2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Background, Arlen Specter party switch
Prior to switching parties, Specter said he had been assured by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that he would keep his seniority on the Senate if he joined the Democratic Party. The arrangement displeased some Senate Democrats, and, on May 3, the Senate voted to strip him of his seniority in spite of this. This temporarily made Specter the most junior Democrat in the Senate and severely limited his influence as a legislator. Nevertheless, Specter's decision was praised by many major Democrats, including Reid and President Barack Obama, who promised to campaign for him.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Background, Arlen Specter party switch
Republicans, however, criticized the decision, accusing Specter of betraying his principles and party to preserve his political career. Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee, said Specter "flipped the bird" to the party and that Specter made the decision based solely because he knew he would lose the election. Senator John Cornyn, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and a past supporter of Specter, said the decision "represents the height of political self-preservation". Specter defended his position by arguing the Republican Party had strayed too far from the vision of President Ronald Reagan, adding, "I am not prepared to have my 29-year record in the United States Senate decided by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate."


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Background, Joe Sestak declares candidacy
Second-term U.S Representative Joe Sestak, a former U.S. Navy admiral, began privately discussing the possibility of seeking the Democratic nomination with his family in December 2008. Senator Bob Menendez, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, approached Sestak in April 2009 and asked him to run, but Sestak claimed he was not initially interested. Nevertheless, media speculation about Sestak's possible campaign began as early as mid-April 2009, and intensified the day  Specter changed political parties.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Background, Joe Sestak declares candidacy
While most Democrats embraced the long-time Senator, Sestak issued a statement criticizing Specter's decision, declaring it an opportunist move that should have been made in consultation with Pennsylvanians rather than the Senate Democratic leadership and the Washington political establishment. Menendez approached Sestak again, this time asking him not to run against Specter, but Sestak did not agree to back down. Later, when asked by Fox News, Sestak insisted he had not decided whether he would run for the office, but declined to immediately endorse Specter and said he had to "wait and see".


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Background, Joe Sestak declares candidacy
During a May 3 appearance on CNN's State of the Union with John King, Sestak questioned whether Specter was really a genuine Democrat, adding, "I think Arlen has to tell us not that it was too hard to run against someone. ... What I need to know is, what is he running for?"


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Background, Joe Sestak declares candidacy
Sestak insisted he would not make a final decision for several months. On May 4, he met with Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union, which fueled speculation that he was seeking labor support for a campaign. Meanwhile, Joe Torsella, the former president of the National Constitution Center, had planned on running for the Democratic nomination and initially announced Specter's party change would not affect his decision to run.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Background, Joe Sestak declares candidacy
However, Torsella announced on May 14 he was dropping out of the race because Specter's decision changed the political landscape, and he wanted to avoid a campaign that "would probably be negative, personal, and more about Senator Specter's past than our common future". It had been reported that Governor Rendell, for whom Torsella previously worked as an aide, pushed for Torsella to step aside so Specter could run unopposed, but Torsella's staff denied those claims.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Background, Joe Sestak declares candidacy
Despite Torsella's departure, Sestak continued to consider entering the race and began gaining support from the Democratic party's more liberal factions like the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, which began a "Draft Sestak" campaign fund. Sestak became further encouraged to run after taking a tour of all 67 Pennsylvania counties to meet with party leaders and discuss such issues as jobs, the economy and health care. Sestak said that the leaders voiced serious concerns to him about the direction of the country and, although his lack of name recognition was a problem, Sestak said many of the people he encountered voiced support for him.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Background, Joe Sestak declares candidacy
On May 27, the website Talking Points Memo posted a handwritten letter by Sestak to candidates declaring his intent to run for Senate. Sestak did not dispute the authenticity of the letter, but told the press he wanted to discuss the matter with his family before making a formal decision. Sestak told media outlets he realized President Obama wished him not to run against Specter, but that he felt the choice should be with the voters of Pennsylvania rather than the president.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Background, Joe Sestak declares candidacy
Governor Rendell overtly tried to convince him not to run, believing it would damage Sestak's own political future, plus cost the Democratic Party both Sestak's House seat and possibly damage Specter's general election chances. Nevertheless, Sestak formally declared his candidacy for the Democratic nomination on August 4, 2009, in a speech before a Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in his native Delaware County. Shortly after the announcement, Toomey issued a statement welcoming Sestak to the race, describing him as "a consistent liberal who really believes in his values", as compared to Specter, who he called "a career political opportunist who believes in nothing but his own re-election".


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Candidates
Pennsylvania Rep. William C. Kortz and retired manufacturer Joseph Vodvarka also ran in the Democratic primary, but neither remained for the duration of the race. Kortz, who was little known outside the western Pennsylvania area, dropped out of the race on January 14, 2010 after raising only $20,000 of the $2 million he sought to raise for his campaign. Vodvarka, an Allegheny County man who had been mostly overlooked throughout the race, was formally removed from the ballot in mid-April 2010 after it was revealed he failed to garner the minimum number of signatures for a nominating petition.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Early months
Both candidates started the campaign well-funded. Sestak had more than $3 million available from his House fund to use toward starting a Senate campaign, and raised an additional $1 million by June 30, 2009, which brought his total to about $4.2 million. Sestak called it the largest campaign war-chest of any Senate challenger. Specter, however, was ahead with $6.7 million in campaign funding as of March 31. Sestak also faced challenges arising from his low name recognition and Specter's support among high-profile members of the Democratic establishment, like Obama and Biden.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Early months
Specter spent the early months of his campaign trying to reestablish and strengthen his Democratic credentials, seeking union support and making speeches highlighting his support of positions supported by the party, such as the economic stimulus package, reforming health care, increasing the minimum wage, protecting abortion rights and supporting stem cell research. In a June 2009 speech to Pennsylvania Democratic Committee members in Pittsburgh, Specter said, "I'm again a Democrat and I'm pleased and proud to be a Democrat." Commentators observed that Sestak's involvement in the race would test Specter's loyalty to the Democratic party and likely force him to make more liberal votes in the Senate.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Early months
Even before Sestak formally declared his candidacy on August 4, 2009, Specter and Sestak began exchanging criticisms about each other that were so heated, The New York Times writer Janie Lorber suggested: "the contest will become one of the more vicious for next year's midterm elections." Sestak repeatedly said Specter was not a "real Democrat" and continued to assert Specter's switch was based on self-preservation rather than principles.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Early months
Specter called Sestak a "flagrant hypocrite" for questioning Specter's loyalty to the Democratic Party, citing the fact that Sestak himself was registered as an Independent until he became a Democrat in 2006, just before he ran for Congress. Sestak claimed that was because he was serving in the military and wished to be nonpartisan. However, Specter called that a "lame excuse for avoiding party affiliation ... undercut by his documented disinterest in the political process", pointing out that records indicated Sestak voted in only 12 out of 35 elections from 1971 to 2005.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Early months
A day after Sestak formally entered the race, Specter described Sestak's recent 67-county tour as a "taxpayer-financed self-promotion tour around the state". Specter's campaign also accused Sestak of neglecting his duties in the House and missing more than 100 votes in the last year, which Specter called the worst attendance record for any Pennsylvania Congressman. Sestak responded to the latter point that most of the missed votes were procedural in nature, and were missed because of the statewide tour and because he visited his father, who was dying at the time. Sestak accused Specter of launching a "GOP negative style campaign", which Specter denied.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Toomey and Obama get involved
Specter and Sestak participated in an August 14 panel discussion hosted by Netroots Nation, which included questions from online viewers consisting mainly of liberal and progressive bloggers and advocates. Media reports suggested Specter faced tougher questions from the crowd, with many questioning whether they could trust him based on his switching parties. Specter dismissed suggestions that his recent Democratic votes were politically motivated by the primary, and cited his support of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization Act as proof of his Democratic credentials.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Toomey and Obama get involved
Sestak argued that a change in leadership was necessary and that his military background as a United States Navy admiral gave him the necessary experience. Sestak also pointed out that Specter worked with former Senator Bob Dole to defeat President Bill Clinton's health care plan in 1993. When some in the crowd brought up how Senator Chuck Grassley, a past ally of Specter's, was arguing that Obama's health care plan would lead to "death panels," Specter said that Grassley was wrong and that he would call him about the matter. When some in the crowd chanted, "Call him now!


