United States Senate election in Ohio, 2006

United States Senate election in Ohio, 2006

2000 ← November 7, 2006 → 2012

Nominee Sherrod Brown Mike DeWine Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 2,257,369 1,761,037 Percentage 56.16% 43.82%

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%[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.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Sherrod Brown, U.S. congressman
• Paul Hackett, an Iraq War veteran who has been critical of President Bush's foreign policy
• Merrill Keiser Jr., a trucking business owner/operator and Vietnam veteran

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

Brown won with 78.05% of the vote.[2]

Republican primary

Candidates

• Mike DeWine, incumbent
• William G. Pierce, engineer
• David Smith, an unsuccessful candidate in 2005 in Ohio's 2nd Congressional District

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.[3]

General election

Candidates

• Sherrod Brown (D), U.S. congressman
• Mike DeWine (R), incumbent U.S. Senator
• Richard Duncan (I) - 2004 write-in candidate for President [4]

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]

Finances

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

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

• Ohio gubernatorial election, 2006

References

1. ^ "Democrats Score First Senate Win". CBS News. November 7, 2006. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/11/07/politics/main2161152.shtml. 
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. http://web.archive.org/web/20060828020907/http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006602230383. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Nation & World: DeWine blunder adds fuel to controversial September 11 ad - US News and World Report
4. ^ ^{a b} The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/19/AR2006071901663.html. ^{[dead link]}
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.

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 analysis 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