2012 United States Senate election in Rhode Island
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The 2012 United States Senate election in Rhode Island was on November 6, 2012, alongside the presidential election, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections.
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November 6, 2012
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| Turnout | 58.0% (voting eligible)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
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Whitehouse: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Hinckley: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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In the 2006 Senate election, former Attorney General of Rhode Island Sheldon Whitehouse defeated one-term Republican incumbent Lincoln Chafee. Chafee had been appointed to the Senate in 1999 when his father, the incumbent senator John Chafee died. He then won election to a first term in 2000. Whitehouse won 53.52% of the vote in 2006.
Incumbent Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse was reelected to a second term in a landslide by a 30-point margin of 65% - 35%. This election was the first time since 1970 that the election for Rhode Island's Class 1 Senate seat did not feature a member of the Chafee family.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Declared
- Sheldon Whitehouse, incumbent U.S. Senator
Unsuccessful
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Sheldon Whitehouse (incumbent) | 60,223 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 60,223 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
- Barry Hinckley, president and co-founder of software company Bullhorn[3]
Declined
- Joseph Almond, Lincoln town administrator[4]
- Scott Avedisian, Mayor of Warwick[5]
- Donald Carcieri, former Governor of Rhode Island[6]
- Giovanni Cicione, former chairman of the Rhode Island Republican Party[7]
- Brendan Doherty, former Rhode Island state police superintendent (running for a U.S. House seat)[8]
- Leo Fontaine, Mayor of Woonsocket[9]
- Allan Fung, Mayor of Cranston[10]
- John Robitaille, businessman and nominee for Governor in 2010[11][12]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Scott Avedisian |
Donald Carcieri |
Buddy Cianci |
Giovanni Cicione |
Allan Fung |
John Loughlin |
John Robitaille |
Catherine Taylor |
Other/ Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[13] | February 16–22, 2011 | 250 | ±6.2% | 12% | 44% | 12% | 0% | 6% | 12% | 12% | 2% | — |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Barry Hinckley | 6,890 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 6,890 | 100.00% | ||
Independent
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[15] | Solid D | November 1, 2012 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[16] | Safe D | November 5, 2012 |
| Rothenberg Political Report[17] | Safe D | November 2, 2012 |
| Real Clear Politics[18] | Safe D | November 5, 2012 |
Debates
- Complete video of debate, October 24, 2012 - YouTube
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Sheldon Whitehouse (D) |
Barry Hinckley (R) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fleming & Associates[19] | February 20–23, 2012 | 511 | ±4.38% | 50% | 28% | — | 20% |
| Fleming & Associates[20] | September 26–29, 2012 | 501 | ±4.38% | 56% | 30% | — | 11% |
| Brown University[21] | September 26 – October 5, 2012 | 471 | ±4.4% | 59% | 30% | — | 12% |
| McLaughlin and Associates[22] | October 11, 2012 | 300 | ±5.6% | 49% | 41% | — | 10% |
| Fleming & Associates[23] | October 24–27, 2012 | 601 | ±4% | 55% | 33% | — | 10% |
Hypothetical polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Sheldon Whitehouse (D) |
Scott Avedisian (R) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[24] | February 16–22, 2011 | 544 | ±4.2% | 47% | 37% | — | 16% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Sheldon Whitehouse (D) |
Donald Carcieri (R) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[25] | February 16–22, 2011 | 544 | ±4.2% | 54% | 37% | — | 8% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Sheldon Whitehouse (D) |
Donald Carcieri (R) |
Buddy Cianci (I) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[26] | February 16–22, 2011 | 544 | ±4.2% | 43% | 31% | 22% | — | 4% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Sheldon Whitehouse (D) |
Buddy Cianci (R) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[27] | February 16–22, 2011 | 544 | ±4.2% | 51% | 35% | — | 14% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Sheldon Whitehouse (D) |
John Loughlin (R) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[28] | February 16–22, 2011 | 544 | ±4.2% | 51% | 34% | — | 15% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Sheldon Whitehouse (D) |
John Robitaille (R) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[29] | February 16–22, 2011 | 544 | ±4.2% | 49% | 38% | — | 13% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Sheldon Whitehouse (D) |
John Robitaille (R) |
Buddy Cianci (I) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[30] | February 16–22, 2011 | 544 | ±4.2% | 44% | 28% | 24% | — | 4% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Sheldon Whitehouse (incumbent) | 271,034 | 64.81% | +11.29% | |
| Republican | Barry Hinckley | 146,222 | 34.97% | −11.51% | |
| Write-in | 933 | 0.22% | N/A | ||
| Total votes | 418,189 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
By county
| Sheldon Whitehouse Democratic |
Barry Hinckley Republican |
Others | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % |
| Bristol | 14,556 | 63.4% | 8,390 | 36.5% | 32 | 0.1% |
| Kent | 44,332 | 59.3% | 30,217 | 40.4% | 170 | 0.2% |
| Newport | 22,774 | 61.5% | 14,224 | 38.4% | 50 | 0.1% |
| Providence | 154,123 | 68.9% | 69,136 | 30.9% | 549 | 0.2% |
| Washington | 35,006 | 59.0% | 24,209 | 40.8% | 131 | 0.2% |
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Bristol (largest municipality: Bristol)
- Kent (largest city: Warwick)
- Newport (largest municipality: Newport)
- Washington (largest municipality: South Kingstown)
By congressional district
Whitehouse won both congressional districts.[32]
| District | Whitehouse | Hinckley | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 68.5% | 31.5% | David Cicilline |
| 2nd | 61.71% | 38.29% | James Langevin |