2010 United States Senate election in Alabama
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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 Senator Richard Shelby won re-election to a fifth term.
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November 2, 2010
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 County results Shelby: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Barnes: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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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.
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.
Shelby was popular in Alabama. A September 2009 poll showed he had a 58% approval rating, with 35% disapproving.[1]
Republican primary
Candidates
- Clint Moser, Tea Party activist[2]
- Richard Shelby, incumbent U.S. Senator
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Richard Shelby |
Clint Moser |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research 2000[3] | May 10–12, 2010 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 63% | 14% | — | 23% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Richard Shelby (incumbent) | 405,042 | 84.34% | |
| Republican | Clint Moser | 75,190 | 15.66% | |
| Total votes | 480,232 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
- William G. Barnes, attorney
- Simone De Moore, teacher and soul singer[5]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
William Barnes |
Simone De Moore |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research 2000[3] | May 10–12, 2010 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 39% | 11% | 3% | 47% |
Results
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
- 50–60%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | William G. Barnes | 160,737 | 60.77% | |
| Democratic | Simone De Moore | 103,784 | 39.23% | |
| Total votes | 264,521 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Candidates
- William G. Barnes (D), attorney
- Richard Shelby (R), incumbent U.S. Senator since 1987
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.
In May, Shelby told reporters "I don't even know who my opponent is."[6]
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Cook Political Report[7] | Solid R | October 26, 2010 |
| Rothenberg[8] | Safe R | October 22, 2010 |
| RealClearPolitics[9] | Safe R | October 26, 2010 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[10] | Safe R | October 21, 2010 |
| CQ Politics[11] | Safe R | October 26, 2010 |
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Richard Shelby (R) |
William G. Barnes (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | March 29, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 59% | 32% | 3% | 6% |
| Research 2000 (report) | May 17–19, 2010 | 600 | ± 4.0% | 57% | 33% | 3% | 7% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | May 25, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 58% | 31% | 3% | 8% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | June 3, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 58% | 31% | 3% | 7% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | July 22, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 59% | 29% | 6% | 6% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | August 19, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 60% | 28% | 2% | 10% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | September 21, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 58% | 30% | 4% | 8% |
Richard Shelby vs. generic Democrat
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Richard Shelby (R) |
Generic Democrat |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[12] | March 27–29, 2010 | 1,270 | ±2.8% | 55% | 37% | 8% |
Fundraising
| Candidate (party) | Receipts | Disbursements | Cash on hand | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Shelby (R) | $5,103,288 | $1,456,041 | $17,028,219 | $0 |
| William Barnes (D) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Source: Federal Election Commission[13] | ||||
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Richard Shelby (incumbent) | 968,181 | 65.18% | −2.37% | |
| Democratic | William G. Barnes | 515,619 | 34.71% | +2.36% | |
| Write-in | 1,699 | 0.11% | +0.01% | ||
| Total votes | 1,485,499 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Russell (largest city: Phenix City)
- Montgomery (largest city: Montgomery)