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 County results Municipality resultsWhitehouse: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Chafee: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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The2006 United States Senate election in Rhode Island was held on November 7, 2006. IncumbentRepublicanLincoln Chafee sought re-election to a second full term in office, the seat he had held since 1999 when he was appointed to fill the vacancy created by the death of his fatherJohn Chafee. He lost toDemocratic nominee, formerstate Attorney GeneralSheldon Whitehouse by a 7-point margin.[1] Lincoln Chafee later left the Republican Party in September 2007 before running successfully as an Independent for Governor of Rhode Island in2010.
Whitehouse carried Providence County, which contains approximately 60% of the state's population, with 59% to Chafee's 41%. Chafee's strongest showing was in Washington County (South County), where he took 55% of the vote against Whitehouse's 45%. After the election, when asked by a reporter if he thought his defeat would help the country by giving Democrats control of Congress, Chafee replied, "to be honest, yes."[2]
As of 2023[update], this was the last time the Republican candidates won the counties ofBristol andWashington in a statewide election. Democrats won this Senate seat for the first time since1970; this also marked the first time since that election that the winner of Rhode Island's Class 1 Senate seat was not a member of the Chafee family. Chafee would go on to run for governor and was elected in2010.Sheldon Whitehouse's inauguration or swearing-in marked the first time since the resignation ofJohn Pastore in 1976 that Democrats held both Senate seats from Rhode Island.
Along withMaine andPennsylvania, this was one of the three Republican-held Senate seats up for election in a state thatJohn Kerry won in the2004 presidential election.
Whitehouse was endorsed by U.S. SenatorJack Reed, U.S. CongressmenJim Langevin andPatrick J. Kennedy, as well as by former candidateMatt Brown. Sheeler, a formerU.S. Marine, a business owner, and an adjunct professor of business, ran on a moreprogressive platform. Ultimately, however, Whitehouse would trounce his competition in the primary on September 12, winning his party's support by a large margin.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Sheldon Whitehouse | 69,290 | 81.53 | |
| Democratic | Christopher F. Young | 8,939 | 10.52 | |
| Democratic | Carl Sheeler | 6,755 | 7.95 | |
| Total votes | 84,984 | 100.00 | ||
IncumbentLincoln Chafee was one of the most liberal members of the Republican Party in the Senate by 2006, and was challenged for the Republican nomination by Laffey who had criticized Chafee for hisliberal voting record in the Senate. In early 2006, theClub for Growth, a pro-tax cutpolitical action committee, sent a series of mailings to Rhode Island Republicans attacking Chafee's positions and voting record.
The national GOP supported Chafee in the primary campaign, believing that he was the most likely candidate to hold the seat in the general election. SenatorMitch McConnell ofKentucky, SenatorJohn McCain ofArizona and First LadyLaura Bush appeared at fundraisers for Chafee, whileSenator Bill Frist'sPAC donated to Chafee. TheNational Republican Senatorial Committee also ran ads in the state supporting Chafee. Steve Laffey, however, picked up many endorsements from Republican town committees throughout Rhode Island, the national groupClub for Growth, and former candidate for the party's presidential nominationSteve Forbes. On July 10, 2006, theNational Republican Senatorial Committee filed a complaint with theFederal Election Commission against Laffey, saying that he had included a political communication in tax bills mailed toresidents of Cranston.[4]
| Source | Date | Lincoln Chafee | Steve Laffey |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island College[5] | April 2006 | 56% | 28% |
| American Research Group[6] | May 5, 2006 | 48% | 39% |
| Club for Growth/National Research Inc.[7] | June 2, 2006 | 45% | 44% |
| Rhode Island College[8] | June 2006 | 39% | 38% |
| Rhode Island College[9] | August 28–30, 2006 | 34% | 51% |
| RNSC/Public Opinion Strategies[10] | August 30, 2006 | 53% | 39% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lincoln Chafee (incumbent) | 34,936 | 54.18 | |
| Republican | Steve Laffey | 29,547 | 45.82 | |
| Total votes | 64,483 | 100.00 | ||
Democrats believed that this was one of the most likely Senate seats to switch party control, due to the Democratic tilt of Rhode Island, as well as the fact that Chafee needed to expend part of his campaign fund to win theRepublican primary election. Chafee's approval ratings also took a beating from his primary battle with Laffey and may have hurt him in the general election. Another factor that hurt Chafee was the fact that Whitehouse, the Democratic nominee, had a huge head start on him, as he was able to campaign with little opposition for at least half the year and had not had to contend with a major opponent until the general election campaign. Rhode Islanders' historically large disapproval ratings for PresidentGeorge W. Bush and the Republican Party as a whole was another major hurdle for Chafee.
