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  Snowe: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Bright: 40–50% Slavick: 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Maine |
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The 2006 United States Senate election in Maine was held November 7, 2006. Incumbent Republican Olympia Snowe won re-election to a third term. As of 2024 [update] , this was the last time Republicans won the Class 1 U.S. Senate seat in Maine.
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.
| Source | Date | Snowe (R) | Bright (D) | Slavick (I) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmussen [2] | June 22, 2006 | 66% | 26% | |
| Rasmussen [3] | August 2, 2006 | 69% | 22% | |
| Rasmussen [4] | August 21, 2006 | 68% | 20% | |
| Rasmussen [5] | October 17, 2006 | 70% | 24% | |
| Critical Insights [6] | October 27, 2006 | 74% | 14% | 6% |
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report [7] | Solid R | November 6, 2006 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball [8] | Safe R | November 6, 2006 |
| Rothenberg Political Report [9] | Safe R | November 6, 2006 |
| Real Clear Politics [10] | Safe R | November 6, 2006 |
| 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.
Olympia Jean Snowe is an American businesswoman and politician who was a United States Senator from Maine from 1995 to 2013. Snowe, a member of the Republican Party, became known for her ability to influence the outcome of close votes, including whether to end filibusters. In 2006, she was named one of America's Best Senators by Time magazine. Throughout her Senate career, she was considered one of the most moderate members of the chamber.
Michael Herman Michaud is an American businessman and politician from Maine. Michaud served as the U.S. representative for Maine's 2nd congressional district from 2003 to 2015. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The primarily rural district comprises nearly 80% of the state by area and includes the cities of Lewiston, Auburn, Bangor, Presque Isle, and Ellsworth. It is the largest Congressional district by area east of the Mississippi River.
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The 2006 United States Senate election in West Virginia was held November 7, 2006. Incumbent Democrat Robert Byrd won re-election to a ninth term. He was sworn in on January 3, 2007. However, he died in office on June 28, 2010, before the end of his term. This was Byrd's closest re-election.
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The 2006 United States Senate election in Nebraska was held November 7, 2006. Incumbent Democrat Ben Nelson won re-election to a second term, defeating Republican Pete Ricketts with 63.9% of the vote to Ricketts' 36.1%. Ricketts was later appointed in January 2023 to Nebraska's other Senate seat after serving as Governor of Nebraska from 2015 to 2023.
The 2006 United States Senate election in Texas was held November 7, 2006. Incumbent Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison won re-election to a third full term.
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The 2008 United States Senate election in Maine took place on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Susan Collins won re-election to a third term against Democrat Tom Allen, the U.S. Congressman from the 1st district.
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