2006 United States Senate election in Tennessee

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The 2006 United States Senate election in Tennessee was held on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Republican Senator Bill Frist, the Majority Leader, retired after two terms in office. The open seat was won by Republican nominee Bob Corker, who defeated Democratic nominee Harold Ford Jr.

2006 United States Senate election in Tennessee
← 2000
November 7, 2006
2012 →
Turnout49.97% 13.06 pp
 
Nominee Bob Corker Harold Ford Jr.
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 929,911 879,972
Percentage 50.71% 47.99%
Corker:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Ford:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Tie:      40–50%      50%
U.S. senator before election

Bill Frist
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Bob Corker
Republican

The race between Ford and Corker was one of the most competitive Senate races of 2006, with Corker winning the race by less than three percent of the vote. Corker was the only non-incumbent Republican to win a U.S. Senate seat in 2006. Since 1995, the Republican Party has held both of Tennessee's U.S. Senate seats.

This was the most recent Tennessee statewide election decided a single-digit margin, as the Republican Party has gained intense strength since 2006, as in other predominantly white, rural Southeast regions. Since 2006, only seven of Tennessee's 95 counties (Davidson, Shelby, Haywood, Hardeman, Houston, Jackson, and Lake) have voted for the Democratic candidate in any statewide election, with Jackson and Lake only voting Democratic once. Only three of these (Davidson, Shelby, and Haywood) have voted Democratic in a Senate race since 2006.

Republican primary

Candidates

  • Ed Bryant, former U.S. Representative
  • Bob Corker, businessman, former Mayor of Chattanooga and candidate for U.S. Senate in 1994
  • Van Hilleary, former U.S. Representative and nominee for Governor of Tennessee in 2002

All three candidates had run prior unsuccessful statewide campaigns: Corker for Senate in 1994, losing the Republican primary to Frist; Bryant for Senate in 2002, losing the Republican primary to Lamar Alexander; and Hilleary for Governor in 2002, losing the general election to Democrat Phil Bredesen.

Campaign

Only 11 percent of Tennesseans knew who Corker was when he began running for the Senate race.

Debates

The three Republican candidates met for a debate at the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville on June 29, 2006. All three candidates expressed skepticism regarding global warming and recent publication of scientific consensus on the issue, supported continued American involvement in Iraq, opposed income tax increases, and "showed varying degrees of interest in replacing the federal income tax with a national sales tax," prompting Corker to state in his closing statement "[t]here's not any difference, that I can tell, on the issues."

Polling

Source Date Hilleary Bryant Corker Other Undecided
City Paper/Supertalk 99.7 WTN May 9, 2006 34% 23% 19% — 24%
SurveyUSA May 16, 2006 40% 28% 23% — 9%
SurveyUSA May 23, 2006 28% 23% 38% — 8%
University of Tennessee July 20, 2006 15% 26% 37% 4% 17%
Mason-Dixon/Chattanooga Times Free Press July 23, 2006 22% 23% 39% — 16%
SurveyUSA July 24, 2006 15% 29% 49% 3% 4%
SurveyUSA August 2, 2006 20% 31% 45% 1% 3%

Results

Republican primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Bob Corker 231,541 48.13%
Republican Ed Bryant 161,189 33.50%
Republican Van Hilleary 83,078 17.27%
Republican Tate Harrison 5,309 1.10%
Total votes 481,117 100

Democratic primary

Candidates

  • Gary Gene Davis, perennial candidate
  • Harold Ford Jr., U.S. Representative
  • John Jay Hooker, attorney, entrepreneur, and perennial candidate

Withdrew

  • Rosalind Kurita, state senator from Clarksville

Campaign

Harold Ford was a Congressman from the 9th Congressional District, based in Memphis, and he was a member of a political family, with many relatives also serving or formerly in political office. He was known nationally for his keynote address at the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, and for a challenge to Nancy Pelosi for leadership of the House Democrats in 2002. He had also served as a national campaign co-chair for the John Kerry presidential campaign in 2004.

