Pennsylvania United States Senate election, 2006
Encyclopedia
The 2006 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Rick Santorum
ran for re-election to a third term, but was defeated by Bob Casey, Jr.
Casey was elected to serve between January 3, 2007 and January 3, 2013. Santorum trailed Casey in every public poll taken during the campaign. Casey's margin of victory was the largest ever for a Democratic Senate nominee in Pennsylvania, and the largest margin of victory for a Senate challenger in the 2006 elections
.
primary was held on May 16, 2006. The candidates were Pennsylvania State Treasurer Bob Casey, Jr., University of the Arts
history professor Chuck Pennacchio, and Philadelphia attorney Alan Sandals.
as a Libertarian
, had been expected to challenge him in the 2006 Republican primary. However, Featherman withdrew his candidacy after a GOP petition challenge because he did not have the necessary number of signatures to get on the ballot.
primary.
Santorum's support for Arlen Specter
Republican strategists took as a bad omen Santorum's primary result in 2006, in which he ran unopposed for the Republican nomination. Republican gubernatorial nominee Lynn Swann
, also unopposed, garnered 22,000 more votes statewide than Santorum in the primary, meaning thousands of Republican voters abstained from endorsing Santorum for another Senate term. This may have been partly due to Santorum's support for Arlen Specter
, over Congressman Pat Toomey
in the 2004 Republican primary for the U.S. Senate. Even though Santorum is only slightly less conservative than Toomey, he joined virtually all of the state and national Republican establishment in supporting the moderate Specter. This led many socially and fiscally conservative Republicans to consider Santorum's support of Specter to be a betrayal of their cause.
Among these controversies were his views on the privatization of Social Security
and the teaching of intelligent design
in public schools. In addition, his involvement in the Terri Schiavo case
was considered by many in his state to be out of place.
All this left Santorum in a precarious position throughout the race. On May 31, 2006, the polling firm Rasmussen Reports
declared that Santorum was the "most vulnerable incumbent" among the Senators running for re-election. SurveyUSA polling taken right before the election showed that Santorum was the least popular of all 100 Senators, with a 38% approval rating and a net approval rating of -19%.
, a township near Pittsburgh, his family primarily lived in a large house in Leesburg
, a suburb of Washington, D.C.
in Northern Virginia
. Santorum faced charges of hypocrisy from critics who noted the similarities between his living situation and that of former Representative Doug Walgren
, who Santorum defeated in 1990
. Back then, Santorum had claimed that Walgren was out of touch with his district; these claims were backed up with commercials showing Walgren's home in the Virginia suburbs.
On NBC
's Meet the Press
on September 3, 2006, Santorum admitted that he only spent "maybe a month a year, something like that" at his Pennsylvania residence.
Santorum also drew criticism for enrolling five of his six children in an online "cyber school"
in Pennsylvania's Allegheny County (home to Pittsburgh and most of its suburbs), despite the fact that the children lived in Virginia. The Penn Hills School District was billed $73,000 in tuition for the cyber classes.
's poll, released on September 26, 2006, Casey was favored by 14 points. An October 18, 2006 poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports showed Casey with a similar double-digit lead. In the Rasmussen poll, only 46% of voters surveyed had a favorable view of Santorum, while 57% of voters viewed Casey favorably.
called the ad "over the top" and suspected that the fallout would hurt Santorum.
on Election Night, Santorum called Casey to concede defeat.
Rick Santorum
Richard John "Rick" Santorum is a lawyer and a former United States Senator from the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Santorum was the chairman of the Senate Republican Conference -making him the third-ranking Senate Republican from 2001 until his leave in 2007. Santorum is considered both a social...
ran for re-election to a third term, but was defeated by Bob Casey, Jr.
Bob Casey, Jr.
Robert Patrick "Bob" Casey, Jr. is the senior U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served as Pennsylvania Treasurer, and Pennsylvania Auditor General. He is the son of former Governor Bob Casey, Sr..He is the first Democrat elected to a full term in...
Casey was elected to serve between January 3, 2007 and January 3, 2013. Santorum trailed Casey in every public poll taken during the campaign. Casey's margin of victory was the largest ever for a Democratic Senate nominee in Pennsylvania, and the largest margin of victory for a Senate challenger in the 2006 elections
United States Senate elections, 2006
Elections for the United States Senate were held on November 7, 2006, with 33 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate being contested. Senators are elected for six-year terms, with one third of the Senate seats up for a vote every two years. The term of office for those elected in 2006 runs...
.
Democratic primary
The DemocraticDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
primary was held on May 16, 2006. The candidates were Pennsylvania State Treasurer Bob Casey, Jr., University of the Arts
University of the Arts (Philadelphia)
The University of the Arts is one of the United States' oldest universities dedicated to the arts. Its campus makes up part of the Avenue of the Arts in Center City, Philadelphia...
history professor Chuck Pennacchio, and Philadelphia attorney Alan Sandals.
Candidates
- Bob Casey, Jr.Bob Casey, Jr.Robert Patrick "Bob" Casey, Jr. is the senior U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served as Pennsylvania Treasurer, and Pennsylvania Auditor General. He is the son of former Governor Bob Casey, Sr..He is the first Democrat elected to a full term in...
- son of former Governor Bob Casey, Sr.Robert P. CaseyRobert Patrick "Bob" Casey, Sr. was an American politician from Pennsylvania. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 42nd Governor of Pennsylvania from 1987 to 1995...
, and was the former state auditor general 1997-2005, and the incumbent state treasurer at the time of the election. - Barbara HaferBarbara HaferBarbara Hafer is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.-Early political career:...
- former State Auditor General and State Treasurer, she dropped out and endorsed Casey - Joe HoeffelJoe HoeffelJoseph Merrill "Joe" Hoeffel III is an American politician. A Democrat, he is currently a member of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, having previously served from 1992 to 1998....
- U.S. Congressman for Pennsylvania's 13th congressional districtPennsylvania's 13th congressional districtThe 13th Congressional District of Pennsylvania is located in Southeastern Pennsylvania, covering eastern Montgomery County and Northeast Philadelphia. The district traditionally included most of Montgomery County, but was redrawn in 2002...
, he endorsed Casey in March 2005 - Chuck Pennacchio
- Alan Sandals
Republican primary
John Featherman, who ran against Santorum in 2000United States Senate elections, 2000
In 2000, elections for one-third of the seats in the United States Senate occurred In 2000, elections for one-third of the seats in the United States Senate occurred In 2000, elections for one-third of the seats in the United States Senate occurred (they coincided with the election of George W....
as a Libertarian
Libertarian Party (United States)
The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
, had been expected to challenge him in the 2006 Republican primary. However, Featherman withdrew his candidacy after a GOP petition challenge because he did not have the necessary number of signatures to get on the ballot.
Candidates
- Rick SantorumRick SantorumRichard John "Rick" Santorum is a lawyer and a former United States Senator from the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Santorum was the chairman of the Senate Republican Conference -making him the third-ranking Senate Republican from 2001 until his leave in 2007. Santorum is considered both a social...
, incumbent U.S. Senator and former U.S. congressman for Pennsylvania's 18th congressional districtPennsylvania's 18th congressional districtPennsylvania's 18th congressional district includes parts of Washington County, Allegheny and Westmoreland Counties. Republican Tim Murphy has represented the district since 2003....
(1991-1995)
Results
Santorum was unopposed in the RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
primary.
Major
- Bob Casey, Jr.Bob Casey, Jr.Robert Patrick "Bob" Casey, Jr. is the senior U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served as Pennsylvania Treasurer, and Pennsylvania Auditor General. He is the son of former Governor Bob Casey, Sr..He is the first Democrat elected to a full term in...
(D), State Treasurer - Rick SantorumRick SantorumRichard John "Rick" Santorum is a lawyer and a former United States Senator from the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Santorum was the chairman of the Senate Republican Conference -making him the third-ranking Senate Republican from 2001 until his leave in 2007. Santorum is considered both a social...
(R), incumbent U.S. Senator
Minor
- Carl RomanelliCarl RomanelliCarl Romanelli is an American sculptor noted for his many outdoor sculptures of famous people. Romanelli was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He is a seventh-generation sculptor, and his family is so well-known in Italy that a museum there is dedicated to his family's sculptural...
(G)- rail industry consultant, and was removed from the ballot by a Commonwealth CourtCommonwealth Court of PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania is one of two Pennsylvania intermediate appellate courts. The Commonwealth Court's headquarters is in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Superior Court of Pennsylvania is the other intermediate appellate court in the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System...
judge on September 25, 2006 following a challenge from Democrats for failing to collect enough valid signatures required of third-party candidates. He lost the appeal to the state Supreme CourtSupreme Court of PennsylvaniaThe Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the court of last resort for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It meets in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.-History:...
challenging the required number of signatures, on October 3, 2006 Carl Romanelli was ordered to pay more than $80,000 in legal fees stemming from his failed effort to make the ballot.
- Kate MichelmanKate MichelmanKate Michelman is an American political activist. She is best known for her support for the pro-choice movement in the United States of America.-Career:...
(I)- former president of NARAL Pro-Choice AmericaNARAL Pro-Choice AmericaNARAL Pro-Choice America , formerly the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws, then National Abortion Rights Action League, and later National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League, is an organization in the United States that engages in political action to oppose...
. She decided against running and tacitly endorsed Casey in March 2006
Santorum's support for Arlen SpecterArlen SpecterArlen Specter is a former United States Senator from Pennsylvania. Specter is a Democrat, but was a Republican from 1965 until switching to the Democratic Party in 2009...
Republican strategists took as a bad omen Santorum's primary result in 2006, in which he ran unopposed for the Republican nomination. Republican gubernatorial nominee Lynn SwannLynn Swann
-Collegiate:Swann attended the University of Southern California, where he was an All-American on the Trojans football team. He played under legendary coach John McKay, including the 1972 undefeated and national championship season. McKay said of Swann, "He has speed, soft hands, and grace." He...
, also unopposed, garnered 22,000 more votes statewide than Santorum in the primary, meaning thousands of Republican voters abstained from endorsing Santorum for another Senate term. This may have been partly due to Santorum's support for Arlen Specter
Arlen Specter
Arlen Specter is a former United States Senator from Pennsylvania. Specter is a Democrat, but was a Republican from 1965 until switching to the Democratic Party in 2009...
, over Congressman Pat Toomey
Pat Toomey
Patrick Joseph "Pat" Toomey, Sr. is the junior United States Senator for Pennsylvania and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, Toomey served as a U.S. Representative for three terms, but did not seek a fourth in compliance with a pledge he had made while running for office in 1998...
in the 2004 Republican primary for the U.S. Senate. Even though Santorum is only slightly less conservative than Toomey, he joined virtually all of the state and national Republican establishment in supporting the moderate Specter. This led many socially and fiscally conservative Republicans to consider Santorum's support of Specter to be a betrayal of their cause.
Santorum's controversial views
In the Senate, Santorum was an outspoken conservative from a state with a history of electing moderates. This led many political commentators to speculate that his low approval ratings were due to some of his more controversial statements and opinions.Among these controversies were his views on the privatization of Social Security
Social Security (United States)
In the United States, Social Security refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program.The original Social Security Act and the current version of the Act, as amended encompass several social welfare and social insurance programs...
and the teaching of intelligent design
Intelligent design
Intelligent design is the proposition that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a form of creationism and a contemporary adaptation of the traditional teleological argument for...
in public schools. In addition, his involvement in the Terri Schiavo case
Terri Schiavo case
The Terri Schiavo case was a legal battle in the United States between the legal guardians and the parents of Teresa Marie "Terri" Schiavo that lasted from 1998 to 2005...
was considered by many in his state to be out of place.
All this left Santorum in a precarious position throughout the race. On May 31, 2006, the polling firm Rasmussen Reports
Rasmussen Reports
Rasmussen Reports is an American media company that publishes and distributes information based on public opinion polling. Founded by pollster Scott Rasmussen in 2003, the company updates daily indexes including the President's job approval rating, and provides public opinion data, analysis, and...
declared that Santorum was the "most vulnerable incumbent" among the Senators running for re-election. SurveyUSA polling taken right before the election showed that Santorum was the least popular of all 100 Senators, with a 38% approval rating and a net approval rating of -19%.
Santorum's residency
While Santorum maintained a small residence in Penn HillsPenn Hills, Pennsylvania
Penn Hills is a large Home Rule Municipality in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population as of the 2010 census was 42,329, making it Pittsburgh's second largest suburb by population.-History:...
