1988 United States Senate election in Connecticut
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| Turnout | 81.4%[1] | ||||||||||||||||
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Lieberman: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Weicker: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Tie: 40–50% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Connecticut |
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The 1988 United States Senate election in Connecticut took place on November 8, 1988. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Lowell Weicker ran for re-election to a fourth term but was narrowly defeated by Democrat Joe Lieberman, the Connecticut Attorney General and eventual 2000 nominee for Vice President of the United States, who would remain in office until 2013. This is the last time a Connecticut Senator lost re-election.
Both Weicker and Lieberman would go on to win state-wide elections as independents respectively in 1990 for governor and in 2006 for Senate. Lieberman's swearing-in marked the first time since 1971 that Democrats held both Senate seats from Connecticut. Lieberman was at times considered to the right of Weicker, with him benefiting from the support of National Review founder William F. Buckley Jr., and his brother, former U.S. Senator from New York James L. Buckley, with William Buckley running columns in support of Lieberman.
General election
Candidates
- Joe Lieberman (D), Connecticut Attorney General
- Lowell P. Weicker Jr. (R), incumbent U.S. Senator since 1971
- Howard A. Grayson Jr. (L)
- Melissa M. Fisher (NAP)
Debates
| Dates | Lieberman | Weicker | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 22, 1988 | Participant | Participant | C-SPAN |
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Lowell Weicker (R) |
Joe Lieberman (D) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Connecticut[2] | November 1 - 3, 1988 | 515 (LV) | ± 5% | 42% | 36% | 22% |
| University of Connecticut[3] | October 23 - 30, 1988 | 1,000 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 38% | 37% | 25% |
| Hartford Courant[4] | October, 1988 | 512 (V) | – | 39% | 39% | 22% |
| Quinnipiac University[5] | September 27 – October 5, 1988 | 742 (RV) | – | 41.4% | 26.9% | – |
| University of Connecticut[6] | September 12 – 18, 1988 | 512 (RV) | ± 5% | 44% | 30% | 27% |
| University of Connecticut[7] | July 11 – 18, 1988 | 508 (RV) | ± 5% | 47% | 31% | – |
| Hartford Courant[8] | April, 1988 | 500 (RV) | – | 51% | 27% | 22% |
Fundraising
| Campaign finance reports as of December 31, 1988 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Joe Lieberman (D) | $2,650,603 | $2,570,779 | $79,824 |
| Lowell Weicker (R) | $2,781,538 | $2,681,294 | $52,517 |
| Source: Federal Election Commission[9] | |||
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Lieberman | 688,499 | 49.76% | |
| Republican | Lowell Weicker (incumbent) | 678,454 | 49.04% | |
| Libertarian | Howard A. Grayson Jr. | 12,409 | 0.90% | |
| New Alliance | Melissa M. Fisher | 4,154 | 0.30% | |
| Total votes | 1,383,516 | 100.00% | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
By congressional district
Weicker and Lieberman won 3 of 6 congressional districts, respectively. Lieberman won one held by a Republican, while Weicker won one held by a Democrat.[11]
| District | Joe Lieberman Democratic |
Lowell Weicker Republican |
Others | Total votes cast | Representative | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | |||
| 1st | 122,631 | 52.05% | 110,646 | 46.97% | 2,290 | 0.98% | 235,567 | Barbara B. Kennelly |
| 2nd | 110,238 | 48.03% | 116,207 | 50.64% | 3,032 | 1.33% | 229,477 | Sam Gejdenson |
| 3rd | 123,634 | 53.95% | 102,954 | 44.93% | 2,571 | 1.12% | 229,159 | Bruce Morrison |
| 4th | 94,982 | 44.55% | 115,244 | 54.06% | 2,964 | 1.39% | 213,190 | Chris Shays |
| 5th | 113,984 | 49.16% | 114,878 | 49.54% | 3,001 | 1.30% | 231,863 | John G. Rowland |
| 6th | 123,030 | 50.37% | 118,525 | 48.52% | 2,705 | 1.11% | 244,260 | Nancy Johnson |
| Totals | 688,499 | 49.76% | 678,454 | 49.04% | 16,563 | 1.20% | 1,383,516 | |
See also
References
- ^ "Connecticut State Register and Manual, 1989". CT State Library.
- ^ "Weicker's lead grows, but Lieberman is still close". Record-Journal. November 6, 1988.
- ^ "Lieberman still bouyed by UConn poll results". Record-Journal. November 2, 1988.
- ^ "Weicker aide dismisses poll showing dead heat". Record-Journal. October 19, 1988.
- ^ Curran, Rick (October 14, 1988). "Poll: Lieberman gained little on Weicker". The Norwalk Hour.
- ^ "Weicker maintains lead over Lieberman - poll". The Norwalk Hour. September 22, 1988.
- ^ "State poll shows Weicker leads Lieberman by 16%". The Norwalk Hour. July 22, 1988.
- ^ "Weicker had big lead in early poll". Record-Journal. April 30, 1988.
- ^ "Candidate financial totals". Federal Election Commission.
- ^ "1988 Nov 8 :: General Election :: United States Senator :: State of Connecticut". Connecticut Secretary of State.
- ^ "Connecticut State Register and Manual, 1989". CT State Library.