Ford filed paperwork to run for the U.S. Senate in May 2005.

Democratic State Senator Rosalind Kurita, from the 22nd District, centered on Clarksville, Tennessee had entered the race prior to Ford, and initially appeared to be competitive, releasing internal polls showing her as strong as Ford in the general election. But she dropped out of the race in early April 2006, as a result of financial and organizational challenges.

Ford enjoyed substantial support from Democratic leaders in Washington and Nashville and held a substantial lead in fundraising.

Results

Democratic primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Harold Ford Jr. 333,789 79.10%
Democratic Gary Gene Davis 41,802 9.91%
Democratic John Jay Hooker 27,175 6.44%
Democratic Charles Smith 14,724 3.49%
Democratic Alvin Strauss 4,410 1.05%
Total votes 421,900 100

General election

Candidates

Major

  • Bob Corker (R), former mayor of Chattanooga
  • Ed Choate (I)
  • Harold Ford Jr. (D), U.S. Representative from Memphis
  • Gary Keplinger (I)
  • Bo Heyward (I)
  • Chris Lugo (G), peace activist
  • David "None of the Above" Gatchell (I)

Campaign

Not long after Corker's primary victory was assured, Ford, at a rally of his supporters attended by Bill Clinton, challenged Corker to seven televised debates across the state. In response, Corker said he will debate Ford but did not agree to Ford's request of seven debates. Both of Corker's primary opponents endorsed Corker immediately after they conceded the race.

On August 8, 2006, the Tennessee Democratic Party filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission against Corker for allegedly violating campaign financial disclosure rules.

On August 25, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported that Corker had received a subpoena regarding an environmental lawsuit filed three years ago. The lawsuit centers on the actions Corker took as mayor to allegedly demolish a conservation site to build a road that leads to a Wal-Mart SuperCenter. Corker was scheduled to testify on October 18, but the case was settled on October 13.

Ford, a member of the Blue Dog Coalition in Congress, sought to run as a centrist, recognizing that Tennessee was a conservative state. While he was a member of a political dynasty in Memphis, this also served as a liability, as his state senator uncle was indicted on federal corruption charges the day after he announced his Senate candidacy.

On October 1, Corker replaced his campaign manager.

As the campaign entered October, Ford was leading in some polls. Despite running a strong campaign, he was hampered by his family's legal issues and the fact that his base was in West Tennessee, as opposed to Corker's base in East Tennessee.

Before a Corker press conference in Memphis on October 20, Ford approached Corker in a parking lot and confronted his opponent about Iraq in front of local news cameras, pointing out that some of Corker's fellow Republicans are changing their minds on the war and wanting to debate him about the issue. In response, Corker said, "I came to talk about ethics, and I have a press conference. And I think it's a true sign of desperation that you would pull your bus up when I'm having a press conference." Ford replied that he could never find Corker. Corker then walked away to his press conference.

On November 2, Nielsen Monitor Plus indicated that the Corker campaign had purchased more television advertising than any other Senate candidate in the country through October 15.

Debates

3 debates were held between Corker and Ford. They participated in a televised debate in Memphis on October 7, in Chattanooga on October 10, and in Nashville on October 28.

In the October 7, 2006 debate in Memphis, the candidates covered a wide range of issues, including immigration, Iraq, cutting health care costs, abortion, and Social Security. Commenting on Ford's political family, Corker said, "I think it's evident there's been a Ford in this (9th District congressional district) seat for 32 years, and if you look at the number of Fords that are on the ballot—especially I think the most recent one, I know it concerns a lot of people right here in Memphis." Ford responded, "I don't know why Mr. Corker keeps bringing up my family. . . . It's you and I running for the Senate. It's our ideas, our plans to make the future better for everybody. Let's stick to you and I. And if you come up with a recipe to pick family, say it. Otherwise be quiet and let's run for the Senate."

  • Complete video of debate, October 7, 2006

The October 10 Chattanooga debate covered many of the same issues, with Corker again attempting to make Ford's family an issue and Ford claiming that Corker would be merely a "rubber stamp" for the Bush administration and Republican Party in the Senate.

