The 1996 United States Senate election in Maine was held November 5, 1996. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator William Cohen decided to retire instead of seeking a fourth term. To replace him, U.S. Representative Joseph E. Brennan won the Democratic primary while political consultant Susan Collins won the Republican primary. A competitive general election ensued, but Collins ultimately won out over Brennan, keeping the seat in the Republican column. With Collins' election to the Senate in 1996, Maine became the third state after California and Kansas to have two sitting female senators, and the first to have two elected female Republican senators.
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 County results Collins: 40–50% 50–60% Brennan: 40–50% | |||||||||||||||||
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Brennan and Collins both ran in the 1994 gubernatorial election, and each won their respective party's nomination, but lost the general election to independent Angus King, who would be elected in Maine's other Senate seat in 2012 and become a Senator in 2013, serving alongside Collins.
Democratic primary
editCandidates
edit- Joseph E. Brennan, former U.S. Representative from Maine's 1st congressional district and former Governor of Maine
- Jean Hay Bright, activist
- Sean Faircloth, State Senator
- Jerald Leonard
- Richard A. Spencer, former congressional candidate
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joseph E. Brennan | 48,335 | 56.68% | |
| Democratic | Sean Faircloth | 21,204 | 24.87% | |
| Democratic | Richard A. Spencer | 10,236 | 12.00% | |
| Democratic | Jean Hay Bright | 4,524 | 5.31% | |
| Democratic | Jerald Leonard | 939 | 1.10% | |
| Democratic | Write-ins | 35 | 0.04% | |
| Total votes | 85,273 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
editCandidates
edit- Susan Collins, former Deputy Treasurer of Massachusetts and nominee for Governor in 1994
- W. John Hathaway, State Senator
- Robert A. G. Monks, nominee for the United States Senate in 1976
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Susan Collins | 53,339 | 55.50% | |
| Republican | W. John Hathaway | 29,792 | 31.00% | |
| Republican | Robert A. G. Monks | 12,943 | 13.47% | |
| Republican | Write-ins | 33 | 0.03% | |
| Total votes | 96,107 | 100.00% | ||
General election
editResults
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Susan Collins | 298,422 | 49.18% | −12.16% | |
| Democratic | Joseph E. Brennan | 266,226 | 43.88% | +5.24% | |
| Independent | John C. Rensenbrink | 23,441 | 3.86% | N/A | |
| Constitution | William P. Clarke | 18,618 | 3.07% | N/A | |
| Write-in | 70 | 0.01% | N/A | ||
| Majority | 32,196 | 5.31% | −17.39% | ||
| Turnout | 606,777 | ||||
| Republican hold | |||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Maine Primary Election Results - June 11, 1996 - U.S. Senator - Democrat - Summary by County". Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
- ^ "Maine Primary Election Results - June 11, 1996 - U.S. Senator - Republican - Summary by County". Archived from the original on November 15, 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
- ^ "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 5, 1996" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on May 25, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2013.