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Toomey and Obama get involved
", Specter took several audience members backstage and left a phone message for Grassley as they watched. Salon.com said based on the stunt, "Specter may have won the day, if not the battle". However, a straw poll of 250 online activists attending the event showed Sestak was preferred to Specter by a vote of 46 percent to 10 percent.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Toomey and Obama get involved
Later, following an e-mail exchange with the expected Republican challenger Toomey about health care, Sestak proposed an unorthodox joint town hall with Toomey 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 of Franklin & Marshall College described it as an "informal pact" between Sestak and Toomey to weaken their joint rival, something the two men denied.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Toomey and Obama get involved
Commentators suggested Toomey was willing to help Sestak at this stage of the race because he preferred Sestak as a general election opponent over Specter, who could possibly draw Republican and Independent voters from Toomey. Also in September, Obama appeared in a 30-second television ad for Specter, praising him for his support of the President's economic recovery initiatives.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Toomey and Obama get involved
A September poll by Franklin & Marshall College found Specter maintained a 37 percent to 11 percent lead over Sestak, but also that 54 percent of people felt a change was needed as opposed to 34 percent who felt Specter deserved a sixth term. That poll also found 73 percent felt they did not know enough about Sestak to form an opinion, which pollster Madonna said indicated the race would be focused more on Specter's incumbency and record than about Sestak or Toomey.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Toomey and Obama get involved
On September 15, Obama attended a Philadelphia fundraising dinner for Specter, an unusually public declaration of support so early in the primary season, when the President has the option of remaining neutral until the final outcome becomes clearer. Governor Rendell said that Obama and Biden felt obligated to strongly support Specter because they so strongly lobbied him to switch parties. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and radio personality Michael Smerconish also spoke on Specter's behalf.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Toomey and Obama get involved
Senate Majority Leader Reid took the unusual steps of scheduling no Senate votes that day so both Specter and Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey, Jr. could attend the fundraiser. That move drew criticism from Republicans, as well as from Sestak, who felt Specter was skirting his Senate responsibilities, yet hypocritically criticizing Sestak at the same time for missing more than 100 votes in the U.S. House. The event was expected to raise about $2.5 million, which was to be split between Specter's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Toomey and Obama get involved
After the fundraiser, Obama and Specter traveled via Air Force One to Pittsburgh to address labor activists at the AFL-CIO convention. There, Specter assured the audience he would support the Employee Free Choice Act, a proposed bill that would make union formation easier, which Specter had previously opposed as a Republican.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Specter maintains lead
As the primary entered into October, Specter continued to criticize Sestak on his record of missed votes in Congress. He claimed Sestak missed 122 in the past year, or nearly 17 percent of his total votes, whereas Specter missed four. In a letter, Specter told Sestak he should drop out of the campaign and start voting on a more consistent basis, or resign from the House "so he can cease to be a burden to the taxpayers".


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Specter maintains lead
Around the same time, Sestak launched a website called "The Real Specter", which highlighted the right-leaning votes Specter made and alliances he held during his 29 years as a Republican in the senate. Specter continued to maintain a significant lead against Sestak of 19 percentage points, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released that month. But Sestak pointed out that the gap was 32 points in July, and cited the poll as proof that he was gaining ground in the race.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Specter maintains lead
Also that month, new reports indicated Toomey was growing in popularity and, in one poll, was actually ahead of Specter, with 43 percent of respondents saying they would vote for him compared to 42 percent for Specter. This was attributed by some to the challenge presented by Sestak and the declining popularity of Obama, whose approval rating had dropped from 56 percent in July to 49 percent in October.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Specter maintains lead
On October 14, Specter reported he had raised $1.8 million during the previous three-month period, bringing his total to about $8.7 million. The Senator said that he was aided in large part by his September 15 fundraiser hosted by Obama. In that same period, Sestak raised only $758,000, about a quarter million dollars lower than the previous quarter, making his total allocation about $4.7 million. Sestak continued working hard to overcome his name recognition problem, seldom turning down interview requests and asking his staff to work six 12-hour days a week.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Specter maintains lead
As a result, Sestak saw a large amount of turnover in his staff, going through nearly half a dozen press secretaries and several chiefs of staff. Sestak called on Specter to participate in six debates, one for each media market in Pennsylvania, but Specter only agreed to participate in one because that was the amount of debates he participated in as a Republican.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Specter maintains lead
On December 7, Sestak was endorsed by Congressman Barney Frank, who said that he was impressed by Sestak's leadership on economic and military issues, as well as his positions against the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy and the Defense of Marriage Act. The endorsement was important to Sestak because it was the first time a prominent member of Congress broke with the Democratic establishment to back him over Specter. Frank also said of Specter's switching parties, "I have to say I don't think it did our profession any good for someone to announce that he switched parties purely so he could survive."


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Specter maintains lead
New polls in January indicated voter support was growing for Toomey, who now held a projected nine percentage point lead over Specter and an eight-point lead over Sestak. Specter continued to lead against Sestak in the Democratic primary poll, this time by a 21-point margin. Some political scientists believed Toomey's gain over Specter could be attributed to voter distrust of establishment candidates and growing dissatisfaction with the health care proposal pending in Congress.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Specter maintains lead
However, some Democratic leaders felt Sestak's challenge to Specter was having a detrimental effect not only to Specter but to the Democratic party in general and their prospects for ultimately winning the general election. This feeling was enhanced by the growing national support for the Republican party, and especially by the unexpected victory of the Tea Party-backed Republican Scott Brown in a special election for a traditionally Democratic Massachusetts Senate seat. Specter acknowledged to The New York Times that the national political mood might work against him in the primary, but insisted he was not discouraged and expressed confidence in his ability to survive.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Race grows more heated
The primary continued to grow more heated in February 2010. On February 5, the two candidates held their first face-to-face debate, and used the 30-minute forum to strongly criticize each other, with Sestak continuing to associate Specter with failed Republican policies and Specter arguing his opponent was more focused on criticizing him than debating policy. Sestak continued to attack Specter for switching parties, asking, "Is the best the Democrats can do someone who has been on the other side, with respect, for 50 years, and cast 2,000 votes with President Bush?"


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Race grows more heated
Likewise, Specter once again criticized Sestak's missed votes in Congress, which he said would have been enough to earn Sestak a court-martial for going AWOL in his former Naval career. Sestak also criticized Specter for voting in favor of the Iraq War, and Specter in turn condemned Sestak for supporting Obama's proposed troop increase for the War in Afghanistan, which Specter opposed. The next day, the Pennsylvania Democratic Committee voted to endorse Specter over Sestak, with 77 percent of voters supporting the incumbent Senator, or 229 votes compared to Sestak's 72. Sestak criticized the committee for its decision, but also argued it solidified his own position as a political outsider independent from the mainstream Washington establishment. Media outlets said the vote indicated Specter had convinced most important figures in the state party that he was not simply a crossover politician.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Race grows more heated
Later in February, Specter accused Sestak of mistreating his employees and disobeying state and federal minimum wage laws by severely underpaying his House staff. Citing Federal Election Commission reports, Specter claimed ten of Sestak's sixteen campaign staffers were making less than minimum wage and that they were so underpaid they were eligible for food stamps. He also noted that Sestak's three highest-paid staffers were members of his family, including his brother Richard Sestak, who worked as campaign manager.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Race grows more heated
T.J. Rooney, a Specter supporter, wrote a letter to Sestak expressing concern about the potential violation of minimum wage laws, which read: "It is inconceivable to me that our standard bearer wouldn’t be paying his workers the minimum wage". Sestak responded by acknowledging his staff could make more money elsewhere, but said "they choose to work hard and make some sacrifices because they know how important it is to elect someone to the United States Senate who shares their principles".


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Specter maintains momentum
As the primary race entered into March, Specter appeared to be maintaining his momentum, 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 to 42 percent. Pollsters indicated Specter was still benefiting greatly from his strong name recognition, whereas Sestak and Toomey remained relatively little-known.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Specter maintains momentum
Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said, "There remains no evidence that his primary challenger, Congressman Joe Sestak, has made much progress as we get within three months of the May primary." However, Time writer Karen Tumulty noted that while "thus far, Sestak has failed to meet expectations", the poll also indicated some weaknesses for Specter. Namely, more than half of the surveyed Pennsylvanians did not feel he deserved another term. Among Democrats who knew the candidates well enough to form an opinion of both, Sestak led Specter 54 percent to 37 percent. On March 16, Governor Rendell restated his past support of Specter and said of Sestak, "He has, in my mind, no chance to win."


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Specter maintains momentum
On March 30, Specter won the backing of the AFL-CIO, which was considered one of the most important endorsements in the primary race. It was one of several major labor endorsements Specter had received, including the state Service Employees International Union and the Pennsylvania State Education Association, which represented 200,000 state teachers. Representatives from the AFL-CIO cited Specter's backing of President Obama's stimulus package as a major factor in their decision. Sestak criticized the union federation's decision, pointing out he had a 100 percent rating from the national AFL-CIO. In comparison, Specter had a 61 percent rating.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Specter maintains momentum
He also attacked Specter for previously backing President George W. Bush's economic policies and said, "Pennsylvania workers need a Senator they can count on to be there when they need him, not only when he needs them during an election." The Philadelphia Inquirer writer Thomas Fitzgerald called the endorsement "a powerful affirmation of how smoothly Specter has managed his political transition to the Democratic Party since leaving the Republican Party less than a year ago."


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Specter maintains momentum
On April 11, Sestak held a debate with Toomey in Philadelphia without Specter present. Media observers described it as an explicit criticism of Specter for refusing to hold more than one debate with Sestak. During that debate, Sestak strongly attacked Toomey's voting record in what The Morning Call reporter Colby Itkowitz described as "an obvious effort to show Democrats that he could hold his own in a general election matchup." At the end of the debate, Toomey voiced respect for Sestak and described him as a more principled man than Specter, whom he criticized for not participating in more debates.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Specter maintains momentum
Later that month, when the Senate candidates publicly released their quarterly campaign finance reports on April 15, it was revealed Toomey raised more in the first three months of 2010 than either Democratic candidate, adding $2.3 million to his total $4.1 million war chest compared to Specter adding $1.1 million to his total $9.1 million fund. Political analysts attributed this to the national swing in momentum toward Republicans, and said that it could indicate the Republicans would be victorious in many Senate races, including in Pennsylvania. Sestak raised $442,000 in the three-month period, down from his previous quarter, which Specter's campaign said proved Democratic donors had rejected his candidacy. Specter's fundraising advantage was significant because it allowed him to start early in running political campaign commercials.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Television advertisements
Starting in April, both Specter and Sestak launched television advertisements that were particularly critical of each other. Sestak, who had been saving most of his roughly $5 million campaign funds until the final month of the primary race, unveiled a 60-second spot that highlighted his Navy career and described the role his daughter's experience as a brain cancer survivor played in his decision to enter politics.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Television advertisements
The commercial did not discuss Specter by name but made several implicit references to him, such as Sestak's statements that "too many politicians are concerned about keeping their jobs instead of helping people" and "if we want real change in Washington, we can't keep sending the same career politicians to represent us". Specter launched several commercials, most focusing on his plans to promote job growth. One advertisement, however, focused entirely on attacking Sestak, highlighting not only his voting attendance record – labeling him "No Show Joe" – but also his Navy service. The commercial stated Sestak was "relieved of duty in the Navy for creating a poor command climate," a reference to Sestak's 2005 transfer from a senior Pentagon planning post to a lesser position, which effectively ended his naval career.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Television advertisements
The Navy Times had previously reported the transfer resulted from Sestak forcing subordinates to work unreasonable hours. However, Sestak himself disputed that accusation and attributed the transfer to the fact that the new top officer, Admiral Michael Mullen, simply wanted to appoint his own team. Sestak called on Specter to stop broadcasting the commercial, accusing the Senator of "Republican-style" negative campaign tactics, which he compared to those used against Senator John Kerry by the Swift Vets and POWs for Truth during the 2004 presidential election. Sestak said in a statement, "It's time to tell Arlen Specter: Democrats don't 'swift boat'.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Television advertisements
We're better than that." A group of veterans gathered in Philadelphia to echo Sestak's call that the commercial should be removed, with retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Robert E. Kelley announcing, "We're all here because we're enraged at the fact that someone, anyone, in the United States today would question someone who has 30 years of service." Specter's campaign replied they would not remove the commercial because it was accurate, and instead called on Sestak to remove his advertisement, claiming it violated United States Department of Defense guidelines because it used military images, references, and jargon without a disclaimer that the department did not endorse it.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Sestak gains in closing weeks
Sestak and Specter held their first and only televised debate on May 1 at Philadelphia's Fox affiliate. The two candidates bitterly attacked each other's character and honesty. The two began arguing even before the hour-long debate formally began, when Sestak objected to Specter's use of notes and said that the rules did not allow them. The debate organizer ruled that the notes were allowed. Specter criticized Sestak for campaign advertisements that accused the Senator of lying about Sestak's record. Specter said, "Nobody has ever called me a liar," and demanded an apology, to which Sestak did not respond.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Sestak gains in closing weeks
Specter also repeatedly asked Sestak to publicly release his military records, to which Sestak again refused to respond. Sestak accused Specter of using Republican-style tactics in the vein of Karl Rove, a former adviser to George W. Bush, and said Specter's attacks were meant to mask his record of supporting Bush's failed economic policies. Specter insisted the questions raised about Sestak's naval record were legitimate because much of Sestak's campaign was based on his military background, adding, "It goes to his ability to get things done, to get along with people. He's all peaches and cream on television." Specter criticized Sestak for supporting the troop build-up in Afghanistan, while Sestak noted that Specter voted against a ban on assault weapons in the 1990s. The Philadelphia Inquirer noted the debate was "every bit as contentious as their Democratic Senate primary struggle has become in its closing days".


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Sestak gains in closing weeks
With only two weeks remaining before the primary, a Quinnipiac University poll released May 4 showed Specter's lead against Sestak had significantly narrowed, dropping from 53–32 percent in the previous month to 47–39 percent. A daily tracking poll by Muhlenberg College showed the race as even closer, with Specter supported by 46 percent of likely voters surveyed, and Sestak trailing only four points at 42 percent. The Quinnipiac poll indicated the strongest factor in these changes was that Sestak was gaining better name recognition due to his television commercials.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Sestak gains in closing weeks
According to the poll, 43 percent of respondents now had a favorable view of him, compared to only 33 percent in March. The day after the poll was released, Sestak unveiled a new television advertisement strongly critical of Specter, highlighting the incumbent Senator's Republican history and showing images of him with George W. Bush and Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. The commercial featured a clip of Specter saying, "My change in party will enable me to be reelected" and ended with a narrator saying, "Arlen Specter switched parties to save one job: his, not yours."


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Sestak gains in closing weeks
The same week the advertisement ran, T.J. Rooney said in an interview with Politico that a Sestak primary victory would be "cataclysmic" for the party in the general election, and warned Democratic voters, "If we want to keep this seat in Democratic hands, the only person capable of delivering that victory is Arlen Specter."


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Sestak gains in closing weeks
Specter received several high-profile endorsements during the final weeks leading up to the primary. Senator John Kerry, who had been an early supporter of Sestak's 2006 House campaign, endorsed Specter in the Senate race, calling him "fighter and a friend, and I am proud to vouch for his character". The Philadelphia Inquirer called Sestak "a worthy opponent" and said that his determination made the race especially competitive, but ultimately embraced Specter, whose overall career record the newspaper said was "a good choice for Democrats".


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Sestak gains in closing weeks
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette also endorsed Specter, focusing more on the fact that Specter stood the best chance of defeating Toomey in a general election challenge. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, however, endorsed Sestak, calling him "incredibly intelligent, thoughtful and articular" while condemning Specter as a "self-serving political ferret" for switching parties. Actor Michael J. Fox, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, appeared in a television advertisement for Specter, praising the Senator for his long-standing support of stem cell research. Fox said, "In the fight against disease, you can look back or move forward. Arlen Specter is moving forward." President Obama sent e-mail messages to his Organizing for America supporters encouraging them to vote for Specter, However, despite his long position of support for Specter, Obama did not fly to Pennsylvania to actively campaign for the Senator during the campaign's final days.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Sestak gains in closing weeks
As the campaign entered its final week, polls showed Specter and Sestak at a dead heat, with different surveys reporting contradictory findings over which candidate maintained a slight edge. A Quinnipiac University poll found Specter leading 44–42 percent, with fourteen percent undecided. A Franklin & Marshall poll found Sestak ahead 38–36 percent, with about a quarter of voters undecided. In both cases, the lead fell within the survey's margin of error.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Campaign, Sestak gains in closing weeks
G. Terry Madonna, director of the Franklin & Marshall poll, said that Sestak improved because his television commercials were resonating with voters on three fronts: the arguments that Specter switched parties for solely political reasons, that he consistently voted for Republican policies and that he had been in office too long.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Results
Sestak won the May 18 primary with 53.8 percent of the vote, or 568,563 of the votes cast, compared to 46.2 percent and 487,217 votes for Specter. The defeat led to the end of Specter's nearly 30-year Senate career, the longest of any Pennsylvania Senator in history. Afterward, Sestak declared, "This is what democracy should look like: a win for the people over the establishment. It should come as no surprise to anyone that people want a change." Specter conceded defeat and said, "It's been a great privilege to serve the people of Pennsylvania.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Results
It's been a great privilege to be in the United States Senate." Commentators suggested Specter's defeat signaled an electorate unsatisfied with the establishment in both major parties, and indicated that the backing of prominent politicians had little effect on voters during this political age. Sestak's victory was seen as a minor embarrassment for Obama, who strongly and publicly advocated for Specter during the race. Several news outlets reflected that Sestak's television advertisements condemning Specter as a hypocrite and opportunist were especially effective and may have been the primary factor in his victory. The Washington Post said the Pennsylvania race drew more attention than any other primary election in 2010 due to Specter's longevity and his switch to the Democratic party.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Results
Toomey went on to defeat Sestak in the general election, winning by a margin of 51 to 49 percent.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Clinton job offer to Sestak
During a February 2010 television interview, Sestak said that in July 2009, he was offered a job in President Obama's administration if he dropped out of the race. During a February 18 taping of Larry Kane: Voice of Reason, a Philadelphia-area local news show, host Larry Kane asked Sestak whether such an offer had been made, to which Sestak responded, "Yes", without elaborating beyond that it was a high-ranking assignment and that he did not plan to take it. In subsequent press inquiries, Sestak repeatedly stood by his original statement.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Clinton job offer to Sestak
When asked about the matter by The Washington Post, he said, "There has been some indirect means in which they were trying to offer things if I got out." Likewise, during an appearance on the Fox News Channel, he said, "I was asked a direct question yesterday, and I answered it honestly. There's nothing more to go into. I'm in this race now." Over the next month, White House officials did not answer multiple press inquiries about whether Sestak's claims were true. On March 16, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said he had reviewed the matter and found conversations that had been held with Sestak were "not problematic."


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Clinton job offer to Sestak
In March, Congressman Darrell Issa, the ranking Republican on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent a letter to White House Counsel Robert Bauer stating if Sestak's claim was true, the Obama administration may have violated a federal statute that makes it illegal for a government employee to use his authority to interfere with a Senate election. Interest in the alleged job offer reignited after Sestak defeated Specter in the primary on May 18. Seven Republicans from the Senate Judiciary Committee wrote to Attorney General Eric Holder seeking a review of the legal implications of the offer.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Clinton job offer to Sestak
Around this time, Sestak continued to maintain that a job offer was made, but he downplayed the importance of the incident and defended Obama's integrity. On May 28, the White House formally responded to the allegations and acknowledged White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel enlisted former President Bill Clinton to offer Sestak a seat on a presidential advisory board or another executive board if Sestak dropped his candidacy. If Sestak accepted, he would have been allowed to remain in the House while serving in the unpaid position.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Clinton job offer to Sestak
Bauer said that nobody in the administration itself directly discussed the offer with Sestak, and he does not believe there was anything improper, illegal or unethical about the conduct. Republicans in Congress disagreed, arguing the action contradicted claims Obama made during his presidential campaign about ethical conduct and transparency in government. Darrell Issa, in particular, felt it was an impeachable offense and referred to it as "Obama's Watergate". Nevertheless, the matter gradually became less of a focus during the primary election, where other topics like spending and the economy took the spotlight.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Clinton job offer to Sestak
With Issa poised to become chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform following the Republican Party recapturing the house during the 2010 midterm elections, it was widely expected he would launch an official investigation into the job offer based on his prior critical comments about the matter. However, on November 5, Issa announced he would not pursue an investigation. Some politicians and members of the media said that the job offer made to Sestak was neither illegal nor abhorrent, and that such deals are regularly made by politicians of all levels.


2010 United States Senate Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania, Clinton job offer to Sestak
Chris Cillizza of The Washington Post felt the matter only appeared to be a scandal because the White House badly mishandled the response, and Chicago Tribune writer John Kass wrote, "Offering a spot to an ambitious young politician to protect an old servile weakling isn't new. Presidents do it, governors do it. Big-city mayors really know how to do it."


2010 United States Senate election in Alabama
The 2010 United States Senate election in Alabama 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 United States Senator Richard Shelby won re-election to a fifth term.


2010 United States Senate election in Alabama, Background
In 1986, Shelby won the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat held by Republican Jeremiah Denton, the first Republican elected to the Senate from Alabama since Reconstruction. He won a very close race as the Democrats regained control of the Senate. He was easily re-elected in 1992 even as Bill Clinton lost Alabama's electoral votes.


2010 United States Senate election in Alabama, Background
On November 9, 1994, Shelby switched his party affiliation to Republican, one day after the Republicans won control of both houses in the midterm elections, giving the Republicans a 53-47 majority in the Senate. He won his first full term as a Republican in 1998 by a large margin, and faced no significant opposition in 2004.


2010 United States Senate election in Alabama, Background
Shelby was popular in Alabama. A September 2009 poll showed he had a 58% approval rating, with 35% disapproving.


2010 United States Senate election in Alabama, General election, Campaign
Shelby, who switched from Democrat to Republican in the mid 1990s, was a popular senator in Alabama for three decades, first elected in 1986. He has over $17 million in the bank, one of the highest of any candidate in the country. Recently, he became even more popular in his opposition to the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, as the ranking member of the Senate Banking Committee.


2010 United States Senate election in Alabama, General election, Campaign
In May, Shelby told reporters "I don't even know who my opponent is."


2010 United States Senate election in Alaska
The 2010 United States Senate election in Alaska took place on November 2, 2010, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Alaska, alongside 33 U.S. Senate elections in other states, elections in all states for the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as various state and local elections.


2010 United States Senate election in Alaska
The general election was preceded by primary elections which were held on August 24, 2010. Scott McAdams, the Mayor of Sitka, became the Democratic nominee; Joe Miller, an attorney and former federal magistrate, became the Republican nominee after defeating incumbent U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski. Miller was endorsed by the Tea Party movement and former Governor Sarah Palin. Murkowski announced that regardless of her defeat in the primary, she would run in the general election as a write-in candidate.


2010 United States Senate election in Alaska
Murkowski garnered more than 100,000 write-in votes in the general election, 8,000 of which were challenged by Miller for various errors including minor misspellings. Even if the challenged votes were all thrown out, Murkowski still had a lead of over 2,100 votes when the counting was done. The Associated Press and the Alaska GOP called the race in Murkowski's favor on November 17, and Murkowski proclaimed herself the winner on November 18. Miller did not concede the race and instead filed legal challenges which stopped the Alaska Division of Elections from certifying Murkowski as the winner.


2010 United States Senate election in Alaska
On December 10, the Alaska Superior Court in Juneau rejected Miller's State law claims, ruling that Alaska statutes and case law do not require perfect spelling on write-in ballots if voter intent is clear. The Superior Court judge also dismissed Miller's claims of vote fraud as based on speculation. Miller took his appeal to the Alaska Supreme Court, citing a provision in the Alaska election statute that says there shall be "no exceptions" to the rules for counting ballots, and arguing that therefore, all ballots with misspellings or other deviations should be thrown out. The court heard oral arguments on December 17. Miller also had a pending case in federal court raising U.S. constitutional claims that the Elections and the Due Process Clauses were violated by state election authorities; the federal court could consider the claims once Miller's State court options were exhausted.


2010 United States Senate election in Alaska
On December 30, 2010, Alaska state officials certified Lisa Murkowski as the winner of the election, making her only the second U.S. Senate candidate since the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment to win election via write-in and defeat candidates with ballot access, after Strom Thurmond in 1954. On December 31, Miller announced at a news conference in Anchorage that he was conceding. Murkowski thus became the first person in 40 years to win election to the Senate with under 40% of the vote.


2010 United States Senate election in Alaska, Primary systems
Alaska's primary elections consist of a closed primary ballot for voters that have declared themselves as Republicans and an open primary ballot for Democrats, Libertarians, the Alaska Independence Party, and all other declared or write-in candidates.


2010 United States Senate election in Alaska, Republican primary, Results
Murkowski conceded the primary race to Joe Miller on August 31, 2010.


2010 United States Senate election in Alaska, Republican primary, Aftermath
When it began to appear that Miller had won the primary, the Libertarian Party floated the possibility of offering Murkowski its nomination; the Murkowski campaign said it would not rule out a third party run, and Murkowski said it was too premature. But on August 29, 2010, the executive board of the state Libertarian Party voted not to consider allowing Murkowski on its ticket for the U.S. Senate race. When asked about a write-in candidacy at that time, she said it was "high risk".


2010 United States Senate election in Alaska, Republican primary, Aftermath
By September 7 though, she said that she was weighing the option of mounting a write-in campaign. On September 13, Libertarian candidate David Haase reiterated that he would not stand down and let Murkowski replace him on the ballot. Murkowski announced on September 17 that she would enter the general election contest as a write-in candidate, saying she had agonized over the decision, but had been encouraged to run by many voters.


2010 United States Senate election in Alaska, General election, Campaign
After Lisa Murkowski conceded the Republican primary to Joe Miller, Scott McAdams raised over $128,000 through ActBlue, and a private fundraiser at the home of Alaskan State Senator Hollis French raised about $19,000.


2010 United States Senate election in Alaska, General election, Campaign
Miller received negative press in mid-October 2010 when his campaign's security guards made a private arrest of a journalist who was persistently questioning Miller about his record as a government employee. Tony Hopfinger, of the Alaska Dispatch, was detained and handcuffed until Anchorage police arrived and released him following a townhall event featuring Miller. No charges were filed. Though the campaign event was open to the general public and held at a public school, the security firm said it had detained the journalist because he had been trespassing and had shoved a man while attempting to question Miller.


2010 United States Senate election in Alaska, General election, Campaign
On October 20, during early voting, a voter in Homer photographed a list of write-in candidates that was posted inside a voting booth, which raised the issue of whether the state should be posting, or even providing such a list. A lawsuit was filed alleging that the Alaska Division of Elections was violating AAC, 25.070, which reads in part: "Information regarding a write-in candidate may not be discussed, exhibited or provided at the polling place, or within 200 feet of any entrance to the polling place, on election day."


2010 United States Senate election in Alaska, General election, Campaign
Both Republican and Democratic spokespersons decried the lists as electioneering on behalf of Murkowski; representatives of the Division of Elections maintained that the lists were intended merely to assist voters. On October 27, a judge issued a restraining order barring the lists, noting in his decision "If it were important 'assistance' for the Division to provide voters with lists of write-in candidates, then the Division was asleep at the switch for the past 50 years, the Division first developed the need for a write-in candidate list 12 days ago."


