mary Laffey. When he was four years old, his family moved to Cranston, where his father worked as a...
. Former state Attorney General
Sheldon WhitehouseSheldon Whitehouse is the Junior Senator from the state of Rhode Island. A Democrat, he previously served as United States Attorney and state Attorney General for Rhode Island...
, who narrowly lost the gubernatorial nomination in 2002, faced token opposition in the Democratic primary.
The Republican primary was contentious. Laffey ran as a conservative, but he came under fire from other conservatives for supporting tax increases as Mayor and increasing spending. It was widely believed that the more liberal Chafee would have an easier time winning in the general election due to his appeal to independents. Laffey received support from the conservative
Club for GrowthThe Club for Growth is a fiscally conservative 501 political organization with an affiliated political action committee active in the United States of America. The Club advocates limited government, lower taxes, less government spending, free trade, and economic freedom...
. Although he was the most liberal Republican in the Senate and was repeatedly accused of being a
RINORepublican In Name Only, or RINO, is a neologism created by Los Angeles conservative activist Celeste Greig. It is considered a disparaging term for a member of the Republican Party of the United States whose political views or actions are perceived as insufficiently conservative or otherwise...
by members of his own party, the
NRSCThe National Republican Senatorial Committee is the Republican Hill committee for the United States Senate, working to elect Republicans to that body. The NRSC was founded in 1916 as the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee...
spent a large amount of money backing Chafee, and, in an unprecedented move, announced that they would abandon the race if Laffey won. Chafee prevailed in the September 12 primary 54%-46%, and Laffey endorsed him for re-election. Chafee, however, may have been damaged by the contentious primary that potentially alienated Republican voters.
Chafee faced a complicated situation due to his political beliefs. He was unpopular with conservative Republicans whose votes he would need in order to win the primary, yet represented a heavily Democratic constituency that overwhelmingly disapproved of
George W. BushGeorge Walker Bush was the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 and the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000....
and the Republican-controlled Congress. As a liberal Democrat running in a liberal, Democratic stronghold, Whitehouse did not face these problems. The Whitehouse campaign sought to characterize the election as a referendum on Bush and the Republican Congress; critics argued that Whitehouse was simply casting himself as a proxy vote for a Democratic majority in the Senate.
Polls showed a close race, with Whitehouse holding a narrow lead going into the election. In the end, however, voters seemed to place more emphasis on party control than their personal affection for Chafee. Whitehouse prevailed over Chafee on election night winning by a vote of 53%-47%.
Virginia
Early in the 2006 campaign, freshman incumbent Republican George Allen of
VirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents. The geography and climate of the state are shaped by the Blue...
held a double-digit lead in nearly all polls, and had positioned himself as a potential presidential candidate in 2008. That status was seriously jeopardized by a series of controversial events occurring during Allen's re-election campaign, culminating in his loss to his Democratic opponent, former
Secretary of the NavyThe United States Secretary of the Navy is the civilian head of the Department of the Navy. The position was a member of the President's Cabinet until 1947, when the Navy, Army, and newly created Air Force were placed in the Department of Defense and the Secretary of the Navy was placed under the...
and decorated combat veteran
Jim WebbJames Henry "Jim" Webb, Jr. , is the senior Senator from Virginia. He is also an author and a former Secretary of the Navy under President Ronald Reagan. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
. Retired Air Force officer
Gail ParkerThe Independent Greens of Virginia, , is the state affiliate of the Independence Party of America in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It became a state party in 2003 from a faction of the Arlington local of the Green Party of Virginia...
ran as the Independent Green party candidate.
Among the most bitter Senate contests of the year, Allen's approval rating had dropped in statewide polls due in part to a series of embarrassing incidents during the campaign. In mid-August at a campaign stop in southwest Virginia, Allen called
S. R. SidarthShekar Ramanuja Sidarth is an Indian American and resident of the U.S. state of Virginia, where he was born and raised. His volunteer work for the Senate campaign of Democrat Jim Webb placed him at the center of a controversy over the use of a racial slur against him by Webb's opponent, Republican...
, a Webb volunteer of Indian descent, "
macacaMacaca is a pejorative epithet used by francophone colonialists in Central Africa's Belgian Congo for the native population. It may be derived from the name of the genus comprising macaque monkeys. The word macaque has also been used as a racial slur...
" and welcomed him to America, although he was born in Virginia. Controversy surrounding Allen continued into September following his reaction to questions about his Jewish heritage. Additional reports surfaced in late September that Allen uttered the
N-wordN-word may refer to:*Nigger, a pejorative word for black people*Nigga, a colloquial reference to black people typically utilized without malice and within the black community itself...
on a frequent basis while a student at the
University of VirginiaThe University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, according to former college football teammates. Allen fired back by pointing out remarks that Webb made during the 1980s that were demeaning to female veterans. He struck again when he released excerpts of graphic sexual scenes from some of the books Webb had penned, portraying the writing as misogynistic and pornography. Webb responded that these were based on events that he personally witnessed while in the military and while working as a journalist.
As controversy and allegations on both sides increased, the gap between the candidates tightened significantly. On October 30, Reuters/Zogby had Webb leading Allen 45% to 44%. A November 2 Rasmussen Reports poll had Allen and Webb tied at 49%. A November 3 Mason-Dixon poll had Webb leading 46% to 45% with 7% undecided.
As polls closed on November 7, 2006, the margin of votes between Webb and Allen was approximately 7,000 votes, or less than 0.5% of all votes cast, a margin eligible to trigger a recount per Virginia election law. On the evening of November 8, 2006,
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
and the
Associated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
declared Webb the winner. Following recanvassing, the Virginia Board of Elections declared Webb the winner by 9,162 votes, a margin of 0.38%.
On the afternoon of November 9, 2006, Allen gave a speech conceding the election to Webb, stating "The people of Virginia have spoken and I respect their decision. The Bible teaches us there is a time and place for everything, and today I called and congratulated Jim Webb."
Connecticut
Democratic Senator
Joe LiebermanJoseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman is the junior United States Senator from Connecticut. First elected to the Senate in 1988, Lieberman was elected to a fourth term on November 7, 2006...
of
ConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and New York to the west and south ....
was originally thought to be a shoo-in, but his reelection prospects were complicated by political cross-currents. Lieberman drew fire from the more anti-war elements within the Democratic party for his continual support for the foreign policy of
PresidentThe President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition...
George W. BushGeorge Walker Bush was the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 and the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000....
and for statements in which he has criticized other Democrats for "undermining the President" during a time of war.
GreenwichGreenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 61,101. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies that have left Manhattan. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in...
telecom-networking businessman
Ned LamontEdward Miner "Ned" Lamont, Jr. was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for the United States Senate in the Connecticut United States Senate election held on on November 7 2006...
declared his candidacy for the Democratic nomination in March, and while the Democratic state convention in May overwhelmingly endorsed Lieberman, Lamont's 33.4% support was more than twice the 15% needed to force a primary.
Lamont defeated Lieberman for the Democratic nomination in the August 8 primary 52%-48%. Lieberman decided to remain in the race as a "petitioning candidate," having announced on July 3, 2006, that he would begin collecting the necessary signatures to run as an
independentIn politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
in case he lost the primary. He also filed to create a new independent party, "
Connecticut for LiebermanConnecticut for Lieberman is a Connecticut political party created by twenty-five supporters of Senator Joe Lieberman. The party was created to enable Lieberman to run for re-election following his defeat in the 2006 Connecticut Democratic primary...
."
Challenging Lamont and Lieberman in the general election was Republican
Alan SchlesingerAlan Schlesinger is an attorney, former Derby, Connecticut mayor, former Connecticut State Representative, and three-time unsuccessful Congressional candidate who received the Republican nomination for the seat representing Connecticut that is currently held by U.S...
, former mayor of
DerbyDerby is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 12,391 at the 2000 census. With of land area, Derby is Connecticut's smallest municipality.The town has a Metro-North railroad station called Derby-Shelton.-History:...
and a former state representative. Schlesinger had a history of winning crossover Democratic voters, but he had never run in a large constituency. Schlesinger was embarrassed when it was revealed that he was thrown out of a casino for counting cards under an assumed name.
Lieberman went on to win the election with 50% of the vote to Lamont's 40%. Schlesinger trailed far behind with only 10%, in part due to Lieberman receiving support from only 33% of Democrats but a commanding 70% of Republicans. While Lieberman won as the
CFLConnecticut for Lieberman is a Connecticut political party created by twenty-five supporters of Senator Joe Lieberman. The party was created to enable Lieberman to run for re-election following his defeat in the 2006 Connecticut Democratic primary...
nominee, he decided to serve as an
Independent DemocratIndependent Democrat is a term occasionally adopted by members of the United States Congress to refer to their party affiliation.The first Independent Democrat in the United States House of Representatives was Zadok Casey in the mid-19th century...
in the current Congress and continue to caucus with Senate Democrats.
Maryland
Senator
Paul SarbanesPaul Spyros Sarbanes , a Democrat, is a former United States Senator who represented the state of Maryland. Sarbanes was the longest-serving senator in Maryland history, having served from 1977 until 2007. He did not seek re-election in 2006, when he was succeeded by fellow Democrat Ben Cardin...
announced on March 11, 2005, that he would retire rather than run for re-election in 2006. Sarbanes' seat had been considered safe, considering
MarylandMaryland is a state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east. It is comparable in size to the European country of Belgium. According to the U.S...
's Democratic voting tendencies and the overall pro-Democratic undercurrents of the 2006 elections. Representative
Ben CardinBenjamin Louis "Ben" Cardin is the junior United States Senator from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. Before his election to the Senate, Cardin was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing from 1987 to 2007.Cardin was elected to succeed Paul Sarbanes in...
bested former Representative and NAACP President
Kweisi MfumeKweisi Mfume is the former President/CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People , as well as a five-term Democratic Congressman from Maryland's 7th congressional district, serving in the 100th through 104th Congress...
and others in the Democratic primary.
Lieutenant GovernorThe Lieutenant Governor of Maryland is the second highest ranking official in the executive branch of the state government of Maryland in the United States. He or she is elected on the same ticket as the Governor of Maryland and must meet the same qualifications.The current Lieutenant Governor is...
Michael S. SteeleMichael Stephen Steele is an American political figure, currently serving as the chairman of the Republican National Committee. He is the first African American to chair the Republican National Committee and the second to chair either major U.S. party's National Committee after Ron Brown, who...
, a Republican, announced his candidacy on October 25, 2005, and won the Republican nomination over token opposition. Democrats had a natural advantage in Maryland, with its large number of African-American voters and government workers, but Steele's personal popularity and potential appeal with fellow blacks kept the race somewhat competitive. On November 7, Cardin was victorious over Steele by a vote of 54%-44%.
Minnesota
On February 9, 2005, Senator
Mark DaytonMark Brandt Dayton is a former Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party U.S. Senator from Minnesota who served from 2001 to 2007 in the 107th, 108th, and 109th Congresses.-Personal Background:...
announced that he would not seek a second term in the Senate.
Hennepin CountyHennepin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota, named in honor of the 17th-century French explorer Father Louis Hennepin. As of 2000 the population was 1,116,200; in 2008 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated its population to be 1,140,988. Its county seat is Minneapolis...
Attorney
Amy KlobucharAmy Jean Klobuchar is the senior United States Senator from Minnesota. She is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, an affiliate of the Democratic Party...
was the
Democratic-Farmer-Labor PartyThe Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party is a major political party in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was created on April 15, 1944 when the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer-Labor Party merged. Hubert Humphrey was instrumental in this merger. The party is affiliated with the national...
(DFL) nominee.
RepublicanThe Republican Party of Minnesota is the Minnesota branch of the United States Republican Party. Elected by the party’s state central committee in June 2009, its current chairman is Tony Sutton, and its deputy-chairman is Michael Brodkorb.-Early history:...
Representative Mark Kennedy secured major GOP endorsements in early 2005 and defeated nominal opposition in the primary. Kennedy benefited from high-profile Republicans coming to do fundraisers for him, including
Vice PresidentThe Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people through the Electoral College to a four-year term...
Dick CheneyRichard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 in the administration of George W. Bush....
in July 2005 and
PresidentThe President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition...
George W. BushGeorge Walker Bush was the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 and the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000....
in December 2005. An October 30th Mason-Dixon poll had Klobuchar leading Kennedy 50% to 40%. On November 7, 2006, Amy Klobuchar won the race with 58% of the vote to Mark Kennedy's 38%.
New Jersey
Jon CorzineJon Stevens Corzine is the Governor of New Jersey and a former United States Senator. A Democrat, Corzine served five years of a six-year Senate term before being elected Governor in 2005. He is a candidate for re-election in 2009....
