- Context «
- Mid-term Elections «
- Senate Races 2010
Balance before was
57 Democrats, 41
Republicans, 2 Independents.
37 seats at stake:19 held by Democrats and 18 by Republicans.
15 open seats of which 7 held by Democrats and 8 held by Republicans.
12 retirements, 3 defeated in primary.*
Of 23 sitting Senators seeking re-election or election on Nov. 2, 21 succeeded.
16 new Senators were elected (although 1 had previously served).
Republicans won 23 (24)* seats, Democrats 13 seats.
Balance after is 51 Democrats, 47 Republicans, 2 Independents.
*Sen. Murkowski (R-AK) lost the primary, but won as a write-in.
37 seats at stake:19 held by Democrats and 18 by Republicans.
15 open seats of which 7 held by Democrats and 8 held by Republicans.
12 retirements, 3 defeated in primary.*
Of 23 sitting Senators seeking re-election or election on Nov. 2, 21 succeeded.
16 new Senators were elected (although 1 had previously served).
Republicans won 23 (24)* seats, Democrats 13 seats.
Balance after is 51 Democrats, 47 Republicans, 2 Independents.
*Sen. Murkowski (R-AK) lost the primary, but won as a write-in.
Updated November 16, 2010.
Overview
There was some talk that Republicans might have a chance of gaining control of the Senate but, in the view of many observers, wins by several Tea Party backed candidates over more centrist candidates in the primaries cost them that opportunity. A relatively high 15 open seats were at stake on November 2 (compare to seven in 2002, seven in 2004, four in 2006 and six in 2008). In part this was due to the large number of appointed Senators in the 111th Congress, a total of seven. Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Ted Kaufman (D-DE), Raymond Burris (D-IL)1 and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) resulted from Obama appointments. Following the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA), Gov. Deval Patrick appointed Paul Kirk (D); Kirk served until the Jan. 19, 2010 special election resulted in the election of Scott Brown (R). In Florida after the resignation of Sen. Mel Martinez (R), Gov. Charlie Crist (R) appointed George LeMieux (R). Following the death of Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) on June 28, Gov. Joe Manchin (D) on July 16 named attorney Carte P. Goodwin to fill the position on an interim basis.2 Of the appointed Senators only Bennet and Gillibrand sought election and both succeeded. Three open seats were due to incumbents who lost during the primary season: Bennett (R-UT) was defeated at the state party convention on May 8, Specter (D-PA) lost in the May 18 primary and Murkowski (R-AK) was upset in the Aug. 24 primary. Tea Party backed candidates achieved significant upsets in primaries around the country, starting with Rand Paul's win in Kentucky, continuing to Sharron Angle in Nevada, Mike Lee in Utah, Ken Buck in Colorado, Joe Miller in Alaska, and finally Christine O'Donnell in Delaware. Probably the most watched Senate race in the country was in Nevada where Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) faced a surprisingly strong challenge from Sharron Angle (R). Money was of course a factor; the Center for Responsive Politics reported that on average in 2008, winning U.S. Senate candidates spent more than twice as much as losing ones: $8.5 million to $4.1 million. Three of the newly elected Senators are being seated in the lame duck session: Coons (D-DE), Manchin (D-WV) and Kirk (R-IL).
Committees: DSCC (finances) | NRSC (finances).
Finances: FEC 2010 House and Senate Campaign Finance, Open Secrets.
Press, Pundits and Prognosticators: CQ Politics, Cook Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball.
By Party: D | R | L | G | C | O/I.
Winners in bold; not every third party and independent candidates is shown.
| Primary |
DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGERS | REPUBLICAN INCUMBENTS | More |
|
| AL |
June
1 |
attorney William
Barnes |
Richard Shelby |
- |
| AK |
Aug.
