2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Republican primary, Background
The race was essentially "frozen" as potential candidates waited for Crist to declare his intentions and almost immediately, he began to receive criticism from the right of the Republican Party. This dissatisfaction, which had begun soon after he was elected, "snowballed" when he began considering running for the Senate, centring on his perceived moderate positions, his environmental policies, his appointment of James E. C. Perry to the Supreme Court of Florida when conservatives favoured another candidate, his willingness to give President Obama "a shot", and his support of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Republican primary, Background
On March 5, Rubio formed an exploratory committee to run for the Senate, though Rubio said that he would run for governor instead if Crist ran for the Senate, with Crist saying that he would make a decision at the end of the legislative session in May. However, towards the end of March, Rubio began openly criticising Crist for his support of the stimulus and expanded gambling.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Republican primary, Background
In early April, Politico reported that Rubio was likely to stay in the Senate race even if Crist ran, following disapproval of Crist from the party's base. A Mason-Dixon poll from March/April found that only 23% of Republicans would "definitely" vote for Crist, compared to 18% who would "definitely not". During the first fundraising quarter, Rubio raised a "solid" $250,000 and confirmed that he would likely continue his campaign, regardless of what Crist did.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Republican primary, Background
On April 2, Mack announced that he would not run, telling Crist: "I will be your strongest supporter and champion -- regardless of whether you seek re-election or election to the Senate." An article in The Tampa Tribune reported on the growing opposition to Crist, which quoted, among others, former state representative Dennis K. Baxley, who said that the disappointment with Crist was "the kind of disappointment that's going to have people looking in other directions for leaders... the conservative movement needs a strong leader."


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Republican primary, Background
Former Pinellas County Republican Party Chairman Tony DiMatteo said that Crist was more likely to receive a primary challenge to if he ran for the Senate because: "In Tallahassee, there's a conservative Republican Legislature to balance the governor... A lot of people around the state feel the same way I do. We didn't leave Charlie; Charlie left us." Conversely, Republican consultant Adam Goodman said: "He's looked upon as such a popular and compelling figure that the sky's the limit. There are always going to be people to his right and to his left both in the party and in general. As long as he maintains his anti-tax platform, he'll be fine." Political scientist Darryl Paulson said that "Given Crist's ability to raise substantial amounts of money and his appeal to crossovers and independents, I couldn't name anybody who would have even a reasonable shot at defeating him in a primary."


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Republican primary, Background
A surprise entry into the race came on April 9, when former New Hampshire senator Bob Smith entered the race. Smith, who had lost his seat in New Hampshire in 2002, subsequently moved to Florida, and briefly ran for the Senate in 2004. He formally declared his candidacy on June 8.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Republican primary, Background
At the end of April, with Crist's decision nearing, he was reported to be a "near-lock" to run for the Senate and, in the wake of moderate Republican senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania's switch to the Democrats, speculation began about whether there was "room" in the party for a moderate like Crist.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Republican primary, Background
The National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn announced the NRSC's endorsement of Charlie Crist.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Republican primary, Background
After widespread speculation that he would resign before the end of his term, Martínez announced that he would do so on August 7, 2009, leaving Crist in the position to appoint a replacement. He requested applications from U.S. Representative Lincoln Díaz-Balart, attorney Bob Martínez (no relation to Mel Martínez or former governor Bob Martinez) and former Florida Attorney General and Secretary of State of Florida James C. Smith.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Republican primary, Background
Appointing Díaz-Balart would create a special election for his then-open House seat and it was suggested that this would prove to be a "tempting proposition" for Rubio, who would then drop down to run for the House instead. Rubio's campaign dismissed speculation he would do anything other than run for the Senate and Crist appointed his chief of staff, George LeMieux, to the Senate instead. Democrat Kendrick Meek expressed disappointment, asserting that Crist should have appointed someone qualified rather than one of the top names "in his cell phone."


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Republican primary, Background
The Democratic Party of Florida issued an email the same day titled, "George LeMieux (R-Cronyism)", echoing the disapproval of Crist's choice, who was the Deputy Attorney General under Crist, and his chief of staff. In December, Lincoln Díaz-Balart and his brother Mario, also a U.S. Representative, withdrew their endorsements of Crist.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Republican primary, Background
They declined to reveal the reason why, saying that "the governor knows why we withdrew and he left us with no alternative", although it was suggested that Crist's appointment of LeMieux and his passing over of a prosecutor that Lincoln Díaz-Balart had recommended for a county judgeship in North Florida were the reasons.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Republican primary, Background
Former New Hampshire Senator Bob Smith, who had barely featured in opinion polls, withdrew from the race on March 30, 2010, citing poor fundraising.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Republican primary, Background
After being behind in the polls, Rubio began to cut into Crist's lead, mostly as a reaction to Crist's support of the stimulus bill, which Rubio opposed. Crist subsequently fell behind Rubio by over 20 points. On April 16, Crist's campaign manager, Connie Mack IV, resigned. Ostensibly as a reaction to Crist's veto of a controversial education bill that tied teacher's pay to their students' test scores, Crist's increasingly poor showing in the polls was widely speculated to have been a factor in Mack's decision.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Republican primary, Background
Speculation began that Crist would drop out of the Republican primary and run as an Independent before April 30, the Florida filing deadline. Polling showed that although Crist was trailing Rubio considerably in the Republican primary, were he to run as an independent, the three-way race would become more competitive; Rubio was currently leading Meek and Crist in aggregate three-way polling as of June 2010.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Republican primary, Background
On April 28, Crist campaign officials confirmed that Crist would be running as an independent and planned to drop out of the Republican primary.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Republican primary, Background
The primary was held on August 24, 2010. Running virtually unopposed, Rubio won with almost 85% of the vote.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Republican primary, Candidates
These candidates formally qualified to appear on the Florida Republican primary ballot.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Democratic primary, Background
Many Democratic politicians were mentioned as potential candidates for the race, including U.S. Representatives Allen Boyd, Kathy Castor, Ron Klein, Kendrick Meek, Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Robert Wexler, State Senators Dave Aronberg and Dan Gelber and Mayor of Orlando Buddy Dyer. Alex Sink also reconsidered her decision not to run. Wasserman Schultz and Wexler announced in December 2008 that they would not run.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Democratic primary, Background
Meek was the first major candidate of either party to declare his candidacy, on January 13, 2009. After "serious and careful thought", three days later, Sink reiterated her decision to run for re-election. Following her decision, Dan Gelber said that he "had been really waiting for her" and had been "prepared to fully support [her]." He also said that "I expect I'll be entering the race in the coming weeks." On January 27, he declared his candidacy. The following day, Allen Boyd also declined to run.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Democratic primary, Background
In March, it was reported that while Gelber was "consumed" with the legislative session, Meek was raising money and collecting endorsements, including from former president Bill Clinton. Gelber replied, "Frankly the practicality is, it's just hard to find hours in the day to make phone calls right now." At the end of the first fundraising quarter, Meek reported raising $1.5 million. He also decided to gain ballot access via petitions, rather than paying the standard filing fee. He said that collecting the required 100,000 petitions would "keep me engaged with the people of Florida".


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Democratic primary, Background
Congressman Kendrick Meek was the first Democrat to declare his intention to run. Upon Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink's decision to run for governor, State Senator Dan Gelber formed an exploratory committee. However, Gelber ultimately decided not to run, so as to avoid a divisive primary. Congressman Meek enlisted the aid of former President Bill Clinton, who hosted a fundraiser for him in Jacksonville. Term limited North Miami mayor Kevin Burns, also announced his candidacy for the Senate seat. On April 30, 2010, Palm Beach billionaire Jeff Greene announced he was running.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Democratic primary, Candidates
These candidates formally qualified to appear on the Florida Democratic primary ballot.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, General election, Candidates, Major
These candidates have gotten at least 5% in pre-election polling


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, General election, Candidates, Minor
qualified either by paying filing fee or with the 112,446 signatures to appear on ballot.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, General election, Candidates, Write-ins
These candidates have qualified for the general election as write-in candidates.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, General election, Campaign
Charlie Crist argued "If you want somebody on the far right, you get Marco Rubio. If you want someone on the far left, you have Kendrick Meek. If you want someone who will fight for you and apply common sense, you have me." Meek argued "Marco Rubio has always been the Tea Party candidate and yesterday Charlie Crist says he wants to crash the Tea Party, too. I'm the only candidate who's fighting for the middle class." Rubio argued "If you like 'Obamacare,' if you like the stimulus plan, you can vote for Charlie Crist or Kendrick Meek."


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, General election, Campaign
It was reported that former President Bill Clinton attempted to convince Meek to drop out of the race in October while they campaigned together, as Meek and Crist appeared to be splitting the Democratic vote, allowing Rubio to win. Meek denied the report.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, General election, Campaign
In the final week of the campaign, an advisor confirmed that Crist would caucus with the Democrats if elected to the Senate.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, General election, Debates
Wednesday, October 6ABC News, WFTV-ABC 9 Orlando & WFTS-ABC 28 TampaModerated by George Stephanopoulos and two local media panelistsOrlando, FL


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, General election, Debates
Sunday, October 24CNN/St. Petersburg Times DebateModerated by Candy CrowleyTampa, FL


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, General election, Debates
Tuesday, October 26NBC News & WESH-NBC 2 Orlando DebateModerated by David GregoryOrlando, FL


2010 United States Senate election in Georgia
The 2010 United States Senate election in Georgia took place on November 2, 2010. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson won re-election to a second term.