, elected to the Senate in 2000, was elected
Governor of New JerseyThe Governor of New Jersey is the chief executive of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The current holder of that office is Jon Corzine, who re-assumed executive powers on May 7, 2007 from acting Gov. Richard Codey, after recuperating from an automobile accident on April 12, 2007...
in
2005The New Jersey gubernatorial election of 2005 was a race for the Governor of New Jersey. It was held on November 8, 2005. Incumbent Democratic Governor Richard Codey, who replaced Governor Jim McGreevey in 2004 after his resignation, did not run for election for a full term of office.The primary...
. Corzine appointed Rep. Bob Menendez to serve the last year of the Senate term, and Menendez was sworn in to fill Corzine's vacancy on January 18,
2006. Republican State Senator Thomas Kean, Jr. (the son of former Governor and
9/11 CommissionThe National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, also known as the 9/11 Commission, was set up on November 27, 2002 "to prepare a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001 attacks", including preparedness for and the immediate response to...
Chairman
Thomas KeanThomas Howard Kean is an American Republican Party politician, who served as the 48th Governor of New Jersey, from 1982 to 1990...
) announced on March 25, 2005, that he would run for the U.S. Senate. Both nominees have problems within their own parties; Menendez has alienated many fellow Democrats with his aggressiveness and abrasiveness, while Kean is unpopular with party conservatives who consider him to be too liberal.
Menendez had an approval rating of 38%, which was thought to be a sign of vulnerability for the incumbent, especially since his disapproval was at 50%. Although incumbents approval ratings below 50% are generally considered vulnerable, this standard perhaps did not apply to Menendez as he had just been appointed at the start of 2006 and was not well known statewide, a far different situation from most incumbents. President
George W. BushGeorge Walker Bush was the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 and the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000....
was highly unpopular in the state, but Governor Corzine's early performance in office met with widespread disapproval, contributing to the large number of undecided voters. The campaign became increasingly aggressive, with Menendez calling Kean a Bush lackey while Kean repeatedly attacked Menendez as corrupt.
An October 16 Zogby poll had Kean leading Menendez 47% to 45%. An October 23 LA Times/Bloomberg poll had Menendez leading Kean 45% to 41%. A Rasmussen Reports poll from October 25 had Kean leading Menendez 43% to 41%. A November 2 poll by Zogby/Reuters showed a 49% to 37% Menendez lead. Another November 2 poll by Rutgers showed Menendez up 46% to 42% and a third by Public Mind showed a 48% to 38% Menendez edge. A November 3rd poll by [Rasmussen] showed a 48% to 43% Menendez lead. A Monmouth University November 3 had Menendez leading Kean 45% to 42% with 10% undecided.
On election night Menendez defeated Kean Jr. by a vote of 53% to 45%.
Vermont
Senator
Jim JeffordsJames Merrill "Jim" Jeffords is a former U.S. Senator from Vermont. He served as a Republican until 2001, when he left the party to become an independent.-Background:...
of
VermontThe State of Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd by land area, , and 45th by total area. It has a population of 621,270, making it the second least-populated state...
left the Republican Party to become an independent soon after being reelected as a Republican in the 2000 election. On April 20, 2005, he declared he would not seek another term. The national Democratic Party put independent Representative
Bernie SandersBernard "Bernie" Sanders is the junior United States Senator from Vermont, elected on November 7, 2006. Before becoming Senator, Sanders represented Vermont's at-large district in the United States House of Representatives for 16 years.Sanders is a self-described democratic socialist, but because...
on their party's ballot in order to keep other Democrats from having a possible "spoiler" effect on the general election results. Sanders won both the Democratic line and an independent line on the ballot.
Richard TarrantRichard Edward Tarrant, is an American businessman, and politician. Most recently, he was the Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from the state of Vermont in 2006, but lost the election to Representative Bernie Sanders...
was the Republican nominee, after winning the primary election on September 12. Sanders, a popular political figure in Vermont, won with 65% of the vote.
Republican holds
Arizona
Wealthy real estate developer
Jim PedersonJames "Jim" Pederson , is an American businessman, co-founder of the commercial development firm The Pederson Group, and was the Chairman of the Arizona Democratic Party from 2001 to 2005...
declared his intention to challenge Senator
Jon KylJon Llewellyn Kyl is the Republican junior U.S. Senator representing Arizona. He is currently the Senate Minority Whip, tasked with maintaining party discipline. Jon Kyl was born in the Midwest and moved to Arizona for College and Law School. He later got married and launched his career in Arizona...
of
ArizonaThe State of Arizona is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. The capital and largest city is Phoenix. The second largest city is Tucson, followed in size by the four Phoenix metropolitan area cities of Mesa, Glendale, Chandler, and Scottsdale.Arizona was the 48th and...
on September 14, 2005. Pederson served as Arizona Democratic Party Chairman from 2001 to 2005 while spending millions of his own money to help Democrats modernize and to elect
Janet NapolitanoJanet Ann Napolitano is the third United States Secretary of Homeland Security. She assumed the job on January 21, 2009, and is the first woman to serve in that office...
as governor. Kyl got an unexpected boost when
TIMETime is an American newsmagazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong. As of 2009, Time no longer publishes a Canadian advertiser edition...
listed him as one of the Ten Best Senators. While polling in October showed Pederson catching up, Kyl was re-elected 53%-44%.
Tennessee
Senator
Bill FristWilliam Harrison "Bill" Frist, Sr. is an American physician, businessman, and politician. Frist served two terms as a United States Senator representing Tennessee where he became the Republican Majority Leader from 2003 until his retirement in 2007...
of
TennesseeTennessee is a state located in the Southeastern United States. According to the 2008 census, it has a population of 6,214,888, an increase of nearly 9.5% since 2000. Tennessee is the 14th fastest growing state in the US and is ranked 17th by population. It is ranked 36th by total land area. In...
, the current Majority Leader, had previously promised to leave the Senate when his second term ended in January 2007, and was widely considered to have
presidentialThe President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition...
aspirations for 2008 (however, he announced in late November, 2006, that he would not pursue a Presidential run).
Although Tennessee's electoral votes went to George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004, a majority of the state offices are held by Democrats. Tennessee also has more registered Democratic voters than Republican voters and was at the time one of two states in the south to send more Democrats to the U.S. House of Representatives than Republicans, the other being Arkansas.
