United States Senate election in Tennessee, 2006

Infobox Election
election_name = United States Senate election in Tennessee, 2006
country = Tennessee
type = presidential
ongoing = no
previous_election = United States Senate election in Tennessee, 2000
previous_year = 2000
next_election = United States Senate election in Tennessee, 2012
next_year = 2012
election_date = November 7 2006


nominee1 = Bob Corker
party1 = Republican Party (United States)
popular_vote1 = 929,911
percentage1 = 50.71%


nominee2 = Harold Ford, Jr.
party2 = Democratic Party (United States)
popular_vote2 = 879,976
percentage2 = 47.99%
map_

map_size = 200px
map_caption = Election results by county
title = Senator
before_election = Bill Frist
before_party = Republican Party (United States)
after_election = Bob Corker
after_party = Republican Party (United States)The Tennessee United States Senate election of 2006 was held on November 7, 2006. The election winner, Bob Corker, will serve between January 3, 2007 and January 3, 2013. Corker replaced Republican Bill Frist in the Senate, who retired upon the end of his second term in 2007.

Corker was the Republican nominee, and the Democratic nominee was Harold Ford, Jr.. The race between Ford and Corker was one of the most competitive Senate races of 2006, with Corker winning the race by less than three percent of the vote.

Corker was the only non-incumbent Republican to win a U.S. Senate seat in 2006. Since 1994, the Republican Party has held both of Tennessee's Senate seats.

Election results

Election box candidate with party link
party = Republican Party (US)
candidate = Bob Corker
votes = 929,911
percentage = 50.7
change = -14.4Election box candidate with party link
party = Democratic Party (US)
candidate = Harold Ford, Jr.
votes = 879,976
percentage = 48.0
change = +15.8Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Ed Choate
votes = 10,831
percentage = 0.6
change = "n/a"Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = David "None of the Above" Gatchell
votes = 3,746
percentage = 0.2
change = "n/a"Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = Emory "Bo" Heyward
votes = 3,580
percentage = 0.2
change = "n/a"Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent (politician)
candidate = H. Gary Keplinger
votes = 3,033
percentage = 0.2
change = "n/a"Election box candidate with party link
party = Green Party (US)
candidate = Chris Lugo
votes = 2,589
percentage = 0.1
change = "n/a"Election box majority
votes = 49,935
percentage = 2.7
change = Election box turnout
votes = 1,833,693
percentage =
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Republican Party (US)
loser =
swing = -15.1

Candidates in the general election

Democratic Party

*Harold Ford, Jr. - United States Congressman, was trying to become the first African-American senator popularly elected in the South.

Republican Party

*Bob Corker - Former mayor of Chattanooga and 1994 Senate candidate.

Green Party

*Chris Lugo - Peace Activist Green Party candidate.

Independent candidates

*Ed Choate - Independent; seeks to start an American Conservative Christian Party [ [http://edchoateforsenate.com] ]
*David "None of the Above" Gatchell - Independent; legally changed his middle name to "None of the Above" [ [http://www.noneoftheabove-tn.org None Of The Above - Tennessee ] ]
*Emory "Bo" Heyward - Independent; populist paleoconservative. [ [http://www.boforsenate.com/ Index of / ] ]
*Gary Keplinger [ [http://state.tn.us/sos/election/cand/USSenateCandidates.pdf] ]

Democratic primary

Two Democrats originally filed as candidates by the April 6, 2006, deadline: U.S. Representative Harold Ford, Jr. and State Senator Rosalind Kurita. Ford is known nationally for his keynote address at the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, California, and for a challenge to Nancy Pelosi for leadership of the House Democrats. Kurita, a six-term state Senator from Clarksville, Tennessee dropped out of the race in early April 2006. No official reason was given, but Ford enjoyed substantial support from Democratic leaders in Washington and Nashville and held a substantial lead in fundraising. Ford won the Democratic nomination by a wide margin in the primary. [http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/politics/article/0,1426,MCA_1496_4892535,00.html Commercial Appeal : Memphis News, Business, Homes, Jobs, Cars, & Information ] ]

Republican primary

The Republican candidates were two former U.S. Representatives, Van Hilleary and Ed Bryant, and former Chattanooga mayor Bob Corker. All three have run statewide campaigns in the past, albeit unsuccessful ones: Bryant for the 2002 Republican Senate nomination, losing to Lamar Alexander; Corker for the U.S. Senate in 1994, losing to Frist in the Republican primary; and Hilleary for Tennessee Governor in 2002, losing to Democrat Phil Bredesen.

The three Republican candidates met for a debate at the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville on June 29, 2006. All three candidates expressed skepticism regarding global warming and recent publication of scientific consensus on the issue, supported continued American involvement in Iraq, opposed income tax increases, and "showed varying degrees of interest in replacing the federal income tax with a national sales tax," prompting Corker to state in his closing statement " [t] here's not any difference, that I can tell, on the issues. [" [http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/election/article/0,1406,KNS_630_4812217,00.html] ]

The Republican primary was held on August 3, 2006. Bob Corker won the nomination by obtaining 48% of the primary vote to Bryant's 34% and Hilleary's 17%.

Republican primary polling (before August 3rd, 2006 primary)

References

ee also

*United States Senate elections, 2006

External links

* [http://www.bobcorkerforsenate.com/ Bob Corker's Campaign Site]
* [http://www.fordfortennessee.com/ Harold Ford, Jr.'s Campaign Site]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/31/us/31tennessee.html?ex=1306728000&en=757828f3233613c3&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss Democrats' Senate Hopes May Ride on Tennessee] , by Robin Toner, "New York Times", May 31, 2006
* [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/09/17/MNGIHL7B4S1.DTL Dems pin hopes on candidate who's no liberal] , by Zachary Coile, "San Francisco Chronicle", September 17, 2006
* [http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/election/article/0,1406,KNS_630_5017294,00.html Senate race is looming large] , by Rebecca Ferrar, "Knoxville News-Sentinel", September 24, 2006
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/28/us/politics/28senate.html New Hope for Democrats in Bid for Senate] , by Robin Toner, "New York Times", September 28, 2006
* [http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/politics/article/0,1426,MCA_1496_5034159,00.html A photo finish in Corker-Ford race?] , by Richard Locker, "The Commercial Appeal", October 1, 2006
* [http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/politics/article/0,1426,MCA_1496_5065388,00.html Bob Corker's questionnaire responses] from "The Commercial Appeal"
* [http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/politics/article/0,1426,MCA_1496_5065434,00.html Harold Ford Jr's questionnaire responses] from "The Commercial Appeal"

sequence
prev= 2002
Lamar Alexander (R)
list= Tennessee U.S. Senate election
2006
Bob Corker (R)
next= 2008
Lamar Alexander (R)