  • Complete video of debate, October 10, 2006

The final debate took place on October 28, in Nashville and mostly covered the economy.

  • Complete video of debate, October 28, 2006

"Who Hasn't?" advertisement

A negative ad titled "Who Hasn't?" sponsored by the Republican National Committee ("RNC") that aired during the third and fourth weeks of October gained national attention and was condemned by both Ford and Corker. The ad ridiculed Ford through interviews of fictional citizens giving deadpan endorsements that satirized Ford's policies and reputation, such as "terrorists need their privacy" and "taxes after I'm dead". The last of these is a scantily clad white woman (Johanna Goldsmith) acting as a Playboy bunny who "met Harold at the Playboy party", who invites Ford to "call me".

Responding to questions about the ad, a Ford spokesperson said that Ford went to a 2005 Playboy-sponsored Super Bowl party that was attended by more than 3,000 people, and Ford himself said that he likes "football and girls" and makes no apology for either.

The NAACP described the ad as "a powerful innuendo that plays to pre-existing prejudices about African-American men and white women", and former Republican Senator William Cohen called it "a very serious appeal to a racist sentiment. Corker condemned the RNC ad, calling it "tacky" and stating that his campaign has asked to have it pulled. The RNC, however, continued to endorse the ad, said it had no plans to stop airing it, and dismissed charges of racism, saying it "wouldn't even entertain the premise" that the ad was racist. In an October 24 interview with Tim Russert, RNC chairman Ken Mehlman said that he thought the ad was "fair" and that he did not have the authority to pull it.

The ad was also denounced by Canada's ambassador to the United States, Michael Wilson, and in the Parliament of Canada by MP Omar Alghabra. The ad became an issue in Canada because of an actor's statement in the advertisement, "Canada can take care of North Korea. They're not busy." Alghabra, in the House of Commons, responded, "Is this what Canadians should be expecting as the outcome of cozying up to Mr. Bush by the prime minister and his Conservatives?"

On October 25, Mehlman announced that the ad was "down now" during an interview with Wolf Blitzer on CNN. In its place, Tennessee television stations ran a different RNC ad.

Endorsements

Ford received endorsements from, among others, The Tennessean (Nashville's predominant daily newspaper), The Commercial Appeal (Memphis's predominant daily newspaper), the Jackson Sun (Jackson's predominant daily newspaper), the Bristol Herald Courier, Metro Pulse (Knoxville), the Professional Firefighters Association of Tennessee, and the Tennessee State Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police.

Corker was endorsed by, among others, the NRA Political Victory Fund, the Knoxville News-Sentinel, the United States Chamber of Commerce, Clarksville Leaf Chronicle, Lebanon Democrat, Kingsport Times News, Nashville City Paper, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, and the National Right to Life Committee, though the Tennessee Right to Life Committee has refused to endorse Corker, claiming he is a "pro-abortion" politician.

Both Corker and Ford were endorsed by the Chattanooga Times Free Press (Chattanooga's predominant daily newspaper still maintains two separate editorial pages left over from when its two daily newspapers merged): Ford by The Times editors, and Corker by Free Press editors.

Harold Ford Jr. (D)
Individuals
  • Wesley Clark, General, 2004 Democratic presidential candidate

Fundraising

Through October 18, 2006, Corker had raised more money than Ford and had also spent more, according to the candidates' most recent filings with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Corker tapped into his personal fortune to help fund his campaign, loaning his campaign a total of $4.1 million. Corker loaned $2 million of this amount on Wednesday, November 1, less than a week before the election, triggering the "millionaire's amendment" of the 2002 Campaign Reform Act and allowing Ford to seek $12,600 from individual donors instead of $2,100, the normal limit, for the final days of the campaign.

President Bush attended two fund raiser dinners on behalf of the Corker campaign in Nashville and Memphis which raised $2.6 million for Corker's campaign by charging over $2,000 a plate. Former President Bill Clinton attended a rally for the Ford campaign in Nashville that raised about $1 million.