2010 United States Senate election in Alaska, General election, Campaign
Later on the same day, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that the lists could be distributed to those who asked for them, but that any ballots cast by voters based on information on the lists be "segregated". The Division of Elections responded that they had neither the manpower nor the time to implement such a system by Election Day. By the deadline for registering as a write-in candidate, more than 150 Alaskans had submitted their names as candidates for the U.S. Senate seat, encouraged by an Anchorage talk radio host.


2010 United States Senate election in Alaska, General election, Campaign
In the election, the total number of write-in votes statewide were counted first, then all the write-in ballots were sent to Juneau to the Division of Elections to be individually examined to see what names were written on them.


2010 United States Senate election in Alaska, Post-election day events, Overview
On election day, the write-in ballots were counted, but not examined: determining for which candidate they were cast was deferred. After election officials tabulated 27,000 additional absentee and early ballots, Miller had won 35 percent of the vote while forty percent of the ballots cast were write-ins, which required a hand count to see what names were on them.


2010 United States Senate election in Alaska, Post-election day events, Write-in count
Alaska election officials said they were counting write-in ballots with misspellings if the names written in were phonetic to Murkowski, claiming that Alaska case law supports this practice. The Miller campaign had observers present who challenged ballots which misspelled "Murkowski", or which included the word "Republican" next to Murkowski's name. The Anchorage Daily News noted on November 11 that the bulk of the challenged ballots contained misspellings but examples were not hard to find of challenged ballots that appeared to be "spelled accurately and looked to be filled out properly".


2010 United States Senate election in Alaska, Post-election day events, Write-in count
After several days of counting, the Division of Elections showed Murkowski with a lead of some 1,700 votes over Miller, with about 8,000 write-in votes yet to be counted, and a trend of counting 97 percent of the write-ins as for Murkowski. Murkowski's campaign shied away from declaring a victory before the count was finished. As of November 17, (the last day of the hand count), the Division of Elections showed Murkowski having a lead of over 10,000 votes, meaning that even if all the 8,000 challenged ballots were discounted, Murkowski would still lead by about 2,200 votes.


2010 United States Senate election in Alaska, Post-election day events, Write-in count
The Miller campaign then demanded a hand recount of the entire election, claiming that as Murkowski's votes were all verified by visual inspection Miller should get the same opportunity. The Division of Election officials responded that any recount of non-write-in votes would not be done by hand, but would be done using optical scanners.


2010 United States Senate election in Alaska, Post-election day events, Lawsuits
Miller filed a federal lawsuit on November 9, 2010, seeking to have write-in ballots that contained spelling and other errors from being counted toward Murkowski's total and a seeking preliminary injunction to prevent the counting of the write-in votes from even beginning. He claimed that he had a federal case because State election officials were violating the  Elections Clause of the U.S. Constitution and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment by using a voter intent standard that allowed misspelled write-in votes to count.


2010 United States Senate election in Alaska, Post-election day events, Lawsuits
The federal court allowed the counting to proceed as the challenged ballots were segregated from the others and could be re-examined later, if necessary. After hearing motions and arguments from both sides, the federal court abstained from hearing the case, ruling that the dispute could be resolved by the State courts by reference to State law. The federal court kept the case in its docket in the event that federal issues still remained after the State courts' determination. The federal court also put a halt to the certification of the election pending rulings on Miller's lawsuits.


2010 United States Senate election in Alaska, Post-election day events, Lawsuits
Miller then filed suit in State court, repeating the claims he had previously made, and adding allegations of vote fraud and bias. On December 10, the Alaska Superior Court rejected all of Miller's claims as contrary to State statute and case law, and said the fraud claims were unsubstantiated. Miller then appealed the Superior Court ruling to the Alaska Supreme Court, citing a provision in the Alaska election statute that says there shall be "no exceptions" to the rules for counting ballots, and that therefore, all ballots with misspellings or other deviations should be thrown out.


2010 United States Senate election in Alaska, Post-election day events, Lawsuits
After oral arguments were heard on December 17, on December 22, the Alaska Supreme Court upheld the lower court's ruling dismissing Miller's claims. On December 26, Miller announced that he would be withdrawing his opposition for Murkowski's Senate certification, but would continue pursuing the federal case. On December 31, Miller announced at a news conference in Anchorage that he was conceding.


2010 United States Senate election in Arizona
The 2010 United States Senate election in Arizona took place on November 2, 2010, along with 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. The primaries were held on August 24, 2010. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator John McCain, who had lost the 2008 United States presidential election to then-United States Senator from Illinois Barack Obama, ran for reelection to a fifth term and won.


2010 United States Senate election in Arizona, Democratic primary, Background
Many considered popular Democratic Governor Janet Napolitano a possible Democratic challenger to McCain, and some very early polling showed her ahead or competitive with him in a prospective 2010 matchup. Napolitano was term-limited as governor in 2010, and had openly discussed the possibility of a Senate race, especially given McCain's 2008 electoral results in the Democratic-trending state.


2010 United States Senate election in Arizona, Democratic primary, Background
However, Napolitano was nominated by President-elect Barack Obama to be the new Secretary of Homeland Security on December 1, 2008 , making it appear unlikely that she would challenge McCain.


2010 United States Senate election in Arizona, Democratic primary, Background
In February 2009, Arizona Senate minority leader Jorge Luis Garcia was saying: "There hasn't been any discussion about any [candidates]. The Democratic Party would be willing to lend support to a candidate against Senator McCain. It would be very expensive—very, very, very expensive." In April 2009, only one person had announced a candidacy, Rudy Garcia, the former mayor of Bell Gardens, California. In October 2009, national Democratic leaders were saying that they were not bothering to recruit anyone to face McCain, but that same month, Tucson Councilman Rodney Glassman filed an exploratory committee for this Senate seat at the urging of Arizona Attorney General and Arizona gubernatorial candidate Terry Goddard.


2010 United States Senate election in Arizona, Democratic primary, Background
Other possible Democratic challengers mentioned have included Phoenix mayor Phil Gordon, U.S. Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, and Terry Goddard. However, Goddard had formally announced his candidacy for the 2010 Arizona gubernatorial race, and Phil Gordon was exploring a run for John Shadegg's Congressional seat in Arizona's 3rd district.


2010 United States Senate election in Arizona, Republican primary, Background
Incumbent Republican senator John McCain lost his bid for President of the United States in the 2008 election on November 4, 2008. By November 18, he had indicated his intention to form a political action committee to run for Senate re-election in 2010. McCain confirmed his decision at a press conference in Phoenix, Arizona, on November 25, 2008, saying, "I intend to run again and will make an announcement at an appropriate time." In his appearance, McCain made a point of shifting from discussion of national issues to local ones, and followed up with renewed attention to the state during the next few months. In February 2009, McCain began active fundraising efforts for his re-election campaign.


2010 United States Senate election in Arizona, Republican primary, Background
McCain faced a possible Republican primary challenge. He had won less than half the votes against the field of candidates in the 2008 Arizona Republican presidential primary, and had only won the presidential contest in Arizona by 8.5 percentage points. The person most mentioned as a possible primary challenger was radio talk show host and former U.S. Congressman J. D. Hayworth, who was being urged to run by his listeners. (Hayworth had once been allied with McCain and had supported his 2000 presidential campaign, but the two diverged ideologically shortly thereafter.) However, McCain's strong opposition to the economic stimulus package of 2009 warmed some conservatives to him and made a primary challenge less likely.


2010 United States Senate election in Arizona, Republican primary, Background
As 2009 progressed, McCain got two announced primary challengers, U.S. Navy veteran and businessman Jim Deakin, and Chris Simcox, the co-founder of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. Simcox's April 2009 announcement of his candidacy garnered a fair amount of press attention; he stated that "John McCain has failed miserably in his duty to secure this nation's borders and protect the people of Arizona from the escalating violence and lawlessness. ... Coupled with his votes for reckless bailout spending and big government solutions to our nation's problems, John McCain is out of touch with everyday Arizonans. Enough is enough."


2010 United States Senate election in Arizona, Republican primary, Background
In October 2009, Hayworth said that he was considering a primary challenge: "There's a great deal of respect for John as a historical figure. But he's long been at odds with the conservative base of the Republican Party and more recently with Arizonans." Hayworth quoted a poll which said that 61 percent of Arizona Republicans thought McCain had lost touch with his party. McCain had raised $4.7million for his Senate re-election, and had access to more than $20million left over from his 2008 presidential effort.


2010 United States Senate election in Arizona, Republican primary, Background
A November 2009 Rasmussen Reports poll surprisingly showed that Hayworth was nearly even with McCain among likely Republican Party primary voters in the state. As January 2010 progressed, McCain began running negative ads against Hayworth. On January 22, 2010, Hayworth resigned from his talk radio position at KFYI, a necessary step to becoming a candidate. On January 23, Hayworth announced at a meeting of the Arizona Republican Party State Committee that he did intend to run, and that a formal announcement would be forthcoming soon.


