United States Senate election in Arizona, 2006

Infobox Election
election_name = United States Senate election in Arizona, 2006
country = Arizona
type = presidential
ongoing = no
previous_election = United States Senate election in Arizona, 2000
previous_year = 2000
next_election = United States Senate election in Arizona, 2012
next_year = 2012
election_date = November 7 2006


nominee1 = Jon Kyl
party1 = Republican Party (United States)
popular_vote1 = 814,398
percentage1 = 53.3


nominee2 = Jim Pederson
party2 = Democratic Party (United States)
popular_vote2 = 664,141
percentage2 = 43.5
map_

---

map_size = 200px
map_caption = Election results by county
title = Senator
before_election = Jon Kyl
before_party = Republican Party (United States)
after_election = Jon Kyl
after_party = Republican Party (United States)The 2006 U.S. Senate election for the state of Arizona was held November 7, 2006. Republican Jon Kyl defeated Democrat Jim Pederson to win a third term in the Senate.

The primary election was held on September 12. The incumbent, Republican Jon Kyl, was elected to the Senate in 1994 and was re-elected to a second term in 2000; prior to that he spent eight years in the US House of Representatives. Kyl's Democratic opponent for the general election is wealthy real-estate developer Jim Pederson, who served as the Arizona Democratic Party Chairman from 2001 to 2005. During his tenure, Pederson spent millions of dollars of his own money to help Democrats modernize and to elect current Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano. The deadline for signing petition signatures to appear on the September 12, 2006 primary ballot was June 14, 2006.

eptember 2005 — Pederson enters the race

Not long after the 2004 election, Pederson's name began being mentioned as a potential Senate candidate for the 2006 race. On July 28, 2005, Pederson formally stepped down as Chair of the Arizona Democratic Party, further fueling those speculations.

In early September 2005, an e-mail was sent from the Arizona Democratic Party's website, inviting people to an announcement by Pederson on September 7. In an anticlimactic move, an e-mail was sent out shortly after the first saying that the announcement would be postponed due to Hurricane Katrina. It was requested that any money that would be donated to Pederson's campaign at the announcement be directed to relief efforts instead. Similarly, a meeting in Arizona of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) was scheduled for around the same time. It was also postponed and the same request was made involving donations. On September 7, 2005, Pederson filed to run for US Senate.

On September 14, 2005, Pederson formally announced his intention to run, in his hometown of Casa Grande, Arizona.

Expectations

Although Kyl started the campaign with a sizable lead in most polls, the gap quickly narrowed, especially after Pederson released his array of ads.

The race might be one of the most expensive in Arizona history. As of May 7, 2006, Kyl's campaign had raised over $9 million, primarily from private donations from Oil and Energy companies and large fundraising dinners. Pederson's campaign had raised over $5 million, primarily through a dinner event with former President Clinton and a $2 million donation from Pederson.

List of candidates

Democrats

*Jim Pederson - real estate developer, former Arizona Democratic Party chair (2001-2005)

Republican

*Jon Kyl - incumbent Senator (1995-Current)

Libertarian

*Richard Mack - former Graham County sheriff, gun control opponent [http://www.azlp.org/]

Former Candidates

Democrats

*John Verkamp - Veteran and former Republican state Senator
*Leonard Clark - teacher, Iraq War veteran, and liberal activist

Opinion Polls

Election Results

Election box candidate with party link
party = Republican Party (United States)
candidate = Jon Kyl (incumbent)
votes = 814,398
percentage = 53.3
change = -26.0Election box candidate with party link
party = Democratic Party (United States)
candidate = Jim Pederson
votes = 664,141
percentage = 43.5
change = "n/a"Election box candidate with party link
party = Libertarian Party (United States)
candidate = Richard Mack
votes = 48,231
percentage = 3.2
change = -1.9Election box majority
votes = 150,257
percentage = 9.8
change = Election box turnout
votes = 1,526,770
percentage =
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Republican Party (United States)
swing =

External links

*All three sites inactive*
* [http://www.jonkyl.com/ Kyl's campaign website]
* [http://www.richardmackforsenate.com/ Mack's campaign website]
* [http://johnverkamp.com/ Verkamp's campaign website]