# 2006 United States Senate election in Tennessee

Elections in Tennessee :
Federal government
U.S. President
1796
1800
1804
1808
1812
1816
1820
1824
1828
1832
1836
1840
1844
1848
1852
1856
1860
1864
1868
1872
1876
1880
1884
1888
1892
1896
1900
1904
1908
1912
1916
1920
1924
1928
1932
1936
1940
1944
1948
1952
1956
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Presidential primaries
Democratic
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Republican
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
U.S. Senate
1796
1798
1803
1809
1823
1826
1829
1833
1835
1841
1844
1847
1851
1853
1858
1866
1867
1875
1877
1883
1887
1889
1893
1895
1899
1901
1905
1907
1911
1913
1916
1918
1922
1924
1928
1930
1934
1936
1940
1942
1946
1948
1952
1954
1958
1960
1964
1966
1970
1972
1976
1978
1982
1984
1988
1990
1994
1996
2000
2002
2006
2008
2012
2014
2018
2020
2024
2026
U.S. House
1796
1797
1799
1801
1803
1805
1807
1809
1811
1813
1815
1817
1819
1821
1823
1825
1827
1829
1831
1833
1835
1837
1839
1841
1842
1843
1845
1847
1849
1851
1853
1855
1857
1859
1861
1865
1867
1868
1870
1872
1874
1876
1878
1880
1882
1884
1886
1888
1890
1892
1894
1896
1898
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
1910
1912
1914
1916
1918
1920
1922
1924
1926
1928
1930
1932
1934
1936
1938
1940
1942
1944
1946
1948
1950
1952
1954
1956
1958
1960
1962
1964
1966
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
Special elections
Senate
1797
1798
1799
1809
1811
1815
1817
1819
1821
1825
1829
1838
1839
1840
1843
1857
1877
1898
1905
1913
1930
1934
1938
1964
1994
House
At-large
1797
1801
1st
1910
1961
2nd
1815
1891
1939
1964
1988
3rd
1939
4th
1837
1874
1875
5th
1814
1975
1988
6th
1939
7th
1932
1939
8th
1845
1958
1969
9th
1940 :
State government
State elections
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
Gubernatorial elections
1796
1797
1799
1801
1803
1805
1807
1809
1811
1813
1815
1817
1819
1821
1823
1825
1827
1829
1831
1833
1835
1837
1839
1841
1843
1845
1847
1849
1851
1853
1855
1857
1859
1861
1863
1865
1867
1869
1870
1872
1874
1876
1878
1880
1882
1884
1886
1888
1890
1892
1894
1896
1898
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
1910
1912
1914
1916
1918
1920
1922
1924
1926
1928
1930
1932
1934
1936
1938
1940
1942
1944
1946
1948
1950
1952
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022
State Senate elections
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
House of Representatives elections
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024 :
Ballot measures
2006
Amendment 1
2014
Amendment 1
2022
Amendment 1
Amendment 3
Nashville measures
Nashville Charter Amendment 1
Let's Move Nashville :
Local elections
Hamilton County mayoral elections
2018
2022
Chattanooga mayoral elections
2013
2017
2021
2025
Knox County mayoral elections
2010
2014
2018
2022
Knoxville mayoral elections
1983
1987
1991
1995
1999
2003
2007
2011
2015
2019
2023
Shelby County mayoral elections
2010
2014
2018
2022
Memphis mayoral elections
2011
2015
2019
2023
Clarksville Mayoral elections
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022
Jackson Mayoral elections
2015
2019
2023
Murfreesboro Mayoral elections
2014
2018
2022
Nashville Mayoral elections
2007
2011
2015
2018 (sp)
2019
2023 :
Government :
vte :
The 2006 United States Senate election in Tennessee was held on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Republican Senator Bill Frist, the Majority Leader, retired after two terms in office. The open seat was won by Republican nominee Bob Corker, who defeated Democratic nominee Harold Ford Jr.
The race between Ford and Corker was one of the most competitive Senate races of 2006, with Corker winning the race by less than three percent of the vote. Corker was the only non-incumbent Republican to win a U.S. Senate seat in 2006. Since 1995, the Republican Party has held both of Tennessee's U.S. Senate seats.
Since this election (along with the gubernatorial election held the same day), only seven of the state's 95 counties–Davidson, Shelby, Haywood, Hardeman, Houston, Jackson, and Lake–have gone to the Democratic candidate in a statewide election, with Jackson and Lake only going Democratic once. Only five counties have voted for a Democratic candidate in a Presidential, Senate, or gubernatorial race multiple times since 2006. Only three–Davidson, Shelby, and Haywood–have voted Democratic in a Senate race since 2006.
The election marks the last very competitive statewide election in Tennessee history, as the Republican Party has gained intense strength in both Tennessee and predominantly white, rural Southeast regions that were usually Democratic-leaning outside of presidential elections.

## Republican primary
### Candidates

* Ed Bryant, former U.S. Representative
* Bob Corker, businessman, former Mayor of Chattanooga and candidate for the United States Senate in 1994.
* Van Hilleary, former U.S. Representative and nominee for Governor of Tennessee in 2002

### Campaign

Only 11 percent of Tennesseans knew who Corker was when he began running for the Senate race. All three have run statewide campaigns in the past, albeit unsuccessful ones: Bryant for the 2002 Republican Senate nomination, losing to Lamar Alexander; Corker for the U.S. Senate in 1994, losing to Frist in the Republican primary; and Hilleary for Tennessee Governor in 2002, losing to Democrat Phil Bredesen.

### Debates

The three Republican candidates met for a debate at the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville on June 29, 2006. All three candidates expressed skepticism regarding global warming and recent publication of scientific consensus on the issue, supported continued American involvement in Iraq, opposed income tax increases, and "showed varying degrees of interest in replacing the federal income tax with a national sales tax," prompting Corker to state in his closing statement "[t]here's not any difference, that I can tell, on the issues."

### Polling

| Source | Date | Hilleary | Bryant | Corker | Other | Undecided |
| City Paper/Supertalk 99.7 WTN | May 9, 2006 | 34% | 23% | 19% | — | 24% |
| SurveyUSA | May 16, 2006 | 40% | 28% | 23% | — | 9% |
| SurveyUSA | May 23, 2006 | 28% | 23% | 38% | — | 8% |
| University of Tennessee | July 20, 2006 | 15% | 26% | 37% | 4% | 17% |
| Mason-Dixon/Chattanooga Times Free Press | July 23, 2006 | 22% | 23% | 39% | — | 16% |
| SurveyUSA | July 24, 2006 | 15% | 29% | 49% | 3% | 4% |
| SurveyUSA | August 2, 2006 | 20% | 31% | 45% | 1% | 3% |

### Results

Republican primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Bob Corker | 231,541 | 48.13% |
| | Republican | Ed Bryant | 161,189 | 33.50% |
| | Republican | Van Hilleary | 83,078 | 17.27% |
| | Republican | Tate Harrison | 5,309 | 1.10% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 481,117 | 100 |

## Democratic primary
### Candidates

* Harold Ford Jr., U.S. Representative

### Campaign

Harold Ford was a Congressman from the 9th Congressional District, based in Memphis, and he was a member of a political family, with many relatives also serving or formerly in political office. He was known nationally for his keynote address at the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, and for a challenge to Nancy Pelosi for leadership of the House Democrats in 2002. He had also served as a national campaign co-chair for the John Kerry presidential campaign in 2004.
Ford filed paperwork to run for the U.S. Senate in May 2005.
Democratic State Senator Rosalind Kurita, from the 22nd District, centered on Clarksville, Tennessee had entered the race prior to Ford, and initially appeared to be competitive, releasing internal polls showing her as strong as Ford in the general election. But she dropped out of the race in early April 2006, as a result of financial and organizational challenges.
Ford enjoyed substantial support from Democratic leaders in Washington and Nashville and held a substantial lead in fundraising.

### Results

Democratic primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Harold Ford Jr. | 333,789 | 79.10% |
| | Democratic | Gary Gene Davis | 41,802 | 9.91% |
| | Democratic | John Jay Hooker | 27,175 | 6.44% |
| | Democratic | Charles Smith | 14,724 | 3.49% |
| | Democratic | Alvin Strauss | 4,410 | 1.05% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 421,900 | 100 |

## General election
### Candidates
#### Major

* Harold Ford Jr. (D), U.S. Representative
* Bob Corker (R), former Mayor of Chattanooga

#### Minor

* Ed Choate (I)
* Gary Keplinger (I)
* Bo Heyward (I)
* Chris Lugo (G), peace activist
* David "None of the Above" Gatchell (I)

### Campaign

Not long after Corker's primary victory was assured, Ford, at a rally of his supporters attended by Bill Clinton, challenged Corker to seven televised debates across the state. In response, Corker said he will debate Ford but did not agree to Ford's request of seven debates. Both of Corker's primary opponents endorsed Corker immediately after they conceded the race.
On August 8, 2006, the Tennessee Democratic Party filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission against Corker for allegedly violating campaign financial disclosure rules.
On August 25, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported that Corker had received a subpoena regarding an environmental lawsuit filed three years ago. The lawsuit centers on the actions Corker took as mayor to allegedly demolish a conservation site to build a road that leads to a Wal-Mart SuperCenter. Corker was scheduled to testify on October 18, but the case was settled on October 13.
Ford, a member of the Blue Dog Coalition in Congress, sought to run as a centrist, recognizing that Tennessee was a conservative state. While he was a member of a political dynasty in Memphis, this also served as a liability, as his state senator uncle was indicted on federal corruption charges the day after he announced his Senate candidacy.
On October 1, Corker replaced his campaign manager.
As the campaign entered October, Ford was leading in some polls. Despite running a strong campaign, he was hampered by his family's legal issues and the fact that his base was in West Tennessee, as opposed to Corker's base in East Tennessee.
Before a Corker press conference in Memphis on October 20, Ford approached Corker in a parking lot and confronted his opponent about Iraq in front of local news cameras, pointing out that some of Corker's fellow Republicans are changing their minds on the war and wanting to debate him about the issue. In response, Corker said, "I came to talk about ethics, and I have a press conference. And I think it's a true sign of desperation that you would pull your bus up when I'm having a press conference." Ford replied that he could never find Corker. Corker then walked away to his press conference.
On November 2, Nielsen Monitor Plus indicated that the Corker campaign had purchased more television advertising than any other Senate candidate in the country through October 15.

### Debates

3 debates were held between Corker and Ford. They participated in a televised debate in Memphis on October 7, in Chattanooga on October 10, and in Nashville on October 28.
In the October 7, 2006 debate in Memphis, the candidates covered a wide range of issues, including immigration, Iraq, cutting health care costs, abortion, and Social Security. Commenting on Ford's political family, Corker said, "I think it's evident there's been a Ford in this (9th District congressional district) seat for 32 years, and if you look at the number of Fords that are on the ballot—especially I think the most recent one, I know it concerns a lot of people right here in Memphis." Ford responded, "I don't know why Mr. Corker keeps bringing up my family. . . . It's you and I running for the Senate. It's our ideas, our plans to make the future better for everybody. Let's stick to you and I. And if you come up with a recipe to pick family, say it. Otherwise be quiet and let's run for the Senate."
* Complete video of debate, October 7, 2006
The October 10 Chattanooga debate covered many of the same issues, with Corker again attempting to make Ford's family an issue and Ford claiming that Corker would be merely a "rubber stamp" for the Bush administration and Republican Party in the Senate.
* Complete video of debate, October 10, 2006
The final debate took place on October 28, in Nashville and mostly covered the economy.
* Complete video of debate, October 28, 2006

### Controversial advertisement

A negative ad titled "Who Hasn't?" sponsored by the Republican National Committee ("RNC") that aired during the third and fourth weeks of October gained national attention and was condemned by both Ford and Corker. The ad ridiculed Ford through interviews of fictional citizens giving deadpan endorsements that satirized Ford's policies and reputation, such as "terrorists need their privacy" and "taxes after I'm dead". The last of these is a scantily clad white woman (Johanna Goldsmith) acting as a Playboy bunny who "met Harold at the Playboy party", who invites Ford to "call me".
Responding to questions about the ad, a Ford spokesperson said that Ford went to a 2005 Playboy-sponsored Super Bowl party that was attended by more than 3,000 people, and Ford himself said that he likes "football and girls" and makes no apology for either.
The NAACP described the ad as "a powerful innuendo that plays to pre-existing prejudices about African-American men and white women", and former Republican Senator William Cohen called it "a very serious appeal to a racist sentiment. Corker condemned the RNC ad, calling it "tacky" and stating that his campaign has asked to have it pulled. The RNC, however, continued to endorse the ad, said it had no plans to stop airing it, and dismissed charges of racism, saying it "wouldn't even entertain the premise" that the ad was racist. In an October 24 interview with Tim Russert, RNC chairman Ken Mehlman said that he thought the ad was "fair" and that he did not have the authority to pull it.
The ad was also denounced by Canada's ambassador to the United States, Michael Wilson, and in the Parliament of Canada by MP Omar Alghabra. The ad became an issue in Canada because of an actor's statement in the advertisement, "Canada can take care of North Korea. They're not busy." Alghabra, in the House of Commons, responded, "Is this what Canadians should be expecting as the outcome of cozying up to Mr. Bush by the prime minister and his Conservatives?"
On October 25, Mehlman announced that the ad was "down now" during an interview with Wolf Blitzer on CNN. In its place, Tennessee television stations ran a different RNC ad.

