United States Senate election in Ohio, 2006

United States Senate election in Ohio, 2006
Ohio
November 7, 2006
 
Nominee Sherrod Brown Mike DeWine
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 2,257,369 1,761,037
Percentage 56.2% 43.8%

County results
U.S. Senator before election

Mike DeWine
Republican

 Elected U.S. Senator

Sherrod Brown
Democratic

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]

Background

The incumbent Republican Senator, R. Michael DeWine had approval ratings at 38%, 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 U.S. Representative from Ohio's 13th district was the Democratic candidate, and the eventual winner.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Campaign

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.

Results

Democratic primary
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sherrod Brown 583,776 78.11%
Democratic Merrill Kesier Jr. 163,628 21.89%
Total votes 747,404 100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

Campaign

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.

Results

DeWine won 71.82% of the votes.

General election

Candidates

Campaign

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]

Fundraising

During the election cycle, DeWine raised $14.9 million and spent $15.5 million.[7] Brown raised $8.9 million and spent $10.8 million.[8]

Polling

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%

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 4,019,236
Democratic gain from Republican Swing -17.9

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Democrats Score First Senate Win". CBS News. November 7, 2006.
  2. ↑ Collins, Michael (2006-02-23). "Bush visit all politics this time". The Kentucky Post (Covington, Kentucky: E. W. Scripps Company). Archived from the original on 2006-08-28.
  3. 1 2 Nation & World: DeWine blunder adds fuel to controversial September 11 ad - US News and World Report
  4. 1 2 The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/19/AR2006071901663.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ↑ http://sherrodbrown.com/pages/dishonest
  6. ↑ Adam Nagourney, "In Final Weeks, G.O.P. Focuses on Best Bets", The New York Times, October 16, 2006.
  7. ↑ http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00003709&cycle=2006
  8. ↑ http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00003535&cycle=2006

External links

Preceded by
2004
George Voinovich		 Ohio U.S. Senate elections
2006 		Succeeded by
2010
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