2006 United States Senate election in Ohio
2006 United States Senate election in Ohio Turnout 53.25% (registered voters)
County results Congressional district results Brown : 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%DeWine : 50–60% 60–70%
The 2006 United States Senate election in Ohio was held November 7, 2006. Incumbent Republican Mike DeWine ran for re-election, but was defeated by Democratic congressman Sherrod Brown .[ 1] As of 2024, this is the most recent time a Democratic Senate candidate in Ohio won a race by double digits.
To date, this is Mike DeWine's only general election loss of his political career. Following his defeat, DeWine would later serve as Ohio's State Attorney General from 2011 to 2019 and has been the state's Governor since 2019.
Background
The incumbent Republican Senator R. Michael DeWine had approval ratings at 38%,[ 2] making him the second most unpopular U.S. Senator behind Pennsylvania Republican Rick Santorum , who was also up for reelection in 2006. Pre-election stories in the U.S. media suggested that the national Republican Party may have given up on saving Senator DeWine's Senate seat before election day.[citation needed ] Sherrod Brown , former Ohio Secretary of State and U.S. Representative from Ohio's 13th district , easily won the Democratic nomination over Merrill Keiser Jr .
Republican primary
Candidates
Mike DeWine , incumbent U.S. Senator since 1995
David Smith, candidate for U.S. Representative from Ohio's 2nd congressional district in 2005
William G. Pierce, engineer
Campaign
Both candidates campaigned as conservative alternatives to DeWine, citing DeWine's support for gun control measures and his role as one of the Republican members of the Gang of 14 which was a group of Republicans who compromised with Democrats in a dispute about judicial appointments.
Results
Democratic primary
Candidates
Declared
Withdrew
Results
General election
Candidates
Campaign
The Republican Party, which was facing multiple challenges to their Senate majority, was initially determined to assist DeWine in his competitive race while the National Democratic party supported Brown in hopes of taking control of the Senate. John McClelland, a spokesman for the Ohio Republican Party said, "It's vitally important to the Republican Party as a whole, so I think that's why you see the president coming to Ohio to support Mike DeWine." Phil Singer, a spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said, "Mike DeWine Senior is in for the fight of his life, make no mistake about it."[ 4]
On July 14, 2006, DeWine's campaign began airing TV commercials depicting a smoking World Trade Center . "The senator was notified... by a reporter at U.S. News & World Report that the image of the burning Twin Towers could not have depicted the actual event because the smoke was blowing the wrong way."[ 5] [ 6] DeWine's campaign admitted that the video was actually a still photo of the World Trade Center with smoke digitally added.[ 5] He also was criticized for using an emotionally charged image to attack his challenger.[ 6]
Another of DeWine's ads suggested that opponent Sherrod Brown didn't pay his taxes for thirteen years. This claim led to the Associated Press reporting on October 19 that, "Several Ohio television stations have stopped airing a Republican ad because state documents contradict the ad's accusation that Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Sherrod Brown didn't pay an unemployment tax bill for 13 years." Brown produced a commercial citing these facts.[ 7] DeWine's ads were changed to state only that he had failed to pay his unemployment taxes until legal action was taken against him.
