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The2006 United States Senate election in Maryland was held Tuesday, November 7, 2006. Incumbent DemocratPaul Sarbanes, Maryland's longest-serving United States senator, decided to retire instead of seeking a sixth term. Democratic nominee Ben Cardin, a U.S. representative, won the open seat, defeating Republican lieutenant governorMichael Steele.
Kweisi Mfume, a former congressman andNAACP President, was the first to announce for the position, in March 2005. Ben Cardin, then a congressman since 1987, was the only other major candidate until September 2005, when formerBaltimore County ExecutiveDennis F. Rasmussen,American University professorAllan Lichtman, and wealthy Potomac businessman Josh Rales entered the contest. Thirteen other candidates subsequently also entered the primary. As of August 2006, Cardin had raised more than $4.8 million and collected endorsements from a number of Democratic politicians, theAFL–CIO, andThe Washington Post; Mfume had raised over $1.2 million and collected endorsements from theMaryland State Teachers Association, Progressive Maryland, former Maryland GovernorParris Glendening, theNational Organization for Women, and Maryland CongressmenElijah Cummings andAl Wynn.
On August 31, 2006, Maryland Public Television (MPT) and the League of Women Voters (LWV) sponsored a debate between the two leading Democratic Primary Candidates.[4][5] The LWV of Maryland and MPT arbitrarily excluded most of the FEC qualified candidates from the only televised debates in the primary election. There were 18 candidates in this race, only 2, Ben Cardin and Kweisi Mfume, were allowed to debate, despite the strenuous protests of the excluded candidates. Lichtman, Rales, and Rasmussen petitioned MPT and LWV for inclusion in the debate but received no response. On the day of the debate, Lichtman, his wife, and a campaign aide were arrested for trespassing while protesting during the taping of the debate.[6] They were found not guilty on all charges. The judge in the case said it should never have been brought to court and was a gross violation of the parties' constitutional rights.[7]
| Source | Date | Ben Cardin | A. Robert Kaufman | Allan Lichtman | Kweisi Mfume | Josh Rales | Dennis F. Rasmussen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Washington Post[8] | June 25, 2006 | 26% | 2% | 4% | 33% | 0% | 4% |
| The Baltimore Sun[9] | July 17, 2006 | 32% | 1% | 1% | 28% | 1% | 1% |
| Public Opinion Strategies[10] | August 1–2, 2006 | 31% | — | — | 25% | 4% | 6% |
| Gonzales Research[11] | August 30, 2006 | 43% | — | — | 30% | 6% | — |
| SurveyUSA[12] | August 31, 2006 | 38% | — | — | 42% | 7% | — |
| SurveyUSA[13] | September 11, 2006 | 47% | — | — | 38% | 7% | — |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Benjamin L. Cardin | 257,545 | 43.67 | |
| Democratic | Kweisi Mfume | 238,957 | 40.52 | |
| Democratic | Josh Rales | 30,737 | 5.21 | |
| Democratic | Dennis F. Rasmussen | 10,997 | 1.86 | |
| Democratic | Mike Schaefer | 7,773 | 1.32 | |
| Democratic | Allan Lichtman | 6,919 | 1.17 | |
| Democratic | Theresa C. Scaldaferri | 5,081 | 0.86 | |
| Democratic | James H. Hutchinson | 4,949 | 0.84 | |
| Democratic | David Dickerson | 3,950 | 0.67 | |
| Democratic | A. Robert Kaufman | 3,908 | 0.66 | |
| Democratic | Anthony Jaworski | 3,486 | 0.59 | |
| Democratic | Thomas McCaskill | 3,459 | 0.59 | |
| Democratic | George T. English | 2,305 | 0.39 | |
| Democratic | Bob Robinson | 2,208 | 0.37 | |
| Democratic | Lih Young | 2,039 | 0.35 | |
| Democratic | Blaine Taylor | 1,848 | 0.31 | |
| Democratic | Joseph Werner | 1,832 | 0.31 | |
| Democratic | Charles Ulysses Smith | 1,702 | 0.29 | |
| Total votes | 589,695 | 100 | ||
Michael S. Steele was expected to win the Republican primary, and the Baltimore Sun wrote the month before that he faced "only nominal opposition".[15] Among a field of nine other candidates, the only Republican receiving sufficient media coverage wasDaniel Vovak.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael S. Steele | 190,790 | 86.96 | |
| Republican | John Kimble | 6,280 | 2.86 | |
| Republican | Earl S. Gordon | 4,110 | 1.87 | |
| Republican | Daniel "Wig Man" Vovak | 4,063 | 1.85 | |
| Republican | Thomas J. Hampton | 3,946 | 1.80 | |
| Republican | Corrogan R. Vaughn | 2,565 | 1.17 | |
| Republican | Daniel Muffoletto | 2,335 | 1.06 | |
| Republican | Richard Shawver | 2,298 | 1.05 | |
| Republican | Ray Bly | 2,114 | 0.96 | |
| Republican | Edward Raymond Madej | 902 | 0.41 | |
| Total votes | 219,403 | 100 | ||
This was Maryland's first open Senate seat since 1986, when junior SenatorBarbara Mikulski was first elected.