None of the third-party candidates filed reports with the FEC.

Candidate Funds Raised Cash On-Hand
Bob Corker (R) $13,145,585 $973,171
Harold Ford (D) $9,889,498 $356,175

Predictions

Source Ranking As of
The Cook Political Report Tossup November 6, 2006
Sabato's Crystal Ball Lean R November 6, 2006
Rothenberg Political Report Tossup November 6, 2006
Real Clear Politics Tossup November 6, 2006

Polling

In the general election, polls showed Corker with a statistically insignificant lead in the week before the election.

Source Date Harold
Ford Jr. (D) 		Bob
Corker (R)
Global Strategy Group March 2005 39% 34%
Global Strategy Group October 31, 2005 39% 36%
Rasmussen December 20, 2005 42% 36%
Rasmussen January 30, 2006 40% 42%
Rasmussen March 6, 2006 35% 39%
Rasmussen May 7, 2006 39% 43%
Zogby June 13, 2006 42% 46%
Zogby/WSJ June 21, 2006 41% 42%
University of Tennessee July 20, 2006 35% 42%
Zogby/WSJ July 24, 2006 44% 43%
Mason-Dixon July 24, 2006 36% 49%
Rasmussen July 26, 2006 37% 49%
Rasmussen August 10, 2006 42% 48%
Benenson Strategy Group (D) August 21, 2006 44% 42%
Zogby/WSJ August 28, 2006 44% 48%
Rasmussen September 5, 2006 44% 45%
Zogby/WSJ September 11, 2006 43% 45%
SurveyUSA September 11, 2006 48% 45%
Benenson Strategy Group (D) September 23, 2006 45% 39%
Zogby/WSJ September 25, 2006 42% 48%
Mason-Dixon September 27, 2006 43% 42%
Middle Tennessee State University September 30, 2006 42% 43%
Rasmussen October 1, 2006 48% 43%
Reuters/Zogby October 5, 2006 40% 40%
USA Today/Gallup (RV) October 5, 2006 46% 36%
USA Today/Gallup (LV) October 5, 2006 50% 45%
SurveyUSA October 10, 2006 46% 48%
Hamilton Beattie (D) October 10, 2006 51% 44%
Rasmussen October 13, 2006 48% 46%
Zogby/The Wall Street Journal October 19, 2006 42% 49%
Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg October 24, 2006 44% 49%
Mason-Dixon/MSNBC-McClatchy October 24, 2006 43% 45%
Rasmussen October 24, 2006 46% 47%
SurveyUSA October 25, 2006 48% 48%
Hamilton Beattie (D) October 26, 2006 47% 45%
Benenson Strategy Group (D) October 30, 2006 48% 43%
CNN October 31, 2006 44% 52%
CNN October 31, 2006 45% 47%
Zogby/The Wall Street Journal October 31, 2006 48% 49%
Mason-Dixon November 1, 2006 38% 50%
Rasmussen November 1, 2006 47% 49%
Rasmussen November 2, 2006 45% 53%
Reuters/Zogby November 2, 2006 43% 53%
Hamilton Beattie (D) November 3, 2006 46% 40%
Rasmussen November 4, 2006 45% 53%
USA Today/Gallup November 4, 2006 46% 49%
Survey USA November 5, 2006 46% 51%
Rasmussen November 5, 2006 47% 51%
OnPoint Polling and Research November 6, 2006 47% 48%

Results

United States Senate election in Tennessee, 2006
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Bob Corker 929,911 50.71% −14.39
Democratic Harold Ford, Jr. 879,976 47.99% +15.78
Independent Ed Choate 10,831 0.59% N/A
Independent David Gatchell 3,746 0.20% N/A
Independent Emory "Bo" Heyward 3,580 0.20% N/A
Independent H. Gary Keplinger 3,033 0.17% N/A
Green Chris Lugo 2,589 0.14% N/A
Write-in 29 0.00% N/A
Majority 49,935 2.72%
Turnout 1,833,695 49.97%
Republican hold Swing -14.39

By county

See also

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