, a township near Pittsburgh, his family primarily lived in a large house in Leesburg
Leesburg, Virginia
Leesburg is a historic town in, and county seat of, Loudoun County, Virginia, United States of America. Leesburg is located west-northwest of Washington, D.C. along the base of the Catoctin Mountain and adjacent to the Potomac River. Its population according the 2010 Census is 42,616...
, a suburb of Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia consists of several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in a widespread region generally radiating southerly and westward from Washington, D.C...
. Santorum faced charges of hypocrisy from critics who noted the similarities between his living situation and that of former Representative Doug Walgren
Doug Walgren
Douglas Walgren was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.Doug Walgren was born in Rochester, New York, and grew up in Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1963, and received his LL.B. from Stanford University in 1966...
, who Santorum defeated in 1990
United States House elections, 1990
The U.S. House election, 1990 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1990 which occurred in the middle of President George H. W. Bush's term...
. Back then, Santorum had claimed that Walgren was out of touch with his district; these claims were backed up with commercials showing Walgren's home in the Virginia suburbs.
On NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Meet the Press
Meet the Press
Meet the Press is a weekly American television news/interview program produced by NBC. It is the longest-running television series in American broadcasting history, despite bearing little resemblance to the original format of the program seen in its television debut on November 6, 1947. It has been...
on September 3, 2006, Santorum admitted that he only spent "maybe a month a year, something like that" at his Pennsylvania residence.
Santorum also drew criticism for enrolling five of his six children in an online "cyber school"
Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School
The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, also known as PA Cyber, is a public virtual charter school based out of Midland, Pennsylvania. Enrollment is open to Pennsylvania students in grades PreK-12.-Origins:...
in Pennsylvania's Allegheny County (home to Pittsburgh and most of its suburbs), despite the fact that the children lived in Virginia. The Penn Hills School District was billed $73,000 in tuition for the cyber classes.
Casey's momentum
Santorum began his contrast campaign against Casey early, charging him with relentlessly seeking higher political office and failing to take definitive stands on issues. While these charges kept the race competitive, in late September and through October, Casey's campaign seemed to regain the momentum it had had throughout most of the campaign, as most polls showed Casey widening his lead after a summer slump. In Quinnipiac UniversityQuinnipiac University
Quinnipiac University is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in Hamden, Connecticut, United States at the foot of Sleeping Giant State Park...
's poll, released on September 26, 2006, Casey was favored by 14 points. An October 18, 2006 poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports showed Casey with a similar double-digit lead. In the Rasmussen poll, only 46% of voters surveyed had a favorable view of Santorum, while 57% of voters viewed Casey favorably.
Negative advertisements
At least one of Santorum's television ads called into question his campaign's use of the facts regarding Casey and people who had donated money to the Casey campaign. The ad, which aired in September, showed several men seated around a table, while talking amongst themselves and smoking cigars, inside a jail cell. While none of the figures, who were played by actors, were named personally, the narrator provided the job descriptions, previous donations to Casey, and ethical and/or legal troubles of each. The Santorum campaign later provided the names of the people portrayed. An editorial in Casey's hometown newspaper, The Times-Tribune, pointed out that all but one of the contributions "[was] made to Casey campaigns when he was running for other offices, at which time none of the contributors were known to be under investigation for anything." In fact, two of the persons cited in the Santorum campaign ad had actually given contributions to Santorum's 2006 Senate campaign. Another of the figures portrayed had died in 2004. Political scientist Larry SabatoLarry Sabato
Larry Joseph Sabato is an American political scientist and analyst. He is the Robert Kent Gooch Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia, and director of its Center for Politics. He founded Sabato's Crystal Ball, an online newsletter and website that provides free political analysis and...
called the ad "over the top" and suspected that the fallout would hurt Santorum.