2010 United States Senate election in Georgia, General election, Campaign
Thurmond was the underdog in trying to become the first African-American to serve Georgia in the U.S. Senate. Thurmond claimed "Polls are irrelevant. As everyone knows, the only poll that counts is the election on November 2." Isakson defended his record saying "Big business is not evil. If you didn't have big business, you wouldn't have jobs in America today." Despite the fact all political prognosticators classified the race as being safe for Isakson by August 20,< he stated that Thurmond was a potentially formidable candidate, and that he would take nothing for granted.


2010 United States Senate election in Hawaii
The 2010 United States Senate election in Hawaii took place on November 2, 2010 concurrently with elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. The primary elections were held on September 18, 2010. Incumbent Senator Daniel Inouye, also the President pro tempore, secured the Democratic nomination with over 88 percent of the vote over his sole challenger, businessman Andy Woerner, while former state legislator (and Inouye's 2004 opponent) Campbell Cavasso won the Republican nomination with two-thirds of the primary vote.


2010 United States Senate election in Hawaii
Focuses of the campaign included Inouye's seniority and ability to direct federal resources to the state, as well as Cavasso's emphases on change and fiscal responsibility. Polling found Inouye with a large lead, although one poll gave the Democrat a lead of only thirteen points, greatly underestimating his share of the vote. Inouye won re-election to his ninth and final term, with nearly 75 percent of the vote to Cavasso's 21.6 percent. The Senator would not serve out his ninth term, as he died in December 2012 and was replaced by appointed then-Lieutenant governor Brian Schatz.


2010 United States Senate election in Hawaii, Background
Hawaii last elected a Republican Senator in 1970, and its current delegation to the United States Congress currently consists entirely of Democrats. Democrats have also won Hawaii's electoral votes in every presidential election since Ronald Reagan's landslide election in 1984. The exceptions at the time were then-Governor Linda Lingle (who was serving her second and final term) and then-U.S. Representative Charles Djou, both of whom are Republicans.


2010 United States Senate election in Hawaii, General election, Campaign
The death of longtime U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd allowed Inouye to become the President pro tempore and Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations. He made no apologies for bringing home as much federal money as he can, despite Republican insistence that the U.S. government taxes and spends too much, a stance he calls a "nice gimmick." The Maui News endorsed his re-election.


2010 United States Senate election in Hawaii, General election, Campaign
Cavasso, the 2004 nominee, won the Republican primary again, and ran on a platform of change and is emphasizing the need for a balanced budget. Inouye, who defeated Cavasso in 2004 by 52 percentage points, released TV ads that refer to himself simply as "Dan". The senator is said to be "working" for Hawaii's transportation, high-tech economy, education and other needs.


2010 United States Senate election in Hawaii, General election, Polling
A Rasmussen Reports poll of 500 likely voters conducted on October 13 gave Inouye only a thirteen-point lead over Cavasso, and found the Republican with a modest lead among independent voters. However, the poll would ultimately miss the final margin by forty percentage points. Fivethirtyeight's Nate Silver awarded the Rasmussen poll his "worst poll award", citing it as evidence of the pollster's bias against Democratic candidates and observing that it was, as of November 2010, the largest error of any electoral poll in the Fivethirtyeight databases going back to 1998.


2010 United States Senate election in Idaho
The 2010 United States Senate election in Idaho took place on November 2, 2010, alongside 33 other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Mike Crapo won re-election to a third term.


2010 United States Senate election in Idaho, General election, Campaign
Sullivan, a heavy underdog, criticized Crapo for being in Washington for too long, saying, "Senator Crapo has been in Congress for 18 years. The country is struggling, and I think it's time to make a change." Crapo emphasized his conservative record in Washington.


2010 United States Senate election in Indiana
The 2010 United States Senate election in Indiana took place on November 2, 2010, alongside 33 other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections to fill Indiana's class III United States Senate seat. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Evan Bayh decided in February 2010 to retire instead of seeking a third term shortly after Republican former U.S. Senator Dan Coats, announced his candidacy for Bayh's contested seat.


2010 United States Senate election in Indiana
Bayh's announcement came one day before the filing deadline and no Democratic candidate submitted enough signatures by the deadline to run, so the State Democratic Party chose U.S. Congressman Brad Ellsworth as their nominee. The Libertarian Party nominated YMCA instructor Rebecca Sink-Burris, who had previously run against Evan Bayh in the 1998 United States Senate election in Indiana but with less success than in this election. Coats won the open seat.


2010 United States Senate election in Indiana, Democratic nomination
Senate candidates in Indiana were required to have submitted 500 signatures from each of the state's nine congressional districts by February 16, 2010, one day after Bayh announced his retirement. Democratic leaders thought the popular incumbent would run for reelection, and as a result, no Democratic candidate had submitted the requisite signatures by the deadline to run in the state's primary, meaning that the Indiana Democratic Party's executive committee chose the party's nominee. U.S. congressman Brad Ellsworth was officially selected on May 15.


2010 United States Senate election in Indiana, General election, Campaign
After Coats' win in the Republican primary, Ellsworth began to heavily criticize Coats for his ties to lobbyists. He called for more disclosure of the meetings lawmakers have with lobbyists, banning congressional staff from lobbying for six years after their congressional jobs, requiring Congress members to put all their investments in blind trusts, more disclosure of Senate candidates' personal financial information, and changes to the U.S. Senate filibuster rules. He proposed lowering number of votes required to break a filibuster to 55 from the current 60. In response to Ellsworth's charges, Coats published his lobbying record in an 815-page document.


2010 United States Senate election in Indiana, General election, Campaign
Coats emphasized the individual issues rather than ethic reforms advocated by his opponent. He focused on Ellsworth's record of voting in support of the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, cap and trade legislation, and health care bill. Coats opinion of the healthcare law was that "the only responsible solution ... is to repeal the Obama-Pelosi-Ellsworth health spending bill and quickly replace it with cost-effective, incremental pieces that will decrease costs, increase coverage and not break the bank."


2010 United States Senate election in Iowa
The 2010 United States Senate election in Iowa was held on November 2, 2010, alongside other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections in Iowa. The party primary elections were held on June 8, 2010. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley won reelection to a sixth term.


2010 United States Senate election in Iowa, Democratic primary, Campaign
Three Democrats sought the Democratic nomination. Former State Representative and Iowa Department of Transportation official Bob Krause drew attention for implying that Grassley had been in office too long, remarking to supporters in Des Moines: "As a good farmer, Sen. Grassley must recognize that 51 years, or 58 years at the end of his term, is a long time to go without rotating crops." Both Krause and former State Senator Tom Fiegen cited Grassley's support of deregulating the financial services industry as reasons for running. Krause said, "Please remember that Farmer Grassley was one that opened the barn door and let the cow out at AIG," while Fiegen, a bankruptcy lawyer, made reducing unemployment and tightening regulation of the financial services industry the cornerstones of his campaign.


2010 United States Senate election in Iowa, Democratic primary, Campaign
Former Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Michael Kiernan said that he had recruited trial lawyer Roxanne Conlin to challenge Grassley. Kiernan's virtual endorsement of Conlin prior to her announcement drew the ire of party members, as it is counter to party rules when there is more than one candidate from the party competing in a primary race. Conlin had been criticized for being unwilling to debate her primary opponents, and for being unfamiliar with and unsupportive of her own party's platform.


2010 United States Senate election in Iowa, Democratic primary, Campaign
On health care, Fiegen and Krause supported a public option, while Conlin didn't state a position, which she had been criticized for. Krause and Feigen claimed she supported supply-side economics. She also displayed an unfamiliarity with the Iowa Democratic Party's platform, repeatedly claiming there was no platform for her to support until after the June 12, 2010 convention.


2010 United States Senate election in Iowa, General election, Campaign
Incumbent Chuck Grassley started the campaign moderately popular, but his approval ratings dropped somewhat during the campaign. However, the seat continued to be considered to be "Safe Republican" by many sources, with CQ Politics noting that Grassley is "one of Iowa's most durable politicians."


2010 United States Senate election in Iowa, General election, Campaign
Conlin described herself as a "prairie progressive." She supported the recent landmark case of Varnum v. Brien, which legalized gay marriage in the state. She also supported repeal of "don't ask, don't tell."


2010 United States Senate election in Iowa, General election, Campaign
Before the election, former political advisor John Maxwell claimed that Grassley would have his toughest race since his first U.S. Senate election in 1980, where he defeated incumbent John Culver with 53% of the vote. Grassley won all of his four re-election bids with nearly 70% of the vote against unknown opponents. Grassley won the election with 64.35% of the vote, which, in fact was his closest election since 1980.


2010 United States Senate election in Iowa, General election, Debates
Grassley and Conlin only agreed to one debate. It was on October 26 on Des Moines radio station WHO and Iowa Public Television.


2010 United States Senate election in Kansas
The 2010 United States Senate election in Kansas took place on November 2, 2010, alongside other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Sam Brownback did not seek a third term, but instead successfully ran for Governor of Kansas. Republican nominee Jerry Moran won the open seat.