### Endorsements

Ford received endorsements from, among others, The Tennessean (Nashville's predominant daily newspaper), The Commercial Appeal (Memphis's predominant daily newspaper), the Jackson Sun (Jackson's predominant daily newspaper), the Bristol Herald Courier, Metro Pulse (Knoxville), the Professional Firefighters Association of Tennessee, and the Tennessee State Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police.
Corker was endorsed by, among others, the NRA Political Victory Fund, the Knoxville News-Sentinel, the United States Chamber of Commerce, Clarksville Leaf Chronicle, Lebanon Democrat, Kingsport Times News, Nashville City Paper, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, and the National Right to Life Committee, though the Tennessee Right to Life Committee has refused to endorse Corker, claiming he is a "pro-abortion" politician.
Both Corker and Ford were endorsed by the Chattanooga Times Free Press (Chattanooga's predominant daily newspaper still maintains two separate editorial pages left over from when its two daily newspapers merged): Ford by The Times editors, and Corker by Free Press editors.

#### Individuals

* Wesley Clark, General, 2004 Democratic presidential candidate

### Fundraising

Through October 18, 2006, Corker had raised more money than Ford and had also spent more, according to the candidates' most recent filings with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Corker tapped into his personal fortune to help fund his campaign, loaning his campaign a total of $4.1 million. Corker loaned $2 million of this amount on Wednesday, November 1, less than a week before the election, triggering the "millionaire's amendment" of the 2002 Campaign Reform Act and allowing Ford to seek $12,600 from individual donors instead of $2,100, the normal limit, for the final days of the campaign.
President Bush attended two fund raiser dinners on behalf of the Corker campaign in Nashville and Memphis which raised $2.6 million for Corker's campaign by charging over $2,000 a plate. Former President Bill Clinton attended a rally for the Ford campaign in Nashville that raised about $1 million.
None of the third-party candidates filed reports with the FEC.
| Candidate | Funds Raised | Cash On-Hand |
| Bob Corker (R) | $13,145,585 | $973,171 |
| Harold Ford (D) | $9,889,498 | $356,175 |

### Predictions

| Source | Ranking | As of |
| The Cook Political Report | Tossup | November 6, 2006 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball | Tossup | November 6, 2006 |
| Rothenberg Political Report | Tossup | November 6, 2006 |
| Real Clear Politics | Lean R | November 6, 2006 |

### Polling

In the general election, polls showed Corker with a statistically insignificant lead in the week before the election.
| Source | Date | Harold Ford Jr. (D) | Bob Corker (R) |
| Global Strategy Group | March 2005 | 39% | 34% |
| Global Strategy Group | October 31, 2005 | 39% | 36% |
| Rasmussen | December 20, 2005 | 42% | 36% |
| Rasmussen | January 30, 2006 | 40% | 42% |
| Rasmussen | March 6, 2006 | 35% | 39% |
| Rasmussen | May 7, 2006 | 39% | 43% |
| Zogby | June 13, 2006 | 42% | 46% |
| Zogby/WSJ | June 21, 2006 | 41% | 42% |
| University of Tennessee | July 20, 2006 | 35% | 42% |
| Zogby/WSJ | July 24, 2006 | 44% | 43% |
| Mason-Dixon | July 24, 2006 | 36% | 49% |
| Rasmussen | July 26, 2006 | 37% | 49% |
| Rasmussen | August 10, 2006 | 42% | 48% |
| Benenson Strategy Group (D) | August 21, 2006 | 44% | 42% |
| Zogby/WSJ | August 28, 2006 | 44% | 48% |
| Rasmussen | September 5, 2006 | 44% | 45% |
| Zogby/WSJ | September 11, 2006 | 43% | 45% |
| SurveyUSA | September 11, 2006 | 48% | 45% |
| Benenson Strategy Group (D) | September 23, 2006 | 45% | 39% |
| Zogby/WSJ | September 25, 2006 | 42% | 48% |
| Mason-Dixon | September 27, 2006 | 43% | 42% |
| Middle Tennessee State University | September 30, 2006 | 42% | 43% |
| Rasmussen | October 1, 2006 | 48% | 43% |
| Reuters/Zogby | October 5, 2006 | 40% | 40% |
| USA Today/Gallup (RV) | October 5, 2006 | 46% | 36% |
| USA Today/Gallup (LV) | October 5, 2006 | 50% | 45% |
| SurveyUSA | October 10, 2006 | 46% | 48% |
| Hamilton Beattie (D) | October 10, 2006 | 51% | 44% |
| Rasmussen | October 13, 2006 | 48% | 46% |
| Zogby/The Wall Street Journal | October 19, 2006 | 42% | 49% |
| Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg | October 24, 2006 | 44% | 49% |
| Mason-Dixon/MSNBC-McClatchy | October 24, 2006 | 43% | 45% |
| Rasmussen | October 24, 2006 | 46% | 47% |
| SurveyUSA | October 25, 2006 | 48% | 48% |
| Hamilton Beattie (D) | October 26, 2006 | 47% | 45% |
| Benenson Strategy Group (D) | October 30, 2006 | 48% | 43% |
| CNN | October 31, 2006 | 44% | 52% |
| CNN | October 31, 2006 | 45% | 47% |
| Zogby/The Wall Street Journal | October 31, 2006 | 48% | 49% |
| Mason-Dixon | November 1, 2006 | 38% | 50% |
| Rasmussen | November 1, 2006 | 47% | 49% |
| Rasmussen | November 2, 2006 | 45% | 53% |
| Reuters/Zogby | November 2, 2006 | 43% | 53% |
| Hamilton Beattie (D) | November 3, 2006 | 46% | 40% |
| Rasmussen | November 4, 2006 | 45% | 53% |
| USA Today/Gallup | November 4, 2006 | 46% | 49% |
| Survey USA | November 5, 2006 | 46% | 51% |
| Rasmussen | November 5, 2006 | 47% | 51% |
| OnPoint Polling and Research | November 6, 2006 | 47% | 48% |

### Results

United States Senate election in Tennessee, 2006 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | Bob Corker | 929,911 | 50.71% | −14.39 |
| | Democratic | Harold Ford, Jr. | 879,976 | 47.99% | +15.78 |
| | Independent | Ed Choate | 10,831 | 0.59% | N/A |
| | Independent | David Gatchell | 3,746 | 0.20% | N/A |
| | Independent | Emory "Bo" Heyward | 3,580 | 0.20% | N/A |
| | Independent | H. Gary Keplinger | 3,033 | 0.17% | N/A |
| | Green | Chris Lugo | 2,589 | 0.14% | N/A |
| | Write-in | | 29 | 0.00% | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 49,935 | 2.72% | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,833,695 | 49.97% | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Swing | -14.39 | |

#### Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

* Cannon (Largest city: Woodbury)
* Crockett (Largest city: Bells)
* DeKalb (Largest city: Smithville)
* Dickson (Largest city: Dickson)
* Franklin (Largest city: Winchester)
* Giles (Largest city: Pulaski)
* Henry (Largest city: Paris)
* Hickman (Largest city: Centerville)
* Lewis (Largest city: Hohenwald)
* Marion (Largest city: Jasper)
* Marshall (Largest city: Lewisburg)
* Warren (Largest city: McMinnville)
* White (Largest city: Sparta)
* Benton (largest municipality: Camden)
* Clay (largest municipality: Celina)
* Lake (largest municipality: Tiptonville)
* Lauderdale (largest municipality: Ripley)
* Overton (largest municipality: Livingston)
* Perry (largest municipality: Linden)
* Stewart (largest municipality: Dover)
* Trousdale (largest municipality: Hartsville)
* Van Buren (largest municipality: Spencer)
* Hardeman (largest city: Bolivar)
* Macon (Largest city: Lafayette)
* Montgomery (Largest city: Clarksville)
* Sequatchie (Largest city: Dunlap)
* Haywood (largest city: Brownsville)
* Shelby (largest city: Memphis)
* Davidson (largest city: Nashville)