Polling
| Source | Date | Casey (D) | Santorum (R) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strategic Vision (R) | November 6, 2006 | 52% | 40% |
| Mason-Dixon/McClatchy-MSNBC | November 5, 2006 | 52% | 39% |
| Muhlenberg/Morning Call | November 3, 2006 | 51% | 43% |
| Reuters/Zogby International | November 2, 2006 | 48% | 40% |
| Keystone | November 1, 2006 | 53% | 38% |
| Quinnipiac | November 1, 2006 | 52% | 42% |
| Temple/Philadelphia Inquirer | October 29, 2006 | 54% | 38% |
| Rasmussen | October 28, 2006 | 55% | 42% |
| West Chester University | October 27, 2006 | 50% | 39% |
| Rasmussen | October 16, 2006 | 55% | 43% |
| Muhlenberg/Morning Call | October 8, 2006 | 46% | 41% |
| Zogby International/Reuters | October 5, 2006 | 48% | 36% |
| Rasmussen | October 5, 2006 | 50% | 37% |
| Mason-Dixon/McClatchy-MSNBC | October 2, 2006 | 49% | 40% |
| Strategic Vision (R) | September 28, 2006 | 50% | 40% |
| Quinnipiac | September 26, 2006 | 54% | 40% |
| Temple/Philadelphia Inquirer | September 24, 2006 | 49% | 39% |
| Rasmussen | September 20, 2006 | 49% | 39% |
| Keystone | September 18, 2006 | 45% | 38% |
| USA Today/Gallup | August 27, 2006 | 56% | 38% |
| Keystone | August 24, 2006 | 44% | 39% |
| Rasmussen | August 22, 2006 | 48% | 40% |
| Strategic Vision (R) | August 17, 2006 | 47% | 41% |
| Benenson Strategy Group (D) | August 16, 2006 | 51% | 37% |
| Quinnipiac | August 15, 2006 | 47% | 40% |
| Rasmussen | July 26, 2006 | 50% | 39% |
| Strategic Vision (R) | July 20, 2006 | 50% | 40% |
| Quinnipiac | June 21, 2006 | 52% | 34% |
| Rasmussen | June 19, 2006 | 52% | 37% |
| Strategic Vision (R) | June 15, 2006 | 49% | 40% |
| Rasmussen | May 22, 2006 | 56% | 33% |
| Quinnipiac | May 11, 2006 | 49% | 36% |
| Strategic Vision (R) | May 10, 2006 | 49% | 41% |
| Keystone | May 4, 2006 | 47% | 41% |
| Muhlenberg/Morning Call | April 26, 2006 | 46% | 38% |
| Rasmussen | April 20, 2006 | 51% | 38% |
| Strategic Vision (R) | April 13, 2006 | 50% | 40% |
| Quinnipiac | April 6, 2006 | 48% | 37% |
| Rasmussen | March 29, 2006 | 50% | 41% |
| Rasmussen | March 14, 2006 | 48% | 38% |
| Mansfield University | March 7, 2006 | 45% | 31% |
| Rasmussen | February 16, 2006 | 52% | 36% |
| Quinnipiac | February 13, 2006 | 51% | 36% |
| Keystone | February 9, 2006 | 50% | 39% |
| Strategic Vision (R) | January 25, 2006 | 50% | 40% |
| Zogby International | January 24, 2006 | 51% | 39% |
| Rasmussen | January 15, 2006 | 53% | 38% |
| Strategic Vision (R) | December 18, 2005 | 50% | 39% |
| Quinnipiac | December 13, 2005 | 50% | 38% |
| Strategic Vision (R) | November 16, 2005 | 51% | 36% |
| Rasmussen | November 10, 2005 | 54% | 34% |
| Keystone | November 10, 2005 | 51% | 35% |
| Strategic Vision (R) | October 16, 2005 | 52% | 36% |
| Quinnipiac | October 3, 2005 | 52% | 34% |
| Keystone | September 13, 2005 | 50% | 37% |
| Strategic Vision (R) | September 12, 2005 | 52% | 38% |
| Strategic Vision (R) | July 31, 2005 | 51% | 40% |
| Rasmussen | July 22, 2005 | 52% | 41% |
| Quinnipiac | July 13, 2005 | 50% | 39% |
| Keystone | June 6, 2005 | 44% | 37% |
| Quinnipiac | April 23, 2005 | 49% | 35% |
| Keystone | March 22, 2005 | 44% | 43% |
| Quinnipiac | February 16, 2005 | 46% | 41% |
Results
At 9:45 PM ESTNorth American Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
on Election Night, Santorum called Casey to concede defeat.