1996 United States Senate election in Maine
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 only the second state after California to have two sitting female senators.
 | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
 County results Collins: 40–50% 50–60% Brennan: 40–50% | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| Elections in Maine |
|---|
 |
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 win the election in Maine's other senate seat in 2012 and eventually join Collins in the Senate in 2013.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Joseph E. Brennan, former U.S. Representative and former Governor of Maine
- Jean Hay Bright, activist
- Sean Faircloth, State Senator
- Jerald Leonard
- Richard A. Spencer, former congressional candidate
Results
| 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
Candidates
- Susan Collins, former Deputy Treasurer of Maine and nominee for Governor in 1994
- W. John Hathaway, State Senator
- Robert A. G. Monks, nominee for the United States Senate in 1976
Results
| 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
Results
| 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% | ||
style="background-color:
|
Constitution | William P. Clarke | 18,618 | 3.07% | |
| Write-ins | 70 | 0.01% | |||
| Majority | 32,196 | 5.31% | -17.39% | ||
| Turnout | 606,777 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
See also
References
- "Maine Primary Election Results - June 11, 1996 - U.S. Senator - Democrat - Summary by County". Archived from the original on 2012-10-18. Retrieved 2013-01-05.
- "Maine Primary Election Results - June 11, 1996 - U.S. Senator - Republican - Summary by County". Archived from the original on 2012-11-15. Retrieved 2013-01-05.
- "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 5, 1996" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-05-25. Retrieved 2013-01-05.