United States Senate election in Maryland, 2006
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The 2006 United States Senate election in Maryland was held on Tuesday, November 7, 2006. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes, Maryland's longest serving United States Senator, decided to retire instead of seeking a sixth term. Democratic nominee Ben Cardin won the open seat.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Benjamin L. Cardin, United States Representative from the 3rd district. (Cardin's Campaign Website)
- David Dickerson, engineer. (Dickerson's Campaign website)
- George T. English, economist. (English's Campaign Website)
- James H. Hutchison, psychiatrist. (Hutchison’s Campaign Website)
- Anthony Jaworski
- A. Robert Kaufman, social activist and a perennial candidate.
- Allan Lichtman, professor at American University and voting rights expert.
- Thomas McCaskill, a physicist. (McCaskill’s Campaign Website)
- Kweisi Mfume, former United States Representative from the 7th district as well as the former president of the NAACP. (Mfume's Campaign Website)
- Josh Rales, entrepreneur from Montgomery County. (Rales’ Campaign Website)
- Dennis F. Rasmussen, former Baltimore County Executive. (Rasmussen’s Campaign Website)
- Bob Robinson
- Theresa C. Scaldaferri
- Mike Schaefer, lawyer. (Schaefer’s Campaign Website)
- Charles Ulysses Smith, community activist.
- Blaine Taylor, writer.
- Lise Van Susteren, psychiatrist and sister of Greta Van Susteren; she withdrew from the contest on April 21, 2006, citing insufficient fundraising. She did not endorse any candidate.[1]
- Joseph Werner, attorney.[2]
- Lih Young, perennial candidate.
Campaign
Kweisi Mfume, a former congressman and NAACP President, was the first to announce for the position, in March 2005. Ben Cardin, then a congressman since 1987, was the only other major candidate until September 2005, when Dennis F. Rasmussen, a former Baltimore County Executive, American University professor Allan Lichtman, and wealthy Potomac businessman Josh Rales entered the contest. Thirteen other candidates subsequently also entered the primary. As of August 2006, Cardin had raised more than $4.8 million and collected endorsements from a number of Democratic politicians, the AFL-CIO, and The Washington Post; Mfume had raised over $1.2 million and collected endorsements from the Maryland State Teachers Association, Progressive Maryland, former Maryland Governor Parris Glendening, the National Organization for Women, and Maryland Congressmen Elijah Cummings and Al Wynn.
On August 31, 2006, Maryland Public Television (MPT) and the League of Women Voters (LWV) sponsored a debate between the two leading Democratic Primary Candidates.[3][4] The LWV of Maryland and MPT arbitrarily excluded most of the FEC qualified candidates from the only televised debates in the primary election. There were 18 candidates in this race, only 2, Ben Cardin and Kweisi Mfume, were allowed to debate, despite the strenuous protests of the excluded candidates. Lichtman, Rales, and Rasmussen petitioned MPT and LWV for inclusion in the debate, but received no response. On the day of the debate, Lichtman, his wife, and a campaign aide were arrested for trespassing while protesting during the taping of the debate.[5] They were found not guilty on all charges. The judge in the case said it should never have been brought to court and was a gross violation of the parties' constitutional rights.