Whitehouse and Chafee did not have large differences on political issues. On social issues, they were almost entirely in agreement with each other. Chafee was also against theBush tax cuts. On fiscal issues, such as social security and trade, they were however in disagreement.
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[13] | Tossup | November 6, 2006 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[14] | Lean D(flip) | November 6, 2006 |
| Rothenberg Political Report[15] | Lean D(flip) | November 6, 2006 |
| Real Clear Politics[16] | Tossup | November 6, 2006 |
| Source | Date | Sheldon Whitehouse (D) | Lincoln Chafee (R) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown University[17] | September 13, 2005 | 25% | 38% |
| Brown University[18] | February 8, 2006 | 34% | 40% |
| Rasmussen[19] | February 11, 2006 | 38% | 50% |
| Rhode Island College[20] | April 2006 | 32% | 51% |
| Rasmussen[21] | May 4, 2006 | 41% | 44% |
| Rasmussen[22] | June 5, 2006 | 42% | 44% |
| Rhode Island College[23] | June 21, 2006 | 40% | 43% |
| Brown University[24] | June 26, 2006 | 38% | 37% |
| Rasmussen[25] | July 18, 2006 | 46% | 41% |
| Rasmussen[26] | August 9, 2006 | 44% | 38% |
| Fleming & Associates[27] | August 24, 2006 | 42% | 43% |
| Rasmussen[28] | September 3, 2006 | 44% | 42% |
| Rasmussen[29] | September 17, 2006 | 51% | 43% |
| Brown University[30] | September 16–18, 2006 | 40% | 39% |
| American Research Group[31] | September 19, 2006 | 45% | 40% |
| Mason-Dixon/MSNBC[32] | October 2, 2006 | 42% | 41% |
| Reuters/Zogby[33] | October 5, 2006 | 45% | 41% |
| USA Today/Gallup[34] | October 6, 2006 | 50% | 39% |
| Rasmussen[35] | October 10, 2006 | 49% | 39% |
| Rhode Island College[36] | October 10, 2006 | 40% | 37% |
| Fleming & Associates[37] | October 19, 2006 | 46% | 42% |
| Rasmussen[38] | October 19, 2006 | 50% | 42% |
| Mason-Dixon/MSNBC[39] | October 24, 2006 | 48% | 43% |
| Rhode Island College[40] | October 27, 2006 | 51% | 43% |
| Reuters/Zogby[41] | November 2, 2006 | 53% | 39% |
| Mason-Dixon/MSNBC[42] | November 5, 2006 | 45% | 46% |
| USA Today/Gallup[43] | November 5, 2006 | 48% | 45% |
with Steve Laffey
| Source | Date | Sheldon Whitehouse (D) | Steve Laffey (R) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown University[44] | September 13, 2005 | 35% | 25% |
| Brown University[45] | February 8, 2006 | 44% | 29% |
| Brown University[46] | June 26, 2006 | 55% | 25% |
Whitehouse defeated Chafee in his bid for a second full term. Whitehouse lost every county except Providence County, home to the majority of the state's residents. His victory here was enough to win the state.
As a testament to how Democratic Rhode Island had become, this marked the last Senate election where a Republican received more than 40% of the vote or won a county. Chafee himself would later leave the Republican Party and serve as Governor of Rhode Island as an Independent. He later joined the Democratic Party, running for president in 2016.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Sheldon Whitehouse | 206,043 | 53.52% | +12.37% | |
| Republican | Lincoln Chafee (incumbent) | 178,950 | 46.48% | −10.40% | |
| Total votes | 384,993 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Democraticgain fromRepublican | |||||
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