United States Senate election in New York, 2010
Encyclopedia
The 2010 United States Senate election in New York took place as scheduled on November 2, 2010 along with elections to the United States Senate
in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives
and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer won re-election to a third term.
, Schumer had defeated Republican Assemblyman Howard Mills
by a 71 to 24 percent margin. Schumer is highly popular in New York, so it was believed that any Republican contender would likely not fare well against him in 2010. Schumer was heavily favored to retain his seat.
In addition to this regular election, there was also a special election
to fill the Senate seat vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton
, who became the United States Secretary of State
on January 21, 2009. In addition, there was the New York gubernatorial election
. The existence of two other top-level statewide races, one with a vulnerable Democratic incumbent and the other an open race, respectively, was believed to lead major New York Republicans to gravitate towards them rather than challenge the popular Schumer. As it happened, however, the Republican Party had difficulty in drawing top-tier candidates to any of the three races.
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer won re-election to a third term.
Background
In the 2004 U.S. Senate electionUnited States Senate election in New York, 2004
The 2004 United States Senate election in New York took place on November 2, 2004 along with elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as the presidential election, elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent...
, Schumer had defeated Republican Assemblyman Howard Mills
Howard Mills III
Howard D. Mills III is an insurance consultant and former politician from Goshen, New York. He served as New York's Superintendent of Insurance from 2005 to 2007, and previously held elective office in both the New York State Assembly and the Town of Wallkill.In 2004, he ran against Senator...
by a 71 to 24 percent margin. Schumer is highly popular in New York, so it was believed that any Republican contender would likely not fare well against him in 2010. Schumer was heavily favored to retain his seat.
In addition to this regular election, there was also a special election
United States Senate special election in New York, 2010
The 2010 United States Senate special election in New York took place on November 2, 2010, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections...
to fill the Senate seat vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
, who became the United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
on January 21, 2009. In addition, there was the New York gubernatorial election
New York gubernatorial election, 2010
The New York gubernatorial election of 2010 was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010, to elect the Governor of New York, who will serve a four-year term to begin in January 2011. Incumbent Democratic Governor David Paterson, elected as Lieutenant Governor in 2006 as the running mate of former Governor...
. The existence of two other top-level statewide races, one with a vulnerable Democratic incumbent and the other an open race, respectively, was believed to lead major New York Republicans to gravitate towards them rather than challenge the popular Schumer. As it happened, however, the Republican Party had difficulty in drawing top-tier candidates to any of the three races.
Candidates
- Gary BerntsenGary BerntsenGary Berntsen is a decorated former Central Intelligence Agency career officer who served in the Directorate of Operations between October 1982 and June 2005...
, retired CIA officer, received the party's endorsement on the second round of balloting - Martin Chicon, candidate for New York Senate in 2008 and New York Republican State CommitteeNew York Republican State CommitteeThe New York Republican State Committee is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in New York, headquartered in Albany.-History:...
member from upper Manhattan. - George Maragos, Nassau County Comptroller
- James Staudenraus, Long Island resident and 2008 state assembly candidate
- Jay Townsend, Republican strategist (finished second and also qualified for the primary)
Results
Only two candidates, Bernsen and Townsend, obtained at least 25% of the vote at the New York State Republican Convention on June 1, 2010. Bernsen came in first, but still needed to win the primary in order to win the Republican nomination.Results
Candidates
- Anti-Prohibition Party: Randy CredicoRandy CredicoRandy Credico , is an American political comedian and activist and the former Director of the . Once active on the comedy circuit, including an appearance on the Tonight Show at age 27, he began a seven year campaign against New York state's Rockefeller drug laws, which he thought were too harsh,...
- Conservative Party of New York: Jay Townsend
- Democratic Party: Chuck Schumer
- Green Party: Colia ClarkColia clarkColia L. Liddell LaFayette Clark is an African American activist and politician. Clark was the Green Party's candidate for the United States Senate in 2010. She is a veteran of the civil rights movement and a Pan-Africanist. Her work has included activism in the fields of women's rights and...
- Libertarian Party: Randy CredicoRandy CredicoRandy Credico , is an American political comedian and activist and the former Director of the . Once active on the comedy circuit, including an appearance on the Tonight Show at age 27, he began a seven year campaign against New York state's Rockefeller drug laws, which he thought were too harsh,...
- Republican Party: Jay Townsend
- Taxpayers Party: Gary BerntsenGary BerntsenGary Berntsen is a decorated former Central Intelligence Agency career officer who served in the Directorate of Operations between October 1982 and June 2005...
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Cook Political Report Cook Political Report The Cook Political Report is an independent, non-partisan online newsletter that analyzes elections and campaigns for the United States House of Representatives, the United States Senate, Governor's offices and the American Presidency. The Cook Political Report is led by a staff of five... |
Solid D | October 12, 2010 |
| Rothenberg Stuart Rothenberg Stuart Rothenberg is an American editor, publisher, and political analyst best known for his Washington-based, biweekly, self-proclaimed non-partisan political newsletter The Rothenberg Political Report... |
Safe D | October 8, 2010 |
| RealClearPolitics RealClearPolitics RealClearPolitics is a political news and polling data aggregator based in Chicago, Illinois. The site's founders say their goal is to give readers "ideological diversity." They have described themselves as frustrated with what they perceive as anti-conservative, anti-Christian media bias, and... |
Safe D | |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball Sabato's Crystal Ball Sabato’s Crystal Ball is a free, nonpartisan weekly online newsletter and comprehensive website in the United States that analyzes the current American political scene and predicts electoral outcomes for U.S House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, governors, and U.S. president races... |
Safe D | September 30, 2010 |
| CQ Politics Congressional Quarterly Congressional Quarterly, Inc., or CQ, is a privately owned publishing company that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress... |
Safe D | October 12, 2010 |
| Election Projection | Solid D hold | October 12, 2010 |
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Chuck Schumer (D) |
Jay Townsend (R) |
Other | Unde- cided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Siena College | October 27–30, 2010 | 603 | ± 4.0% | 64% | 32% | — | 2% |
| Angus Reid Public Opinion | October 28–29, 2010 | 541 | ± 4.2% | 61% | 35% | 4% | — |
| Rasmussen Reports | October 19, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 59% | 31% | 5% | 5% |
| Angus Reid Public Opinion | October 7, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 63% | 27% | 6% | — |
| Survey USA | September 20, 2010 | 1,000 | ± 4.2% | 54% | 33% | 10% | 3% |
| Rasmussen Reports | September 16, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 58% | 36% | 3% | 4% |
| Siena College | July 12, 2010 | 808 | ± 3.4% | 63% | 26% | — | 13% |
| Rasmussen Reports | June 16, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 54% | 33% | 6% | 6% |
| Siena College | June 7–9, 2010 | 808 | ± 3.4% | 60% | 26% | — | 14% |
| Siena College | May 17–20, 2010 | 808 | ± 3.4% | 63% | 24% | — | 13% |
Fundraising
| Candidate (party) | Receipts | Disbursements | Cash on hand | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chuck Schumer (D) | $17,302,006 | $11,824,587 | $16,048,482 | $0 |
| Jay Townsend (R) | $197,365 | $180,693 | $16,671 | $105,854 |
| Source: Federal Election Commission | ||||
Results
External links
- New York State Board of Elections
- U.S. Congress candidates for New York at Project Vote SmartProject Vote SmartProject Vote Smart is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States...
- New York U.S. Senate 2010 from OurCampaigns.com
- Campaign contributions from Open SecretsOpen SecretsOpen Secrets is a book of short stories by Alice Munro published by McClelland and Stewart in 1994. It was nominated for the 1994 Governor General's Award for English Fiction.-Stories:* "Carried Away"* "A Real Life"...
- New York Polls graph of multiple polls from Pollster.com
- Election 2010: New York Senate from Rasmussen ReportsRasmussen ReportsRasmussen 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...
- 2010 New York Senate Race from Real Clear Politics
- 2010 New York Senate Race from CQ PoliticsCongressional QuarterlyCongressional Quarterly, Inc., or CQ, is a privately owned publishing company that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress...
- Race profile from The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...