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 County results Lee: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Granato: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Utah | ||||||
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Ballot measures
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The2010 United States Senate election in Utah took place on November 2, 2010, along with othermidterm elections throughout the United States. Incumbent Republican U.S. SenatorBob Bennett was seeking re-election to a fourth term, but lost renomination at theRepublican Party's state convention.Mike Lee proceeded to win the Republican primary against Tim Bridgewater and the general election againstDemocrat Sam Granato. As of 2025, this is the most recent U.S. Senate election in which a political party held the seat after denying renomination to the incumbent senator.
The filing period for candidates began March 12, 2010 and ended March 19, 2010. Candidates who had not filed by that date cannot appear on the ballot in November. Eleven candidates filed with the Office of the Lieutenant Governor.[1]
Both the Utah State Democratic Party and the Utah State Republican Party held statewide caucus meetings on March 23, 2010. Caucus meetings are grouped by legislative district and divided by precincts with each precinct electing delegates who attend their respective party's state nominating convention.
The Utah State Democratic and Republican Parties held their conventions on May 8, 2010. At the Republican convention, incumbent Senator Bob Bennett finished third in balloting among delegates and was eliminated from the race. Business owner Tim Bridgewater finished first and attorney Mike Lee finished second, but Bridgewater did not receive enough votes (he needed at least 60 percent) to avoid a primary election runoff against Lee.[2] At the Democratic convention, delegates nominated businessman Sam Granato, who received 77.5 percent of the vote.[3]
In the Republican primary election, held on June 22, 2010, Lee became the Republican nominee by winning 51 percent of the vote against Bridgewater's 49 percent.[4]
Thegeneral election was held on November 2, 2010. Lee won the election with 62 percent of the vote to Granato's 33 percent and 6 percent forConstitution Party candidateScott Bradley.[5]
On Ballot
Withdrew
The following are endorsements made before the convention
Bennett
Lee
| Poll Source | Dates Administered | Bob Bennett | Tim Bridgewater | Merrill Cook | Cherilyn Eagar | Mike Lee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmussen Reports[13] | April 8, 2010 | 14% | 14% | 6% | 4% | 37% |
| Mason Dixon[14] | April 22–25, 2010 | 16% | 20% | 1% | 11% | 37% |
| State Republican Convention results, 2010[15][16][17] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | First ballot | Pct. | Second ballot | Pct. | Third ballot | Pct. |
| Mike Lee | 982 | 28.75% | 1225 | 35.99% | 1383 | 42.72% |
| Tim Bridgewater | 917 | 26.84% | 1274 | 37.42% | 1854 | 57.28% |
| Bob Bennett | 885 | 25.91% | 905 | 26.99% | Eliminated | |
| Cherilyn Eagar | 541 | 15.84% | Eliminated | |||
| Merrill Cook | 49 | 1.43% | Eliminated | |||
| Leonard Fabiano | 22 | 0.64% | Eliminated | |||
| Jeremy Friedbaum | 16 | 0.47% | Eliminated | |||
| David Chiu | 4 | 0.12% | Eliminated | |||
| Total | 3,416 | 100.00% | 3,404 | 100.00% | 3,237 | 100.00% |
Bridgewater
Lee
| Poll Source | Dates Administered | Tim Bridgewater | Mike Lee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilson Research[20] | June 10, 2010 | 30% | 39% |
| Deseret News/KSL-TV[21] | June 12–17, 2010 | 42% | 33% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Lee | 98,512 | 51.2% | |
| Republican | Tim Bridgewater | 93,905 | 48.8% | |
| Total votes | 192,417 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Sam Granato | 77 | 77% | |
| Democratic | Christopher Stout | 23 | 23% | |
| Total votes | 100 | 100.0% | ||
Granato emphasized his opposition to nuclear weapon tests in neighboring Nevada. In addition, he criticized Lee for his support of raising the retirement age and for questioning the constitutionality of Social Security.[25]
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Cook Political Report[26] | Solid R | October 26, 2010 |
| Rothenberg[27] | Safe R | October 22, 2010 |
| RealClearPolitics[28] | Safe R | October 26, 2010 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[29] | Safe R | October 21, 2010 |
| CQ Politics[30] | Safe R | October 26, 2010 |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Sam Granato (D) | Mike Lee (R) | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmussen Reports[31] | June 23, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 28% | 58% | 5% | 9% |
| Rasmussen Reports[32] | August 23, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 29% | 54% | 5% | 12% |
| Rasmussen Reports[33] | October 13, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 28% | 61% | 4% | 8% |
| Deseret News/KSL-TV[34] | October 11–14, 2010 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 31% | 53% | 1% | 11% |
| Mason-Dixon[35] | October 27, 2010 | 625 | ± 4.0% | 32% | 48% | 5% | 15% |
| Deseret News/KSL-TV[36] | October 25–28, 2010 | 1,206 | ± 3.0% | 30% | 57% | 6% | 7% |
| Candidate (Party) | Receipts | Disbursements | Cash On Hand | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Lee (R) | $1,595,383 | $1,423,494 | $165,314 | $57,691 |
| Sam Granato (D) | $250,607 | $219,776 | $30,831 | $15,000 |
| Source: Federal Election Commission[37] | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Lee | 390,179 | 61.56% | −7.18% | |
| Democratic | Sam Granato | 207,685 | 32.77% | +4.37% | |
| Constitution | Scott Bradley | 35,937 | 5.67% | +3.78% | |
| Majority | 182,494 | 28.79% | |||
| Total votes | 633,801 | 100.00% | |||
| Republicanhold | Swing | ||||
Debates
Official campaign sites (Archived)
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