2006 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania#Polling

• Rick Santorum, incumbent U.S. senator and former U.S. congressman for Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district (1991–1995)

• John Featherman, Libertarian nominee for U.S. Senate in 2000

Featherman withdrew his candidacy after a Republican party petition challenge because he did not have the necessary number of signatures to get on the ballot. As a result, Santorum won the Republican nomination unopposed.Kimberly Hefling, The Associated Press. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. [http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06075/671025.stm "Santorum's only GOP challenger bowing out of primary."] March 16, 2006. Accessed February 8, 2007.

{{Election box begin no change

| title = 2006 Republican U.S. Senate primary{{cite web|url=https://www.electionreturns.pa.gov/Home/SummaryResults?ElectionID=15&ElectionType=P&IsActive=0|title=Pennsylvania Elections {{!}} Summary Results|access-date=27 Sep 2023}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

| party = Republican Party (United States)

| candidate = Rick Santorum (incumbent)

| votes = 561,952

| percentage = 100.00%

}}

{{Election box total no change

| votes = 561,952

| percentage = 100.00%

}}

{{Election box end}}

The Democratic primary was held May 16, 2006.

• Bob Casey Jr., State Treasurer, former State Auditor General, candidate for Governor in 2002 and son of former Governor Bob Casey, Sr.James O'Toole. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. [http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06128/688317-177.stm "Voters Guide 2006: 2 battle Casey for Democratic U.S. Senate nomination."] May 8, 2006. Accessed February 8, 2007.

• Chuck Pennacchio, University of the Arts history professor
• Alan Sandals, attorney

• Barbara Hafer, former State Auditor General and State TreasurerBob Casey for US Senate. [http://ga4.org/senate2006/pressreleases.html "Hafer endorses Casey for U.S. Senate."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017045919/http://ga4.org/senate2006/pressreleases.html |date=October 17, 2015 }} June 7, 2006. Accessed February 8, 2007.
• Joe Hoeffel, U.S. RepresentativePeter Jackson, The Associated Press. The Times-Tribune. [http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14084329&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=415898&rfi=8 Casey to seek Senate nominationl; Hafer and Hoeffel out."] March 4, 2007. Accessed February 8, 2007.

Casey won a landslide victory in the primary.Pennsylvania Department of State. [http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?FunctionID=13&ElectionID=20&OfficeID=2 Commonwealth of PA - Elections Information.] Accessed February 8, 2007.

{{Election box begin no change

| title = 2006 Democratic U.S. Senate primary}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

| party = Democratic Party (United States)

| candidate = Bob Casey, Jr.

| votes = 629,271

| percentage = 84.48%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| party = Democratic Party (United States)

| candidate = Chuck Pennacchio

| votes = 66,364

| percentage = 8.91%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| party = Democratic Party (United States)

| candidate = Alan Sandals

| votes = 48,113

| percentage = 6.46%

}}

{{Election box write-in with party link no change

|votes=1,114

|percentage=0.15%

}}

{{Election box total no change

| votes = 744,862

| percentage = 100.00%

}}

{{Election box end}}

• Bob Casey Jr., State Treasurer (Democratic)
• Rick Santorum, incumbent U.S. Senator (Republican)

• Kate Michelman, former president of NARAL Pro-Choice America (Independent)

Michelman decided against running and tacitly endorsed Casey in March 2006James O'Toole. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. [http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06080/673821-178.stm "Democratic long shots seek limelight."] March 21, 2006. Accessed February 8, 2007.

• Carl Romanelli, rail industry consultant (Green)

Romanelli was removed from the ballot by a Commonwealth Court judge on September 25, 2006, following a challenge from Democrats for failing to collect enough valid signatures required of third-party candidates. He lost the appeal to the state Supreme Court challenging the required number of signatures, on October 3, 2006James O'Toole. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. [http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06277/727247-177.stm "Green Party hopeful is out; win for Casey."] October 4, 2006. Accessed February 8, 2007. Carl Romanelli was ordered to pay more than $80,000 in legal fees stemming from his failed effort to make the ballot.{{Cite web |url=http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17748994&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=455154&rfi=6 |title=The Citizens Voice - Breaking News: Romanelli ordered to pay more than $80,000 |access-date=July 18, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930035713/http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17748994&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=455154&rfi=6 |archive-date=September 30, 2007 |url-status=dead }}

