United States Senate election in Oregon, 1996
Encyclopedia
The 1996 United States Senate election in Oregon was held on November 5, 1996 to select the U.S. Senator
from the state of Oregon
. Incumbent Republican
U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield
decided to retire after thirty years in the Senate. Oregon State Senate
President, Republican Gordon Smith defeated businessman Tom Bruggere
in one of the most closely contested Senate races of that election.
in the Oregon Senate special election
to fill Bob Packwood
's seat.
Both candidates spent heavily from their own resources. Bruggere won the Democratic
nomination with $800,000 of his own money in the primary race, and was one of 134 candidates for the U.S. Congress to finance their own elections in excess of $50,000 in that cycle. Smith had already spent $2.5 million of his own money earlier that same year in an unsuccessful effort to defeat Democrat Ron Wyden
in the 1996 special election
to replace Bob Packwood
, who had resigned.
Shortly after their respective primary victories, the rivals met for a highly-publicized lunch, and agreed to run issue-oriented campaigns. However, in the final weeks of the campaign, Bruggere supporters ran advertisements alleging a pollution problem with Smith's frozen foods business, which the Smith campaign characterized as a breach of that agreement. A Boston Globe profile highlighted their similarities as corporate candidates with minimal political experience.
In the general election race, most Oregon daily newspapers endorsed Smith over Bruggere. The race was close, with neither side claiming victory for several days after the election, as absentee ballots were tallied. After all votes were counted, Smith won by 4 percentage points. It was the last of the 1996 Senate elections
to be determined; overall, the Republicans gained two seats in the Senate, increasing their majority from 53 to 55 seats.
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...
from the state of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. Incumbent Republican
Republican 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...
U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield
Mark Hatfield
Mark Odom Hatfield was an American politician and educator from the state of Oregon. A Republican, he served for 30 years as a United States Senator from Oregon, and also as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee...
decided to retire after thirty years in the Senate. Oregon State Senate
Oregon State Senate
The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the state-wide legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the State Senate, representing 30 districts across the state,...
President, Republican Gordon Smith defeated businessman Tom Bruggere
Tom Bruggere
Tom Bruggere is an entrepreneur and onetime candidate for the U.S. Senate in the U.S. state of Oregon. He founded the company Mentor Graphics and has been involved with several other startup companies....
in one of the most closely contested Senate races of that election.
Republican
- Gordon Smith, President of the Oregon State Senate since 1995
Campaign
This was the second Senatorial race for Gordon Smith in 1996; he had previously lost to Ron WydenRon Wyden
Ronald Lee "Ron" Wyden is the senior U.S. Senator for Oregon, serving since 1996, and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 to 1996....
in the Oregon Senate special election
United States Senate special election in Oregon, 1996
The 1996 United States Senate special election in Oregon was held on January 30, 1996 to fill the seat vacated by Republican Bob Packwood, who resigned from the Senate due to sexual misconduct allegations. Democrat Ron Wyden won the open seat. Smith would win election to the Senate later that year...
to fill Bob Packwood
Bob Packwood
Robert William "Bob" Packwood is a U.S. politician from Oregon and a member of the Republican Party. He resigned from the United States Senate, under threat of expulsion, in 1995 after allegations of sexual harassment, abuse and assault of women emerged.-Early life and career:Packwood was born in...
's seat.
Both candidates spent heavily from their own resources. Bruggere won the Democratic
Democratic 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...
nomination with $800,000 of his own money in the primary race, and was one of 134 candidates for the U.S. Congress to finance their own elections in excess of $50,000 in that cycle. Smith had already spent $2.5 million of his own money earlier that same year in an unsuccessful effort to defeat Democrat Ron Wyden
Ron Wyden
Ronald Lee "Ron" Wyden is the senior U.S. Senator for Oregon, serving since 1996, and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 to 1996....
in the 1996 special election
United States Senate special election in Oregon, 1996
The 1996 United States Senate special election in Oregon was held on January 30, 1996 to fill the seat vacated by Republican Bob Packwood, who resigned from the Senate due to sexual misconduct allegations. Democrat Ron Wyden won the open seat. Smith would win election to the Senate later that year...
to replace Bob Packwood
Bob Packwood
Robert William "Bob" Packwood is a U.S. politician from Oregon and a member of the Republican Party. He resigned from the United States Senate, under threat of expulsion, in 1995 after allegations of sexual harassment, abuse and assault of women emerged.-Early life and career:Packwood was born in...
, who had resigned.
Shortly after their respective primary victories, the rivals met for a highly-publicized lunch, and agreed to run issue-oriented campaigns. However, in the final weeks of the campaign, Bruggere supporters ran advertisements alleging a pollution problem with Smith's frozen foods business, which the Smith campaign characterized as a breach of that agreement. A Boston Globe profile highlighted their similarities as corporate candidates with minimal political experience.
In the general election race, most Oregon daily newspapers endorsed Smith over Bruggere. The race was close, with neither side claiming victory for several days after the election, as absentee ballots were tallied. After all votes were counted, Smith won by 4 percentage points. It was the last of the 1996 Senate elections
United States Senate elections, 1996
The 1996 elections to the United States Senate coincided with the 1996 presidential election, in which Democrats Bill Clinton and Al Gore were reelected President and Vice President of the United States, respectively....
to be determined; overall, the Republicans gained two seats in the Senate, increasing their majority from 53 to 55 seats.