On October 16, 2006, The New York Times reported that top national Republicans were moving resources away from the Ohio Senate race, as they had determined that DeWine was likely to lose and were seeking to spend money on races where Republican candidates were seen as having a better chance of winning.[ 8]
Debates
Fundraising
During the election cycle, DeWine raised $14.9 million and spent $15.5 million.[ 9] Brown raised $8.9 million and spent $10.8 million.[ 10]
Predictions
Polling
Source
Date
Sherrod Brown (D)
Mike DeWine (R)
Zogby [ 15]
October 31, 2005
40%
37%
Rasmussen [ 16]
December 2, 2005
41%
43%
Rasmussen [ 17]
January 7, 2006
40%
45%
Rasmussen [ 18]
February 18, 2006
37%
46%
Rasmussen [ 19]
March 31, 2006
42%
45%
Zogby /WSJ [ 20]
March 31, 2006
46%
37%
Rasmussen [ 21]
April 24, 2006
41%
43%
Mason-Dixon [ 22]
April 26, 2006
36%
47%
Rasmussen [ 23]
May 15, 2006
44%
41%
University of Cincinnati [ 24]
May 25, 2006
42%
52%
Survey USA [ 25]
June 13, 2006
48%
39%
Zogby /WSJ [ 20]
June 21, 2006
47%
34%
Rasmussen [ 26]
June 27, 2006
39%
46%
Columbus Dispatch [ 27]
July 23, 2006
45%
37%
Zogby /WSJ [ 20]
July 24, 2006
45%
37%
Rasmussen [ 28]
August 1, 2006
44%
42%
SurveyUSA [ 29]
August 5, 2006
49%
41%
Rasmussen [ 30]
August 26, 2006
45%
42%
Zogby /WSJ [ 31]
August 28, 2006
47%
39%
Gallup [ 32]
September 5, 2006
46%
40%
Zogby /WSJ [ 31]
September 11, 2006
45%
41%
Rasmussen [ 33]
September 13, 2006
47%
41%
Quinnipiac [ 34]
September 20, 2006
45%
44%
University of Cincinnati [ 35]
September 20, 2006
51%
47%
SurveyUSA [ 36]
September 21, 2006
52%
42%
Columbus Dispatch [ 37]
September 24, 2006
47%
42%
Zogby /WSJ [ 31]
September 28, 2006
45%
41%
University of Akron [ 38]
September 29, 2006
42%
42%
Mason-Dixon [ 39]
October 1, 2006
45%
43%
Reuters /Zogby [ 40]
October 5, 2006
41%
41%
Rasmussen [ 41]
October 5, 2006
49%
41%
SurveyUSA [ 42]
October 12, 2006
54%
40%
Rasmussen [ 43]
October 13, 2006
48%
42%
Quinnipiac [ 44]
October 17, 2006
53%
41%
University of Cincinnati [ 45]
October 17, 2006
52%
45%
CBS News /New York Times [ 46]
October 17, 2006
49%
35%
Mason-Dixon /MSNBC [ 47]
October 24, 2006
48%
40%
Los Angeles Times /Bloomberg [ 48]
October 24, 2006
47%
39%
Rasmussen [ 49]
October 26, 2006
53%
41%
SurveyUSA [ 50]
October 26, 2006
57%
37%
Opinion Consultants [ 51]
October 22–30, 2006
51%
44%
CNN /Opinion Research Corporation [ 52]
October 31, 2006
54%
43%
Reuters /Zogby International [ 53]
November 2, 2006
56%
42%
Rasmussen [ 54]
November 4, 2006
54%
43%
Mason-Dixon /MSNBC-McClatchy [ 55]
November 5, 2006
50%
44%
Columbus Dispatch [ 56]
November 5, 2006
62%
38%
University of Cincinnati Ohio Poll [ 57]
November 6, 2006
56%
44%
SurveyUSA [ 58]
November 6, 2006
54%
42%
Results
Brown was declared the winner right when the polls closed in Ohio at 7:30. DeWine had the second worst performance of a Republican incumbent in 2006; only Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum had a worse performance . While DeWine was able to win rural counties in western Ohio, Brown managed to win most eastern Ohio counties, especially in heavily populated areas. DeWine's narrow 2,000 vote victory in Hamilton County which is home to Cincinnati , came nowhere close to making a dent in Brown's lead. Brown would go on to be reelected to a second term in 2012 , and a third term in 2018 . Also in 2018, both Brown and DeWine were on the ballot but this time for different races; DeWine would be elected Governor of Ohio.