24 |
Sitka
Mayor Scott McAdams |
*[Lisa
Murkowski (defeated in
primary)] attorney Joe Miller |
Sen. Lisa
Murkowski
(w/in) David Haase (L) Tim Carter (pet.) Ted Gianoutsos (pet.) |
| AZ |
Aug.
24 |
Tucson
City
Councilman Rodney
Glassman |
John McCain |
Jerry Joslyn (G) David F. Nolan (L) |
| FL |
Aug. 24 |
Rep. Kendrick Meek |
*[George LeMieux
(retiring)] former Speaker Marco Rubio |
Gov. Charlie Crist (I) Bernie DeCastro (C) Alex Snitker (L) |
| GA |
July
20 |
Labor
Comm. Mike Thurmond |
Johnny Isakson |
Chuck Donovan (L) |
| ID |
May
25 |
business
owner Tom Sullivan |
Mike Crapo |
Randy
Bergquist (C) |
| IA |
June
8 |
attorney Roxanne Conlin |
Chuck Grassley |
John Heiderscheit
(L) |
| KY |
May 18 |
AG Jack Conway |
*[Jim Bunning
(retiring 07/27/09)] Rand Paul |
John Long (I) |
| KS |
Aug.
3 |
Baker University assistant dean Lisa Johnston | *[Sam
Brownback (running for Gov.)] Rep. Jerry Moran |
Mike Dann (L) Joe Bellis (Ref.) |
| LA |
Aug. 28 |
Rep. Charlie
Melancon |
David Vitter |
Randall Hayes (L)
William McShan (Ref.) Mike Spears (I) State Rep. Ernest Wooton (I) |
| MO |
Aug.
3 |
Sec.
of State Robin Carnahan |
*[Kit Bond
(retiring 01/08/09)] Rep. Roy Blunt |
Jerry Beck (C) Jonathan Dine (L) |
| NH |
Sept. 14 |
Rep. Paul Hodes |
*[Judd Gregg
(retiring 02/13/09)] former AG Kelly Ayotte |
Ken Blevens (L) several independents |
| NC |
May 4 |
Sec. of State Elaine
Marshall (won June 22
runoff) |
Richard Burr |
Mike Beitler (L) Richard Weir (G-w/in) |
| OH |
May
4 |
Lt.
Gov. Lee Fisher |
*[George
Voinovich (retiring
01/12/09)] former Rep. Rob Portman |
Eric Deaton (C) Dan LaBotz (S) |
| OK |
July
27 |
retired
schoolteacher
Jim
Rogers |
Tom Coburn |
Steve Wallace (I) Ronald Dwyer (I) |
| SC |
June
8 |
unemployed
veteran Alvin
Greene |
Jim DeMint |
Tom
Clements (G) |
| SD |
June
8 |
no
challenger |
John Thune |
- |
| UT |
June
22 |
restauranteur Sam
Granato |
*[Bob
Bennett (defeated at
Convention on May 8)] attorney Mike Lee |
Scott
Bradley (C) |
2. The West Virginia legislature set a primary for Aug. 28 and a special election coinciding with the November 2 general election (1, 2, 3, 4).
| February |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
August |
September |
| IL
Feb. 2 |
IN
May 4 NC OH AR May 18 KY OR PA ID May 25 |
AL
June 1 CA June 8 IA NV ND SC SD UT June 22 |
GA
July 20 OK July 27 |
KS
Aug. 3 MO CO Aug. 10 CT WA Aug. 17 AK Aug. 24 AZ FL VT LA Aug. 28 WV |
DE
Sept. 14 MD NH NY WI HI Sept. 18 |
An Overview of
Interesting
Primaries
| Sept.
14 |
DE GOP: In one of the biggest
upsets of the cycle, Tea Party-backed marketing consultant Christine O'Donnell
defeated nine-term congressman and former governor Mike Castle.
