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 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

and the first Republican gain of the Class I Senate seat from

Charles E. Potter Charles Edward Potter (October 30, 1916November 23, 1979) was a U.S. Representative and a U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan. Early life Potter was born in Lapeer, Michigan and attended the public schools there. He received an AB degree f ...

since

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

. , this was the last time the Republicans won a U.S. Senate election in Michigan.

Background

Riegle, a three 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 and his being involved as a member of the Keating Five, a group of five

United States Senators The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and power ...

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.

Democratic primary

Candidates

* William Brodhead, former U.S. Representative from

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

* Bob Carr, U.S. Representative from East Lansing *Joel Ferguson, businessman and member of the Democratic National Committee *

John F. Kelly John Francis Kelly (born May 11, 1950) is an American former political advisor and retired U.S. Marine Corps general who served as White House chief of staff for President Donald Trump from July 31, 2017, to January 2, 2019. He had previousl ...

, State Senator from

Grosse Pointe Woods Grosse Pointe Woods is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 16,135 at the 2010 census. The city is a northeastern suburb of Metro Detroit and shares a small southern border with the city of Detroit. It is ...

*Carl Marlinga, Macomb County Prosecuting Attorney *Lana Pollack, State Senator from

Ann Arbor Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), ...

Declined

* Donald W. Riegle, incumbent Senator since 1977

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

* Spencer Abraham, former chairman of the Michigan Republican Party * Ronna Romney, conservative radio talk show host

Campaign

The Republican primary campaign amicably divided the

Romney family The Romney family is prominent in U.S. politics.

. Though Ronna Romney had divorced

Scott Romney George Scott Romney (born June 7, 1941) is an American Republican politician and lawyer in the state of Michigan. He formerly sat on the Michigan State University Board of Trustees. A member of the Pratt-Romney family, he is the elder son of for ...

two years prior, Scott's brother

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts f ...

(also a candidate for the United States Senate in Massachusetts) returned to Michigan to campaign for her. Scott and Mitt's father George W. Romney, the former Governor of Michigan, endorsed Abraham, having promised Abraham the endorsement prior to her candidacy. Her daughter, the future Chairman of the Republican National Committee

Ronna Romney McDaniel Ronna McDaniel (' Romney; born March 20, 1973) is an American politician and political strategist serving as chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) since 2017. A member of the Republican Party and the Romney family, she was chair of th ...

, volunteered as a driver during her campaign.

Results

General election

Candidates

* Spencer Abraham, former chairman of the Michigan Republican Party (Republican) * Bob Carr, U.S. Representative from East Lansing (Democratic) * Jon Coon (Libertarian) * William Roundtree (Workers' World) * Chris Wege (Natural Law)

Results

References

{{United States elections, 1994

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

1994 Michigan elections

Background

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declined

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

Campaign

Results

General election

Candidates

Results

See also

References