{{See also|Rick Santorum#Specter endorsement}}

Republican strategists took Santorum's primary result in 2006 as a bad omen, in which he ran unopposed for the Republican nomination. Republican gubernatorial nominee Lynn Swann, also unopposed, garnered 22,000 more votes statewide than Santorum in the primary, meaning thousands of Republican voters abstained from endorsing Santorum for another Senate term. This may have been partly due to Santorum's support for Arlen Specter over Congressman Pat Toomey in the 2004 Republican primary for the U.S. Senate. Even though Santorum was only slightly less conservative than Toomey, he joined virtually all of the state and national Republican establishment in supporting the moderate Specter. This led many socially and fiscally conservative Republicans to consider Santorum's support of Specter to be a betrayal of their cause.{{cite news| url=http://www.nysun.com/article/41237| title=Outside Santorum's Sanctum| author=Jerry Bowyer| publisher=New York Sun| date=October 10, 2006| access-date=February 23, 2011| archive-date=January 19, 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080119235739/http://www.nysun.com/article/41237| url-status=dead}}{{cite news| url=http://www.nationalreview.com/moore/moore200404150838.asp| title=Santorum's Shame| author=Stephen Moore| publisher=National Review| date=April 15, 2004}}{{cite news| url=https://americasfuture.org/betrayal-in-pennsylvania/| title=Betrayal in Pennsylvania| first=Timothy P. |last=Carney| publisher=AFF's Brainwash| date=November 1, 2009}} However, Santorum said he supported Specter to avoid risking a Toomey loss in the general election, which would have prevented President George W. Bush's judicial nominees from Senate confirmation. Santorum says Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito would not have been confirmed without the help of Specter, who was chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee at the time.[http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-santorum-dogged-by-specter-endorsement-in-iowa-20120102,0,7833929.story In Iowa, Specter endorsement haunts Rick Santorum]

{{see also|Campaign for santorum neologism}}

In the Senate, Santorum was an outspoken conservative from a state with a history of electing moderates. This led many political commentators to speculate that his low approval ratings were due to some of his more controversial statements and opinions.

Among these controversies were his views on the privatization of Social SecurityMaeve Reston. Pittsburgh-Post Gazette. [http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05053/461038.stm "Santorum finds many minds made up on Social Security."] February 22, 2005. Accessed February 8, 2007.Americans United. [http://www.americansforsocialsecurity.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=126&Itemid=62 "Americans United announces "Mobilization against Privatization."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061022011136/https://www.americansforsocialsecurity.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=126&Itemid=62 |date=October 22, 2006 }} April 19, 2005. Accessed February 8, 2007. and the teaching of intelligent design in public schools.The Associated Press. The Washington Post. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/22/AR2005122202055_pf.html Santorum breaks with Christian Right law center."] December 23, 2005. Accessed February 8, 2007. In addition, his involvement in the Terri Schiavo case was considered by many in his state to be out of place.Tom Barnes. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. [http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05169/523762.stm "Santorum defends Schiavo visit."] June 18, 2005. Accessed February 8, 2007.Page Rockwell. Salon. [http://dir.salon.com/story/politics/war_room/2005/04/21/santorum/print.html?blog=/politics/war_room/2005/04/21/santorum/index.html "Rick Santorum's Schiavo woes."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606191517/http://dir.salon.com/story/politics/war_room/2005/04/21/santorum/print.html?blog=%2Fpolitics%2Fwar_room%2F2005%2F04%2F21%2Fsantorum%2Findex.html |date=June 6, 2011 }} April 25, 2005. Accessed February 8, 2005.

All this left Santorum in a precarious position throughout the race. On May 31, 2006, the polling firm Rasmussen Reports declared that Santorum was the "most vulnerable incumbent" among the senators running for re-election.Rasmussen Reports. [http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2006/State%20Polls/May%202006/paSenateMay.htm "Pennsylvania Senate: Casey by 23."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060602005312/http://rasmussenreports.com/2006/State%20Polls/May%202006/paSenateMay.htm |date=June 2, 2006 }} May 31, 2006. Accessed February 8, 2007. SurveyUSA polling taken right before the election showed that Santorum was the least popular of all 100 senators, with a 38% approval rating and a net approval rating of -19%.SurveyUSA. [http://www.surveyusa.com/50State2006/100USSenatorApproval061024Net.htm "Approval Ratings for all 100 U.S. Senators as of 10/24/06."] October 24, 2006. Accessed February 8, 2007.

