1996 United States Senate election in Kansas
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The 1996 United States Senate election in Kansas was held November 5, 1996. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Nancy Kassebaum decided to retire instead of seeking a fourth term. Republican Pat Roberts won the open seat.
Term limits were an issue during the campaign; while Roberts said that he was not totally opposed to term limits, he was wary of limits that did not apply to current members of Congress, saying that the proposed limits should apply to everyone. While Thompson signed the national term limits pledge from the group Americans for Limited Terms, Roberts declined to do so, becoming the only major party candidate for the U.S. Senate in the 1996 elections to not sign the pledge.[1] However, he did say that "I plan only to serve two terms in the U.S. Senate."[2] In 2014, he was elected to a fourth term in office.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Sally Thompson, Kansas State Treasurer
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Sally Thompson | 121,476 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 121,476 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Pat Roberts, U.S. Representative
- Tom Little
- Tom Oyler
- Richard L. Cooley
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Pat Roberts | 245,411 | 78.21 | |
| Republican | Tom Little | 25,052 | 7.98% | |
| Republican | Tom Oyler | 23,266 | 7.42% | |
| Republican | Richard L. Cooley | 20,060 | 6.39% | |
| Total votes | 313,789 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Candidates
- Mark Marney (Reform)
- Pat Roberts (R), U.S. Representative
- Steven Rosile (L)
- Sally Thompson (D), Kansas State Treasurer
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Pat Roberts | 652,677 | 62.02% | −11.57% | |
| Democratic | Sally Thompson | 362,380 | 34.44% | +8.05% | |
| Reform | Mark S. Marney | 24,145 | 2.29% | ||
| Libertarian | Steven Rosile | 13,098 | 1.25% | ||
| Majority | 290,297 | 27.59% | −19.61% | ||
| Turnout | 1,052,300 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
References
- ^ "Roberts sole candidate to resist term limits tide". Lawrence Journal-World. September 25, 1996. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
- ^ "Pat Roberts Said In 1996 He'd Only Serve Two Terms — He's Running For His Fourth". BuzzFeed. October 14, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
- ^ http://www.kssos.org/elections/96elec/96sum/p96ussum.html
- ^ http://www.kssos.org/elections/96elec/96sum/p96ussum.html
- ^ http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1996/96Stat.htm#16