The 1994 United States Senate election in Virginia was held November 8, 1994. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Chuck Robb won re-election to a second term versus Republican nominee Oliver North, a Marine Corps veteran famous for his role in the Iran–Contra affair.
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| Turnout | 43.6% (voting eligible)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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 County and independent city results Robb: 40-50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% North: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Robb ultimately won by a 45.6% to 42.9% margin, with Marshall Coleman, a former Republican state attorney general of Virginia, taking 11.4% as an Independent candidate.
Background and campaign
editCampaign
editOliver North was a very controversial figure as he was involved in the Iran-Contra Affair, a scandal during Ronald Reagan's presidency where he had asserted that he was merely following orders from superiors. He faced James C. Miller III for the Republican nomination. On March 16, 1994, a letter was solicited by former Senator Paul Laxalt and released by Miller that came from Reagan, which stated among the following, "I'm getting pretty steamed about the statements coming from Oliver North." It was the only statement Reagan made on the race.[2] North defeated Miller in June for the party nomination with over 55% of the vote. The questions about North's credibility would be a constant issue for the duration of the campaign. On the Democrat side however, Robb was not assured of an easy path to re-election, as he had admitted to questionable behavior before and during his term as Senator.[3][4] Marshall Coleman, a former state Attorney General, attempted to seize the middle ground between Robb and North and ran as an independent. Republican Senator John Warner of Virginia endorsed Marshall Coleman, declaring North "unfit" for public service.
Douglas Wilder, the first black governor of Virginia, who served from 1990 to 1994, originally entered the Senate race in June as an independent before dropping out in September after polls showed him with favoring of less than 15% in a four-man ballot.[5] In the last weeks of the election, Wilder started to campaign for Robb.[3]
In his failed bid to unseat Robb, North raised $20.3 million in a single year through nationwide direct mail solicitations, telemarketing, fundraising events, and contributions from major donors. About $16 million of that amount was from direct mail alone. This was the biggest accumulation of direct mail funds for a statewide campaign to that date, and it made North the top direct mail political fundraiser in the country in 1994.[6] In contrast, by late October, Robb had raised just $4.5 million, and Coleman had raised just over $400,000.
On October 27 (less than two weeks before the election), former First Lady Nancy Reagan made a rare public speaking appearance that was videotaped. When asked about North, she stated that North had lied to her husband when discussing Iran-Contra with the former president, which came with the polls showing North in a tie with Robb. North, labeled as usually combative in his rhetoric, stated the following soon after: "My mom told me a long time ago not to get into a fight with a lady. Nothing is going to change the fact that I think Ronald Reagan is the greatest president of my lifetime and maybe the greatest president we've ever had." The statement by Reagan was stated later as key in hurting North's image, particularly with Republican women.[7]
North's candidacy was documented in the 1996 film A Perfect Candidate.[8] In a race declared by one historian as "the two most unpopular party nominees in this state's history", Robb defeated North by a narrow margin.[3]
Democratic primary
editCandidates
edit- Sylvia Clute
- Virgil Goode, state senator from Rocky Mount
- Chuck Robb, incumbent senator since 1989
- Nancy Spannaus, Lyndon LaRouche movement activist
Convention
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chuck Robb (incumbent) | 543 | 49.86% | |
| Democratic | Virgil Goode | 240 | 22.04% | |
| Democratic | Douglas Wilder (draft effort) | 189 | 17.36% | |
| Democratic | Sylvia Clute | 61 | 5.60% | |
| Democratic | Nancy Spannaus | 56 | 5.14% | |
| Total votes | 1,089 | 100.00% | ||
There was an attempt to draft Governor Doug Wilder to run against Robb, but he chose to run as an Independent candidate.
Primary
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chuck Robb (incumbent) | 154,561 | 57.90% | |
| Democratic | Virgil Goode | 90,547 | 33.92% | |
| Democratic | Sylvia Clute | 17,329 | 6.49% | |
| Democratic | Nancy Spannaus | 4,507 | 1.69% | |
| Total votes | 266,944 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
editCandidates
edit- James C. Miller III, former Director of the Office of Management and Budget
- Oliver North, Marine Corps veteran
Convention
editNorth won a majority of the vote at the convention. He was not opposed in the primary.
General election
editCandidates
edit- J. Marshall Coleman, former Virginia attorney general and Republican candidate for governor in 1989 (Independent)
- Chuck Robb, incumbent senator (Democratic)
- Oliver North, Marine Corps veteran and figure in the Iran-Contra affair (Republican)
- Douglas Wilder, outgoing governor of Virginia (Independent) (withdrew)
Polling
edit| Source | Date | Chuck Robb (D) |
Oliver North (R) |
Marshall Coleman (I) |
Douglas Wilder (I) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mason-Dixon | November 1–2, 1994 | 37% | 36% | 17% | |
| Richmond Times-Dispatch | October 31 – November 3, 1994 | 39% | 31% | 12% | |
| Roanoke College | October 27–30, 1994 | 39% | 35% | 14% | |
| Mason-Dixon | October 15–17, 1994 | 33% | 37% | 16% | |
| Mason-Dixon | September 22–24, 1994 | 33% | 35% | 18% | |
| Mason-Dixon | September 8–11, 1994 | 33% | 28% | 15% | 12% |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | July 7–15, 1994 | 29% | 29% | 11% | 16% |
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chuck Robb (Incumbent) | 938,376 | 45.61% | −25.64% | |
| Republican | Oliver North | 882,213 | 42.88% | +14.18% | |
| Independent | J. Marshall Coleman | 235,324 | 11.44% | ||
| Independent | L. Douglas Wilder (withdrew) | 113 | 0.01% | ||
| Write-ins | 1,437 | 0.07% | +0.01% | ||
| Majority | 56,163 | 2.73% | −39.83% | ||
| Turnout | 2,057,463 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Dr. Michael McDonald (March 25, 2013). "Turnout 1980-2012". George Mason University. Archived from the original on October 30, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
- ^ "THE 1994 CAMPAIGN: VIRGINIA; Mrs. Reagan Denounces Oliver North On Iran Affair". The New York Times. October 29, 1994. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
- ^ a b c Shogren, Elizabeth; Ross, Michael (November 9, 1994). "ELECTIONS '94 : Robb Defeats North in Virginia's Scandal-Scarred Senate Competition : Politics: Incumbent Democrat survives close race where voters disliked both candidates. The African American vote was the key to victory". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ "VIRGINIA GOP CONVENTION NOMINATES NORTH FOR SENATE". Washington Post. March 4, 2024. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
- ^ "THE 1994 CAMPAIGN: VIRGINIA; Wilder to Quit Senate Race In Virginia". The New York Times. September 15, 1994. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
- ^ "Ollie, Inc.: how Oliver North raised over $20 million in a losing U.S. Senate race". Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved September 24, 2007.
- ^ "NORTH GIVES NANCY REAGAN NO BACK TALK". Washington Post. January 5, 2024. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ Ebert, Roger. "A Perfect Candidate movie review (1996) | Roger Ebert". Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - VA US Senate - D Convention Race - Apr 16, 1994".
- ^ "Our Campaigns - VA US Senate - D Primary Race - Jun 14, 1994".
- ^ "Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives".