# 2000 United States Senate election in Rhode Island

Elections in Rhode Island :
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2022 :
Ballot measures
2020
Question 1 :
Providence
Mayoral elections
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2022 :
vte :
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, this was the last congressional election in Rhode Island to be won by a Republican.

## 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.
Democratic primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Robert Weygand | 51,769 | 57.49 |
| | Democratic | Richard A. Licht | 38,281 | 42.51 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 90,050 | 100.00 |

## Republican primary
### Candidates

* Lincoln Chafee, incumbent U.S. Senator

### Results

Republican Party primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Lincoln Chafee (Incumbent) | 2,221 | 100.00 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 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

General election results :
| Party | 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 | Majority | Majority | 61,565 | 15.73% | −13.32% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 391,353 | | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Swing | | |