The Democratic nominee was Representative
Harold Ford, Jr.Harold Eugene Ford, Jr. is the current chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council . He was a Democratic Party member of the United States House of Representatives from , centered in Memphis, from 1997 to 2007...
and the Republican nominee was
Bob CorkerRobert Phillips "Bob" Corker, Jr. , is the junior United States Senator from Tennessee. Before his election to the Senate in 2006, he served as mayor of Chattanooga from 2001 to 2005...
, both of whom won primaries on August 3. Corker, former mayor of
ChattanoogaChattanooga is the fourth-largest city in Tennessee , and the seat of Hamilton County. Located in southeastern Tennessee on Chickamauga Lake and Nickajack Lake, which are both part of the Tennessee River, Chattanooga lies approximately 120 miles to the northwest of Atlanta, Georgia, about 135...
and 1994 Senate candidate, was well funded and advertised heavily in the western portion of the state during his primary campaign, where he was relatively unknown before this race. Ford was the representative from
Tennessee's 9th congressional districtThe 9th Congressional District of Tennessee is a Congressional district in southwestern Tennessee. The district is located entirely within Shelby County, and includes most of the city of Memphis...
in the United States House of Representatives. Like Corker, Ford showed exceptional fundraising prowess, and the race was an expensive one for both parties.
The candidates exchanged leads in the polls, and there were a number of negative charges. Ford attacked Corker's business dealings. Corker portrayed Ford as a hyper-political Washington insider with nothing in common with Tennessee residents. The campaign made headlines when the Republican National Committee ran an ad that, among other things, ridiculed Ford for attending a party thrown by the Playboy corporation. It featured a
fictional blond Playboy BunnyJohanna Cardona-Goldsmith is an American actress from Austin, Texas most widely known for her involvement in the Tennessee Senate election of 2006 when she appeared in the controversial "Call Me" political advertisement created by the Republican National Committee for Republican candidate and...
squealing, "I met Harold at the Playboy Party!" and then winking and saying, "Harold, call me." Democrats called the ad an attempt to play on racial prejudice, and Corker distanced himself from the ad.
Corker won the election 51%-48%.
Races
| State |
Incumbent |
Party |
Status |
Candidates |
| Arizona |
Jon KylJon Llewellyn Kyl is the Republican junior U.S. Senator representing Arizona. He is currently the Senate Minority Whip, tasked with maintaining party discipline. Jon Kyl was born in the Midwest and moved to Arizona for College and Law School. He later got married and launched his career in Arizona...
|
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
|
Re-elected, 53.3% |
Jim PedersonJames "Jim" Pederson , is an American businessman, co-founder of the commercial development firm The Pederson Group, and was the Chairman of the Arizona Democratic Party from 2001 to 2005...
(Democrat) 43.5%
Richard Mack (Libertarian) 3.2% |
| California |
Dianne FeinsteinDianne Goldman Berman Feinstein is the senior U.S. Senator from California and a member of the Democratic Party. Feinstein was first elected to the U.S...
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
|
Re-elected, 59.4% |
Dick Mountjoy Richard L. "Dick" Mountjoy is a Republican politician from Monrovia, California.-Personal life:Mountjoy was born in Los Angeles. He is married to Earline Winnett. He has two sons, Michael and Dennis Lee, and one daughter, Judy...
(Republican) 35.2%
Don Grundmann (American IndependentThe American Independent Party is a political party that was a vehicle for the 1968 presidential campaign of Governor of Alabama George C. Wallace, considered a leading advocate of racial segregation. After that election, the party continued as a California statewide party.The party was established...
) 1.8%
Todd ChretienTodd Chretien , an American activist, was the Green Party candidate for United States Senate in California in 2006. He ran with a slate of Green candidates dubbed "A million votes for peace," expressing an anti-war view and the hope of receiving one million votes in the general election...
(Green) 1.7%
Michael Metti (Libertarian) 1.6%
Marsha FeinlandMarsha Feinland was a third-party candidate for President of the United States in the 1996 U.S. presidential election. Her running mate was Kate McClatchy; they were only on the ballot in California and received 25,332 votes...
(Peace and Freedom) 1.3% |
ConnecticutThe 2006 election of a United States Senator from the state of Connecticut was held on November 7 2006. Incumbent Senator Joe Lieberman won the election with approximately 50% of the vote, and will serve a six-year term from January 3, 2007 to January 3, 2013...
|
Joe LiebermanJoseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman is the junior United States Senator from Connecticut. First elected to the Senate in 1988, Lieberman was elected to a fourth term on November 7, 2006...
|
Connecticut for Lieberman Connecticut for Lieberman is a Connecticut political party created by twenty-five supporters of Senator Joe Lieberman. The party was created to enable Lieberman to run for re-election following his defeat in the 2006 Connecticut Democratic primary...
|
Defeated in Democratic primary, won re-election as member of Connecticut for Lieberman, 49.7% |
Ned LamontEdward Miner "Ned" Lamont, Jr. was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for the United States Senate in the Connecticut United States Senate election held on on November 7 2006...
(Democrat) 39.7%
Alan SchlesingerAlan Schlesinger is an attorney, former Derby, Connecticut mayor, former Connecticut State Representative, and three-time unsuccessful Congressional candidate who received the Republican nomination for the seat representing Connecticut that is currently held by U.S...
(Republican) 9.6%
Ralph Ferrucci (GreenThe Green Party of the United States is one of the political parties in the United States, and similar in mission to many of the worldwide Green Parties. The Greens, a voluntary association of state parties, have been active as a nationally recognized political party since 2001...
) 0.5%
Timothy Knibbs (Concerned CitizensThe Concerned Citizens Party is the Connecticut affiliate of the Constitution Party. The party's name is related to ballot access issues in Connecticut which have made it advantageous for the group to retain a name differing from the national organization with which they are affiliated...
) 0.4% |
| Delaware |
Tom CarperThomas Richard "Tom" Carper is an American economist and politician from Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware...
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
|
Re-elected, 70.2% |
Jan Ting (Republican) 28.7%
William E. MorrisWilliam E. "Bill" Morris founded the Libertarian Party of Delaware in 1975 and the advocacy group SAFE as an alternative to the AARP in 1997. In 2004, Morris first ran for political office as the Delaware Libertarian candidate for a United States House of Representatives seat...
(Libertarian) 1.1% |
| Florida |
Bill NelsonClarence William "Bill" Nelson is the senior U.S. Senator from Florida. Nelson is a member of the Democratic Party. Nelson became the second sitting member of the United States Congress to fly in space when he flew aboard the as a Payload Specialist during NASA mission STS-61-C...