By county
County
Sherrod Brown Democratic
Mike DeWine Republican
Richard Duncan Independent
Margin
Total votes cast
#
%
#
%
#
%
#
%
Adams
3,903
45.54%
4,667
54.46%
0
0.00%
-764
-8.92%
8,570
Allen
16,597
45.95%
19,521
54.04%
5
0.01%
-2,924
-8.09%
36,123
Ashland
8,890
46.31%
10,299
53.65%
9
0.04%
-1,409
-7.34%
19,198
Ashtabula
21,151
61.79%
13,078
38.21%
1
0.00%
8,073
23.58%
34,230
Athens
13,988
70.55%
5,839
29.45%
0
0.00%
8,149
41.10%
19,827
Auglaize
6,845
40.28%
10,142
59.68%
8
0.04%
-3,297
-19.40%
16,995
Belmont
15,490
65.76%
8,056
34.20%
10
0.04%
7,434
31.56%
23,556
Brown
6,850
48.57%
7,247
51.38%
7
0.05%
-397
-2.81%
14,104
Butler
49,443
42.88%
65,854
57.11%
5
0.01%
-16,411
-14.23%
115,302
Carroll
6,143
55.58%
4,908
44.40%
2
0.02%
1,235
11.18%
11,053
Champaign
6,809
47.26%
7,598
52.73%
2
0.01%
-789
-5.47%
14,409
Clark
26,400
52.73%
23,656
47.25%
6
0.02%
2,744
5.48%
50,062
Clermont
25,333
39.00%
39,588
60.95%
34
0.05%
-14,255
-21.95%
64,955
Clinton
5,005
39.43%
7,687
60.56%
1
0.01%
-2,682
-21.13%
12,693
Columbiana
21,802
59.20%
15,025
40.80%
2
0.00%
6,777
18.40%
36,829
Coshocton
7,024
52.55%
6,340
47.43%
2
0.02%
684
5.12%
13,366
Crawford
8,227
49.31%
8,455
50.68%
1
0.01%
-228
-1.37%
16,683
Cuyahoga
319,568
70.57%
133,235
29.42%
29
0.01%
186,333
41.15%
452,832
Darke
8,267
40.95%
11,911
59.00%
9
0.05%
-3,644
-18.05%
20,187
Defiance
6,624
48.68%
6,977
51.28%
6
0.04%
-353
-2.60%
13,607
Delaware
27,109
41.87%
37,624
58.11%
17
0.02%
-10,515
-16.24%
64,750
Erie
19,372
63.74%
11,018
36.25%
1
0.01%
8,354
27.49%
30,391
Fairfield
25,283
46.99%
28,506
52.98%
12
0.03%
-3,223
-5.99%
53,801
Fayette
3,793
44.91%
4,651
55.07%
2
0.02%
-858
-10.16%
8,446
Franklin
217,961
58.57%
154,098
41.41%
51
0.02%
63,863
17.16%
372,110
Fulton
7,936
49.53%
8,079
50.43%
6
0.04%
-143
-0.90%
16,021
Gallia
4,803
47.75%
5,255
52.25%
0
0.00%
-452
-4.50%
10,058
Geauga
19,903
50.29%
19,653
49.66%
17
0.05%
250
0.63%
39,573
Greene
24,415
41.18%
34,797
58.69%
76
0.13%
-10,382
-17.51%
59,288
Guernsey
7,334
55.40%
5,905
44.60%
0
0.00%
1,429
10.80%
13,239
Hamilton
142,134
49.63%
144,167
50.34%
96
0.03%
-2,033
-0.71%
286,397
Hancock
10,498
40.97%
15,121
59.02%
3
0.01%
-4,623
-18.05%
25,622
Hardin
4,779
49.86%
4,803
50.11%
2
0.03%
-24
-0.25%
9,584
Harrison
3,530
59.02%
2,450
40.96%
1
0.02%
1,080
18.06%
5,981
Henry
5,354
47.12%
6,007
52.86%
2
0.02%
-653
-5.74%
11,363
Highland
5,674
43.71%
7,297
56.21%
10
0.08%
-1,623
-12.50%
12,981
Hocking
5,664
58.22%
4,062
41.75%
3
0.03%
1,602
16.47%
9,729
Holmes
2,810
34.89%
5,241
65.07%
4
0.04%
-2,431
-30.18%
8,055
Huron
10,234
54.06%
8,694
45.93%
2
0.01%
1,540
8.13%
18,930
Jackson
5,453
53.00%
4,833
46.98%
2
0.02%
620
6.02%
10,288
Jefferson
15,673
61.08%
9,988
38.92%
0
0.00%
5,685
22.16%
25,661
Knox
9,641
46.62%
11,036
53.37%
1
0.01%
-1,395
-6.75%
20,678
Lake
50,649
57.13%
37,988
42.85%
15
0.02%
12,661
14.28%
88,652
Lawrence
