United States Senate election in Ohio, 2006
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The Ohio Senate election of 2006 was held on November 7, 2006. Sherrod Brown was elected and will serve between January 3, 2007 and January 3, 2013. [1]
The incumbent Republican Senator, R. Michael DeWine had approval ratings at 38%[2], making him the second most unpopular U.S. Senator, behind Pennsylvania Republican Rick Santorum. The combination of a constitutional amendment on the ballot raising the minimum wage and the Coingate scandal involving the Ohio Republican Party hurt his re-election chances. Democratic hopes were also raised by the unpopularity of Republican Governor Robert A. Taft II. The Senator's son, R. Patrick DeWine, finished a distant fourth place in the June 5, 2005, primary for the Republican nomination for the Second Congressional District, suggesting that DeWine's influence might be waning. The resignation and subsequent conviction of former U.S. Representative Bob Ney of Ohio, and his ties to both Jack Abramoff and the state Republican Party, caused Mike DeWine further problems.
Pre-election stories in the U.S. media suggested that the national Republican Party may have given up on saving Senator DeWine's senate seat before election date.
Sherrod Brown, former Ohio Secretary of State and current U.S. Representative from Ohio's 13th district was the Democratic candidate, and the eventual winner.
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[edit] May primaries
DeWine faced a primary challenge from Republicans William G. Pierce, an engineer, and David R. Smith, an unsuccessful candidate in 2005 in Ohio's 2nd Congressional District, and in 2004 in Tennessee. Both candidates campaigned as conservative alternatives to DeWine, citing DeWine's support for legal abortion and his role as one of the Republican members of the Gang of 14 who compromised with Democrats in a dispute about judicial appointments. DeWine won 71.82% of the votes.[3]
Democrat Paul Hackett, an Iraq War veteran who has been critical of President Bush's foreign policy, announced on February 13, 2006 that he would withdraw from the race, because national party leaders had decided that Sherrod Brown had a better chance against DeWine. The Plain Dealer (2/18/06) also reported that there had been concerns that Hackett might not have had enough money after the primary to run the statewide advertising customary for a Senate camapaign.
Brown faced Merrill Keiser Jr., a trucking business owner/operator and Vietnam veteran, in the Democratic primary; Brown won with 78.05% of the vote.[4]
[edit] A targeted race
Because this race was targeted by Democrats, it made it all the more important to the GOP, who desired to retain Senate control. John McClelland, a spokesman for the Ohio Republican Party said, "It's vitally important to the Republican Party as a whole, so I think that's why you see the president coming to Ohio to support Mike DeWine. Phil Singer, a spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said, "Mike DeWine Senior is in for the fight of his life, make no mistake about it".[5]
According to an article in the October 16, 2006, edition of The New York Times, top Republican party officials on the national level determined that DeWine would probably be defeated and were moving financial support from his race to other Republican senatorial candidates they felt were more likely to win.[1]
[edit] Independent/third party candidates
There was one known third-party candidate:
- Richard Duncan (Independent) - Duncan ran as a write-in for President in 2004. [6]
Candidates no longer in the race:
- George Mays (Independent) - Karaoke and D.J. company owner. Mays was endorsed by the Ohio Reform Party, the New Frontier Coalition, and the Libertarians of the Northeast region.
[edit] Funds raised
DeWine continued to double Brown in cash on hand. Mays has yet to file a campaign report with the FEC. Totals through June 30.