O'Donnell depicted the moderate Castle, who was backed by the
Republican Party, as a RINO. MD GOP: Queen Anne's County Commissioner Eric Wargotz, a physician, finished first out of a field of 11 candidates with about 38.7%; Tea Party backed attorney Jim Rutledge finished second with about 31.4%. NH GOP: Former Attorney General Kelly Ayotte was the early favorite in a field of seven candidates, but toward the close of the race attorney Ovide Lamontagne surged to make it very close ultimately finishing 1,678 votes back; others in the race included businessmen Bill Binnie and Jim Bender. NY GOP: Political strategist Jay Townsend (R/C) bested retired CIA officer Gary Berntsen in the race for the Shumer seat, and former Rep. Joe DioGuardi (R/C) finished ahead of economist David Malpass and attorney Bruce Blakeman to challenge for the Gillibrand seat. |
|
| Aug.
28 |
LA GOP: Sen. David Vitter weathered the
2007 prostitution scandal and revelations over a staffer to
resoundingly win the primary former state Supreme Court Associate
Justice Chet Taylor. WV GOP: A total of fourteen candidates were on the ballot including nine Republicans. Greer Industries president and CEO John Raese finished with four times as many votes as the next closest Republican "Mac" Warner. |
|
| Aug.
24 |
AZ DEM: Tucson
City Councilman Rodney
Glassman finished first out a field of four
little known
candidates. FL DEM: Rep. Kendrick Meek won with 55% of the vote; billionaire Jeff Greene made it a race before fading; he obtained 33%. Natural health educator Glenn Burkett finished with 7% and former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferrre obtained 5%. |
AK GOP: Attorney Joe
Miller, who was backed by former Gov. Sarah Palin and former
Gov.
Mike Huckabee, upset Sen. Lisa Murkowski , who
conceded on Aug. 31. > AZ GOP: This race drew a lot of attention, but Sen. John McCain ran an aggressive campaign, spending over $20 million to defeat Tea Party backed former Rep. J.D. Hayworth by 56% to 32% with 11% for Jim Deakin. FL GOP: Gov. Charlie Crist's announcement on April 29, 2010 that he would leave the Republican Party and run as an Independent left the field largely clear for former House Speaker Marco Rubio, a Tea Party favorite who has attracted national attention; he easily dispatched a couple of very longshot candidates in the primary. |
| Aug.
17 |
WA GOP: Under Washington's Top
2
Primary, 15 candidates appeared on the ballot (the top two move on
to
the general election). Sen. Murray (D) finished first with 46.2% and former
state
Sen. Dino
Rossi (R), the 2004 and 2008 gubernatorial
nominee, finished second with 34.0%. Former pro
football player and farmer Clint
Didier, who was backed by the Tea Party and Sarah Palin, fell
short, obtaining 11.9%. |
|
| Aug. 10 |
CO DEM: Former Speaker of the
House Andrew Romanoff
sold his house in his effort to defeat appointed Sen. Michael Bennet;
Romanoff was also endorsed by Bill Clinton, but Bennet carried the day
by a 54% to 46% margin. |
CO GOP: The closely fought race
between former
Lt.
