1994 United States Senate election in Michigan
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November 8, 1994
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 County results Abraham: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Carr: 40–50% 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Michigan |
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The 1994 United States Senate election in Michigan was held November 8, 1994. Incumbent Democratic Senator Don Riegle decided not run for re-election. Spencer Abraham won the open seat, becoming the first Republican to win a U.S. Senate race in Michigan since Robert P. Griffin in 1972 and the first to win the state's Class I seat since Charles E. Potter in 1952. As of 2026, this was the last time that a Republican was elected to a U.S. Senate seat in Michigan.
Background
[edit source]Riegle, a three term incumbent, was considered one of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats in the 1994 mid-term elections, due to the unpopularity of President Bill Clinton[1] and his being involved as a member of the Keating Five, a group of five United States Senators who were accused of corruption. After months of speculation, Riegle announced he would not seek a 4th term in a speech on the Senate floor.[2]
Democratic primary
[edit source]Candidates
[edit source]- William Brodhead, former U.S. Representative from Detroit
- Bob Carr, U.S. Representative from East Lansing
- Joel Ferguson, businessman and member of the Democratic National Committee
- John F. Kelly, State Senator from Grosse Pointe Woods
- Carl Marlinga, Macomb County Prosecuting Attorney
- Lana Pollack, State Senator from Ann Arbor
Declined
[edit source]- Donald W. Riegle, incumbent Senator since 1977
Results
[edit source]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bob Carr | 157,585 | 24.02% | |
| Democratic | Lana Pollack | 151,323 | 23.06% | |
| Democratic | Joel Ferguson | 130,125 | 19.83% | |
| Democratic | William Brodhead | 94,601 | 14.42% | |
| Democratic | John F. Kelly | 71,964 | 10.97% | |
| Democratic | Carl Marlinga | 50,329 | 7.67% | |
| Write-in | 271 | 0.04% | ||
| Total votes | 656,198 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
[edit source]Candidates
[edit source]- Spencer Abraham, former chairman of the Michigan Republican Party
- Ronna Romney, conservative radio talk show host
Campaign
[edit source]The Republican primary campaign amicably divided the Romney family. Though Ronna Romney had divorced Scott Romney two years prior, Scott's brother Mitt Romney (also a candidate for the United States Senate in Massachusetts) returned to Michigan to campaign for her.[4][5] Scott and Mitt's father George W. Romney, the former Governor of Michigan, endorsed Abraham, having promised Abraham the endorsement prior to her candidacy.[4][6] Her daughter, the future Chairman of the Republican National Committee Ronna Romney McDaniel, volunteered as a driver during her campaign.[7]
Results
[edit source]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Spencer Abraham | 292,399 | 51.95% | |
| Republican | Ronna Romney | 270,304 | 48.02% | |
| Write-in | 202 | 0.04% | ||
| Total votes | 562,905 | 100.00% | ||
General election
[edit source]Candidates
[edit source]- Spencer Abraham, former chairman of the Michigan Republican Party (Republican)
- Bob Carr, U.S. Representative from East Lansing (Democratic)
- Jon Coon (Libertarian)
- William Roundtree (Workers' World)
- Chris Wege (Natural Law)
Results
[edit source]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Spencer Abraham | 1,578,770 | 51.88% | |||
| Democratic | Bob Carr | 1,300,960 | 42.75% | |||
| Libertarian | Jon Coon | 128,393 | 4.22% | |||
| Workers World | William Roundtree | 20,010 | 0.66% | |||
| Natural Law | Chris Wege | 14,746 | 0.48% | |||
| Write-in | 506 | 0.02% | ||||
| Total votes | 3,043,385 | 100.00% | ||||
| Republican gain from Democratic | ||||||
See also
[edit source]References
[edit source]- ↑ Richard L. Berke (July 27, 1993). "Senate Democrats See Re-election Perils in '94". New York Times. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
- ↑ William J. Eaton (September 29, 1993). "Riegle Is 3rd Keating Case Senator to Not Seek Office". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
- ↑ "MI US Senate- D Primary". OurCampaigns.com. January 2, 2019. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- 1 2 "Mitt Romney stuck in family political drama on this date 18 years ago". Boston.com. July 26, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ↑ "Romney to stump for former in-law; His father backs rival Mich. hopeful". The Boston Globe. Boston, MA. July 26, 1994. Archived from the original on May 17, 2013 – via HighBeam Research.
- ↑ "A complicated Romney family". POLITICO. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ↑ "Latest Romney in politics is not a candidate". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ↑ "MI US Senate- R Primary". OurCampaigns.com. January 2, 2019. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ↑ Parker, Randy (May 27, 2003). "Our Campaigns: MI U.S. Senate". Our Campaigns.
- ↑ Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. "STATISTICS OF THE CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION OF NOVEMBER 8, 1994" (PDF). United States House of Representatives. p. 17,19. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
