The 1994 United States Senate election in Virginia was held November 8, 1994. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator

Chuck Robb Charles Spittal Robb (born June 26, 1939) is an American politician from Virginia and former officer in the United States Marine Corps. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the List of governors of Vir ...

won re-election to a second term versus Republican nominee

Oliver North Oliver Laurence North (born October 7, 1943) is an American political commentator, television host, military historian, author, and retired United States Marine Corps lieutenant colonel. A veteran of the Vietnam War, North was a National Secu ...

, a Marine Corps veteran famous for his role in the

Iran–Contra affair The Iran–Contra affair ( fa, ماجرای ایران-کنترا, es, Caso Irán–Contra), often referred to as the Iran–Contra scandal, the McFarlane affair (in Iran), or simply Iran–Contra, was a political scandal in the United States ...

. Robb ultimately won by a 45.6% to 42.9% margin, with

Marshall Coleman John Marshall Coleman (born June 8, 1942) is an American lawyer and Republican politician who served in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly during the 1970s. He was the first Republican elected as Attorney General of Virginia since Recon ...

, a former Republican state attorney general of Virginia, taking 11.4% as an independent candidate.

Background and campaign

Campaign

Oliver North was a very controversial figure as he was involved in the Iran-Contra Affair, a scandal during

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

's presidency.

, a former

state attorney general The state attorney general in each of the 50 U.S. states, of the federal district, or of any of the territories is the chief legal advisor to the state government and the state's chief law enforcement officer. In some states, the attorney genera ...

, attempted to seize the middle ground between Robb and North. Republican Senator

John Warner John William Warner III (February 18, 1927 – May 25, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974 and as a five-term Republican U.S. Senator from Virginia from 1979 to 200 ...

of Virginia endorsed

Douglas Wilder Lawrence Douglas Wilder (born January 17, 1931) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 66th Governor of Virginia from 1990 to 1994. He was the first African American to serve as governor of a U.S. state since the Reconstruction ...

, the first black governor of Virginia, who served from 1990 to 1994, originally entered the Senate race as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

before dropping out. 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 Advertising mail, also known as direct mail (by its senders), junk mail (by its recipients), mailshot or admail (North America), letterbox drop or letterboxing (Australia) is the delivery of advertising material to recipients of postal mail. The d ...

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. On the eve of the election, former first lady

Nancy Reagan Nancy Davis Reagan (; born Anne Frances Robbins; July 6, 1921 – March 6, 2016) was an American film actress and First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989. She was the second wife of president Ronald Reagan. Reagan was born in N ...

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 ''A Perfect Candidate'' is a 1996 documentary about the 1994 U.S. Senate race in Virginia between Democrat Chuck Robb and Republican Oliver North. The film aired on television as part of the PBS series ''P.O.V.'' in 1997, earning the network an ...

''.

Democratic primary

Candidates

*Sylvia Clute *

Virgil Goode Virgil Hamlin Goode Jr. (born October 17, 1946) is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 5th congressional district of Virginia between 1997 and 2009. He was initially a Democrat, but be ...

, State Senator from Rocky Mount *

, incumbent Senator since 1989 *Nancy Spannaus,

Lyndon LaRouche movement The LaRouche movement is a political and cultural network promoting the late Lyndon LaRouche and his ideas. It has included many organizations and companies around the world, which campaign, gather information and publish books and periodicals. ...

activist

Convention

There was an attempt to draft Governor Doug Wilder to run against Robb, but he chose to run as an independent candidate.

Primary

Republican primary

Candidates

* James C. Miller III, former Director of the

Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). OMB's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, but it also examines agency programs, pol ...

, 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 *

, outgoing Governor of Virginia (withdrew)

Polling

Results

References

{{United States elections, 1994

United States Senate 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 pow ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

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 ...

Background and campaign

Campaign

Democratic primary

Candidates

Convention

Primary

Republican primary

Candidates

Convention

Independents and third parties

Independents

Polling

Results

See also

References