Polling
Source | Date | Cardin | Kaufman | Lichtman | Mfume | Rales | Rasmussen |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SurveyUSA | September 11, 2006 | 47% | — | — | 38% | 7% | — |
SurveyUSA | August 31, 2006 | 38% | — | — | 42% | 7% | — |
Gonzales Research | August 30, 2006 | 43% | — | — | 30% | 6% | — |
Public Opinion Strategies | August 1–2, 2006 | 31% | — | — | 25% | 4% | 6% |
Baltimore Sun | July 17, 2006 | 32% | 1% | 1% | 28% | 1% | 1% |
Washington Post | June 25, 2006 | 26% | 2% | 4% | 33% | 0% | 4% |
Results
Democratic Primary results[6] | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
Democratic | Benjamin L. Cardin | 257,545 | 43.67 | |
Democratic | Kweisi Mfume | 238,957 | 40.52 | |
Democratic | Josh Rales | 30,737 | 5.21 | |
Democratic | Dennis F. Rasmussen | 10,997 | 1.86 | |
Democratic | Mike Schaefer | 7,773 | 1.32 | |
Democratic | Allan Lichtman | 6,919 | 1.17 | |
Democratic | Theresa C. Scaldaferri | 5,081 | 0.86 | |
Democratic | James H. Hutchinson | 4,949 | 0.84 | |
Democratic | David Dickerson | 3,950 | 0.67 | |
Democratic | A. Robert Kaufman | 3,908 | 0.66 | |
Democratic | Anthony Jaworski | 3,486 | 0.59 | |
Democratic | Thomas McCaskill | 3,459 | 0.59 | |
Democratic | George T. English | 2,305 | 0.39 | |
Democratic | Bob Robinson | 2,208 | 0.37 | |
Democratic | Lih Young | 2,039 | 0.35 | |
Democratic | Blaine Taylor | 1,848 | 0.31 | |
Democratic | Joseph Werner | 1,832 | 0.31 | |
Democratic | Charles Ulysses Smith | 1,702 | 0.29 | |
Total votes | 589,695 | 100 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Michael S. Steele, Lieutenant Governor of Maryland and former Maryland GOP Party chair.
- Ray Bly, small businessman, appliance repairman, and Vietnam War veteran. (Campaign website)
- Earl S. Gordon
- Thomas J. Hampton, accountant and environmentalist (Campaign website)
- John B. Kimble, behavioral researcher (Campaign website)
- Edward Raymond Madej
- Daniel Muffoletto, small businessman and environmentalist
- Richard Shawver, activist
- Corrogan R. Vaughn, perennial candidate (Campaign website)
- Daniel "The Wig Man" Vovak, Ghostwriter and owner of Greenwich Creations. (Campaign website)
Campaign
Michael S. Steele was expected to win the Republican primary, and the Baltimore Sun wrote the month before that he faced "only nominal opposition".[7] Among a field of nine other candidates, the only Republican receiving sufficient media coverage was Daniel Vovak.
Results
Republican primary results[8] | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
Republican | Michael S. Steele | 190,790 | 86.96 | |
Republican | John Kimble | 6,280 | 2.86 | |
Republican | Earl S. Gordon | 4,110 | 1.87 | |
Republican | Daniel "Wig Man" Vovak | 4,063 | 1.85 | |
Republican | Thomas J. Hampton | 3,946 | 1.80 | |
Republican | Corrogan R. Vaughn | 2,565 | 1.17 | |
Republican | Daniel Muffoletto | 2,335 | 1.06 | |
Republican | Richard Shawver | 2,298 | 1.05 | |
Republican | Ray Bly | 2,114 | 0.96 | |
Republican | Edward Raymond Madej | 902 | 0.41 | |
Total votes | 219,403 | 100 | ||
General election
Candidates
- Michael S. Steele (R)- Lieutenant Governor
- Ben Cardin (D)- U.S. Congressman
- Kevin Zeese (G)- (Campaign website). Zeese won the nominations of the Maryland Green Party, the Libertarian Party of Maryland, and the Populist Party of Maryland, the first time all three parties had nominated the same candidate. However, a Maryland law passed in April 2006 prohibited such fusion candidacies, so Zeese, who was a registered Green Party member, was listed on the ballot as only the Green Party candidate.[9][10]
Campaign
This was Maryland's first open Senate seat since 1986, when junior Senator Barbara Mikulski was first elected.
Michael Steele won the Republican nomination after facing little competition in the contest for the Republican ticket. With mostly unknown secondary candidates, Steele received 87% of the Republican Primary vote.
Third District Congressional Representative Ben Cardin won the Democratic Party nomination after facing tough competition in the contest for the Democratic ticket from former congressman and NAACP President Kweisi Mfume, businessman Josh Rales, former Baltimore County Executive Dennis F. Rasmussen, and several lesser known candidates. Cardin received 44% of the Democratic Primary vote to 40% for Mfume, his next closest competitor. All other candidates received percentages only in the single digits.
