The 2006 United States Senate election in Maine was held November 7, 2006. Incumbent Republican Olympia Snowe won re-election to a third term. As of 2024[update], this was the last time Republicans won the Class 1 U.S. Senate seat in Maine.
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Snowe: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Bright: 40–50% Slavick: 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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General election
editCandidates
edit- Jean Hay Bright, activist (Democratic)
- Bill Slavick, activist (Independent)
- Olympia Snowe, incumbent U.S. Senator since 1995 (Republican)
Campaign
editSnowe, who had been elected to both of her previous terms by approximately 2 to 1 margins, had never lost an election. Her success is accredited to her centrist Republican ideology, which resulted in high approval ratings. Meanwhile, her Democratic opponent in the 2006 election, Jean Hay Bright, had never been elected to political office.
Democrats' best hope for taking the seat was that Snowe would retire rather than run in 2006, but there was never any indication that Snowe seriously considered not running for re-election.[1]
The filing deadline for major party candidates was March 15, 2006. The primary was held June 13, 2006. Olympia Snowe was unopposed for the Republican nomination; Jean Hay Bright narrowly won the Democratic nod with 50.7% of the vote against Eric Mehnert.
Hay Bright announced her candidacy in May 2005. Hay Bright was previously an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination to the House in 1994 and the Senate in 1996.
The race had been called by FOX News for the Republican incumbent Olympia Snowe 23 minutes after the polls had closed. Snowe won re-election by a greater margin than any U.S. Senator that cycle except Indiana's Richard Lugar, who faced only a Libertarian opponent.
Polling
edit| Source | Date | Snowe (R) | Bright (D) | Slavick (I) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmussen[2] | June 22, 2006 | 66% | 26% | |
| Rasmussen[3] | August 2, 2006 | 69% | 22% | |
| Rasmussen[4] | August 21, 2006 | 68% | 20% | |
| Rasmussen[5] | October 17, 2006 | 70% | 24% | |
| Critical Insights[6] | October 27, 2006 | 74% | 14% | 6% |
Predictions
edit| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[7] | Solid R | November 6, 2006 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[8] | Safe R | November 6, 2006 |
| Rothenberg Political Report[9] | Safe R | November 6, 2006 |
| Real Clear Politics[10] | Safe R | November 6, 2006 |
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Olympia Snowe (incumbent) | 402,598 | 74.01 | +5.5 | |
| Democratic | Jean Hay Bright | 111,984 | 20.59 | −10.6 | |
| Independent | Bill Slavick | 29,220 | 5.37 | n/a | |
| Majority | 290,614 | 53.42 | |||
| Turnout | 543,802 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
Snowe won in all of Maine's counties, taking at least 60% of the vote in each region.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ [1][permanent dead link]
- ^ Rasmussen
- ^ Rasmussen Archived October 21, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Rasmussen
- ^ Rasmussen
- ^ Critical Insights
- ^ "2006 Senate Race Ratings for November 6, 2006" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 5, 2008. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- ^ "Election Eve 2006: THE FINAL PREDICTIONS". Sabato's Crystal Ball. November 6, 2006. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- ^ "2006 Senate Ratings". Senate Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- ^ "Election 2006". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- ^ Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions, Elections Division
External links
edit- Snowe's campaign website
- Hay Bright's campaign website
- Mehnert's campaign website
- Slavick's campaign website Archived August 13, 2006, at the Wayback Machine