1994 United States Senate election in Virginia
 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 43.6% (voting eligible)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||
 County and independent city results Robb: 40-50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% North: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| Elections in Virginia |
|---|
 |
The 1994 United States Senate election in Virginia was held November 8, 1994. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Chuck Robb won re-election to a second term.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Sylvia Clute
- Virgil Goode, State Senator from Rocky Mount
- Chuck Robb, incumbent Senator since 1989
- Nancy Spannaus, Lyndon LaRouche movement activist
Convention
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chuck Robb (incumbent) | 543 | 49.86% | |
| Democratic | Virgil Goode | 240 | 22.04% | |
| Democratic | Douglas Wilder (draft effort) | 189 | 17.36% | |
| Democratic | Sylvia Clute | 61 | 5.60% | |
| Democratic | Nancy Spannaus | 56 | 5.14% | |
| Total votes | 1,089 | 100.00% | ||
There was an attempt to draft Governor Doug Wilder to run against Robb, but he chose to run as an independent candidate.
Primary
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chuck Robb (incumbent) | 154,561 | 57.90% | |
| Democratic | Virgil Goode | 90,547 | 33.92% | |
| Democratic | Sylvia Clute | 17,329 | 6.49% | |
| Democratic | Nancy Spannaus | 4,507 | 1.69% | |
| Total votes | 266,944 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- James C. Miller III, former Director of the Office of Management and Budget
- Oliver North, Marine Corps veteran
Convention
North won a majority of the vote at the convention. He was not opposed in the primary.
Independents and third parties
Independents
- J. Marshall Coleman, former Virginia Attorney General and candidate for Governor in 1989
- Douglas Wilder, outgoing Governor of Virginia (withdrew)
General election
Campaign
Oliver North was a very controversial figure as he was involved in the Iran-Contra Affair, a scandal during Ronald Reagan's presidency. Marshall Coleman attempted to seize the middle ground between Robb and North. Republican Senator John Warner of Virginia endorsed Marshall Coleman. On the eve of the election, former first lady Nancy Reagan told a reporter that North had lied to her husband when discussing Iran-Contra with the former president, effectively eviscerating him. North's candidacy was documented in the 1996 film A Perfect Candidate.[4]
In his failed bid to unseat Robb, North raised $20.3 million in a single year through nationwide direct mail solicitations, telemarketing, fundraising events, and contributions from major donors. About $16 million of that amount was from direct mail alone. This was the biggest accumulation of direct mail funds for a statewide campaign to that date, and it made North the top direct mail political fundraiser in the country in 1994.[5]
Douglas Wilder, the first black governor of Virginia, who served from 1990 to 1994, originally entered the Senate race as an independent before dropping out.
Polling
| Source | Date | Chuck Robb (D) |
Oliver North (R) |
Marshall Coleman (I) |
Douglas Wilder (I) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mason-Dixon | November 1–2, 1994 | 37% | 36% | 17% | |
| Richmond Times-Dispatch | October 31 – November 3, 1994 | 39% | 31% | 12% | |
| Roanoke College | October 27–30, 1994 | 39% | 35% | 14% | |
| Mason-Dixon | October 15–17, 1994 | 33% | 37% | 16% | |
| Mason-Dixon | September 22–24, 1994 | 33% | 35% | 18% | |
| Mason-Dixon | September 8–11, 1994 | 33% | 28% | 15% | 12% |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | July 7–15, 1994 | 29% | 29% | 11% | 16% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chuck Robb (Incumbent) | 938,376 | 45.61% | −25.64% | |
| Republican | Oliver North | 882,213 | 42.88% | +14.18% | |
| Independent | J. Marshall Coleman | 235,324 | 11.44% | ||
| Independent | L. Douglas Wilder (withdrew) | 113 | 0.01% | ||
| Write-ins | 1,437 | 0.07% | +0.01% | ||
| Majority | 56,163 | 2.73% | −39.83% | ||
| Turnout | 2,057,463 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
See also
References
- ^ Dr. Michael McDonald (March 25, 2013). "Turnout 1980-2012". George Mason University. Archived from the original on October 30, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - VA US Senate - D Convention Race - Apr 16, 1994".
- ^ "Our Campaigns - VA US Senate - D Primary Race - Jun 14, 1994".
- ^ IMDb: A Perfect candidate
- ^ "Ollie, Inc.: how Oliver North raised over $20 million in a losing U.S. Senate race". Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved September 24, 2007.
- ^ "Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives".