1994 United States Senate election in Virginia

Oliver 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.{{Cite news |date=1994-10-29 |title=THE 1994 CAMPAIGN: VIRGINIA; Mrs. Reagan Denounces Oliver North On Iran Affair |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/29/us/the-1994-campaign-virginia-mrs-reagan-denounces-oliver-north-on-iran-affair.html |access-date=2024-05-10 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} 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.{{Cite web |last=Shogren |first=Elizabeth |last2=Ross |first2=Michael |date=1994-11-09 |title=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. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-11-09-mn-60604-story.html |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |date=2024-03-04 |title=VIRGINIA GOP CONVENTION NOMINATES NORTH FOR SENATE |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1994/06/05/virginia-gop-convention-nominates-north-for-senate/35985a6d-a423-48e0-b6f3-46cff27533c8/ |access-date=2024-08-18 |work=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}} 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.{{Cite news |date=1994-09-15 |title=THE 1994 CAMPAIGN: VIRGINIA; Wilder to Quit Senate Race In Virginia |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/15/us/the-1994-campaign-virginia-wilder-to-quit-senate-race-in-virginia.html |access-date=2024-05-10 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} In the last weeks of the election, Wilder started to campaign for Robb.

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.{{Cite news |title=Ollie, Inc.: how Oliver North raised over $20 million in a losing U.S. Senate race |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2519/is_n6_v16/ai_17195256 |url-status=dead |access-date=September 24, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013164841/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2519/is_n6_v16/ai_17195256 |archive-date=October 13, 2007}} 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.{{Cite news |date=2024-01-05 |title=NORTH GIVES NANCY REAGAN NO BACK TALK |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1994/10/29/north-gives-nancy-reagan-no-back-talk/3c30755b-f3dd-40ba-a347-fb9eaae2fa50/ |access-date=2024-04-10 |work=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}

North's candidacy was documented in the 1996 film A Perfect Candidate.{{Cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |title=A Perfect Candidate movie review (1996) {{!}} Roger Ebert |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/a-perfect-candidate-1996 |access-date=2024-04-10 |website= |language=en}} 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.

• Sylvia Clute
• Virgil Goode, state senator from Rocky Mount
• Chuck Robb, incumbent senator since 1989
• Nancy Spannaus, Lyndon LaRouche movement activist

{{Election box begin no change|title=1994 Virginia Democratic convention{{Cite web|url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=15717|title=Our Campaigns - VA US Senate - D Convention Race - Apr 16, 1994}}}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|candidate = Chuck Robb (incumbent)

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|votes = 543

|percentage = 49.86%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|candidate = Virgil Goode

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|votes = 240

|percentage = 22.04%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|candidate = Douglas Wilder (draft effort)

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|votes = 189

|percentage = 17.36%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|candidate = Sylvia Clute

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|votes = 61

|percentage = 5.60%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|candidate = Nancy Spannaus

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|votes = 56

|percentage = 5.14%

}}

{{Election box total no change

|votes = 1,089

|percentage = 100.00%

}}

{{Election box end}}

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

{{Election box begin no change|title=1994 Democratic U.S. Senate primary{{Cite web|url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=16076|title=Our Campaigns - VA US Senate - D Primary Race - Jun 14, 1994}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|candidate = Chuck Robb (incumbent)

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|votes = 154,561

|percentage = 57.90%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|candidate = Virgil Goode

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|votes = 90,547

|percentage = 33.92%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|candidate = Sylvia Clute

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|votes = 17,329

|percentage = 6.49%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|candidate = Nancy Spannaus

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|votes = 4,507

|percentage = 1.69%

}}

{{Election box total no change

|votes = 266,944

|percentage = 100.00%

}}

{{Election box end}}

• James C. Miller III, former Director of the Office of Management and Budget
• Oliver North, Marine Corps veteran

North won a majority of the vote at the convention. He was not opposed in the primary.

• 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)

{{Election box begin

| title=United States Senate election in Virginia, 1994{{Cite web|url=http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1994/94Stat.htm|title=Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link

| party = Democratic Party (United States)

| candidate = Chuck Robb (Incumbent)

| votes = 938,376

| percentage = 45.61%

| change = -25.64%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link

| party = Republican Party (United States)

| candidate = Oliver North

| votes = 882,213

| percentage = 42.88%

| change = +14.18%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link

| party = Independent

| candidate = J. Marshall Coleman

| votes = 235,324

| percentage = 11.44%

| change =

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link

| party = Independent

| candidate = L. Douglas Wilder (withdrew)

| votes = 113

| percentage = 0.01%

| change =

}}

{{Election box candidate

| party = Write-ins

| candidate =

| votes = 1,437

| percentage = 0.07%

| change = +0.01%

}}

{{Election box majority

| votes = 56,163

| percentage = 2.73%

| change = -39.83%

}}

{{Election box turnout

| votes = 2,057,463

| percentage =

| change =

}}

{{Election box hold with party link

| winner = Democratic Party (United States)

| loser =

| swing =

}}

{{Election box end}}

• 1994 United States Senate elections

{{Reflist}}

{{US Third Party Election}}

{{United States elections, 1994}}

United States Senate

Virginia

1994