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
|
Re-elected, 60.3% |
Katherine HarrisKatherine Harris is an American Republican politician, former Secretary of State of Florida, and former member of the United States House of Representatives. Harris won the 2002 election to represent Florida's 13th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. She held that post...
(Republican) 38.1%
Belinda NoahBelinda Noah is an attorney and a law professor from Tampa Bay, Florida. She initially intended to challenge Congresswoman Katherine Harris in a primary for the 2006 Republican U.S. Senate nomination, but decided to skip the primary and face incumbent Senator C. William Nelson in the general...
(IndependentIn politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
) 0.5%
Brian MooreBrian Patrick Moore is a democratic socialist politician from Spring Hill, Florida. He was the Socialist Party USA and Liberty Union Party candidate for President of the United States in 2008...
(GreenThe Green Party of the United States is one of the political parties in the United States, and similar in mission to many of the worldwide Green Parties. The Greens, a voluntary association of state parties, have been active as a nationally recognized political party since 2001...
) 0.4%
Floyd Ray Frazier (IndependentIn politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
) 0.3%
Roy Tanner (IndependentIn politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
) 0.3% |
| Hawaii |
Daniel AkakaDaniel Kahikina Akaka is the junior U.S. Senator from Hawaii and a member of the Democratic Party. He is the first U.S. Senator of Native Hawaiian ancestry and is currently the only member of the Senate who has Chinese ancestry...
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
|
Re-elected, 61.4% |
Cynthia Thielen Cynthia Thielen is a Republican member of the Hawaii House of Representatives and was the Republican nominee for United States Senate in 2006, challenging incumbent Democrat Daniel Akaka...
(Republican) 36.8%
Lloyd Mallan (Libertarian) 1.9% |
| Indiana |
Richard Lugar |
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
|
Re-elected, 87.3% |
Steve Osborn (Libertarian) 12.6% |
| Maine |
Olympia SnoweOlympia Jean Snowe McKernan , née Bouchles, is the senior United States Senator from Maine. She is a Republican and a leading moderate within the party....
|
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
|
Re-elected, 74.4% |
Jean Hay Bright Jean Hay Bright is an American politician from Maine.Hay Bright previously ran for the Democratic nomination to the House of Representatives in 1994 and the Senate in 1996. Hay Bright is also a writer and former investigative reporter who has written three books and many published columns.- 2006...
(Democrat) 20.5%
Bill SlavickBill Slavick is a peace activist who ran for the U.S. Senate in Maine as an independent in the 2006 election. He came in third place, receiving 5.2% of the vote.-Background:...
(IndependentIn politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
) 5.2% |
| Maryland |
Paul SarbanesPaul Spyros Sarbanes , a Democrat, is a former United States Senator who represented the state of Maryland. Sarbanes was the longest-serving senator in Maryland history, having served from 1977 until 2007. He did not seek re-election in 2006, when he was succeeded by fellow Democrat Ben Cardin...
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
|
Retired, Democratic victory |
Ben CardinBenjamin Louis "Ben" Cardin is the junior United States Senator from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. Before his election to the Senate, Cardin was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing from 1987 to 2007.Cardin was elected to succeed Paul Sarbanes in...
(Democrat) 54.2%
Michael SteeleMichael Stephen Steele is an American political figure, currently serving as the chairman of the Republican National Committee. He is the first African American to chair the Republican National Committee and the second to chair either major U.S. party's National Committee after Ron Brown, who...
(Republican) 44.2%
Kevin ZeeseKevin Zeese is an American political activist who has been a leader in the drug policy reform and peace movements and in efforts to ensure a voter verified paper audit trail. He was on the ballot as the nominee of the Maryland Green Party for a U.S. Senate seat during the 2006 election,...
(Green) 1.5% |
MassachusettsThe 2006 Massachusetts U.S. Senate election took place on November 7, 2006. Ted Kennedy, the incumbent since late 1962, was one of the most prominent liberal statesmen in American politics. As was typical of Kennedy in a heavily Democratic Massachusetts, he won the election in a landslide victory...
|
Ted KennedyEdward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. First elected in November 1962, he was elected nine times and served for 46 years in the U.S. Senate. At the time of his death, he was the second most senior member of the Senate, and...
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
|
Re-elected, 69.5% |
Kenneth Chase (Republican) 30.5% |
| Michigan |
Debbie StabenowDeborah Ann "Debbie" Stabenow , née Greer, is a Democratic United States Senator from Michigan.In the 2000 election, Stabenow defeated the Republican incumbent, Senator Spencer Abraham. She is the first female U.S. Senator from Michigan...
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
|
Re-elected, 56.9% |
Mike Bouchard Michael "Mike" Bouchard is a Republican candidate for governor of Michigan and the sheriff of Oakland County...
(Republican) 41.3%
Leonard Schwartz (LibertarianThe Libertarian Party is a United States political party founded on December 11, 1971.In the 30 states where voters can register by party there are over 200,000 voters registered with the Libertarian Party, making it one of the largest of America's alternative political parties...
) 0.7%
David Sole (GreenThe Green Party of the United States is one of the political parties in the United States, and similar in mission to many of the worldwide Green Parties. The Greens, a voluntary association of state parties, have been active as a nationally recognized political party since 2001...
) 0.6%
W. Dennis FitzSimons (ConstitutionThe Constitution Party is a United States political party rooted in the paleoconservative movement. It was founded as the U.S. Taxpayers' Party in 1992. The party's official name was changed to the Constitution Party in 1999; however, some state affiliate parties are known under different names...
) 0.5% |
| Minnesota |
Mark DaytonMark Brandt Dayton is a former Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party U.S. Senator from Minnesota who served from 2001 to 2007 in the 107th, 108th, and 109th Congresses.-Personal Background:...
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
|
Retired, Democratic victory |
Amy KlobucharAmy Jean Klobuchar is the senior United States Senator from Minnesota. She is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, an affiliate of the Democratic Party...
(Democratic-Farmer-LaborThe Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party is a major political party in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was created on April 15, 1944 when the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer-Labor Party merged. Hubert Humphrey was instrumental in this merger. The party is affiliated with the national...
) 58.1%
Mark Kennedy (Republican) 37.9%
Robert Fitzgerald (IndependenceThe Independence Party of Minnesota , formerly the Reform Party of Minnesota, is the third largest political party in Minnesota, behind the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and Republican Party. It is the political party of former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura , and endorsed former U.S...
) 3.2%
Michael CavlanMichael Cavlan is a Minnesota political activist and registered nurse from Apple Valley, Minnesota. Cavlan was the 2006 Green Party candidate for the United States Senate seat from Minnesota.-Personal life:...
(GreenThe Green Party of the United States is one of the political parties in the United States, and similar in mission to many of the worldwide Green Parties. The Greens, a voluntary association of state parties, have been active as a nationally recognized political party since 2001...
) 0.5%
Ben Powers (ConstitutionThe Constitution Party is a United States political party rooted in the paleoconservative movement. It was founded as the U.S. Taxpayers' Party in 1992. The party's official name was changed to the Constitution Party in 1999; however, some state affiliate parties are known under different names...
) 0.3% |
| Mississippi |
Trent LottChester Trent Lott Sr. is a former United States Senator from Mississippi. He has served in numerous leadership positions in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, including House Minority Whip, Senate Majority Leader, Senate Minority Leader, and Senate Minority Whip...
|
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
|
Re-elected, 63.6% |
Erik Fleming (Democrat) 34.8%
Harold Taylor (Libertarian) 1.5% |
| Missouri |
Jim TalentJames Matthes "Jim" Talent is an American politician and former Senator from Missouri. He is a Republican and resided in the St. Louis area while serving in elected office. He identifies with the conservative wing of the Republican party, being particularly outspoken on judicial appointments,...
|
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
|
Defeated, 47.3% |
Claire McCaskill Claire Conner McCaskill is an American Democratic politician, currently the junior United States Senator from the state of Missouri and former State Auditor of Missouri. She defeated Republican Senator Jim Talent in 2006 by a margin of 50% to 47%. She is the first female senator from Missouri...
(Democrat) 49.6%
Frank Gilmour (Libertarian) 1.2%
Lydia Lewis (GreenThe Green Party of the United States is one of the political parties in the United States, and similar in mission to many of the worldwide Green Parties. The Greens, a voluntary association of state parties, have been active as a nationally recognized political party since 2001...
) 0.9% |
| Montana |
Conrad BurnsConrad Ray Burns is a former United States Senator from Montana. He was only the second Republican to represent Montana in the Senate since the passage in 1913 of the Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution and is the longest-serving Republican senator in Montana history.While in the Senate,...
|
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
|
Defeated, 48.3% |
Jon TesterJon Tester is an organic farmer and junior U.S. Senator from the state of Montana, and a member of the Democratic Party. Prior to his election in 2006, he served as President of the Montana State Senate.-Background:...
(Democrat) 49.2%
Stan Jones (Libertarian) 2.6% |
| Nebraska |
Ben NelsonEarl Benjamin "Ben" Nelson is the Senior U.S. Senator from Nebraska, where he was born and has lived for most of his life. Nelson is a Methodist. A Democrat, he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000, and is now one of the leading conservative Democrats in the Senate...
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
|
Re-elected, 63.9% |
Pete Ricketts John Peter "Pete" Ricketts is the former Chief Operating Officer of Ameritrade . He was the Republican nominee for the 2006 U.S. Senate race in Nebraska which he lost to incumbent Ben Nelson....
(Republican) 36.1% |
| Nevada |
John EnsignJohn Eric Ensign is the junior United States Senator from Nevada, serving since January 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party and the former chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee....
|
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
|
Re-elected, 55.4% |
Jack Carter John William "Jack" Carter, , is an American businessman and politician who unsuccessfully ran for the United States Senate in Nevada in 2006. Carter is the eldest child of former President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter....
(Democrat) 41%
None of These CandidatesNone of These Candidates is a voting option for Nevada voters for President of the United States and for state constitutional positions. This is listed along with the names of individuals running for the position....
1.4%
David Schumann (Constitution) 1.3%
Brendan Trainor (LibertarianThe Libertarian Party is a United States political party founded on December 11, 1971.In the 30 states where voters can register by party there are over 200,000 voters registered with the Libertarian Party, making it one of the largest of America's alternative political parties...
) 0.9% |
| New Jersey |
Bob Menendez |
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
|
Elected, 53.4% |
Thomas Kean Jr.Thomas Howard "Tom" Kean Jr. is an American Republican politician, serving in the New Jersey State Senate since 2003. He represents the 21st Legislative District, which covers parts of Union, Morris, Somerset and Essex Counties. On November 8, 2007 he was elected to serve as Minority Leader of the...
(Republican) 44.3%
Len Flynn (LibertarianThe Libertarian Party is a United States political party founded on December 11, 1971.In the 30 states where voters can register by party there are over 200,000 voters registered with the Libertarian Party, making it one of the largest of America's alternative political parties...
) 0.7%
Ed Forchion (MarijuanaThe United States Marijuana Party is a cannabis political party in the United States founded in 2002 by Loretta Nall specifically to end the war on drugs and to legalize cannabis. Their policies also include other socially libertarian positions...
) 0.5%
J.M. Carter (IndependentIn politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
) 0.4%
N. Leonard SmithN. Leonard "Len" Smith is an American politician from New Jersey. He was a 2006 independent candidate for the United States Senate, a former member of the Camden County Board of Chosen Freeholders, and is a pro-life activist.-Biography:Smith was born in Philadelphia on March 13, 1929...
(IndependentIn politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
) 0.3%
Daryl Brooks (IndependentIn politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
) 0.2%
Angela Lariscy (Socialist WorkersThe Socialist Workers Party is a communist political party in the United States. The group places a priority on "solidarity work" to aid strikes and is strongly supportive of Cuba. The SWP publishes The Militant, a weekly newspaper that dates back to 1928, and maintains Pathfinder Press, which...
) 0.2%
Gregory Pason (SocialistThe Socialist Party USA is one of the heirs to the Socialist Party of America of Eugene V. Debs and Norman Thomas. It is a democratic socialist, multi-tendency party, advocating a broad-based, democratic social revolution from below...
) 0.1% |
| New Mexico |
Jeff BingamanJesse Francis "Jeff" Bingaman, Jr. , is the senior U.S. Senator from New Mexico. He has been in the Senate since 1983 and is a member of the Democratic Party. Bingaman was Attorney General of New Mexico from 1978 until his election to the U.S. Senate in 1982, when he defeated Republican incumbent...
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
|
Re-elected, 70.6% |
Allen McCulloch Allen McCulloch was the Republican nominee in New Mexico's United States Senate election in 2006, and is a private practice urologist in Farmington, New Mexico....
(Republican) 29.3% |
| New York |
Hillary Clinton |
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
|
Re-elected, 67.0% |
John Spencer John Spencer is the former Mayor of Yonkers, New York . He was the 2006 Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from New York and lost to incumbent Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton...
(Republican) 31.0%
Howie HawkinsHowie Hawkins is an American politician and activist running for US Congress in New York's 25th congressional district. He co-founded the anti-nuclear Clamshell Alliance in 1976 and the Green Party in the United States in 1984. He was New York's Green Party candidate for the U.S. Senate in the...
(Green) 1.2%
Jeff Russell (LibertarianThe Libertarian Party is a United States political party founded on December 11, 1971.In the 30 states where voters can register by party there are over 200,000 voters registered with the Libertarian Party, making it one of the largest of America's alternative political parties...
) 0.4%
Bill Van AukenBill Van Auken is a politician and activist for the Socialist Equality Party and was a presidential candidate in the U.S. election of 2004, announcing his candidacy on January 27, 2004. His running mate was Jim Lawrence. He came in 15th for the popular vote, receiving 1,857 votes. In November...
(Socialist EqualityThe Socialist Equality Party is a Trotskyist political party in the United States, one of several Socialist Equality Parties around the world affiliated to the International Committee of the Fourth International ....
) 0.2%
Roger Calero Róger Calero is a Nicaraguan American journalist and one of the leaders of the Socialist Workers Party. He was SWP candidate for President of the United States in 2004 and 2008, and for the United States Senate in New York in 2006....
(Socialist WorkersThe Socialist Workers Party is a communist political party in the United States. The group places a priority on "solidarity work" to aid strikes and is strongly supportive of Cuba. The SWP publishes The Militant, a weekly newspaper that dates back to 1928, and maintains Pathfinder Press, which...
) 0.2% |
| North Dakota |
Kent ConradKent Gaylord Conrad is a United States senator from North Dakota. He is a member of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party, the North Dakota affiliate of the Democratic Party. He is the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee....
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
|
Re-elected, 68.8% |
Dwight Grotberg Dwight Grotberg is a North Dakota politician and a former Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in North Dakota. He ran against the Democratic-NPL incumbent, Kent Conrad, on November 7, 2006, but did not defeat him...
(Republican) 29.5%
Roland Riemers (Independent) 1.0%
James Germalic (Independent) 0.6% |
| Ohio |
Mike DeWineRichard Michael "Mike" DeWine is a former two-term Republican senator from Ohio, serving from 1995 to 2007.Born in Springfield, Ohio, to Jean and Richard L. DeWine, DeWine lives in Cedarville but grew up in neighboring Yellow Springs, Ohio...
|
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
|
Defeated, 43.8% |
Sherrod BrownSherrod Campbell Brown is the junior United States Senator from the state of Ohio, and a member of the Democratic Party...
(Democrat) 56.2% |
| Pennsylvania |
Rick SantorumRichard John Santorum is a former United States Senator from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Santorum is a member of the Republican Party and was the chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, the number-three job in the party leadership of the Senate.Santorum is usually considered a social...
|
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
|
Defeated, 41.3% |
Bob Casey, Jr.Robert Patrick "Bob" Casey, Jr. , is the junior United States Senator from Pennsylvania, and a member of the Democratic Party. Before his election to the Senate in 2006, he served as Pennsylvania's Treasurer and Auditor General....
(Democrat) 58.7% |
| Rhode Island |
Lincoln ChafeeLincoln Davenport Chafee is a former United States Senator from Rhode Island. Running as a Republican, he lost his re-election bid in 2006 to Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse. In the summer of 2007, he left the Republican Party and became an independent...
|
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
|
Defeated, 46.5% |
Sheldon WhitehouseSheldon Whitehouse is the Junior Senator from the state of Rhode Island. A Democrat, he previously served as United States Attorney and state Attorney General for Rhode Island...
(Democrat) 53.5% |
| Tennessee |
Bill FristWilliam Harrison "Bill" Frist, Sr. is an American physician, businessman, and politician. Frist served two terms as a United States Senator representing Tennessee where he became the Republican Majority Leader from 2003 until his retirement in 2007...
|
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
|
Retired, Republican victory |
Bob CorkerRobert Phillips "Bob" Corker, Jr. , is the junior United States Senator from Tennessee. Before his election to the Senate in 2006, he served as mayor of Chattanooga from 2001 to 2005...
(Republican) 50.7%
Harold Ford, Jr.Harold Eugene Ford, Jr. is the current chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council . He was a Democratic Party member of the United States House of Representatives from , centered in Memphis, from 1997 to 2007...
(Democrat) 48.0%
Ed Choate (IndependentIn politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
) 0.6%
David Gatchell (IndependentIn politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
) 0.2%
Emory "Bo" Heyward (IndependentIn politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
) 0.2%
H. Gary Keplinger (IndependentIn politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
) 0.2%
Chris Lugo (GreenThe Green Party of the United States is one of the political parties in the United States, and similar in mission to many of the worldwide Green Parties. The Greens, a voluntary association of state parties, have been active as a nationally recognized political party since 2001...
) 0.1% |
| Texas |
Kay Bailey HutchisonKathryn Ann "Kay" Bailey Hutchison , is the senior United States Senator from Texas and a candidate for the 2010 Texas gubernatorial election. She is a member of the Republican Party. In 2001, she was named one of the thirty most powerful women in America by Ladies Home Journal. She is the first...
|
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
|
Re-elected, 61.7% |
Barbara Ann Radnofsky Barbara Ann Radnofsky was the Democratic nominee for the Texas U.S. Senate seat currently held by Kay Bailey Hutchison, in 2006. She is the first woman to have won the Democratic nomination for a U.S. Senate seat in Texas....
(Democrat) 36.0%
Scott Jameson (Libertarian) 2.3% |
| Utah |
Orrin HatchOrrin Grant Hatch is a Republican United States Senator from Utah, serving since 1977.Hatch is a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, where he serves on the subcommittees on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure and Taxation and IRS Oversight...
|
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
|
Re-elected, 62.6% |
Pete AshdownPeter Lynn "Pete" Ashdown is the founder and CEO of Utah's first independent and oldest Internet service provider, XMission. In 2006 he challenged and lost to incumbent U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch, running as the Democratic candidate....
(Democrat) 30.8%
Scott Bradley (Constitution) 3.8%
Roger Price (Personal ChoiceThe Personal Choice Party is a United States political party whose presidential candidate for 2004 qualified for the ballot in the state of Utah....
