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The 2006 United States Senate election in Ohio was held on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Mike DeWine was running for re-election. Democratic congressman Sherrod Brown defeated DeWine. [1]
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The incumbent Republican Senator, R. Michael DeWine had approval ratings at 38%[1], making him the second most unpopular U.S. Senator, behind Pennsylvania Republican Rick Santorum. 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 former U.S. Representative from Ohio's 13th district was the Democratic candidate, and the eventual winner.
Hackett 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 won with 78.05% of the vote.[2]
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]
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".[2]
On July 14, 2006, DeWine's campaign began airing TV commercials depicting a smoking World Trade Center. "The senator was notified... by a reporter at U.S. News & World Report that the image of the burning Twin Towers could not have depicted the actual event because the smoke was blowing the wrong way."[3][4] DeWine's campaign admitted that the video was actually a still photo of the World Trade Center with smoke digitally added.[3] He also was criticized for using an emotionally charged image to attack his challenger.[4]
Another of DeWine's ads suggested that opponent Sherrod Brown didn't pay his taxes for thirteen years. This claim led to the Associated Press reporting on October 19 that, "Several Ohio television stations have stopped airing a Republican ad because state documents contradict the ad's accusation that Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Sherrod Brown didn't pay an unemployment tax bill for 13 years." Brown produced a commercial citing these facts. [5] DeWine's ads were changed to state only that he had failed to pay his unemployment taxes until legal action was taken against him.
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.[6]
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 [5] | Cash On-Hand [6] |
|---|---|---|
| Mike DeWine (R) | $7,772,534 | $6,635,440 |
| Sherrod Brown (D) | $3,712,862 | $3,718,577 |
| Source | Date | Brown (D) | DeWine (R) |
|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA | November 6, 2006 | 54% | 42% |
| University of Cincinnati Ohio Poll | November 6, 2006 | 56% | 44% |
| Columbus Dispatch | November 5, 2006 | 62% | 38% |
| Mason-Dixon/MSNBC-McClatchy | November 5, 2006 | 50% | 44% |
| 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 | 42% | 42% |
| Zogby/WSJ | September 28, 2006 | 45% | 41% |
| 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 | 45% | 41% |
| Gallup | September 5, 2006 | 46% | 40% |
| Zogby/WSJ | August 28, 2006 | 47% | 39% |
| Rasmussen | August 26, 2006 | 45% | 42% |
| SurveyUSA | August 5, 2006 | 49% | 41% |
| Rasmussen | August 1, 2006 | 44% | 42% |
| Zogby/WSJ | July 24, 2006 | 45% | 37% |
| Columbus Dispatch | July 23, 2006 | 45% | 37% |
| Rasmussen | June 27, 2006 | 39% | 46% |
| Zogby/WSJ | June 21, 2006 | 47% | 34% |
| 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% | 37% |
| 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 | 4,019,236 | ||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | Swing | -17.9 | |||
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| Preceded by 2004 George Voinovich |
Ohio U.S. Senate elections 2006 |
Succeeded by 2010 |