2000 United States Senate election in Rhode Island
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The 2000 United States Senate election in Rhode Island was held on November 7, 2000. Republican U.S. Senator John Chafee had announced in 1999 that he would not seek reelection, leading his son, Lincoln Chafee, to announce his own candidacy. The elder Chafee, however, died a few months later; his son was appointed to fill the remainder of the unexpired term. The younger Chafee, now the incumbent, sought a full term and won, defeating Democratic U.S. Representative Bob Weygand. As of 2024[update], this was the last congressional election in Rhode Island to be won by a Republican.
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November 7, 2000
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Chafee: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Weygand: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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Despite the death of elder Chafee, this was not a special election, as one for the year 2000 was already planned as a normal Senate election.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Robert Weygand, U.S. Representative
- Richard A. Licht, former Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island and nominee for the United States Senate in 1988
Results
Weygand defeated former nominee Licht in the Democratic primary by a fair margin.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert Weygand | 51,769 | 57.49 | |
| Democratic | Richard A. Licht | 38,281 | 42.51 | |
| Total votes | 90,050 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Lincoln Chafee, incumbent U.S. Senator
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lincoln Chafee (Incumbent) | 2,221 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 2,221 | 100.00 | ||
General election
At a state and federal level, Rhode Island has been one of the most Democratic states in the country since the 1930s. The state voted Republican only in landslide presidential elections. In the concurrent 2000 presidential election, Al Gore was safely favored to win by the state.
Nonetheless, former Senator John Chafee managed to continually win re-election as a moderate Republican. Chafee died in 1999 and his son, Lincoln, was appointed to the seat. Lincoln Chafee similarly was a moderate Republican as Mayor of Warwick.
In the general election, Republican Chafee won a full term with 57% of the vote to his opponent due to heavy ticket splitting. Al Gore carried Rhode Island in the concurrent presidential election with 61% of the vote.
Candidates
- Lincoln Chafee (R), incumbent U.S. Senator
- Kenneth Proulx (I)
- Robert Weygand (D), U.S. Representative
- Christopher Young (Re)
Debates
- Complete video of debate, September 24, 2000
- Complete video of debate, November 1, 2000
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lincoln Chafee (Incumbent) | 222,588 | 56.88% | −7.65% | |
| Democratic | Robert Weygand | 161,023 | 41.15% | +5.67% | |
| Reform | Christopher Young | 4,107 | 1.05% | ||
| Independent | Kenneth Proulx | 3,635 | 0.93% | ||
| Majority | 61,565 | 15.73% | −13.32% | ||
| Turnout | 391,353 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
By county
| Lincoln Chafee Republican |
Robert A. Weygand Democratic |
All Others | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % |
| Bristol | 13,537 | 61.22% | 8,163 | 36.91% | 413 | 1.87% |
| Kent | 44,714 | 62.47% | 25,593 | 35.75% | 1,274 | 1.78% |
| Newport | 22,673 | 63.48% | 12,307 | 34.46% | 736 | 2.06% |
| Providence | 108,904 | 52.30% | 95,193 | 45.71% | 4,249 | 1.99% |
| Washington | 32,760 | 61.01% | 19,767 | 36.81% | 1,170 | 2.17% |
See also
Notes
- In October 1999, Chafee was appointed by Governor Lincoln Almond to fill the vacancy caused by the death of (his father) Senator John Chafee.