2006 United States Senate election in Maine
The 2006 United States Senate election in Maine was held November 2, 2006. Incumbent Republican Olympia Snowe won re-election to a third term. As of 2020, this is the last time Republicans won the Class 1 U.S. Senate seat in Maine.
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Candidates
Democratic
- Jean Hay Bright, activist
Independent
- Bill Slavick, activist
Republican
- Olympia Snowe, incumbent U.S. Senator
Campaign
Snowe, who had been elected to both of her previous terms by approximately 2 to 1 margins, had never lost an election. Her success is accredited to her centrist Republican ideology, which resulted in high approval ratings. Meanwhile, her Democratic opponent in the 2006 election, Jean Hay Bright, had never been elected to political office.
Democrats' best hope for taking the seat was that Snowe would retire rather than run in 2006, but there was never any indication that Snowe seriously considered not running for re-election.[1]
The filing deadline for major party candidates was March 15, 2006. The primary was held June 13, 2006. Olympia Snowe was unopposed for the Republican nomination; Jean Hay Bright narrowly won the Democratic nod with 50.7% of the vote against Eric Mehnert.
Hay Bright announced her candidacy in May 2005. Hay Bright was previously an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination to the House in 1994 and the Senate in 1996.
The race had been called by FOX News for the Republican incumbent Olympia Snowe 23 minutes after the polls had closed. Snowe won re-election by a greater margin than any U.S. Senator that cycle except Indiana's Richard Lugar, who faced only a Libertarian opponent.
Polling
| Source | Date | Snowe (R) | Bright (D) | Slavick (I) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmussen | June 22, 2006 | 66% | 26% | |
| Rasmussen | August 2, 2006 | 69% | 22% | |
| Rasmussen | August 21, 2006 | 68% | 20% | |
| Rasmussen | October 17, 2006 | 70% | 24% | |
| Critical Insights | October 27, 2006 | 74% | 14% | 6% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Olympia Snowe (incumbent) | 402,598 | 74.01 | +5.5 | |
| Democratic | Jean Hay Bright | 111,984 | 20.59 | -10.6 | |
| Independent | Bill Slavick | 29,220 | 5.37 | n/a | |
| Majority | 290,614 | 53.42 | |||
| Turnout | 543,802 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
Snowe won in all of Maine's counties, taking at least 60% of the vote in each region.