2010 United States Senate election in Arizona, Republican primary, Background
As the contest began, some elements of the Tea Party movement supported Hayworth, but others stayed out of the contest, and still others supported Jim Deakin. The threat from Hayworth helped account for McCain's sometimes-awkward reversals or softpedallings of his former positions on issues such as the bank bailouts, national security, campaign finance reform, and gays in the military; Hayworth said, "John is undergoing a campaign conversion." McCain remained strong among party centrists and independents, and had strong financial resources. McCain also had the endorsements of the entire Arizona congressional delegation. Regardless, pundits predicted it would become "one of the country's fiercest political contests of 2010."


2010 United States Senate election in Arizona, Republican primary, Background
Hayworth officially launched his bid on February 15, 2010, in Phoenix. His announcement led Simcox to drop his campaign and endorse Hayworth, saying that he wanted to present a united conservative front. Hayworth attracted the support of a good number of top-rated radio talk show hosts, including Michael Savage. Hayworth called for a series of 10 debates between himself and McCain. This echoed a proposal that McCain had unsuccessfully made to Obama during their 2008 presidential campaign; this time, McCain labeled the idea a "desperate publicity stunt."


2010 United States Senate election in Arizona, Republican primary, Background
With Hayworth using the campaign slogan "The Consistent Conservative," McCain backed off his reputation for unorthodoxy, saying, "I never considered myself a maverick. I consider myself a person who serves the people of Arizona to the best of his abilities." McCain's former vice presidential running mate, Sarah Palin, staged a campaign appearance with him in late March; she said that McCain was deserving of support among Tea Party movement-types. Many in the crowd came to see Palin rather than McCain and were unsure of whom they would vote for in the primary.


2010 United States Senate election in Arizona, Republican primary, Background
Both candidates endorsed Arizona SB 1070, the anti-illegal immigration state law passed in April 2010 that aroused national controversy, and both made tough stands on border control central to their campaigns. McCain retained a financial edge, having $4.6million in hand at the end of the first quarter to Hayworth's $861,000.


2010 United States Senate election in Arizona, Republican primary, Background
Hayworth's campaign began to struggle when infomercials he had made in 2007 came to light, which had pitched access to free government payment programs from a company that was accused of swindling thousands of people. McCain ran television ads that labeled Hayworth a "huckster," and in return Hayworth's wife charged McCain with engaging in deliberate character assassination. Hayworth also had difficulty rallying conservative backing due to his past support for Congressional earmarks and for his past associations with lobbyist Jack Abramoff.


2010 United States Senate election in Arizona, Republican primary, Background
Hayworth was further harmed by stating that the United States never declared war on Germany during the Second World War, when in fact it did on December 11, 1941.


2010 United States Senate election in Arizona, Republican primary, Background
During the summer, McCain began running immigration-themed ads featuring Pinal County sheriff Paul Babeu, who is also a strong supporter of SB 1070; however, Hayworth asked McCain to withdraw the ads because Babeu had recently appeared on the white nationalist radio show The Political Cesspool.


2010 United States Senate election in Arizona, General election, Campaign
After spending over $20million during the primaries, McCain still had more than $1million cash on hand after the primary election. Glassman criticized McCain on women's issues. In August 2010, Glassman released a TV advertisement called "Arizona First."


2010 United States Senate election in Arkansas
The 2010 United States Senate election in Arkansas 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.


2010 United States Senate election in Arkansas
Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln ran for re-election to a third term, facing a strong primary challenge from Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter and prevailing only in a runoff. However, the general election was won by U.S. Representative John Boozman, the younger brother of Fay Boozman whom Lincoln defeated in 1998. Boozman became the first Republican in 138 years to win this seat. Lincoln's 21% margin of defeat was the largest for a sitting senator in 32 years.


2010 United States Senate election in Arkansas, Democratic primary
The Democratic primary was held on May 18, 2010, with early voting from May 3 to 17. Lincoln was challenged by Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter, who ran as a more liberal alternative. As no candidate received 50 percent of the vote, a runoff election was held on June 8, with early voting from June 1 to 7. Lincoln managed to narrowly defeat Halter in the runoff.


2010 United States Senate election in Arkansas, Democratic primary
MoveOn.org supported Halter, criticizing Lincoln for her stance on issues such as health care and environmental regulations. Labor unions also backed Halter, and pledged to spend more than $3 million on his campaign.


2010 United States Senate election in Arkansas, Republican primary
The Republican primary was held on May 18, 2010, with early voting from May 3–17.


2010 United States Senate election in Arkansas, Republican primary, Straw poll
In December 2009, a straw poll was held for the current Republican candidates for U.S. Senate. The results were as follows:


2010 United States Senate election in Arkansas, General election, Campaign
Arkansas had previously only elected one Republican senator since the Reconstruction, Tim Hutchinson who was defeated after his first term in 2002 by Mark Pryor. Lincoln faced Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter and narrowly won the primary contest.


2010 United States Senate election in Arkansas, General election, Campaign
The political blog FiveThirtyEight ranked Lincoln the most vulnerable senator of this electoral cycle. RealClearPolitics claimed that in 2010 Lincoln had the potential for the lowest percentage of the vote for any incumbent since the nation first began directly electing senators. Boozman received 58% of the vote in the general election and defeated Lincoln (37%), Independent Trevor Drown (3%) and Green John Gray (2%).


2010 United States Senate election in Arkansas, General election, Campaign
Lincoln heavily criticized Boozman of supporting the FairTax and privatization of Social Security. She released an advertisement touting her support for earmarks.


2010 United States Senate election in California
The 2010 United States Senate election in California took place on November 2, 2010. The election was held alongside 33 other United States Senate elections in addition to congressional, state, and various local elections. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer won re-election to a fourth term.


2010 United States Senate election in California, Democratic primary, Controversies, Boxer
In 2009, Boxer was criticized for correcting a general who called her "ma'am". Brigadier General Michael Walsh was testifying on the Louisiana coastal restoration process in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and answered Boxer's query with "ma'am" when Boxer interrupted him. "Do me a favor," Boxer said. "can you say 'senator' instead of 'ma'am?'" "Yes, ma'am," Walsh interjected. "It's just a thing, I worked so hard to get that title, so I'd appreciate it. Thank you," she said. The Army's guide to protocol instructs service members to call members of the U.S. Senate "sir", "ma'am" or "senator". Fiorina used this incident prominently in campaign ads, as did David Zucker, who directed a humorous commercial for RightChange.com titled 'Call Me Senator'.


2010 United States Senate election in California, Republican primary, Controversies, Fiorina
In February 2010, Carly Fiorina put out a campaign ad attacking Republican rival Tom Campbell featuring a "demon sheep", creating international, mostly negative, publicity.


2010 United States Senate election in California, Republican primary, Controversies, Fiorina
The Los Angeles Times research of public records indicated Fiorina had failed to vote in most elections. Fiorina responded by saying, "I'm a lifelong registered Republican but I haven't always voted, and I will provide no excuse for it. You know, people die for the right to vote. And there are many, many Californians and Americans who exercise that civic duty on a regular basis. I didn't. Shame on me."


2010 United States Senate election in California, Republican primary, Controversies, Campbell
Former State Senator and California Secretary of State Bruce McPherson alleged that during a telephone call with Carly Fiorina's campaign manager, Marty Wilson, Wilson expressed surprise that McPherson was endorsing the candidacy of Tom Campbell, and called him an anti-Semite. Subsequently, Wilson strongly denied having made that charge against Campbell, thus leading to a controversy for the Fiorina campaign, where the credibility of long-time Sacramento political operative Marty Wilson was called into a comparison with that of Bruce McPherson.


2010 United States Senate election in California, Republican primary, Controversies, Campbell
On March 5, the three principal Republican primary candidates, Campbell, DeVore, and Fiorina participated in a live, on-air debate, which was broadcast on KTKZ in Sacramento. The debate was called by Campbell, in order to respond to accusations of "anti-Semitism," and otherwise being unfriendly to the interests of Israel.


2010 United States Senate election in California, Republican primary, Controversies, Campbell
Campbell had also been criticized for having accepted campaign contributions (during his 2000 Senate race), from then-University of South Florida professor Sami Al-Arian. On March 2, 2006, Al-Arian entered a guilty plea to a charge of conspiracy to help the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, a "specially designated terrorist" organization; he was sentenced to 57 months in prison, and ordered deported following his prison term.


2010 United States Senate election in California, Republican primary, Controversies, Campbell
The usually subdued Tom Campbell responded very strongly to the accusations coming out of the Fiorina campaign, saying, "I called for this debate today so that both of my opponents can bring up absolutely any charge they want. Air it, and let me respond to it. But there’s no place for calling me anti-Semitic, then denying it. That whispering campaign, that 'silent slander,' stops today."


2010 United States Senate election in California, Republican primary, Controversies, Campbell
A dispute had been triggered as well by Campbell's 2002 letter in defense of Al-Arian. Campbell said he had not been aware of the charges against Al-Arian when he wrote his January 21, 2002, letter to USF's president, asking USF not to discipline Al-Arian.


2010 United States Senate election in California, Republican primary, Controversies, Campbell
He also said he had not been aware that Al-Arian had said, in a speech discussed in an O'Reilly interview before Campbell wrote his letter:  "Jihad is our path. Victory to Islam. Death to Israel." Campbell said:


2010 United States Senate election in California, Republican primary, Controversies, Campbell
I did not hear, I did not read, I was not aware of statements Sami Al-Arian had made relative to Israel. And I would not have written the letter had I known about those. ... To say 'Death to Israel' is abhorrent, it's horrible.


2010 United States Senate election in California, Republican primary, Controversies, Campbell
Campbell said he was sorry he wrote the letter, adding that he did not know about the statements at the time. He said he should have researched that matter more thoroughly, and he would have known.


2010 United States Senate election in California, Republican primary, Controversies, Campbell
Campbell had initially maintained that Al-Arian had never contributed to Campbell's 2000 Senate campaign. That turned out to be untrue. Campbell also initially said his letter defending Al-Arian was sent before the O'Reilly 2001 television broadcast where Al-Arian admitted saying "death to Israel," but that also turned out to be incorrect. Campbell said his misstatements were the result of the events having taken place years prior.


2010 United States Senate election in California, General election, Candidates
The following were certified by the California Secretary of State as candidates in the primary election for senator.


2010 United States Senate election in California, General election, Campaign
Boxer criticized Fiorina's choice "to become a CEO, lay off 30,000 workers, ship jobs overseas [and] have two yachts." A spokesman for Fiorina responded that the Fiorinas were a two-yacht family because they spent time in both California and Washington, D.C. Boxer also claimed that Fiorina "skirted the law" by selling equipment to Iran during her tenure as HP's CEO, also claiming that the equipment may have ended up in the hands of the Iranian military.


2010 United States Senate election in California, General election, Debates
The only debate took place on September 1 at Saint Mary's College of California in Moraga. It was sponsored by San Francisco Chronicle, KTVU, and KQED.


2010 United States Senate election in California, General election, Results
Despite the last poll before the election showed Fiorina only trailing by 4 points, on election night Boxer defeated Fiorina by a ten point margin, and around a one million vote majority. Boxer as expected performed extremely well in Los Angeles County, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Boxer was declared the winner shortly after the polls closed. Fiorina conceded defeat to Boxer at 11:38 P.M.


2010 United States Senate election in California, Miscellaneous
Due to changes in California's election law whereby the top two candidates in the primary would advance regardless of party, this election marked the last time that a Republican advanced to the general election for this particular US Senate seat. In 2016, the next year this seat was contested again, two Democrats advanced to the general election.


2010 United States Senate election in Colorado
The 2010 United States Senate election in Colorado 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. In December 2008, President-elect Barack Obama nominated incumbent U.S. Senator Ken Salazar as Secretary of the Interior. After Salazar resigned from his seat, Democratic governor Bill Ritter appointed Denver Public Schools Superintendent Michael Bennet to fill the seat.


2010 United States Senate election in Colorado
Bennet won a full term, defeating former state House speaker Andrew Romanoff in the Democratic primary, and Republican nominee Ken Buck in the general election. With a margin of 1.7%, this election and the concurrent one in Illinois were the closest races of the 2010 Senate election cycle.


2010 United States Senate election in Colorado, Republican primary, Candidates, Other
Three other candidates were defeated at the Republican state convention and were not on the primary ballot:


2010 United States Senate election in Colorado, General election, Campaign
This was one of the most expensive elections in the nation, as more than $30 million was spent by outside organizations. Conservative third party groups hammered Bennet for voting 92% of the time with the Democratic leadership, including voting for healthcare reform and the stimulus package. Liberal third party groups called Buck extremist. Bennet focused on attacking Buck's views on abortion, which he believed should be banned including those of cases of rape and incest. He was also attacked for wanting to eliminate the 17th Amendment and refusing to prosecute an alleged rapist as Weld County district attorney.


2010 United States Senate election in Colorado, General election, Campaign
Planned Parenthood mounted a mail campaign, targeting women voters with the warning that "Colorado women can’t trust Ken Buck." Bennet won the women vote by 17 points according to exit polls. After the election, Buck conceded to the Denver Post that the main reason why he lost is because of social issues.


2010 United States Senate election in Colorado, General election, Fundraising
These totals reflect the campaign accounts of the candidates themselves, and do not include independent expenditures by other groups.


2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut
The 2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut was a midterm election which took place on November 2, 2010 to decide a Class III Senator from the State of Connecticut to join the 112th United States Congress. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd suffered from dropping approval ratings in the past few years due to major controversies, leading him to announce in January 2010 that he would retire, instead of seeking a sixth term. As Dodd was a Democrat, Richard Blumenthal, incumbent State Attorney General, announced on the same day that he would run for Dodd's seat.


2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut
The Connecticut Democratic Party nominated Blumenthal on May 21. Businesswoman Linda McMahon won the state party's nominating convention and the August 10 Republican primary to become the Republican candidate. This was the first open Senate seat in Connecticut since 1980. Blumenthal was the only non-incumbent Democrat to win a non-special election in 2010.


2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut, Dodd's decline in popularity, Controversies
Chris Dodd's power and popularity may have deteriorated for at least three reasons since his last re-election:


2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut, Dodd's decline in popularity, Controversies
In December 2008, it was reported that Dodd had a little less than $670,000 banked for a re-election campaign, far less than other senators anticipated to seek re-election. In February 2009, a poll indicated that Dodd's favorability ratings were slipping, and many Connecticut voters were not satisfied with Dodd's explanations regarding the mortgage.


2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut, Dodd's decline in popularity, Controversies
On March 17, 2009, the NRSC released a web ad attacking Dodd for his Irish cottage, his mortgage, and his relocation to Iowa in 2007.


2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut, Dodd's decline in popularity, Election troubles
On March 2, 2009, noted pundit Michael Barone suggested Dodd was "ripe for the picking" in the 2010 election due to the fallout from his various controversies. Nate Silver of the prominent website FiveThirtyEight suggested that if necessary, another Connecticut Democrat should primary Dodd. Silver rated Dodd as the single most vulnerable incumbent senator up for re-election in 2010. On December 10, 2009 the Cook Political Report listed this race as "Lean Republican."


2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut, Dodd's decline in popularity, Election troubles
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Susan Bysiewicz was quoted suggesting Dodd's yet unannounced re-election bid could be a drag on the candidacies of other Connecticut Democrats in 2010.


2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut, Dodd's decline in popularity, Election troubles
Many political leaders speculated Dodd could be persuaded to retire so as to preserve his "senior statesman" legacy. Fellow Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman had indicated that he would have supported Dodd's reelection, despite past disagreements, including Dodd's 2006 endorsement of Ned Lamont and Lieberman's support of John McCain's 2008 Presidential Campaign.


2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut, Dodd's decline in popularity, Election troubles
In fundraising reports issued for the first quarter of 2009, Dodd reported having raised over $1 million, but reported only five contributions from Connecticut residents.


2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut, Dodd's decline in popularity, Polling
A March 2009 Quinnipiac University Polling Institute poll confirmed Dodd's vulnerability. On April 2, 2009 Quinnipiac released a poll indicating Dodd in serious danger of losing re-election, despite the fact that Connecticut is a heavily blue state that President Obama won in 2008 with over 60% of the vote.


2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut, Dodd's decline in popularity, Polling
He failed to attain a 50% level of support against three lesser known possible Republican opponents. Former U.S. Congressman Rob Simmons (R) in particular was leading in general election polling with double digit margins, and Simmons reached as high as 51% in a GQR poll. Notably, Rasmussen Reports had Simmons 48% to 35% over Dodd in December 2009, a thirteen-point spread.


2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut, Democratic nomination, Campaign
Merrick Alpert announced his candidacy to challenge current Senator Chris Dodd in May 2009. Facing grave prospects at re-election, Dodd announced his retirement from the Senate on January 6, 2010. Richard Blumenthal, the Attorney General and former State Senator announced he would be running.


2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut, Democratic nomination, Debate
Merrick Alpert and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal squared-off in a March 1 debate highlighting important issues. On healthcare, Alpert revealed that he supports a single-payer system. Blumenthal explained that pool-purchasing powers should be explored. Alpert presented information as to how insurance rates have skyrocketed in Connecticut since the Attorney General took office. On the topic of war, Blumenthal pledged his support of President Obama's current plan. Alpert expressed that, being a former peacekeeper in Bosnia, he understands what policies work and which ones do not, elaborating that the current one does not.


2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut, Democratic nomination, Debate
Alpert set out a plan for the withdrawal of troops from the current war in Afghanistan. On a question concerning relations with Cuba, Blumenthal explained that it would take time, and that he would put together a panel of Cuban-American people to decide the best course of action. Alpert explained that he would vote on the issue that night.