While Santorum maintained a small residence in Penn Hills, a township near Pittsburgh, his family primarily lived in a large house in Leesburg, a suburb of Washington, D.C. in Northern Virginia. Santorum faced charges of hypocrisy from critics who noted the similarities between his living situation and that of former Representative Doug Walgren, who Santorum defeated in 1990. Back then, Santorum had claimed that Walgren was out of touch with his district; these claims were backed up with commercials showing Walgren's home in the Virginia suburbs.Brian O'Neill. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. [http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06145/692949-155.stm Santorum: Hoisted on his own back yard."] May 25, 2006. Accessed February 8, 2007.

On NBC's Meet the Press on September 3, 2006, Santorum admitted that he only spent "maybe a month a year, something like that" at his Pennsylvania residence.Meet the Press with Tim Russert. [https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna14568263 "MTP Transcript for Sept. 3."] September 6, 2006. Accessed February 8, 2007.

Santorum also drew criticism for enrolling five of his six children in an online "cyber school" in Pennsylvania's Allegheny County (home to Pittsburgh and most of its suburbs), despite the fact that the children lived in Virginia. The Penn Hills School District was billed $73,000 in tuition for the cyber classes.{{cite news | url=http://www.gatewaynewspapers.com/pennhillsprogress/65799/ | title=Dems Press Cyber Cost Issue | author=Vera Miller | publisher=Penn Hills Progress | date=September 20, 2006 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Santorum began his contrast campaign against Casey early, charging him with relentlessly seeking higher political officeRickSantorum.com. [http://www.ricksantorum.com/Multimedia/MMPlayer_Set.aspx?ID=1124&TypeID=1 "Hey There, Hi There, Ho There."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061214011514/http://www.ricksantorum.com//Multimedia/MMPlayer_Set.aspx?ID=1124&TypeID=1 |date=December 14, 2006 }} August 26, 2006. Accessed February 12, 2007. and failing to take definitive stands on issues.Bill Toland. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. [http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06286/729698-177.stm "Santorum, Casey go toe-to-toe in debate."] October 13, 2006. Accessed February 12, 2007. While these charges kept the race competitive, in late September and through October, Casey's campaign seemed to regain the momentum it had had throughout most of the campaign, as most polls showed Casey widening his lead after a summer slump. In a Quinnipiac University Polling Institute poll, released on September 26, 2006, Casey was favored by 14 points.Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. [http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1327.xml?ReleaseID=962 "Casey leads Santorum among likely voters, Quinnipiac University Pennsylvania poll finds; incumbent's momentum has stalled."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071223100239/http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1327.xml?ReleaseID=962 |date=December 23, 2007 }} September 26, 2006. Accessed February 8, 2007. An October 18, 2006 poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports showed Casey with a similar double-digit lead. In the Rasmussen poll, only 46% of voters surveyed had a favorable view of Santorum, while 57% of voters viewed Casey favorably.Rasmussen Reports. [http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2006/State%20Polls/October%202006/PennsylvaniaSenate1016.htm "Pennsylvania Senate: Santorum trailing by 13."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061019022340/http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2006/State%20Polls/October%202006/PennsylvaniaSenate1016.htm |date=October 19, 2006 }} October 18, 2006. Accessed February 8, 2007.

At least one of Santorum's television ads called into question his campaign's use of the facts regarding Casey and people who had donated money to the Casey campaign.RickSantorum.com. [http://www.ricksantorum.com/Multimedia/MMPlayer_Set.aspx?ID=1133&TypeID=1 "Corner Bar."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061018193801/http://www.ricksantorum.com//Multimedia/MMPlayer_Set.aspx?ID=1133&TypeID=1 |date=18 October 18, 2006 }} September 13, 2006. Accessed February 8, 2007. The ad, which aired in September, showed several men seated around a table, while talking amongst themselves and smoking cigars, inside a jail cell. While none of the figures, who were played by actors, were named personally, the narrator provided the job descriptions, previous donations to Casey, and ethical and/or legal troubles of each. The Santorum campaign later provided the names of the people portrayed. An editorial in Casey's hometown newspaper, The Times-Tribune, pointed out that all but one of the contributions "[was] made to Casey campaigns when he was running for other offices, at which time none of the contributors were known to be under investigation for anything."{{cite news |title=Santorum hurls the low hard one |url=http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17200385&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=418218&rfi=6 |work=The Scranton Times-Tribune |date=15 September 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927000600/http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17200385&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=418218&rfi=6 |archive-date=2007-09-27 |url-status=dead}} In fact, two of the persons cited in the Santorum campaign ad had actually given contributions to Santorum's 2006 Senate campaign. Another of the figures portrayed had died in 2004. Political scientist Larry Sabato called the ad "over the top" and suspected that the fallout would hurt Santorum.{{cite news |last1=Eichel |first1=Larry |title=Santorum ad impugns ethics of Casey 'team'. It portrays investigated men. None, however, has a formal campaign role |url=http://articles.philly.com/2006-09-14/news/25413197_1_larry-smar-santorum-democrat-bob-casey |access-date=2019-12-16 |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer |date=14 September 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130193720/http://articles.philly.com/2006-09-14/news/25413197_1_larry-smar-santorum-democrat-bob-casey |archive-date=2016-01-30 |url-status=dead}}

