1994 United States Senate election in Michigan
The 1994 United States Senate election in Michigan was held November 8, 1994. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Don Riegle decided to retire and not run for re-election. Republican Spencer Abraham won the open seat, becoming the first Republican to win a U.S. Senate race in Michigan since 1972. As of 2021, this is the last Senate election in Michigan won by a Republican.
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 County results Abraham: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Carr: 40–50% 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Michigan |
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Background
Riegle, a 3-term incumbent, was considered one of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats in the 1994 mid-term elections, due to the unpopularity of President Bill Clinton[1] and his being involved as a member of the Keating Five, a group of five United States Senators who were accused of corruption. After months of speculation, Riegle announced he would not seek a 4th term in a speech on the Senate floor.[2]
Candidates
Democratic
- Bob Carr, U.S. Representative
Republican
- Spencer Abraham, former chairman of the Michigan Republican Party
Libertarian
- Jon Coon
Workers World
- William Roundtree
Natural Law
- Chris Wege
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Spencer Abraham | 1,578,770 | 51.88% | |||
| Democratic | Bob Carr | 1,300,960 | 42.75% | |||
| Libertarian | Jon Coon | 128,393 | 4.22% | |||
| Workers World | William Roundtree | 20,010 | 0.66% | |||
| Natural Law | Chris Wege | 14,746 | 0.48% | |||
| Write-in | 506 | 0.02% | ||||
| Total votes | 3,043,385 | 100.00% | ||||
| Republican gain from Democratic | ||||||
References
- Richard L. Berke (July 27, 1993). "Senate Democrats See Re-election Perils in '94". New York Times. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
- William J. Eaton (September 29, 1993). "Riegle Is 3rd Keating Case Senator to Not Seek Office". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
- Parker, Randy (May 27, 2003). "Our Campaigns: MI U.S. Senate". Our Campaigns.
- Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. "STATISTICS OF THE CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION OF NOVEMBER 8, 1994" (PDF). United States House of Representatives. p. 17,19. Retrieved 16 November 2020.