Michael Steele won theRepublican nomination after facing little competition in the contest for the Republican ticket. With mostly unknown secondary candidates, Steele received 87% of the RepublicanPrimary vote.
Third District Congressional Representative Ben Cardin won theDemocratic Party nomination after facing tough competition in the contest for the Democratic ticket from former congressman andNAACP PresidentKweisi Mfume, businessmanJosh Rales, former Baltimore County ExecutiveDennis F. Rasmussen, and several lesser-known candidates. Cardin received 44% of the Democratic Primary vote to 40% for Mfume, his next closest competitor. All other candidates received percentages only in the single digits.
Kevin Zeese, the nominee for theGreen, Populist andLibertarian Parties, was also on the ballot.
Though Steele lost the general election by 10% of the vote, a much wider margin than predicted, his was and remains the best showing for a Republican in a Senate race inMaryland sinceCharles Mathias, Jr. was re-elected in1980 with 66.17% of the vote.
Both Steele and Cardin made controversial statements and advertising throughout the campaign.
The first debate of the race was held Tuesday, October 3, 2006. All three candidates were present and participated. The evening was hosted by the BaltimoreUrban League and moderated by Charles Robinson fromMaryland Public Television and Doni Glover from BMORENEWS.[18]
The first televised debate of the campaign was broadcast onNews Channel 8 on the program "News Talk". All three candidates participated in the debate, and were moderated by Bruce DePuyt, the host of the program. There was no audience. This debate was widely reported because of the constant bickering between the three candidates, who often interrupted and talked over one another.[19]
Another debate took place between Steele and Cardin on Sunday, October 29, 2006, as a part of theMeet The Press Senatorial debate series. Moderated byTim Russert, the debate focused primarily on theIraq War andstem-cell research, amongst other issues.[20]
The three candidates all participated in the final debate of the campaign on Friday, November 3, 2006. The event was sponsored by the Collective Banking Group and held at the First Baptist Church of Glenarden.[21]
Cardin primarily attacked Steele over his close relations with President Bush, including pictures of Bush and Steele in Cardin's TV ads.[22] Steele focused on low taxes, less government spending, free markets and national security.[23]
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[24] | Tossup | November 6, 2006 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[25] | Lean D | November 6, 2006 |
| Rothenberg Political Report[26] | Lean D | November 6, 2006 |
| Real Clear Politics[27] | Tossup | November 6, 2006 |
| Source | Date | Ben Cardin (D) | Michael Steele (R) | Kevin Zeese (G) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Baltimore Sun[28] | April 2005 | 41% | 37% | |
| The Baltimore Sun[29] | October 25, 2005 | 47% | 38% | |
| Potomac Survey Research[30] | November 1, 2005 | 41% | 32% | |