2010 United States Senate election in Kansas, Background
Sam Brownback was first elected to the Senate in 1996, replacing Bob Dole, who resigned to run for President. Brownback stated that he would not run for re-election in 2010 because of self-imposed term limits. Kansas is one of the most Republican states in the nation; no Democrat has been elected to either Senate seat since 1932.


2010 United States Senate election in Kansas, Republican primary, Campaign
The retirement of Brownback, a popular U.S. Senator, led to a heavily competitive primary election. Tiahrt, who was on the Committee of Appropriations, had been accused of excessive earmarking while he was in Congress. From 2006 to 2008, Tiahrt had requested and supported a total of 63 solo earmarks, costing $53.9 million. In the same period, Moran had requested and supported a total of 29 earmarks, with a pricetag of $13.4 million.


2010 United States Senate election in Kansas, General election, Campaign
Kansas is a very red state, where no Democrat has won a U.S. Senate election since 1932. After the primary, Moran chose not to release any more negative advertisements. Democrat Lisa Johnston ran a low-profile, quiet race. On election day, she won only two counties: Wyandotte County and Douglas County, while Moran won statewide by a landslide.


2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky
The 2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky took place on November 2, 2010 alongside other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Primaries for each respective party were held on May 18, 2010. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Jim Bunning decided to retire instead of seeking a third term. Republican nominee Rand Paul, an ophthalmologist and son of Congressman Ron Paul, won the open seat against Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway.


2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky, Bunning's controversies
In early 2009, incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Jim Bunning, who won reelection by a surprisingly narrow margin in 2004 said he would need to raise $10 million for his re-election campaign. However, National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman John Cornyn pressured Bunning to retire due to concerns that he could lose a re-election bid. In July 2009, Bunning announced he would not run for re-election.


2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky, Bunning's controversies
In February 2009, Senator Bunning stated that another justice could soon be appointed to the United States Supreme Court because Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, would be dead within nine months, creating a significant amount of controversy, which resulted in an apology from Bunning. Ginsburg would not die until 2020.


2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky, Bunning's controversies
In late May 2009, Bunning called fellow Kentucky Senator and Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell a "control freak" and suggested that he did not need McConnell's endorsement. He also challenged Lexington Herald Leader editor John Stamper to an arm wrestling match over a question of being "fit to serve."


2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky, Bunning's controversies
Additionally, Bunning created further controversy in February 2010 when he objected to a proposal of unanimous consent for an extension of unemployment insurance, COBRA, and other federal programs, citing that this extension was not pay-as-you-go. He proposed an amendment which sought to find the funds to pay for the bill from the Stimulus Bill of 2009, and declared that he supported the unemployed, but that a bill such as this only added to the growing deficit and that it should be paid for immediately. Senator Bob Corker joined Bunning, while other senators worked to cease his objections.


2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky, Bunning's controversies
When Senator Jeff Merkley urged him to drop his objections to vote on a 30-day extension of benefits, Bunning responded "tough shit." Bunning finally agreed to end his objection to the bill in exchange for a vote on his amendment to pay for the package. It failed 53–43 on a procedural vote. The extension of unemployment benefits then passed by a vote of 78–19.


2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky, Republican primary, Campaign
On August 20, 2009, a grassroots-planned moneybomb raised $433,509 for Rand Paul's campaign in a 24-hour period. According to Paul, this set a new record in Kentucky's political fundraising history (for a 24-hour period). Republican Liberty Caucus endorsed Paul in November 2009. On December 22, 2009, Rand Paul picked up the endorsement of Concerned Women for America. Paul embraced the Tea Party movement, and promoted "small government principles" one day after he officially entered the race for Kentucky's open seat. Paul ran a strong anti-Washington message. One commercial tied Grayson as part of the problem, noting that Grayson raised money with AIG executives in Washington. In another advertisement, Paul had also attacked Grayson as a career politician and a liar.


2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky, Republican primary, Campaign
Grayson created  that attacked Paul for his "strange ideas," such as his opposition of the PATRIOT Act, and what Grayson alleged to be his support of closing down Guantanamo Bay and saying that Iran was not a threat. He also attacked Paul for being a Duke University fan. He sent out another TV ad and web video that stirred controversy by making the case that Paul believes that foreign policy decisions made prior to September 11, 2001 are partially to blame for the attacks. Paul immediately responded by launching a statewide television ad in which he expresses his "outrage at terrorists who killed 3,000 innocents" before accusing Grayson of a "lie" and a "shameful" tactic. Grayson accused the Fox News Channel of favoring Paul over him.


2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky, Republican primary, Campaign
On May 18, 2010, Paul won the Republican nomination. After conceding the election to Paul, Grayson said, "It's time to put all differences aside, unite behind Dr. Paul, he needs our help and I for one stand ready to serve".


2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky, Republican primary, Results
*Though Bill Johnson dropped out of the race prior to the primary, he still appeared on the ballot.


2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky, Democratic primary, Campaign
Mongiardo announced that he had received the endorsement of Governor Steve Beshear and raised $420,000.


2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky, Democratic primary, Campaign
Due to Conway's large margin of victory in his statewide campaign for attorney general, his fundraising ability, and the age difference between Conway and Bunning, Conway was described as a viable candidate.


2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky, Democratic primary, Campaign
Both candidates were against the Senate version of the Affordable Care Act. When Mongiardo said that "it was time to start over," he was criticized by Conway and labeled "Dr. No." Both candidates supported the final version. Attorney General Conway refused to join a lawsuit claiming that health care reform is unconstitutional.


2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky, Democratic primary, Results
The primary race was extremely close with Conway narrowly prevailing by just over 4,000 votes. The race remained in doubt for much of the night. Finally with 99% of the vote counted the Associated Press declared Conway the winner. Mongiardo called Conway to concede at 10:08 P.M. EST. Mongiardo congratulated Conway and pledged him his full support for the general election. In terms of the break down of the results, Conway ran up margins in Jefferson County home of Louisville, and Fayette County home of Lexington. In terms of more rural counties Mongiardo and Conway split the vote.


2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky, Democratic primary, Results
Conway performed well in central Kentucky, while Mongiardo performed well in coal country in east Kentucky and farm country in western Kentucky. In the end Conway's performance in the states most populated county, Jefferson County proved to be just enough to carry him to victory. The primary race was also notable because both Conway and Mongiardo received more votes than Republican Rand Paul.


2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky, General election, Candidates
Kentucky's ballot access requirements allow Republicans and Democrats to run for office with two signatures, but require minor parties and independents to collect at least 5,000 signatures. The filing deadline for minor party and independent candidates was on August 10, and no candidate filed.


2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky, General election, Candidates
Some speculate that the reason why no minor party or independent candidate filed is because Paul's candidacy helped discourage it. The Libertarian Party of Kentucky held its nominating convention for 2010 elections and failed to nominate a candidate for the U.S. Senate, as no one stepped forward to seek nomination to that office. Despite comments from some observers that Paul espouses libertarian beliefs, the Kentucky Libertarian Party issued an official press release stating "Rand Paul is not a libertarian" and detailing the differences between Paul's beliefs and libertarian principles. Similarly, the Constitution Party of Kentucky avoided the Senate race ostensibly because of Rand Paul's presence in that race and perhaps because of his more minarchist stance than Trey Grayson, especially if the latter had been the nominee.


2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky, General election, Candidates
Billy Ray Wilson, an independent of London, filed as a write-in candidate.


2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky, General election, Campaign
Conway began the race trailing Paul, but as he attacked his opponent's positions on social-welfare and criminal-justice policies, the polls began to tighten. Conway agreed to run an advertisement that linked Paul's policy stances to a college prank in which Paul reportedly demanded that a female classmate worship a bong named "Aqua Buddha." Independent political analysts in Kentucky quickly warned that Conway would regret his decision.


2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky, General election, Campaign
The ad's focus on religion led critics, including not just Republicans but also some liberals such as Hardball's Chris Matthews, to charge that Conway was improperly questioning Paul's faith, to which Conway countered that the ad was intended to question Paul's "judgment." Nonetheless, Conway swiftly dropped again in the polls, a decline from which he never recovered. Conway ceased his defense of the commercial after the election, admitting that running it had been a mistake; he claimed that he had done so only reluctantly at the urging of national advisers despite finding it "harsh as mule's breath."


2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky, General election, Campaign
Conway saw one last opportunity before his final debate with Paul. One of Rand Paul's supporters stomped on a MoveOn activist after she approached Paul's vehicle, and a video of the event was later used in a Conway TV commercial. Paul and Conway condemned the attack and the supporter was banned from campaign events.


2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky, General election, Campaign
The campaign attracted $8.5 million in contributions from outside groups, of which $6 million was spent to help Rand Paul and $2.5 million to help Conway. This money influx was in addition to the money spent by the candidates themselves: $6 million by Paul and $4.7 million by Conway.


2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky, General election, Campaign
Paul was endorsed by The Kentucky Enquirer, The Richmond Register, and the Bowling Green Daily News; as well as by the National Federation of Independent Business, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, National Right to Life, US Chamber of Commerce, National Vietnam and Gulf War Veterans Coalition, Mike Huckabee, and Tony Perkins/FRC Action PAC.


2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky, General election, Campaign
Conway was endorsed by the Courier-Journal and the Lexington Herald Leader.