Kevin Zeese, the nominee for the Green, Populist and Libertarian Parties, was also on the ballot.
Though Steele lost the general election by 10%, a much wider margin than predicted, his was the best showing for a Republican in a Senate race in Maryland since Charles Mathias, Jr. was reelected in 1980 with 66% of the vote.
Controversies
Both Steele and Cardin made controversial statements and advertising throughout the campaign.
Debates
The first debate of the race was held Tuesday, October 3, 2006. All three candidates were present and participated. The evening was hosted by the Baltimore Urban League, and moderated by Charles Robinson from Maryland Public Television and Doni Glover from BMORENEWS.[11]
The first televised debate of the campaign was broadcast on News Channel 8 on the program "News Talk". All three candidates participated in the debate, and were moderated by Bruce DePuyt, the host of the program. There was no audience. This debate was widely reported because of the constant bickering between the three candidates, who often interrupted and talked over one another.[12]
Another debate took place between Steele and Cardin on Sunday, October 29, 2006 as a part of the Meet The Press Senatorial debate series. Moderated by Tim Russert, the debate focused primarily on the Iraq War and stem-cell research, amongst other issues.[13]
The three candidates all participated in the final debate of the campaign on Friday, November 3, 2006. The event was sponsored by the Collective Banking Group and held at the First Baptist Church of Glenarden.[14]
Tactics
Cardin primarily attacked Steele over his close relations with President Bush, including pictures of Bush and Steele in Cardin's TV ads.[15] Steele focused on low taxes, less government spending, free markets and national security.[16]
Polling
Source | Date | Cardin (D) | Steele (R) | Zeese (G) |
---|---|---|---|---|
SurveyUSA | November 6, 2006 | 49% | 46% | 3% |
Mason-Dixon/MSNBC | November 5, 2006 | 47% | 44% | 1% |
SurveyUSA | November 3, 2006 | 47% | 47% | |
Baltimore Sun/Potomac Inc. | November 2, 2006 | 49% | 43% | 2% |
Reuters/Zogby | November 2, 2006 | 49% | 44% | |
Washington Post | October 29, 2006 | 54% | 43% | 1% |
Rasmussen | October 26, 2006 | 49% | 42% | |
Garin Hart Yang (D) | October 23–24, 2006 | 52% | 40% | |
VC Research (R) | October 22–23, 2006 | 41% | 39% | |
SurveyUSA | October 18, 2006 | 46% | 46% | 3% |
Rasmussen | October 16, 2006 | 53% | 44% | |
USA Today/Gallup | October 6, 2006 | 54% | 39% | |
Reuters/Zogby | October 5, 2006 | 45% | 37% | |
Public Opinion Strategies (R) | October 2–4, 2006 | 47% | 43% | |
Mason-Dixon/MSNBC | October 2, 2006 | 47% | 41% | 1% |
Zogby/Wall Street Journal | September 28, 2006 | 52% | 39% | |
VC Research (R) | September 27–28, 2006 | 44% | 39% | |
Baltimore Sun/Potomac Inc. | September 25, 2006 | 51% | 40% | |
SurveyUSA | September 20, 2006 | 47% | 48% | 4% |
Rasmussen | September 19, 2006 | 50% | 43% | |
Zogby/Wall Street Journal | September 10, 2006 | 49% | 40% | |
Gonzales Research | August 30, 2006 | 44% | 39% | |
Zogby/Wall Street Journal | August 28, 2006 | 50% | 41% | |
Rasmussen | August 18, 2006 | 47% | 42% | |
Public Opinion Strategies (R) | August 1–2, 2006 | 43% | 35% | |
Zogby/Wall Street Journal | July 24, 2006 | 50% | 42% | |
Rasmussen | July 17, 2006 | 47% | 41% | |
Baltimore Sun/Potomac Inc. | July 6–10, 2006 | 47% | 36% | |
Washington Post | June 25, 2006 | 49% | 39% | |
Zogby/Wall Street Journal | June 21, 2006 | 51% | 40% | |
Rasmussen | April 25, 2006 | 45% | 35% | |
Gonzales Research | April 18, 2006 | 49% | 35% | |
Zogby/Wall Street Journal | March 31, 2006 | 49% | 39% | |
Rasmussen | February 22, 2006 | 49% | 35% | |
Zogby | January 20, 2006 | 49% | 43% | |
Rasmussen | January 13, 2006 | 40% | 45% | |
Rasmussen | November 21, 2005 | 49% | 41% | |
Baltimore Sun | October 25, 2005 | 47% | 38% | |
Baltimore Sun | April, 2005 | 41% | 37% |
Results
Despite polls days before the election showing the race at a 3% margin, Cardin won by more than 10% with a 178,295-vote margin. Steele conceded defeat at 9:02 P.M. EST.