10,561
54.22%
8,916
45.78%
0
0.00%
1,645
8.44%
19,477
Licking
28,599
48.54%
30,312
51.44%
12
0.02%
-1,713
-2.90%
58,923
Logan
6,909
42.62%
9,297
57.35%
4
0.03%
-2,388
-14.73%
16,210
Lorain
67,429
66.39%
34,129
33.60%
5
0.01%
33,300
32.79%
101,563
Lucas
94,630
66.50%
47,659
33.49%
15
0.01%
46,971
33.01%
142,304
Madison
6,414
47.41%
7,110
52.55%
5
0.04%
-696
-5.14%
13,529
Mahoning
69,664
73.47%
25,151
26.53%
0
0.00%
44,513
46.94%
94,815
Marion
11,078
51.28%
10,526
48.72%
0
0.00%
552
2.56%
21,604
Medina
36,386
55.48%
29,186
44.50%
11
0.02%
7,200
10.98%
65,583
Meigs
3,990
51.42%
3,769
48.58%
0
0.00%
221
2.84%
7,759
Mercer
5,413
34.85%
10,118
65.14%
1
0.01%
-4,705
-30.29%
15,532
Miami
15,734
42.48%
21,299
57.50%
6
0.02%
-5,565
-15.02%
37,039
Monroe
4,131
68.09%
1,935
31.89%
1
0.02%
2,196
36.20%
6,067
Montgomery
100,491
53.22%
88,322
46.77%
23
0.01%
12,169
6.45%
188,836
Morgan
2,955
53.88%
2,523
46.01%
6
0.11%
432
7.87%
5,484
Morrow
5,976
47.88%
6,499
52.07%
6
0.05%
-523
-4.19%
12,481
Muskingum
15,664
55.55%
12,534
44.45%
2
0.00%
3,130
11.10%
28,200
Noble
2,611
50.50%
2,559
49.50%
0
0.00%
52
1.00%
5,170
Ottawa
10,548
60.20%
6,972
39.79%
1
0.01%
3,576
20.41%
17,521
Paulding
3,556
47.21%
3,976
52.78%
1
0.01%
-420
-5.57%
7,533
Perry
6,627
59.23%
4,555
40.71%
7
0.06%
2,072
18.52%
11,189
Pickaway
8,858
49.44%
9,059
50.56%
0
0.00%
-201
-1.12%
17,917
Pike
5,845
60.60%
3,798
39.38%
2
0.02%
2,047
21.22%
9,645
Portage
34,576
63.23%
20,075
36.71%
34
0.06%
14,501
26.52%
54,685
Preble
7,221
45.98%
8,436
53.72%
46
0.30%
-1,215
-7.74%
15,703
Putnam
5,600
39.60%
8,539
60.38%
2
0.02%
-2,939
-20.78%
14,141
Richland
24,431
53.24%
21,451
46.75%
7
0.01%
2,980
6.49%
45,889
Ross
13,061
55.42%
10,501
44.56%
4
0.02%
2,560
10.86%
23,566
Sandusky
12,899
56.37%
9,983
43.63%
0
0.00%
2,916
12.74%
22,882
Scioto
15,866
60.62%
10,308
39.38%
0
0.00%
5,558
21.24%
26,174
Seneca
10,742
53.48%
9,343
46.51%
1
0.01%
1,399
6.97%
20,086
Shelby
7,122
41.34%
10,101
58.64%
3
0.02%
-2,979
-17.30%
17,226
Stark
79,900
57.37%
59,353
42.62%
11
0.01%
20,547
14.75%
139,264
Summit
126,776
63.57%
72,559
36.39%
81
0.04%
54,217
27.18%
199,416
Trumbull
58,586
73.12%
21,520
26.86%
18
0.02%
37,066
46.26%
80,124
Tuscarawas
17,360
55.31%
14,024
44.68%
1
0.01%
3,336
10.63%
31,385
Union
6,881
40.85%
9,950
59.07%
12
0.08%
-3,069
-18.22%
16,843
Van Wert
4,177
40.09%
6,239
59.88%
4
0.03%
-2,062
-19.79%
10,420
Vinton
2,484
55.38%
2,001
44.62%
0
0.00%
483
10.76%
4,485
Warren
25,102
36.54%
43,588
63.45%
8
0.01%
-18,486
-26.91%
68,698
Washington
11,631
51.08%
11,140
48.92%
0
0.00%
491
2.16%
22,771
Wayne
18,299
47.79%
19,985
52.19%
9
0.02%
-1,686
-4.40%
38,293
Williams
6,438
49.57%
6,543
50.38%
7
0.05%
-105
-0.81%
12,988
Wood
25,875
56.85%
19,637
43.14%
3
0.01%
6,238
13.71%
45,515
Wyandot
3,912
48.17%
4,201
51.72%
9
0.11%
-289
-3.55%
8,122
Totals
2,257,369
56.16%
1,761,037
43.82%
830
0.02%