| Rasmussen[31] | November 21, 2005 | 49% | 41% | |
| Rasmussen[32] | January 13, 2006 | 40% | 45% | |
| Zogby[33] | January 20, 2006 | 49% | 43% | |
| Rasmussen[34] | February 22, 2006 | 49% | 35% | |
| Zogby/The Wall Street Journal[35] | March 31, 2006 | 49% | 39% | |
| Gonzales Research[36] | April 18, 2006 | 49% | 35% | |
| Rasmussen[37] | April 25, 2006 | 45% | 35% | |
| Zogby/The Wall Street Journal[38] | June 21, 2006 | 51% | 40% | |
| The Washington Post[39] | June 25, 2006 | 49% | 39% | |
| The Baltimore Sun/Potomac Inc.[40] | July 6–10, 2006 | 47% | 36% | |
| Rasmussen[41] | July 17, 2006 | 47% | 41% | |
| Zogby/The Wall Street Journal[42] | July 24, 2006 | 50% | 42% | |
| Public Opinion Strategies (R)[43] | August 1–2, 2006 | 43% | 35% | |
| Rasmussen[44] | August 18, 2006 | 47% | 42% | |
| Zogby/The Wall Street Journal[45] | August 28, 2006 | 50% | 41% | |
| Gonzales Research[46] | August 30, 2006 | 44% | 39% | |
| Zogby/The Wall Street Journal[47] | September 10, 2006 | 49% | 40% | |
| Rasmussen[48] | September 19, 2006 | 50% | 43% | |
| SurveyUSA[49] | September 20, 2006 | 47% | 48% | 4% |
| The Baltimore Sun/Potomac Inc.[50] | September 25, 2006 | 51% | 40% | |
| VC Research (R)[51] | September 27–28, 2006 | 44% | 39% | |
| Zogby/The Wall Street Journal[52] | September 28, 2006 | 52% | 39% | |
| Mason-Dixon/MSNBC[53] | October 2, 2006 | 47% | 41% | 1% |
| Public Opinion Strategies (R)[54] | October 2–4, 2006 | 47% | 43% | |
| Reuters/Zogby[55] | October 5, 2006 | 45% | 37% | |
| USA Today/Gallup[56] | October 6, 2006 | 54% | 39% | |
| Rasmussen[57] | October 16, 2006 | 53% | 44% | |
| SurveyUSA[58] | October 18, 2006 | 46% | 46% | 3% |
| VC Research (R)[59] | October 22–23, 2006 | 41% | 39% | |
| Garin Hart Yang (D)[60] | October 23–24, 2006 | 52% | 40% | |
| Rasmussen[61] | October 26, 2006 | 49% | 42% | |
| The Washington Post[62] | October 29, 2006 | 54% | 43% | 1% |
| Reuters/Zogby[63] | November 2, 2006 | 49% | 44% | |
| The Baltimore Sun/Potomac Inc.[64] | November 2, 2006 | 49% | 43% | 2% |
| SurveyUSA[65] | November 3, 2006 | 47% | 47% | |
| Mason-Dixon/MSNBC[66] | November 5, 2006 | 47% | 44% | 1% |
| SurveyUSA[67] | November 6, 2006 | 49% | 46% | 3% |
Despite polls days before the election showing the race at a 3% margin, Cardin won by just over 10% with a 178,295-vote margin, although as of 2025[update], this is the closest a Republican has come to winning a U.S. Senate election in Maryland sinceCharles Mathias wasreelected in 1980. On the same day, incumbent Republican governorBob Ehrlich lost reelection to Baltimore MayorMartin O'Malley.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ben Cardin | 965,477 | 54.21 | −9.0 | |
| Republican | Michael Steele | 787,182 | 44.19 | +7.5 | |
| Green | Kevin Zeese | 27,564 | 1.55 | n/a | |
| Write-in | 916 | 0.05 | 0 | ||
| Majority | 178,295 | 100.00 | |||
| Turnout | 1,781,139 | ||||
| Democratichold | Swing | ||||