• [https://www.c-span.org/video/?194136-1/pennsylvania-senate-debate Complete video of debate], September 3, 2006
• [https://www.c-span.org/video/?194793-1/pennsylvania-senate-debate Complete video of debate], October 12, 2006
• [https://www.c-span.org/video/?194865-1/pennsylvania-senate-debate Complete video of debate], October 16, 2006

=== Polling ===

{{Election box begin

| title = General election results[http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?FunctionID=12&ElectionID=24 Commonwealth of PA - Elections Information] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080529001955/http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?FunctionID=12&ElectionID=24 |date=May 29, 2008 }}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link

| party = Democratic Party (United States)

| candidate = Bob Casey Jr.

| votes = 2,392,984

| percentage = 58.64%

| change = +13.2%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link

| party = Republican Party (United States)

| candidate = Rick Santorum (incumbent)

| votes = 1,684,778

| percentage = 41.28%

| change = -11.1%

}}

{{Election box write-in with party link

| votes = 3,281

| percentage = 0.08%

| change = N/A

}}

{{Election box total

| votes = 4,081,043

| percentage = 100.00%

| change = N/A

}}

{{Election box gain with party link no swing

|winner = Democratic Party (United States)

|loser = Republican Party (United States)

|swing = -24.4%

}}

{{Election box end}}

At 9:45 PM EST on Election Night, Santorum called Casey to concede defeat.Carrie Budoff and Emilie Lounsberry. The Philadelphia Inquirer. [http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/15954118.htm "Sen. Santorum loses in a landslide."] November 8, 2006. Accessed February 8, 2007.

• Armstrong (Largest city: Kittanning)
• Cambria (largest municipality: Johnstown)
• Carbon (largest municipality: Lehighton)
• Clearfield (Largest township: DuBois)
• Mercer (largest municipality: Hermitage)
• Clinton (Largest city: Lock Haven)
• Columbia (Largest city: Bloomsburg)
• Elk (Largest city: St. Marys)
• Forest (Largest city: Marienville)
• Indiana (Largest city: Indiana)
• Schuylkill (Largest city: Pottsville)
• Somerset (largest city: Somerset)
• Warren (Largest city: Warren)
• Westmoreland (Largest township: Hempfield Township)
• Bucks (largest municipality: Bensalem)
• Berks (largest borough: Reading)
• Centre (largest municipality: State College)
• Chester (largest municipality: West Chester)
• Delaware (largest city: Upper Darby)
• Dauphin (largest municipality: Harrisburg)
• Erie (largest municipality: Erie)
• Luzerne (largest municipality: Wilkes-Barre)
• Lehigh (largest municipality: Allentown)
• Monroe (largest borough: Stroudsburg)
• Montgomery (largest city: Lower Merion)
• Northampton (largest municipality: Bethlehem)

Bob Casey Jr won 14 of 19 congressional districts, including four districts which elected Republicans to the House.{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/JMilesColeman/status/1411441324574887938|title=Twitter}}

• 2006 United States Senate elections

{{Reflist}}

• [http://casey.senate.gov/ Casey's United States Senate Website]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20061106154704/http://www.ricksantorum.com/uvc/ Santorum's Campaign Website] (archived from November 2, 2006)
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20061116013612/http://www.bobcasey.com/ Casey's Campaign Website] (archived from November 16, 2006)
• [http://www.issues2000.org/Senate/Rick_Santorum.htm On the Issues: Rick Santorum]
• [http://www.issues2000.org/Senate/Bob_Casey.htm On the Issues: Bob Casey]
• [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/interactives/campaign06/pasen.html Washington Post Analysis on Senate Race]

{{United States elections, 2006}}

Pennsylvania

2006

Category:Rick Santorum

Category:2006 Pennsylvania elections