2010 United States Senate election in Kentucky, General election, Debates
There were 5 televised debates between the two candidates. The first debate on October 3, 2010, which was moderated by Chris Wallace,seemed to focus on President Obama's decisions during his 2 years as President. Paul stated, "I think his agenda is wrong for America. I will stand up against President Obama's agenda." Conway responded, "I am a proud Democrat. I'm certainly not going to be on the left of Barack Obama." At the time of the debate, the election's polls indicated the race was a dead heat.


2010 United States Senate election in Louisiana
The 2010 United States Senate election in Louisiana was held on November 2, 2010. Republican incumbent U.S. Senator David Vitter won re-election to a second term.


2010 United States Senate election in Louisiana, Background
Vitter faced a potentially serious challenge in the Republican primary as well as the general election. Lieutenant General Russel L. Honoré, who is best known for serving as commander of Joint Task Force Katrina responsible for coordinating military relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina-affected areas across the Gulf Coast, was allegedly mulling over whether or not to challenge Vitter in the Republican Primary. Tony Perkins, a former Louisiana state representative and current president of the socially conservative Family Research Council, acknowledged interest in running against Vitter because of the prostitution scandal. Nonetheless, Perkins decided not to run; Perkins endorses Vitter for reelection.


2010 United States Senate election in Louisiana, Background
Some speculated that Vitter's reelection might have become complicated, by the prostitution scandal revealed in 2007, but he continued to lead in aggregate polling against potential opponents.


2010 United States Senate election in Louisiana, Background
Following a movement to draft him into the race, John Cooksey, a former U.S. Representative, appeared poised to put together a challenge, planning on spending $200,000 of his own money. Cooksey, however, pulled back and did not qualify.


2010 United States Senate election in Louisiana, Background
A campaign to draft porn actress Stormy Daniels began in early 2009. She considered whether to run but ultimately declined to qualify.


2010 United States Senate election in Louisiana, Background
On June 14, 2009, Congressman Charlie Melançon announced his intentions to run for Senate in 2010. Melançon, who was representing Louisiana's 3rd Congressional District since 2005, released the announcement to his supporters, saying that "Louisiana needs a different approach, more bi-partisan, more disciplined, more honest and with a whole lot more common sense." Melançon was a leader of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of fiscally conservative Democrats who aim to lower the deficit and reform the budget.


2010 United States Senate election in Louisiana, Background
In the weeks before the election a major concern for Vitter's camp was possibly voter apathy about the race. For example, publisher Rolfe H. McCollister Jr., in his Greater Baton Rouge Business Report,  endorsed fellow Republican Jay Dardenne over Democrat Caroline Fayard in the simultaneous race for Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana, but then explicitly made "no endorsement" for U.S. Senate:


2010 United States Senate election in Louisiana, General election, Campaign
Melançon heavily criticized Vitter for prostitution sex scandal. Vitter released television advertising criticizing Melançon for his support for Obama's stimulus package and his support for amnesty for illegal immigrants.


2010 United States Senate election in Louisiana, General election, Debates
Melançon claimed "In August, Melançon challenged Vitter to a series of five live, televised town hall-style debates across the state. In his 2004 campaign for Senate, Vitter committed to five live, televised debates. Since Melançon issued the challenge, Vitter and Melançon have been invited to a total of seven live, televised debates. Vitter only accepted invitations to debates hosted by WWL-TV and WDSU-TV, both in New Orleans."


2010 United States Senate election in Maryland
The 2010 United States Senate election in Maryland was held on November 2, 2010. Primary elections were held on September 14, 2010. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski won re-election to a fifth term.


2010 United States Senate election in Maryland, Background
According to The Baltimore Sun columnist David Nitkin, Mikulski had indicated she planned to seek re-election to a fifth term. If Mikulski were to win re-election and serve the full term, she would tie Paul Sarbanes as the longest-serving senator in state history, and also becoming the longest-serving female senator in history, turning 80 years old in the process. On February 15, 2010, rumors began to circulate that Mikulski would not seek reelection; however, these were denied by Democratic sources soon after.


2010 United States Senate election in Maryland, Background
She previously won senate elections in 1986, 1992, 1998, and 2004 by margins of 21, 42, 41 and 31 percentage points, respectively. Additionally, in the general election, state parties are expected to focus much of their attention on the seats of Governor Martin O'Malley and first-term Congressman Frank Kratovil, the latter of whom won a surprise victory in a conservative district of the state. Nitkin and Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball consider her seat as overwhelmingly "safe."


2010 United States Senate election in Maryland, General election, Campaign
Wargotz released two television ads, in the first he created and introduced the term "insidersaurus": comparing Mikulski to a dinosaur by calling her a political "insidersaurus"     being in Washington for over thirty years (a long-term political incumbent.) A second ad showed a hammer hitting a brick wall, breaking it down and citing criticisms of Mikulski's record as a U.S. Senator. Mikulski released advertisements emphasizing education and job creation.


2010 United States Senate election in Maryland, General election, Campaign
Despite Wargotz's limited campaign and resources he received the highest percentage of votes against Mikulski as an incumbent U.S. Senator (over 20 years.)


2010 United States Senate election in Maryland, General election, Debates
Despite repeated requests by the Wargotz Campaign formal debate was declined by the incumbent U.S. Senator Mikulski. The two candidates did appear together on Maryland Public Television (MPT) fielding common questions posed to both by the moderator but no formal debate was held.


2010 United States Senate election in Missouri
The 2010 United States Senate election in Missouri took place on November 2, 2010 alongside 36 other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Primary elections were held on August 3, 2010. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Kit Bond decided to retire instead of seeking a fifth term. Republican nominee Roy Blunt won the open seat.


2010 United States Senate election in Missouri, General election, Campaign
Carnahan and national Democrats have heavily criticized Blunt for his support of bailouts, calling him "Bailout Blunt." Blunt criticized her for supporting President Obama's stimulus package, the cap-and-trade energy bill, and the health care reform bill.


2010 United States Senate election in Missouri, General election, Campaign
Carnahan was endorsed by the Kansas City Star, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and the St. Louis American.


2010 United States Senate election in Missouri, General election, Campaign
Blunt was endorsed by the Quincy Herald-Whig and the St. Joseph News-Press.


2010 United States Senate election in Nevada
The 2010 United States Senate election in Nevada took place on November 2, 2010. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator and Majority Leader Harry Reid won re-election to a fifth and final term.


2010 United States Senate election in Nevada, Democratic primary
The Democratic primary took place on June 8, 2010. Reid won by a large margin over a field of political unknowns.


2010 United States Senate election in Nevada, Republican primary
The Republican primary also took place on Tuesday, June 8, 2010.


2010 United States Senate election in Nevada, Republican primary, Polling
Includes current candidates who have polled at least 2% in at least one poll.


2010 United States Senate election in Nevada, General election, Campaign
In January 2009, the GOP began running an advertisement attacking Reid for his support of the legislation and President Barack Obama's proposed stimulus plan. Since becoming Minority Leader (in 2004), his approval ratings have dropped below 50%. A November 2007 poll showed Reid's approval rating at 39%, with 49% of voters disapproving.


2010 United States Senate election in Nevada, General election, Campaign
After the primaries, the first poll showed Angle leading by a double-digit margin. CQ Politics changed their analysis of the race from leaning Republican to a toss-up because of Angle's sharply conservative views and tendency to commit verbal gaffes; however, CQ added that if the voters treat the election as a referendum on Reid, then Angle will likely win.


2010 United States Senate election in Nevada, General election, Campaign
In 2009, Reid had been endorsed by some prominent Nevada Republicans. Immediately after the primary, the Republican mayor of Reno, Bob Cashell, who had backed Lowden in the Republican primary, endorsed Reid for the general election, calling Angle an "ultra-right winger." Other Republicans expressed doubt about supporting Angle, citing her reputation for ideological rigidity from her years in the state legislature.


2010 United States Senate election in Nevada, General election, Campaign
One of the first general election ads attacked Angle for her stance on Social Security and Medicare. In response, Angle explained that "the government must continue to keep its contract with seniors, who entered into the system on good faith and now are depending on that contract." In response to accusations that she was not mainstream enough for Nevada voters, Angle explained on a KXNT radio show that she was "more mainstream than the fellow that said tourists stink, this war is lost, and light-skinned no-Negro dialect", in reference to comments that had been made by Senator Reid.


2010 United States Senate election in Nevada, General election, Campaign
In September, Tibi Ellis, the chairwoman of the Nevada Republican Hispanic Caucus, who had been a spokesperson for Angle, criticized an Angle ad related to immigration. Ellis said, "I condemned this type of propaganda, no matter who is running them, where they blame Mexicans as the only problem and where they attack them as the only source of illegal immigration."


2010 United States Senate election in Nevada, General election, Campaign
Angle was endorsed by Nevada's largest newspaper, the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Reid had the endorsement from Nevada's second largest newspaper, the Las Vegas Sun. and the largest newspaper outside of Las Vegas, the Reno Gazette-Journal.


2010 United States Senate election in Nevada, General election, Campaign
On October 7, 2010, Republican State Senator and Minority Leader William Raggio endorsed Reid. Dema Guinn, the widow of the late Republican Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn, endorsed Reid on October 8.


2010 United States Senate election in Nevada, General election, Debate
Angle and Reid only agreed to one debate, in which no other candidate would participate. It was held on October 14. Junior Senator John Ensign played Reid during one day of debate preparation at the Trump Plaza in Las Vegas for Angle.


2010 United States Senate election in Nevada, General election, Predictions, History
Reid was initially considered vulnerable, with the non-partisan Cook Political Report rating the election as a tossup and the Rothenberg Political Report rating the state as tossup. A June 9, 2010, Rasmussen Reports post-primary poll showed Angle leading incumbent Senator Harry Reid by a margin of 50% to 39%. However, a July 2010 poll showed Senator Reid leading Angle by 7 points, following nationwide attention to some of Angle's positions, as well as the endorsement of Reid by prominent Republicans. The change of margin, 18% in less than a month, is the largest in Senate elections history. On July 28, 2010, Rasmussen Reports moved the race from tossup to leans Democratic. Later, it moved back to tossup.


2010 United States Senate election in Nevada, General election, Results
Despite Angle leading by three points in the polls the days leading up to the election, Reid defeated Angle by 5.74%, even defeating Angle in her own county, Washoe County. Reid also secured huge numbers out of the Democratic stronghold of Clark County, which covers the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area.


2010 United States Senate election in New Hampshire
The 2010 United States Senate election in New Hampshire was held on November 2, 2010, alongside other midterm elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as to the United States House of Representatives. A primary election was held on September 14. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Judd Gregg decided to retire instead of seeking a fourth term. Republican nominee Kelly Ayotte won the open seat by over 23 points.


2010 United States Senate election in New Hampshire
As of 2021, this is the last time the Republicans won a U.S. Senate election in New Hampshire. This was also the first open seat election in the state since 1992. With Democrat Jeanne Shaheen serving in the state's other Senate seat, New Hampshire became the first state in the union to be represented in the Senate simultaneously by two women of opposite parties.


2010 United States Senate election in New Hampshire, Background
Gregg was reelected with 66% of the vote in 2004, and indicated that he would seek a fourth term in 2010. New Hampshire trended Democratic in the 2006 and 2008 elections, with Republican incumbents losing both of the state's House seats and its other Senate seat to Democrats, but polling conducted in late December 2008 showed Gregg defeating both of the state's U.S. Representatives in a hypothetical match-up.


2010 United States Senate election in New Hampshire, Background
In February 2009, President Barack Obama offered, and Gregg accepted, nomination to the position of United States Secretary of Commerce. New Hampshire's Democratic Governor John Lynch announced he would appoint Bonnie Newman, former Assistant Secretary of Commerce for economic development in the Reagan administration, to serve as Senator for New Hampshire until the election in 2010. Newman announced that she would not run for election in 2010, nor would she endorse any candidate in the race.


2010 United States Senate election in New Hampshire, Background
On February 12, 2009, however, Gregg withdrew his nomination for Commerce Secretary. He cited "irresolvable conflicts" over policy related to the Commerce Department as the main reasons for his withdrawal, but also indicated support for President Obama. Gregg continued to serve as a senator from New Hampshire, as he did not resign from the Senate during the nomination process. At the time of the withdrawal, Gregg indicated that he would not run for reelection in 2010. However, at a subsequent press conference, Gregg clarified that he would "probably not" run for reelection, leading to speculation that was not eliminating the possibility completely.


2010 United States Senate election in New Hampshire, Background
On April 1, 2009, Gregg reaffirmed that he would not run.


2010 United States Senate election in New Hampshire, Background
Meanwhile, Democratic U.S. Representative Paul Hodes began his Senate campaign. He was the only major announced candidate until Attorney General Kelly Ayotte announced her bid for the Republican nomination in early July 2009. On November 9, 2009, Republican Ovide Lamontagne joined the race as well.


2010 United States Senate election in New Hampshire, General election, Campaign
Hodes called himself a fiscal conservative, which was mocked by Ayotte in a TV ad. Hodes was criticized for supporting President Obama's Economic Recovery package, a carbon energy tax, and Affordable Care Act. Hodes criticized Ayotte for numerous controversies. One ad was questioned Ayotte's honesty in dealing with the Lakes Region Ponzi scheme which defrauded investors of almost $80 million.


2010 United States Senate election in New Hampshire, General election, Campaign
Ayotte was endorsed by the Concord Monitor and the Nashua Telegraph.


2010 United States Senate election in New York
The 2010 United States Senate election in New York took place as scheduled on November 2, 2010 along with elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democrat U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer won re-election to a third term. Schumer won every county except for Wyoming, Tioga, and Hamilton counties.


2010 United States Senate election in New York, Background
In the 2004 U.S. Senate election, Schumer had defeated Republican Assemblyman Howard Mills by a 71 to 24 percent margin. Schumer was highly popular in New York, and it was believed that any Republican contender would likely not fare well against him in 2010. Schumer was heavily favored to retain his seat.


2010 United States Senate election in New York, Background
In addition to this regular election, there was also a special election to fill the Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton, who became the United States Secretary of State on January 21, 2009. In addition, there was the New York gubernatorial election. The existence of two other top-level statewide races, one with a Democratic incumbent perceived as vulnerable and the other an open race, respectively, was believed to lead major New York Republicans to gravitate towards them rather than challenge the popular Schumer. As it happened, however, the Republican Party had difficulty in drawing top-tier candidates to any of the three races.


2010 United States Senate election in New York, Republican nomination, Convention, Results
Only two candidates, Berntsen and Townsend, obtained at least 25% of the vote at the New York State Republican Convention on June 1, 2010. Berntsen came in first, but still needed to win the primary in order to win the Republican nomination. Berntsen lost the primary to Jay Townsend.


2010 United States Senate election in New York, Aftermath
Credico sued the New York State Board of Elections under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment because of this unfair treatment regarding ballot access. Despite being nominated by both the Libertarian Party and the Anti-Prohibition Party, in most jurisdictions, he only appeared on the ballot once. On June 19, 2013, the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of New York ruled in favor of Credico. The New York State Board of Elections did not appeal this decision.


2010 United States Senate election in North Carolina
The 2010 United States Senate election in North Carolina was held on November 2, 2010. The filing deadline for the primaries was February 26; the primaries were held on May 4, with a Democratic primary runoff held on June 22. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Richard Burr won re-election to a second term. Burr is the first incumbent to win re-election for this seat since Sam Ervin's last re-election in 1968. Burr's 54.8% also represented the highest vote share a North Carolina Republican received since the state began directly electing its Senators.


2010 United States Senate election in North Carolina, Background
This Senate seat was unfavorable to incumbents over the past several decades. No person elected to this seat was re-elected since Sam Ervin in 1968. His successor, Democrat Robert Burren Morgan, was defeated for re-election in 1980, along with many other incumbents from his party. His Republican successor, John Porter East, committed suicide in 1986. East's appointed successor, Jim Broyhill, served for just four months, resigning upon his November 1986 election loss to former Democratic Governor Terry Sanford.


2010 United States Senate election in North Carolina, Background
In 1992, the seat changed hands yet again, as Sanford was defeated by wealthy GOP businessman Lauch Faircloth, who himself lost in his bid for a second term six years later by John Edwards. In 2004, no incumbent was defeated, as Edwards was running for vice president and was not allowed to be on the ballot in both races. However, that year the seat did change parties for the fifth time in a row, with Richard Burr defeating Bill Clinton's onetime Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles.


2010 United States Senate election in North Carolina, Democratic primary, Results
* Note: Since no candidate received 40% of the vote on May 4, state law allowed a runoff (or "second primary") election if requested by the second-place finisher. Cunningham requested such a runoff.


2010 United States Senate election in North Carolina, General election, Campaign
Marshall was endorsed by The Charlotte Observer, The Wilmington Star-News, the Elizabeth City Daily Advance and The Southern Pines Pilot. Burr was endorsed by Greensboro News & Record, and the Asheville Citizen-Times.


2010 United States Senate election in North Dakota
The 2010 United States Senate election in North Dakota took place on November 2, 2010, alongside other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic-NPL U.S. senator Byron Dorgan announced in January 2010 that he would not seek reelection, leading to the first open seat election since 1992. Republican governor John Hoeven won the seat in a landslide, becoming North Dakota's first Republican senator since 1987.


2010 United States Senate election in North Dakota, Background
Incumbent Byron Dorgan never had a difficult time getting elected, as he obtained 59%, 63%, and 68% in his three senate election bids, respectively. However, in December 2009, Rasmussen Reports conducted a hypothetical matchup of Governor John Hoeven against the incumbent. Hoeven led by a large margin, 58% to Dorgan's 36%. Polls showed that 61% of the state still had a favorable view of Dorgan, and if pitted against state senator Duane Sand, the incumbent led 52% to 37%.


2010 United States Senate election in North Dakota, Background
Several prominent members of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party expressed an interest in the U.S. Senate race once Senator Dorgan announced that he would not run again. Among those people were Joel Heitkamp, a former North Dakota state senator and current radio talk show host of News and Views on KFGO Radio in Fargo. His sister, former North Dakota attorney general Heidi Heitkamp of Bismarck, also considered running, but declined to enter the race as well.


2010 United States Senate election in North Dakota, Background
Others who had indicated an interest in the race were businesswoman Kristin Hedger and national progressive talk show host Ed Schultz. Hedger was the Democratic candidate for North Dakota secretary of state in the 2006 general election, which she lost to the incumbent, Republican Alvin Jaeger.


2010 United States Senate election in North Dakota, Background
While flattered to have been asked, Schultz said he had to decline in that he would have been forced to give up his nightly television program on MSNBC The Ed Show as well as his daily progressive national radio show, The Ed Schultz Show, in order to run.