| Candidate | Funds Raised [7] | Cash On-Hand [8] |
|---|---|---|
| Mike DeWine (R) | $7,772,534 | $6,635,440 |
| Sherrod Brown (D) | $3,712,862 | $3,718,577 |
[edit] Opinion polls
| Source | Date | Brown (D) | DeWine (R) | Duncan (I) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA | November 6, 2006 | 54% | 42% | |
| University of Cincinnati Ohio Poll | November 6, 2006 | 55.7% | 44.3% | |
| Columbus Dispatch | November 5, 2006 | 62% | 38% | |
| Mason-Dixon/MSNBC-McClatchy | November 5, 2006 | 50% | 44% | 1% |
| Rasmussen | November 4, 2006 | 54% | 43% | |
| Reuters/Zogby International | November 2, 2006 | 56% | 42% | |
| CNN/Opinion Research Corporation | October 31, 2006 | 54% | 43% | |
| Opinion Consultants | October 22-30, 2006 | 51% | 44% | |
| SurveyUSA | October 26, 2006 | 57% | 37% | |
| Rasmussen | October 26, 2006 | 53% | 41% | |
| Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg | October 24, 2006 | 47% | 39% | |
| Mason-Dixon/MSNBC | October 24, 2006 | 48% | 40% | |
| CBS News/New York Times | October 17, 2006 | 49% | 35% | |
| University of Cincinnati | October 17, 2006 | 52% | 45% | |
| Quinnipiac | October 17, 2006 | 53% | 41% | |
| Rasmussen | October 13, 2006 | 48% | 42% | |
| SurveyUSA | October 12, 2006 | 54% | 40% | |
| Rasmussen | October 5, 2006 | 49% | 41% | |
| Reuters/Zogby | October 5, 2006 | 41% | 41% | |
| Mason-Dixon | October 1, 2006 | 45% | 43% | |
| University of Akron | September 29, 2006 | 41.5% | 41.7% | |
| Zogby/WSJ | September 28, 2006 | 44.6% | 40.5% | |
| Columbus Dispatch | September 24, 2006 | 47% | 42% | |
| SurveyUSA | September 21, 2006 | 52% | 42% | |
| University of Cincinnati | September 20, 2006 | 51% | 47% | |
| Quinnipiac | September 20, 2006 | 45% | 44% | |
| Rasmussen | September 13, 2006 | 47% | 41% | |
| Zogby/WSJ | September 11, 2006 | 44.7% | 40.7% | |
| Gallup | September 5, 2006 | 46% | 40% | |
| Zogby/WSJ | August 28, 2006 | 47.2% | 38.7% | |
| Rasmussen | August 26, 2006 | 45% | 42% | |
| SurveyUSA | August 5, 2006 | 49% | 41% | |
| Rasmussen | August 1, 2006 | 44% | 42% | |
| Zogby/WSJ | July 24, 2006 | 45.2% | 36.6% | |
| Columbus Dispatch | July 23, 2006 | 45% | 37% | |
| Rasmussen | June 27, 2006 | 39% | 46% | |
| Zogby/WSJ | June 21, 2006 | 46.7% | 34.0% | |
| Survey USA | June 13, 2006 | 48% | 39% | |
| University of Cincinnati | May 25, 2006 | 42% | 52% | |
| Rasmussen | May 15, 2006 | 44% | 41% | |
| Rasmussen | April 24, 2006 | 41% | 43% | |
| Zogby/WSJ | March 31, 2006 | 46% | 37% | |
| Rasmussen | March 31, 2006 | 42% | 45% | |
| Rasmussen | February 18, 2006 | 37% | 46% | |
| Rasmussen | January 7, 2006 | 40% | 45% | |
| Rasmussen | December 2, 2005 | 41% | 43% | |
| Zogby | October 31, 2005 | 40.0% | 36.7% |
[edit] Election results
| 2006 United States Senate election, Ohio | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Sherrod Brown | 2,257,369 | 56.2% | +20.0 | |
| Republican | Mike DeWine (inc.) | 1,761,037 | 43.8% | -15.8 | |
| Independent | Richard Duncan | 830 | 0.02% | n/a | |
| Majority | 452,690 | 11.8% | |||
| Turnout | 3,816,260 | ||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | Swing | -17.9 | |||
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Adam Nagourney, "In Final Weeks, G.O.P. Focuses on Best Bets", The New York Times, October 16, 2006.
[edit] External links
- Mike DeWine for Senate
- Sherrod Brown for Senate
- 2006 Ohio Senate race profile, analysis of campaign finances by the Center for Responsive Politics.
- Senator Mike DeWine, positions and voting record, an anlysis by Project Vote Smart.
- Representative Sherrod Brown positions and voting record, an analysis by Project Vote Smart.
| Preceded by 2004 George Voinovich |
Ohio U.S. Senate elections 2006 |
Succeeded by 2010 |