| County | Ben Cardin Democratic | Michael Steele Republican | Kevin Zeese Green | Write-Ins Independent | Margin | Total Votes Cast | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Allegany | 8396 | 38.87% | 12892 | 59.69% | 309 | 1.43% | 2 | 0.01% | -4496 | -20.82% | 21599 |
| Anne Arundel | 82687 | 44.17% | 101110 | 54.01% | 3331 | 1.78% | 79 | 0.04% | -18423 | -9.84% | 187207 |
| Baltimore (City) | 112805 | 74.54% | 35185 | 23.25% | 3228 | 2.13% | 120 | 0.08% | 77620 | 51.29% | 151338 |
| Baltimore (County) | 145262 | 51.55% | 131291 | 46.59% | 5117 | 1.82% | 140 | 0.05% | 13971 | 4.96% | 281810 |
| Calvert | 12687 | 42.46% | 16703 | 55.90% | 481 | 1.61% | 10 | 0.03% | -4016 | -13.44% | 29881 |
| Caroline | 2860 | 31.74% | 5957 | 66.12% | 192 | 2.13% | 1 | 0.01% | -3097 | -34.37% | 9010 |
| Carroll | 18893 | 30.19% | 42550 | 67.99% | 1114 | 1.78% | 26 | 0.04% | -23657 | -37.80% | 62583 |
| Cecil | 11600 | 40.73% | 16296 | 57.21% | 577 | 2.03% | 10 | 0.04% | -4696 | -16.49% | 28483 |
| Charles | 20938 | 50.77% | 19743 | 47.87% | 539 | 1.31% | 22 | 0.05% | 1195 | 2.90% | 41242 |
| Dorchester | 4183 | 39.28% | 6326 | 59.40% | 134 | 1.26% | 7 | 0.07% | -2143 | -20.12% | 10650 |
| Frederick | 29398 | 40.38% | 42174 | 57.93% | 1196 | 1.64% | 32 | 0.04% | -12776 | -17.55% | 72800 |
| Garrett | 2686 | 27.42% | 6995 | 71.42% | 110 | 1.12% | 3 | 0.03% | -4309 | -44.00% | 9794 |
| Harford | 32590 | 35.82% | 56703 | 62.32% | 1664 | 1.83% | 37 | 0.04% | -24113 | -26.50% | 90994 |
| Howard | 56873 | 53.90% | 47015 | 44.55% | 1577 | 1.49% | 59 | 0.06% | 9858 | 9.34% | 105524 |
| Kent | 3484 | 44.34% | 4239 | 53.95% | 134 | 1.71% | 1 | 0.01% | -755 | -9.61% | 7858 |
| Montgomery | 205264 | 67.16% | 96619 | 31.61% | 3578 | 1.17% | 152 | 0.05% | 108645 | 35.55% | 305613 |
| Prince George's | 154798 | 75.01% | 49484 | 23.98% | 1948 | 0.94% | 150 | 0.07% | 105314 | 51.03% | 206380 |
| Queen Anne's | 5935 | 33.03% | 11710 | 65.17% | 318 | 1.77% | 6 | 0.03% | -5775 | -32.14% | 17969 |
| St. Mary's | 11614 | 40.77% | 16381 | 57.50% | 482 | 1.69% | 11 | 0.04% | -4767 | -16.73% | 28488 |
| Somerset | 2651 | 39.53% | 3953 | 58.95% | 99 | 1.48% | 3 | 0.04% | -1302 | -19.42% | 6706 |
| Talbot | 5844 | 37.13% | 9686 | 61.55% | 200 | 1.27% | 8 | 0.05% | -3842 | -24.41% | 15738 |
| Washington | 15921 | 38.56% | 24773 | 59.99% | 582 | 1.41% | 17 | 0.04% | -8852 | -21.44% | 41293 |
| Wicomico | 10571 | 37.66% | 17074 | 60.83% | 405 | 1.44% | 17 | 0.06% | -6503 | -23.17% | 28067 |
| Worcester | 7537 | 37.47% | 12326 | 61.28% | 249 | 1.24% | 3 | 0.01% | -4789 | -23.81% | 20115 |
| Total | 965477 | 54.33% | 783185 | 44.07% | 27564 | 1.55% | 916 | 0.05% | 182292 | 10.26% | 1777142 |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)| General | |
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| Governor |
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| State Senate | |
| House of Delegates | |
| U.S. President | |
| U.S. Senate |
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| U.S. House |
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| Attorney General | |
| Comptroller | |
| County Executive | |
See also:Political party strength in Maryland | |