)1.6%
Dave Seely (LibertarianThe Libertarian Party is a United States political party founded on December 11, 1971.In the 30 states where voters can register by party there are over 200,000 voters registered with the Libertarian Party, making it one of the largest of America's alternative political parties...
) 0.8%
Julian Hatch (GreenThe Green Party of the United States is one of the political parties in the United States, and similar in mission to many of the worldwide Green Parties. The Greens, a voluntary association of state parties, have been active as a nationally recognized political party since 2001...
) 0.4% |
| Vermont |
Jim JeffordsJames Merrill "Jim" Jeffords is a former U.S. Senator from Vermont. He served as a Republican until 2001, when he left the party to become an independent.-Background:...
|
Independent In politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
|
Retired, Independent victory |
Bernie SandersBernard "Bernie" Sanders is the junior United States Senator from Vermont, elected on November 7, 2006. Before becoming Senator, Sanders represented Vermont's at-large district in the United States House of Representatives for 16 years.Sanders is a self-described democratic socialist, but because...
(Independent) 65.4%
Richard TarrantRichard Edward Tarrant, is an American businessman, and politician. Most recently, he was the Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from the state of Vermont in 2006, but lost the election to Representative Bernie Sanders...
(Republican) 32.3%
Cris Ericson (IndependentIn politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
) 0.6%
Craig Hill (GreenThe Green Party of the United States is one of the political parties in the United States, and similar in mission to many of the worldwide Green Parties. The Greens, a voluntary association of state parties, have been active as a nationally recognized political party since 2001...
) 0.5%
Peter Moss (IndependentIn politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
) 0.5%
Peter Diamondstone (Liberty UnionThe Liberty Union Party of Vermont, founded in June 1970 by former Congressman William H. Meyer, Peter Diamondstone and others, originated in the anti-war and People's Party movements of the late 1960s and defines itself as a nonviolent socialist party....
) 0.3% |
| Virginia |
George Allen |
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
|
Defeated, 49.2% |
Jim WebbJames Henry "Jim" Webb, Jr. , is the senior Senator from Virginia. He is also an author and a former Secretary of the Navy under President Ronald Reagan. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
(DemocraticThe Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
) 49.6%
Gail Parker (Independent GreenThe Independent Greens of Virginia, , is the state affiliate of the Independence Party of America in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It became a state party in 2003 from a faction of the Arlington local of the Green Party of Virginia...
) 1.1% |
| Washington |
Maria CantwellMaria E. Cantwell is the junior United States Senator from the state of Washington and is a member of the Democratic Party. Previously she served in the Washington House of Representatives and one term as member of the United States House of Representatives from...
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
|
Re-elected, 56.85% |
Mike McGavick Michael S. "Mike" McGavick is an American business executive and a graduate of the University of Washington....
(Republican) 39.93%
Bruce GuthrieBruce Guthrie is an American politician and lecturer in the Department of Management at Western Washington University. He is also a competitive speed skater, and a coach in the Whatcom Speed Skating Club and developmentally disabled adults through NW Washington Special Olympics...
(Libertarian) 1.41%
Aaron DixonAaron Dixon is an American activist and a former captain of the Seattle chapter of the Black Panther Party for its initial four years . In 2006, he ran for the United States Senate in Washington state on the Green Party ticket....
(Green) 1.02%
Robin Adair (IndependentIn politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
) 0.79% |
| West Virginia |
Robert ByrdRobert Carlyle Byrd is the senior United States Senator from West Virginia, and a member and former Senate Leader of the Democratic Party. Byrd has been a Senator since January 3, 1959 and is the longest-serving member in the Senate's history; he has been the Dean of the Senate since 2003...
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
|
Re-elected, 64.4% |
John Raese John R. Raese is a West Virginia businessman and has been the Republican Party candidate for the United States Senate in 1984 and 2006.Raese's 1984 race was quite nearly the national U.S. Senate upset of that year...
(Republican) 33.7%
Jesse JohnsonJesse C. Johnson, Jr. is an Executive Committee member and former chair of the environmentalist Mountain Party, the West Virginia affiliate of the Green Party and has twice been his party's candidate for Governor of West Virginia once for a Senate seat.In 2004 he ran as the Mountain Party...
(MountainThe Mountain Party is a political party in the state of West Virginia that on July 8, 2007 at its state convention, voted to become the West Virginia affiliate of the Green Party. At the 2007 Green Party National Meeting the party was admitted to the Green Party as a state affiliate. It is a...
) 1.9% |
| Wisconsin |
Herb Kohl |
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
|
Re-elected, 67.31% |
Robert Lorge (Republican) 29.48%
Rae Vogeler (Green) 1.98%
Ben Glatzel (Independent) 1.17% |
| Wyoming |
Craig L. Thomas |
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
|
Re-elected, 69.99% |
Dale Groutage Dale Groutage is an engineer who unsuccessfully ran in 2006 as the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate in Wyoming against incumbent Senator Craig Thomas...
(Democrat) 29.86% |
Senate composition before and after elections
109th CongressThe One Hundred Ninth United States Congress was the legislative branch of the United States, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, from January 3, 2005 to January 3, 2007, during the fifth and sixth years of George W. Bush's presidency. House members...
Senate Composition |
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110th CongressThe One Hundred Tenth United States Congress was the meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, between January 3, 2007, and January 3, 2009, during the last two years of the second term of President George W. Bush. It was composed of the Senate and the House of...
Senate Composition |
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= Republican |
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= Independent In politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
* |
*Both independents caucus with the Democrats.
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See also
- United States House elections, 2006
The 2006 US House election was held on November 7, 2006 to elect members to the United States House of Representatives. All of the 435 seats in the House were up for election. Those elected are serving in the 110th United States Congress from January 3 2007 until January 3 2009...
- United States gubernatorial elections, 2006
The U.S. 2006 gubernatorial elections were held on November 7, 2006 in 36 states, with 22 of the seats held by Republicans and 14 by Democrats....
- United States Senate elections, 2004
The United States Senate election, 2004 was an election for one-third of the seats in the United States Senate which coincided with the re-election of George W. Bush as president and the United States House election, as well as many state and local elections...
- United States Senate elections, 2008
Elections for the United States Senate were held on November 4, 2008, with 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate being contested. Thirty-three seats were regular elections; the winners were eligible to serve six-year terms from January 3, 2009, to January 3, 2015, as members of Senate Class II...