2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut, Democratic nomination, Results
Blumenthal won the convention overwhelmingly, disallowing any other candidate to get at least 15% of the vote necessary to get on the primary ballot. Therefore, Blumenthal went uncontested within the Democratic Party and officially became the Democratic nominee.


2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut, Republican nomination, Campaign
On February 27, 2009, Commentary magazine reported that various Washington, D.C. Republicans were seeking to get Larry Kudlow, a popular TV talk show host and columnist, to enter the race against Dodd. State Senator Sam Caligiuri originally planned to run the U.S. Senate, but after doing poorly in both primary and general election polling he decided to drop out and instead run the U.S. House of Representatives in the 5th District. Tom Foley also left the race to run instead for Governor of Connecticut, as incumbent Governor M. Jodi Rell was not seeking re-election.


2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut, Republican nomination, Campaign
After the Quinnipiac poll that showed him edging Dodd in a potential matchup, Simmons decided to officially enter the race. Upon his announcement, the DSCC attacked Simmons for his past support of George W. Bush and ties to Jack Abramoff and Tom DeLay. A leading state political blogger, who had endorsed Simmons' opponent in 2006, questioned whether these issues were relevant to the 2010 race. Simmons suspended his campaign after he lost the convention, but did not publicly endorse McMahon. In late July, Simmons revived his effort with a TV ad reminding Connecticut Republicans that "I'm still on the ballot."


2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut, Republican nomination, Campaign
McMahon, a billionaire, spent slightly more than $21 million through July 2010. Her two primary opponents each spent slightly more than $2.5 million each. When the Republican primary was held on August 10, frontrunner and party-endorsed candidate McMahon defeated Simmons and Schiff to become the official GOP nominee for the fall election against Richard Blumenthal.


2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut, Republican nomination, Debates
On March 2, 2010, Republican candidates Linda McMahon, Rob Simmons, and Peter Schiff participated in the first debate of the GOP campaign on Fox 61.


2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut, Republican nomination, Results
* Denotes candidate met the minimum threshold of 15 percent to appear on the primary ballot


2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut, Republican nomination, Results
* Rob Simmons suspended his campaign on May 25, 2010 but left his name on the ballot. On July 29, he re-entered the race.


2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut, Republican nomination, Results
** Peter Schiff collected 10,000 signatures to be placed on the ballot via petition.


2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut, General election, Debates
The first debate between Linda McMahon and Richard Blumenthal in the 2010 Senate race occurred on October 4, 2010, moderated by Fox News Channel anchor Bret Baier and televised live on Fox Connecticut. In the debate, McMahon identified Blumenthal as a career politician, touted her job creation record while CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, criticized Washington partisanship for Republicans not being invited to the negotiating table during healthcare reform discussions in Congress, and stated that remaining stimulus dollars were a waste that should now be used to pay down debt.


2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut, General election, Debates
Blumenthal as well criticized partisanship, saying that he would have sided with Republicans who voted against the Troubled Assets Relief Program. He also used the debate to argue that middle class tax cuts should not have to wait for current tax rates on top income earners to be extended, stated that he would oppose special interests in Washington, and criticized McMahon for outsourcing WWE products overseas.


2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut, General election, Debates
The Greater Norwalk Chamber of Commerce, Bridgeport Regional Business Council, and Business Council of Fairfield County sponsored a second debate in Norwalk on October 7. It was aired on News 12 Connecticut.


2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut, General election, Debates
A third debate between McMahon and Blumenthal was held on October 12, aired on WTNH sister network MyTV9.


2010 United States Senate election in Connecticut, General election, Results
Note: Blumenthal also appeared on the line of the Connecticut Working Families Party and received 30,836 votes on it. His Working Families and Democratic votes have been aggregated together on this table.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida
The 2010 United States Senate election in Florida took place on November 2, 2010, concurrently with 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.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida
Incumbent Republican Senator Mel Martínez, who was elected in a very close race against Democrat Betty Castor with 49% of the vote in 2004, announced on December 2, 2008, that he would not run for re-election to a second term, then announcing on August 7, 2009, that he would resign prior to the end of his term. The governor of Florida, Republican Charlie Crist, was required to appoint a successor and he chose his former chief of staff, George LeMieux. LeMieux, a placeholder who did not run in the election, replaced Martínez in the Senate on September 10, 2009.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida
Crist publicly announced he was running for the seat in mid-2009. When he declared his candidacy, he received many Republican endorsements, including the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Martínez, and 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain. However, his support of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 hurt his popularity among conservatives, and Tea Party candidate Marco Rubio, the former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, surged in the polls. In April 2010, Crist announced he would drop out of the Republican primary and run as an Independent. The National Republican Senatorial Committee withdrew its endorsement of Crist and demanded a refund of its campaign funds that it provided for the Crist campaign. Rubio went on to win the Republican primary against only token opposition.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida
U.S. Representative Kendrick Meek was the first Democrat to declare his intention to run and he defeated billionaire businessman Jeff Greene in his party's primary. Also on the ballot were Alexander Snitker, the first member of the Libertarian Party on the ballot for the U.S. Senate in Florida's history, Bernie DeCastro of the Constitution Party, and five other independent candidates.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida
Polling initially showed Crist neck and neck with Rubio, but by the end of August Rubio opened up a solid and consistent lead. He was supported by Republican and some Independent voters whereas Democratic and other Independents were split between Crist and Meek. Rubio went on to win the election with 49% of the vote to Crist's 30% and Meek's 20%.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Background
Republican Mel Martínez, the former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, was elected to the Senate in 2004, defeating Democrat Betty Castor, the former president of the University of South Florida and former Florida Education Commissioner, by 82,663 votes, 49.4% to 48.3%. He succeeded retiring Democratic incumbent Bob Graham.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Background
Throughout 2008, opinion polls found that Martínez was consistently unpopular with a plurality of Florida voters. Public Policy Polling surveys taken in June, July/August, and September 2008 found that his job approval rating was 23%, 24% and 23%, respectively, with 43%, 40% and 37%, respectively, disapproving of his job performance. A Quinnipiac University Polling Institute survey in November 2008 found him with a higher job approval rating, with 42% approving of his job performance, 33% disapproving and 25% unsure.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Background
However, the same survey also found that only 36% of Florida voters thought he deserved to be re-elected, compared to 38% who did not and 26% who were unsure. 36% also said that if the 2010 election were held on that day, they would vote for Martínez, while 40% said they would vote for his Democratic opponent, with 24% unsure. Furthermore, his personal approval rating was 31%, with 28% having an unfavourable opinion of him and 40% saying they had no opinion of him.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Background
In head-to-head matches against specific Democratic opponents, the same Public Policy Polling surveys found Martínez tied with U.S. Representative Robert Wexler and trailing Chief Financial Officer of Florida Alex Sink, former senator Bob Graham, U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, U.S. Representative Allen Boyd and U.S. Representative Ron Klein, by margins of between 1 and 20 points. In its November 2008 ratings of the 2010 Senate elections, The Cook Political Report rated the Florida race as a "tossup" and various media outlets identified Martínez as one of the most vulnerable incumbent senators.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Background
On November 25, 2008, Sink announced that she would soon make a decision about whether to run for re-election, for Governor or the U.S. Senate. Martínez was reported to be "planning" to run for re-election, but was not expected to make an official announcement until January 2009. On December 1, Sink announced that she would run for re-election rather than for the Senate. The following day, Martínez announced that he would not run for re-election, saying that he wanted to spend more time with his family.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Republican primary, Background
Upon Martínez' announcement that he would not run for re-election, early speculation surrounded former Governor Jeb Bush. It was thought that if Bush decided to run, other potential Republican candidates would allow Bush to run uncontested. After consideration, Bush decided not to run. Other potential candidates included Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives Marco Rubio, Florida Senate President Jeff Atwater, Florida House Majority Leader Adam Hasner, Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty and U.S. Representatives Vern Buchanan, Lincoln Díaz-Balart, Mario Díaz-Balart, Connie Mack IV and Adam Putnam. Florida Governor Charlie Crist was initially not thought likely to run, instead preferring to run for re-election. Mack and Rubio were thought the most likely to run, with both preparing their campaigns behind the scenes.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Republican primary, Background
On January 28, 2009, McCollum announced that he would not run. On February 9, Joe Scarborough, a cable news host for MSNBC and former U.S. Representative from Florida, told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune that he may run for office again, and was considering running for the Senate. An MSNBC spokesman refuted the idea that Scarborough might run and the following day, Scarborough, while interviewing White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, dismissed the idea that he would run.


2010 United States Senate election in Florida, Republican primary, Background
In early February, speculation increased that Charlie Crist was considering running and that Martínez, who had previously pledged to serve out the rest of his term, would resign. The possibility of Crist appointing himself to the Senate was ruled out by Jim Greer, the chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, but it was further speculated that Crist could also resign, allowing his Republican Lieutenant Governor, Jeff Kottkamp, to appoint Crist to the Senate.