The 2006 United States Senate election in Maine was held November 7, 2006. Incumbent Republican Olympia Snowe won re-election to a third term, defeating Democrat Jean Hay Bright and independent candidate Bill Slavick. As of 2024, this was the last time Republicans won the Class 1 U.S. Senate seat in Maine.
Along with Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, this was one of the three Republican-held Senate seats up for election in a state that John Kerry won in the 2004 presidential election.
General election
Candidates
- Jean Hay Bright, activist (Democratic)
- Bill Slavick, activist (Independent)
- Olympia Snowe, incumbent U.S. Senator since 1995 (Republican)
Campaign
Snowe, who had been elected to both of her previous terms by at least three-to-two margins, had never lost an election. Her success is accredited to her centrist Republican ideology, which resulted in high approval ratings. Meanwhile, her Democratic opponent in the 2006 election, Jean Hay Bright, had never been elected to political office.
Democrats' best hope for taking the seat was that Snowe would retire rather than run in 2006, but there was never any indication that Snowe seriously considered not running for re-election.
The filing deadline for major party candidates was March 15, 2006. The primary was held June 13, 2006. Olympia Snowe was unopposed for the Republican nomination; Jean Hay Bright narrowly won the Democratic nod with 50.7% of the vote against Eric Mehnert.
Hay Bright announced her candidacy in May 2005. Hay Bright was previously an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination to the House in 1994 and the Senate in 1996.
Despite a nationwide blue wave that saw Democrats gain five seats in the Senate, the race was called by FOX News for the Republican incumbent Olympia Snowe 23 minutes after the polls had closed. Snowe won re-election by a greater margin than any U.S. Senator that cycle except Indiana's Richard Lugar, who faced only a Libertarian opponent.
Hay Bright would only carry the heavily Democratic town of Grand Isle on the Canadian border, while Slavick would win the towns of North Yarmouth, Glenburn, and Kingman with over 80% of the vote according to official tallies.