2010 United States Senate election in North Dakota, Background
Also, Federal Communications Commission regulations decree that equal and free air time would have had to be given to whomever Schultz's opponents would have been in the election in order to allow them to respond to anything that Schultz would have said about them on his programs.


2010 United States Senate election in North Dakota, General election, Campaign
Hoeven was challenged in the race by North Dakota state senator Tracy Potter of Bismarck. Potter received the endorsement of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party at its state convention on March 27, 2010. Governor Hoeven and Senator Potter advanced to the November 2, 2010 general election following balloting in North Dakota's primary election, which was held on June 8, 2010. Neither candidate faced any significant opposition in the primary election.


2010 United States Senate election in North Dakota, General election, Campaign
Aggregate polling indicated that Hoeven had large leads against Potter. Hoeven was enormously popular and enjoyed instant name recognition throughout the state of North Dakota. Hoeven was elected to an unprecedented third consecutive four-year term as governor in November 2008. Hoeven's election in 2010 to the U.S. Senate appeared to be all but a sure thing even before the campaign officially started. The immensely popular Hoeven enjoyed double-digit leads in opinion polling relative to the U.S. Senate race since earlier this year.


2010 United States Senate election in North Dakota, General election, Campaign
John Hoeven was sworn into the U.S. Senate on January 3, 2011.


2010 United States Senate election in North Dakota, General election, Results
The results were a complete reversal from 2004, with every single county flipping from Democrat to Republican, including Sioux County, home of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.


2010 United States Senate election in Ohio
The 2010 United States Senate election in Ohio was held on November 2, 2010, as one of many Ohio elections in 2010. Incumbent two-term Republican U.S. Senator George Voinovich decided to retire instead of seeking a third term. Former Representative Republican Rob Portman won the open seat.


2010 United States Senate election in Ohio, Democratic primary, Background
Congressman Tim Ryan, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, and Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher were considered leading contenders to run against George Voinovich. Ohio Governor Ted Strickland urged Jennifer Brunner to run for re-election rather than run for the Senate. Cuyahoga County Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones and Ohio State Representative Tyrone Yates considered running, but both withdrew from consideration.


2010 United States Senate election in Ohio, Democratic primary, Campaign
On February 17, 2009, Brunner and Fisher both officially announced their candidacies for the now-open seat election, with Strickland officially endorsing Fisher. Ryan declined to run and endorsed Fisher in July.


2010 United States Senate election in Ohio, Democratic primary, Campaign
Fisher was endorsed by Governor Ted Strickland and U.S. Representatives John Boccieri, Tim Ryan, Zack Space, and Charlie Wilson.


2010 United States Senate election in Ohio, Democratic primary, Campaign
Polling in late 2009 and January 2010 showed Brunner to be more competitive than Fisher in a general election matchup against Portman, while Fisher and Brunner were deadlocked in Democratic primary polling.


2010 United States Senate election in Ohio, Democratic primary, Campaign
Charlene Renee Bradley and Traci Johnson also filed to run in the Democratic primary.


2010 United States Senate election in Ohio, Republican primary, Background
With rumors circulating about Voinovich's possible retirement, former Director of the Office of Management and Budget, United States Trade Representative, and Congressman Rob Portman and State Auditor Mary Taylor were considered the main contenders for the Republican nomination. Former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell was also considered a potential candidate, but declined in order to run for chairman of the Republican National Committee.


2010 United States Senate election in Ohio, Republican primary, Campaign
When Voinovich made his retirement official, Portman declared his candidacy the next day. Thomas Ganley, a Cleveland car dealer, launched his campaign for the nomination in April, after Portman had collected support from most of the Ohio Republican establishment. Taylor officially declined to run in May and was announced as gubernatorial candidate John Kasich's running mate on January 12, 2010


2010 United States Senate election in Ohio, Republican primary, Campaign
Ganley was the only other declared candidate, but on February 17, 2010, he announced that he would switch races and run against Betty Sutton in Ohio's 13th congressional district instead, leaving Portman as the only Republican candidate. He had over $7 million in campaign funds.


2010 United States Senate election in Ohio, General election, Campaign
When the incumbent announced he would retire, Portman jumped into the race in early 2009. During the two-year time period, Portman raised over $9 million. Originally, the election was seen as a toss-up, as Portman's experience in the Bush administration was considered a liability for him. Both President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden campaigned for Fisher. However, Portman consistently led in fundraising and polling, particularly as Portman was unopposed in the Republican primary, while the Democratic primary between Fisher and Brunner was highly divisive.


2010 United States Senate election in Ohio, General election, Campaign
Television advertisements were very negative. Fisher attacked Portman for helping to ship jobs overseas during his entire political career, backing deals that shipped jobs overseas, and the trade deficit with China, which grew by over $41 billion. Portman claimed in response that most jobs were being lost to other states, not countries. Portman attacked Fisher for supporting Obama's stimulus and cap and trade.


2010 United States Senate election in Ohio, General election, Debates
Three debates were held in  Cleveland, Columbus, and Toledo. The first one was in Toledo on October 5. The second one was in Cleveland on October 8, while the third was in Columbus on October 12.


2010 United States Senate election in Ohio, General election, Results
Winning the election, Portman received 57% of the votes. He received the majority of votes in 82 of 88 counties and in 15 of 18 Congressional districts, including the district of liberal U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich.


2010 United States Senate election in Oklahoma
The 2010 United States Senate election in Oklahoma was held on November 2, 2010. Incumbent first-term Republican U.S. Senator Tom Coburn won re-election to a second term.


2010 United States Senate election in Oklahoma, General election, Campaign
Coburn, a very popular incumbent, promised to self-term limit himself to two terms. Despite his popularity, he did release television advertisements. In 2009, Coburn's approval rating in a PPP poll was 59%, including a 39% approval rating among Democrats. His Democratic opponent is a perennial candidate who did little campaigning.


2010 United States Senate election in Oregon
The 2010 United States Senate election in Oregon was held on November 2, 2010 alongside other elections to the United States Senate in other states, as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Ron Wyden won re-election to a third full term.


2010 United States Senate election in Oregon, General election, Campaign
Wyden, a popular incumbent with a 52% approval rating in a July poll, touted bipartisanship and promised to hold town-hall meetings annually in each of Oregon's 36 counties and to open offices outside of Portland and Salem. A Survey USA poll taken a few days before the election showed that 23% of Republicans supported Wyden.


2010 United States Senate election in Oregon, General election, Campaign
Huffman, widely considered as an underdog, financed his own campaign. He defended bonuses for Wall Street executives and questioned global warming.