Maryland United States Senate election results, 2006[17] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Democratic | Ben Cardin | 965,477 | 54.21 | -9.0 | |
Republican | Michael S. Steele | 787,182 | 44.19 | +7.5 | |
Green | Kevin Zeese | 27,564 | 1.55 | n/a | |
Write-ins | 916 | 0.05 | 0 | ||
Majority | 178,295 | 100.00 | |||
Turnout | 1,781,139 | ||||
Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
References
- ↑ Mosk, Matthew (April 22, 2006). "Van Susteren Quits, Citing Fundraising Lag". The Washington Post (washingtonpost.com). Retrieved 2010-01-13.
- ↑ "Joseph Werner". Archived from the original on 2008-02-03. Retrieved 13 January 2010.
- ↑ Mosk, Matthew (September 1, 2006). "Mfume, Cardin Stress Contrasts In TV Debate". The Washington Post (washingtonpost.com). Retrieved 2010-01-13.
- ↑ "Free Campaign websites, Free Candidate Search engine, 24/7 elections and politics". Vovak.politicalgateway.com. Retrieved 2010-01-13.
- ↑ Mosk, Matthew (September 1, 2006). "Mfume, Cardin Stress Contrasts In TV Debate". The Washington Post (washingtonpost.com). Retrieved 2010-01-13.
- ↑ http://www.elections.state.md.us/elections/2006/results/primary/office_US_Senator.html
- ↑ "Maryland: Politics – Senate candidates get national airing". The Baltimore Sun. August 26, 2006. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
- ↑ http://www.elections.state.md.us/elections/2006/results/primary/office_US_Senator.html
- ↑ David Nitkin on state politics issues; Editor addresses energy rates, upcoming elections, personnel probe, Baltimore Sun, May 16, 2006.
- ↑ John Wagner, Zeese Wins the Triple Crown, Washington Post, June 13, 2006.
- ↑ "Zeese, Steele, Cardin Debate". Video.google.com. Retrieved 2010-01-13.
- ↑ Matthew Mosk and Ann E. Marimow (October 26, 2006). "Cardin, Steele Square Off in Televised Debate". The Washington Post (washingtonpost.com<!). Retrieved 2010-01-13.
- ↑ Matthew Mosk and Ann E. Marimow (October 30, 2006). "Debate Puts Steele on Defense". The Washington Post (washingtonpost.com). Retrieved 2010-01-13.
- ↑ "Final Debate For Maryland U.S. Senate Race". Video.google.com. Retrieved 2010-01-13.
- ↑ http://progressivemaryland.org/files/public/images/SteeleHuggingBush051130.jpg
- ↑ Steele, Michael (2008-02-08). "Michael Steele : Now Is the Time to Act". Townhall.com. Retrieved 2010-01-13.
- ↑ "Official 2006 Gubernatorial General Election results for U.S. Senator". Maryland State Board of Elections. 2006-12-19. Retrieved 2010-01-13.
Preceded by 2004 Barbara Mikulski (D) |
Maryland U.S. Senate elections 2006 Ben Cardin (D) |
Succeeded by 2010 Barbara Mikulski (D) |