496,332
12.34%
4,019,236
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
By congressional district
Sherrod Brown won 14 of 18 congressional districts, including the 1st, 5th, 7th, 12th, 14th, 15th, and 16th districts, which elected Republicans to the House.[ 59]
See also
References
^ "Democrats Score First Senate Win" . CBS News . November 7, 2006. Archived from the original on May 24, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2006 .
^ "www.surveyusa.com" . Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2006 .
^ "2006 Election Results" . June 13, 2006. Archived from the original on June 13, 2006. Retrieved February 17, 2021 .
^ Collins, Michael (February 23, 2006). "Bush visit all politics this time" . The Kentucky Post . Covington, Kentucky : E. W. Scripps Company . Archived from the original on August 28, 2006.
^ a b Nation & World: DeWine blunder adds fuel to controversial September 11 ad - U.S. News & World Report Archived October 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
^ a b "Washington Post" .[dead link ]
^ "Sherrod Brown" . Archived from the original on March 6, 2008. Retrieved March 14, 2010 .
^ Adam Nagourney, "In Final Weeks, G.O.P. Focuses on Best Bets" , The New York Times , October 16, 2006.
^ "Sen. Mike DeWine: Campaign Finance/Money - Summary - Senator 2006 | OpenSecrets" . www.opensecrets.org . Retrieved September 27, 2016 .
^ "Rep. Sherrod Brown: Campaign Finance/Money - Summary - Representative 2006 | OpenSecrets" . www.opensecrets.org . Retrieved September 27, 2016 .
^ "2006 Senate Race Ratings for November 6, 2006" (PDF) . The Cook Political Report . Archived from the original (PDF) on June 5, 2008. Retrieved September 30, 2021 .
^ "Election Eve 2006: THE FINAL PREDICTIONS" . Sabato's Crystal Ball . November 6, 2006. Retrieved June 25, 2021 .
^ "2006 Senate Ratings" . Senate Ratings . The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved June 25, 2021 .
^ "Election 2006" . Real Clear Politics. Retrieved June 25, 2021 .
^ Zogby
^ Rasmussen
^ Rasmussen
^ Rasmussen
^ Rasmussen
^ a b c Zogby/WSJ
^ Rasmussen
^ Mason-Dixon
^ Rasmussen
^ University of Cincinnati
^ Survey USA
^ Rasmussen
^ Columbus Dispatch
^ Rasmussen
^ SurveyUSA
^ Rasmussen
^ a b c Zogby/WSJ
^ Gallup
^ Rasmussen
^ Quinnipiac
^ University of Cincinnati
^ SurveyUSA
^ Columbus Dispatch
^ University of Akron
^ Mason-Dixon
^ Reuters/Zogby
^ Rasmussen
^ SurveyUSA
^ Rasmussen
^ Quinnipiac
^ University of Cincinnati
^ CBS News/New York Times
^ Mason-Dixon/MSNBC
^ Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg
^ Rasmussen
^ SurveyUSA
^ Opinion Consultants
^ CNN/Opinion Research Corporation
^ Reuters/Zogby International
^ Rasmussen
^ Mason-Dixon/MSNBC-McClatchy
^ Columbus Dispatch
^ University of Cincinnati Ohio Poll
^ SurveyUSA
^ "Twitter" .
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