Gov. Jane Norton and
Weld County district attorney Ken
Buck resulted in a 51.5% to 48.4% win for Buck. CT GOP: Former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon, who won the endorsement of the GOP Convention on May 21, won the primary with about 49%. Former Rep. Rob Simmons scaled back/suspended his campaign, but remained on the ballot, and in July resumed some activity; he finished second with about 28%. Businessman and author Peter Schiff, who remained active throughout, was third with about 23%. |
| Aug. 3 |
KS DEM: In a race among five
candidates, Baker University assistant dean Lisa Johnston finished with
31% to 24% for the much more experienced communications
executive Charles
Schollenberger, 19% for state Sen. David Haley, 16% for Patrick
Weisner and 10% Robert A. Conroy. |
KS GOP: In the bitterly contested race between Rep. Jerry Moran and Rep. Todd Tiahrt, Moran finished ahead by a 50% to 45% margin. |
| June 22 |
NC DEM runoff: Sec. of State Elaine Marshall defeated former State Sen. Cal Cunninghamg by 60% to 40%. Marshall gained the backing of third place finisher Kevin Lewis; Cunningham had the backing of national Democrats. | UT GOP: Although businessman Tim
Bridgewater finished first with
57% at
the
May
8
Utah
Republican
Convention,
attorney
Mike Lee
carried
the
day
on
June
22
with
a
51%
to
49%
win. |
| June 8 |
SC DEM: Despite
waging no
campaign, unknown unemployed veteran Alvin Greene upset
Charleston County Councilman and former legislator Vic Rawl. Many questions were
raised about Greene and his campaign, and his win was attributed to his
being the first name that appeared. The South Carolina
Democratic Party rejected a protest by Rawl. > Subsequently a group of
Democrats started a petition effort to get Linda Ketner on the
ballot as an independent; however, Ketner announced on July 5 that she
would not accept a petition candidacy. AR DEM runoff: Sen. Blanche Lincoln defied expectations to defeat Lt. Gov. Bill Halter. |
CA GOP: Former
Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly
Fiorina defeated former Rep. Tom
Campbell and Assemblyman Chuck DeVore.
The Fiorina campaign reported $7.4 million in receipts of which $3.6
million came from the candidate, compared to $2.6 million in receipts
for Campbell and $2.3 million for DeVore. NV GOP: Twelve candidates competed for the nomination. Tea Party backed former Assemblywoman Sharron Angle defeated former state party chair Sue Lowden, and realtor, basketballer, and 2006 Sec. of State candidate Danny Tarkanian. |
| May 18 |
AR
DEM: Lt. Gov. Bill Halter received a lot of
support from outside progressive groups and organized labor and forced
Sen. Blanche Lincoln.
to a June 8 run-off. Lincoln received 44.5% to 42.5% for
Halter and 13% for businessman D.C. Morrison. KY DEM: The Republican primary attracted considerably more attention but the Democratic race proved to be a squeaker, as AG Jack Conway defeated Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo by less than 4,000 votes, 44% to 43% PA DEM: Five-term Republican Sen. Arlen Specter switched to the Democratic party in April 2009 and was embraced by the Democratic establishment; Rep. Joe Sestak was not dissuaded from running and won amid low turnout, defeating the 80-year old incumbent by 54% to 46%. |
AR
GOP: Five-term
Rep. John Boozman
finished first in a field of eight candidates with about
52%; the nearest runner up was Jim
Holt at 17%. KY GOP: With the support of tea party activists, Rand Paul won by a surprising 59% to 35% margin over Sec. of State Trey Grayson. Grayson had been backed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. + |
| May 15 |
IN DEM: State Democratic Committee formally selected Rep. Brad Ellsworth as the nominee on May 15. | |
| May
8 |
UT GOP: Sen. Bob Bennett was defeated at the Utah Republican Convention; June 22 primary between businessman Tim Bridgewater and attorney Mike Lee. | |
| May 4 |
OH
DEM: Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher defeated
Sec. of State Jennifer
Brunner by 56% to 44%. NC DEM: Sec. of State Elaine Marshall and former State Sen. Cal Cunningham are in a June 22 runoff; Marshall obtained 36.4% to 27.2% for Cunninghan and 17.1% for attorney Ken Lewis. |
IN
GOP: Former
Sen. Dan Coats bested
state Sen., farmer, and small businessman Marlin A. Stutzman and former Rep.
John N. Hostettler
by 39% to
30% and 22% with the remainder going to two
others. |
| Feb.
2 |
IL DEM: Treasurer Alexi
Giannoulias defeated former Chicago Inspector General David Hoffman and
Chicago Urban League President Cheryle
Jackson by 38.7% to 33.5% and 19.7%. |
Copyright © 2010 Eric M. Appleman/Democracy
in
Action.
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