2010 United States Senate election in Oregon, General election, Debates
The first debate took place on October 21, 2010 in Medford, Oregon and was broadcast by KOBI-TV. Only the two major-party candidates, Huffman and Wyden, participated in the debate. The second debate, which was hosted by the City Club of Portland at the Governor Hotel, took place on October 22. The debate played live on KOIN and re-aired on Oregon Public Broadcasting later that night.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania
The 2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania took place on November 2, 2010, during the 2010 midterm elections. Incumbent Republican-turned-Democrat U.S. Senator Arlen Specter ran for reelection to a sixth term, but lost in the Democratic primary to Joe Sestak. Republican nominee Pat Toomey then won the seat.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania
Toomey had previously run for United States Senate in 2004, challenging Specter for the Republican nomination, but was narrowly defeated in the primary. Specter went on to be reelected to his fifth term, defeating the Democratic nominee, Congressman Joe Hoeffel. Toomey announced on April 15, 2009, that he would again seek the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in the 2010 election.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania
The primary season was marked by Specter's decision in early 2009 to switch from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party due to his disagreement with the increasingly conservative positions of the party, pitting him against Sestak in the Democratic primary. The contest, characterized by attacks between the two Democratic candidates, was one of the most-watched primary races of the 2010 election cycle. Sestak ultimately defeated Specter in the May 18 primary, garnering 53.9% of the vote, to Specter's 46.1%. Pat Toomey easily defeated challenger Peg Luksik for the Republican nomination. Toomey received 81.5% of the vote, to Luksik's 18.5%.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania
Toomey defeated Sestak in the general election on November 2, 2010. Toomey garnered 2,028,945 votes (51.01%) to Sestak's 1,948,716 (48.99%), a margin of 80,229 votes (2.02%). The race was called by the Associated Press shortly before midnight. Not long thereafter, Sestak officially conceded the election to Toomey. Toomey's winning margin made this election the third-closest race of the 2010 Senate election cycle, behind only the elections in Illinois and Colorado.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Democratic primary, Campaign
The Democratic party race between Specter and Sestak was considered one of the bitterest and most watched of all the 2010 primary elections. On April 28, 2009, Specter switched to the Democratic Party after having served in the Senate as a Republican for 28 years, encouraged by Vice President Joe Biden and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, after he had voted in favor of President Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan and was faced with opposition from Pennsylvania Republicans.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Democratic primary, Campaign
Although Specter claimed he switched largely because he disagreed with the increasingly conservative direction the Republican party was heading in, he also admitted the switch was due to his poor chances of winning a Republican primary against Toomey due to Specter's support of Obama's stimulus package . The Democratic establishment had till then encouraged Sestak, a former U.S. Navy admiral and the representative of Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district, to run in the Democratic primary. But after Specter switched parties he was largely embraced by such major Democratic figures as Obama, Biden, Rendell and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The Democratic establishment now feared Sestak would harm Specter's chances in the general election and encouraged him to drop out, but Sestak refused and strongly criticized Specter's party switch as an opportunistic move aimed solely at political self-preservation.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Democratic primary, Campaign
Specter led Sestak by more than 20 percentage points in polling for most of the race and, while Sestak struggled to overcome problems from his low name recognition, Specter received endorsements from major Democratic figures and influential organizations like the AFL-CIO and Pennsylvania Democratic Committee. Specter's lead narrowed significantly in the final month of the campaign, when Sestak concentrated his funds and efforts on television commercials that questioned Specter's Democratic credentials.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Democratic primary, Campaign
As the race progressed, Specter grew more strongly critical of Sestak, attacking his House attendance record in, accusing him of failing to pay his staffers' minimum wage, and claiming that he was demoted in the Navy for creating a "poor command climate". On May 18, Sestak ended Specter's nearly 30-year Senate career by earning 53.8 percent of the primary vote, to Specter's 46.2 percent. Political observers said the commercials played a major part in Sestak's victory, and that a national swing in momentum toward Republicans and against incumbents ultimately harmed Specter's chances.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Democratic primary, Campaign
During the primary campaign, it was revealed that former President Bill Clinton had offered Sestak a position in the Obama administration if he withdrew his candidacy. This drew allegations from Republicans that the administration violated federal statutes forbidding government employees from interfering with a Senate election, but no formal investigation was opened. The Democratic primary occurred on May 18, 2010. Although Specter had won the endorsement of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, at 10:14 PM EDT that evening, the Associated Press projected the race as won by Sestak.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary, Background
Pat Toomey, a Republican former Congressman representing the Lehigh Valley-based 15th congressional district, had previously challenged incumbent Arlen Specter in the Republican primary of the 2004 Senate race, in which the conservative Toomey tried to portray Specter as too liberal. Although Toomey ultimately lost, he came within 17,000 votes (less than two percentage points) of beating Specter, despite the long-time Senator's strong name recognition and wide support from party leaders.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary, Background
In an interview with The Hill on 1 December 2008, Toomey said he was considering a 2010 bid against Specter, whom he said was "significantly more vulnerable now than he was in 2004". Toomey claimed that many liberal and moderate Republicans had since abandoned the party to join the Democratic Party during the 2008 presidential primaries, eliminating many of Specter's core constituents from a closed Republican primary.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary, Background
The next month, however, Toomey announced he would not likely not run for Senate again and said he was instead seriously considering a possible bid for governor in 2010. But after Specter voted in favor of the Barack Obama-supported stimulus proposal aimed at stopping the economic recession, Toomey began to once again contemplate running for Senate, claiming he believed the incumbent Senator was supporting federal government bailouts and spending plans that were "taking the country on a dangerously wrong path".


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary, Background
In discussions with potential supporters in his possible governor bid, dozens of Pennsylvanians urged Toomey to challenge Specter, who was considered particularly vulnerable because he had supported the Democrats' stimulus plan. In early March, Toomey began to privately assure supporters he would run against Specter, and during a March 28 keynote address before the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference in Harrisburg, he announced, "It's very likely that very soon I will be a candidate for the U.S. Senate"; the 600 audience members gave him a standing ovation at the news.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary, Background
Peg Luksik, a conservative anti-abortion activist from Johnstown who previously lost bids for governor in 1990 and 1994, had announced her candidacy for the Republican primary in March. Although some questioned her lack of elected office experience and limited knowledge of foreign affairs, Luksik said she planned to be an advocate against big government and excessive spending. During a conversation in February 2009, Toomey had assured her he did not plan to run for Senate again.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary, Background
She was present the next month at the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference when Toomey announced his plans to run, but Luksik said she nevertheless planned to stay in the race. She said she did not feel betrayed by Toomey's surprise announcement, adding, "I understand these two men have a long, personal and rather vindictive history and there's a real desire for the two of them to go and hit each other with sticks. I get that. I have five sons." Her candidacy led to speculation that Luksik and Toomey could split the conservative vote, which could help Specter secure a victory in the primary from moderate voters, but Luksik said she would resist any efforts by conservative Republicans to pressure her into withdrawing.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary, Campaign, Specter switches parties
Pat Toomey formally announced his candidacy on April 15, 2009, Tax Day, via a video on his website, and stepped down as head of the anti-tax political organization Club for Growth to concentrate on his campaign. A Quinnipiac University Polling Institute poll released the previous month had indicated Toomey would defeat Specter by 14 percentage points in a two-man race if the primary were held that day. That same poll, however, found three out of four Republicans didn't yet know enough about Toomey to form an opinion about him.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary, Campaign, Specter switches parties
Some Republicans expressed concerns that if Toomey defeated Specter in the closed Republican primary, he would be a weaker candidate in the general election and the party could risk losing the Senate seat to the Democrats. Toomey rejected such concerns, pointed to his two successful reelections in the Democratic-leaning Lehigh Valley congressional district as proof he could win votes from the opposing party. Rumors began to circulate that Senator John Cornyn, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and a Specter supporter, had asked Toomey to drop his candidacy, but Toomey denied those claims. Nevertheless, Toomey received some early support from conservatives like Jim DeMint, the Senator from North Carolina who endorsed Toomey and donated thousands of dollars to his campaign.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary, Campaign, Specter switches parties
Starting in April, Specter made the rare move of starting to run television advertisements more than a year before the primary election, linking Toomey's background as a Wall Street banker and support of credit default swaps to the economic crisis. While Toomey criticized Specter as a liberal who consistently sided with the Democratic majority, Specter stressed that if Toomey won the primary, he would lose the general election and give Democrats a 60th seat in the Senate, which would allow them to suppress Republican filibusters.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary, Campaign, Specter switches parties
In an interview on Morning Joe, Specter said, "If Mr. Toomey is the nominee, you can be sure he'll lose. He's to the right of Rick Santorum. Santorum lost by 18 points, spent $31 million and was a two-term incumbent." Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report, said of the expected primary match-up, "Republicans will have to decide whether they want to hold the seat or make a statement about issues and ideology."


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary, Campaign, Specter switches parties
On April 28, 2009, however, Specter announced he was leaving the Republican Party and becoming a Democrat, claiming he disagreed with the increasingly conservative direction the party was heading in and found his personal philosophy was now better aligned with the Democratic Party.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary, Campaign, Specter switches parties
Although Specter said his decision was made primarily based on principle, he admitted it was also partially due to his poor chances of beating Toomey in the Republican primary: "I have traveled the state and surveyed the sentiments of the Republican Party in Pennsylvania and public opinion polls, observed other public opinion polls and have found that the prospects for winning a Republican primary are bleak." Toomey became widely considered the favorite to win the Republican primary as a result of Specter's defection. Peg Luksik said of Specter's switch, "It is clear that Arlen Specter stands with President Obama on a host of issues and with this decision, has gone home to the Democratic Party."


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary, Campaign, Post-Specter campaign
With Specter's departure from the primary, some speculated that a less conservative candidate than Toomey was needed to defeat Specter in the general election, since the state had previously supported Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election. John Cornyn declined to immediately endorse Toomey and Senator Orrin Hatch, vice chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said of him, "I don't think there is anybody in the world who believes he can get elected senator there."


