 | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
 County results Abraham: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Carr: 40–50% 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
The1994 United States Senate election in Michigan was held November 8, 1994. Incumbent Democratic SenatorDon Riegle decided not run for re-election.Spencer Abraham won the open seat, becoming the first and so far only Republican to win a U.S. Senate race in Michigan sinceRobert P. Griffin in1972 and the first to win the state's Class I seat sinceCharles E. Potter in1952. As of 2025, this was the last time that a Republican was elected to a U.S. Senate seat in Michigan.
Riegle, a three term incumbent, was considered one of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats in the1994 mid-term elections, due to the unpopularity ofPresident Bill Clinton[1] and his being involved as a member of theKeating Five, a group of fiveUnited States Senators who were accused of corruption. After months of speculation, Riegle announced he would not seek a 4th term in a speech on the Senate floor.[2]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bob Carr | 157,585 | 24.02% | |
| Democratic | Lana Pollack | 151,323 | 23.06% | |
| Democratic | Joel Ferguson | 130,125 | 19.83% | |
| Democratic | William Brodhead | 94,601 | 14.42% | |
| Democratic | John F. Kelly | 71,964 | 10.97% | |
| Democratic | Carl Marlinga | 50,329 | 7.67% | |
| Write-in | 271 | 0.04% | ||
| Total votes | 656,198 | 100.00% | ||
The Republican primary campaign amicably divided theRomney family. Though Ronna Romney had divorced Scott Romney two years prior, Scott's brotherMitt Romney (also a candidate for theUnited States Senate in Massachusetts) returned to Michigan to campaign for her.[4][5] Scott and Mitt's fatherGeorge W. Romney, the former Governor of Michigan, endorsed Abraham, having promised Abraham the endorsement prior to her candidacy.[4][6] Her daughter, the futureChairman of the Republican National CommitteeRonna Romney McDaniel, volunteered as a driver during her campaign.[7]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Spencer Abraham | 292,399 | 51.95% | |
| Republican | Ronna Romney | 270,304 | 48.02% | |
| Write-in | 202 | 0.04% | ||
| Total votes | 562,905 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Spencer Abraham | 1,578,770 | 51.88% | |||
| Democratic | Bob Carr | 1,300,960 | 42.75% | |||
| Libertarian | Jon Coon | 128,393 | 4.22% | |||
| Workers World | William Roundtree | 20,010 | 0.66% | |||
| Natural Law | Chris Wege | 14,746 | 0.48% | |||
| Write-in | 506 | 0.02% | ||||
| Total votes | 3,043,385 | 100.00% | ||||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | ||||||
.jpeg)
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)