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary, Campaign, Post-Specter campaign
Names of other potential Republican candidates began to be floated, like Congressman Jim Gerlach, Lieutenant Governor Joseph B. Scarnati, and State Senate Majority Leader Dominic F. Pileggi, none of whom ruled out running. Some, like Senator Lindsey Graham and Republican State Committee Chairman Robert Gleason, suggested former Governor Tom Ridge might be a suitable candidate. Ridge began to seriously contemplate a run, and Quinnipiac University polls indicated Specter held a projected lead over Ridge of only three percentage points, compared to 20 points over Toomey.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary, Campaign, Post-Specter campaign
Even before Ridge made a final decision, however, conservative bloggers began criticizing Ridge's moderate positions and support for abortion rights. Political opponents also circulated e-mail messages questioning Ridge's residency eligibility because, although he still voted in Pennsylvania, he lived in Chevy Chase, Maryland. On May 7, Ridge announced he would not run in the primary, claiming he preferred to continue supporting the Republican Party by promoting causes as a private citizen. Some felt Ridge's decision not to run ended the Republican Party's best chance to win the seat from Specter.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary, Campaign, Post-Specter campaign
But Toomey expressed confidence he could beat the incumbent Senator, claiming Democrats would find him difficult to trust after seeing the way he abandoned the Republicans. Toomey said he "expected to beat Arlen Specter soundly in the Republican primary, but I had no idea I would drive him clear out of the party." A Quinnipiac University poll released on May 28 projected Toomey now trailed Specter by nine percentage points, a smaller gap than Specter's 20-point lead from a May 4 survey.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary, Campaign, Toomey jumps ahead
Although Toomey anticipated other candidates would enter the race, the Republican primary remained a two-way race between him and Luksik. State Senator Jane Orie, from the North Hills area of Pennsylvania, briefly considered entering the race but announced on July 13 that she would not run because she wanted to concentrate on the state budget. The National Republican Senatorial Committee announced on July 14 that it was endorsing Toomey, even though the group previously helped Specter defeat Toomey in 2004.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary, Campaign, Toomey jumps ahead
It was considered a key endorsement expected to help improve fund-raising efforts for Toomey, who had already raised $1.6 million in the previous three-month quarter. By July 22, polls indicated that Specter's projected lead over Toomey had nearly disappeared, as the Senator now led him only 45-44 percent. That same poll showed Toomey led Luksik by 47 percent to 6 percent, a margin so large that media outlets predicted Luksik stood little chance of overcoming him; the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said Luksik was "not considered to be a stiff challenge". By August, Toomey had an even greater advantage in the polls, 12 points, over Specter.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary, Campaign, Toomey jumps ahead
Following an e-mail exchange with the Democratic challenger Joe Sestak about health care, Toomey agreed to an unorthodox proposal by Sestak to hold a joint town hall about the issue, which was held September 2 at Muhlenberg College in Allentown. Specter was not invited to participate, and political pollster G. Terry Madonna described it as an "informal pact" between Sestak and Toomey to weaken their joint rival, something the two men denied.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary, Campaign, Toomey jumps ahead
Commentators suggested Toomey was willing to help Sestak at this stage of the race because he preferred Sestak as a general election opponent rather than Specter, who could possibly steal Republican and Independent voters from Toomey. By October, Toomey had raised a total of $3.1 million for the race, but spent $861,000 in the past three-month quarter as he traveled across the state for his campaign. In contrast, Luksik raised less than $100,000 from June to October. Also in October, Toomey was endorsed by former Massachusetts Governor and presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who called Toomey the "man for the job" and pledged to help him raise funds.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary, Campaign, Final primary months
Toomey continued to hold projected leads against his Democratic opponents as the primary campaign entered 2010, with January polls indicating he held a 14-point lead over Specter and a 17-point lead over Sestak. Some political scientists, like G. Terry Madonna and Jeff Brauer, attributed Toomey's gains to voter dissatisfaction with the health-care plan before Congress and a poor national political climate for Democrats and incumbents. Toomey's campaign continued to portray him as a political outsider and small-government advocate while condemning Specter and Sestak as "a rubber stamp for the Reid-Pelosi big government agenda".


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary, Campaign, Final primary months
In February, it was announced Toomey raised more money than Specter in the final three months of 2009, earning $1.67 million compared to Specter's $1.15 million, although Specter's total war chest of $8.66 million was still significantly larger than Toomey's $2.8 million. In that same quarter, Peg Luksik raised $163,000 and had $66,000 on hand. On February 13, the Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania endorsed Toomey over Peg Luskik in the Senate race. Toomey told the committee he would work to restore fiscally conservative principals to Washington and fight to eliminate street money, or state grants offered in exchange for support on key issues. When asked whether Luksik would continue to run, she replied, "Absolutely. Are you kidding? I always run un-endorsed."


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary, Campaign, Final primary months
With news outlets like the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Fox News predicting Toomey would have little difficult defeating Luksik in the primary, Toomey again became involved with the Democratic primary by accepting an invitation to a second debate with Sestak, who had been trying unsuccessfully to engage Arlen Specter in more than one primary debate. In accepting the April 11 debate, Toomey said, "Like many politicians who have spent decades in Washington, Sen. Specter maintains a sense of entitlement to his office and he is unwilling to put his record and ideas to the test of open and honest debate."


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary, Campaign, Final primary months
In response to the scheduled debate, Luksik spokesman Steve Clark said Toomey had to remember he was running against Luksik in the primary, not Sestak or Specter. By March, Specter appeared to be gaining momentum in the Democratic primary, with polls indicating he not only led Sestak by 24 percentage points, but had recaptured a projected lead against Toomey in the general election by a margin of 49 percent to 42 percent. Pollsters indicated Specter was benefiting greatly from the large amount of media attention the Democratic primary had received, as well as the Senator's strong name recognition, whereas Sestak and Toomey remained relatively unknown.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary, Campaign, Final primary months
When the Senate candidates publicly released their quarterly campaign finance reports on April 15, it was revealed that Pat Toomey once again raised more in the first three months of 2010 than either Democratic candidate, increasing his funds by $2.3 million to a total of a $4.1 million war chest compared to Specter raising $1.1 million to a total of $9.1 million and Sestak raising $0.4 million to a total of $5.3 million. The funds raised that quarter made Toomey the best-funded Senate challenger in the country to that point.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary, Campaign, Final primary months
Political analysts attributed Toomey's success to the national swing in momentum toward Republicans, and said it could indicate the Republicans would be victorious in many Senate races, including in Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, Luksik continued to campaign in low-attendance appearances on conservative anti-abortion, anti-tax and anti-spending principles, while portraying herself as a down-to-earth housewife and common-sense candidate. In the days leading up to the primary election, Toomey received endorsements by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary, Campaign, Final primary months
On May 10, he ran his first television advertisement, which called for more jobs and less government and included a narrator saying, "Trillion dollar bailouts and deficits, government-run health care, record unemployment. Had enough?" John Baer of the Philadelphia Daily News said Toomey was so widely expected to defeat Luksik that he said of the Republican primary, "The race is a balloon with no air. It sits flat while the Democratic fight between Arlen Specter and Joe Sestak sucks up all the oxygen."


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary, Campaign, Final primary months
Pat Toomey won the May 18 primary with 81.5 percent of the vote, or 668,409 of the votes cast, compared to 18.5 percent and 151,802 votes for Peg Luksik. The Associated Press wrote that Luksik could not overcome Toomey's financial advantages, particularly when the Republican primary was so overshadowed by the Democratic race. The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that Toomey's run against Luksik in the primary "will help him maintain his competitive condition" against Sestak, who defeated Specter in the Democratic primary.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, General election, Campaign, Early weeks
Joe Sestak on his mutual agreement with Toomey for a "clean" campaign


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, General election, Campaign, Early weeks
Shortly after Joe Sestak's primary victory, Arlen Specter called him to offer congratulations and vowed to support his candidacy, claiming, "I think it's vital to keep this seat in the Democratic Party." Both Sestak and Pat Toomey began campaigning for the general election the day after the May 18 primary. Before reporting to Capitol Hill for House matters, Sestak appeared in interviews on several national media outlets including CNN, MSNBC, NPR and CBS News. Both Toomey and Sestak said they considered each other friends and vowed to engage in a "clean" campaign focusing on policy rather than personal attacks.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, General election, Campaign, Early weeks
The two quickly began challenging each other's records, however, with Sestak citing Toomey's past Wall Street career and claiming he would rather aid rich bankers than the working class, and Toomey portraying Sestak a leftist liberal aligned with Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. The day after the primary, Sestak claimed that Toomey wanted to continue "to back failed policies of George W. Bush" and "to let Wall Street do whatever it wants". At a rally at the Allegheny County Airport, Toomey said Sestak's politics were more liberal than most mainstream Democrats and described him as a proponent of "even-larger government".


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, General election, Campaign, Early weeks
Within minutes of Sestak's victory, National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn issued a statement describing Sestak as too liberal for Pennsylvania, claiming he consistently voted with Washington Democratic leaders and supported energy policies that would reduce jobs. President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, all of whom vocally supported Specter in the primary, each called Sestak after his primary victory and pledged to support him in the general election.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, General election, Campaign, Early weeks
Congressman Darrell Issa, the ranking Republican on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said it would "be incredibly disingenuous and reek of political payback" for Sestak to accept any such support from the Obama administration after Sestak had accused the White House of offering him a job in exchange for dropping out of the Democratic primary. Nevertheless, while Sestak said he would not become "part of the establishment", he welcomed the Obama administration's support and said, "I plan on being the president's best ally."


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, General election, Campaign, Early weeks
On May 20, Toomey released the first statewide advertisement of the campaign, a television commercial with a narrator describing both candidates as "Two good men with very different ideas." The ad contrasted the positions between the two candidates on the Wall Street bailout, national health-care debate and terrorist trials. Meanwhile, Sestak said Toomey needed to be held accountable for his support of bank deregulation and former President George W. Bush's financial policies which helped lead to the economic recession.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, General election, Campaign, Early weeks
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said Toomey was "conveniently failing to mention his decades of service to Wall Street" in his advertisements. When asked about the promise between Sestak and Toomey to maintain a clean and friendly campaign, Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairman T.J. Rooney said, "Guess what? That all changed at 10:30 p.m. (Tuesday). I hope the congressman adheres to his word, but I have no consuming expectation that he will. It's going to get hard in a moment. This race is going to take a turn."


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, General election, Campaign, Early weeks
Early polls showed varied results over who was leading, although some indicated Sestak had an advantage due to the positive press he received for defeating Arlen Specter. Despite Specter's stated support for Sestak, the Senator's former chief of staff David Urban, now a lobbyist, offered his support to Toomey after the Democratic primary ended. Urban sought to connect moderate Republicans, conservative Democrats and the current and former chiefs of staff of Republicans and encourage them to help Toomey get elected.


2010 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, General election, Campaign, Early weeks
Both candidates sought to use online media avenues to reach out to prospective voters, which was still considered a relatively new field for politicians. The two started accounts on Twitter, with the ToomeyForSenate account amassing 4,907 followers and the Sestak2010 account 3,796 followers as of June 4. Both also had accounts on Facebook, where Toomey had 10,361 friends and Sestak had 3,146.