2012 United States Senate election in Rhode Island

The 2012 United States Senate election in Rhode Island was on November 6, 2012, alongside the presidential election, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections.

2012 United States Senate election in Rhode Island

← 2006 November 6, 2012 2018 →
Turnout	58.0% (voting eligible)[1]
Nominee Sheldon Whitehouse Barry Hinckley Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 271,034 146,222 Percentage 64.81% 34.97%
County results Municipality results Congressional district results Whitehouse:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Hinckley:      50–60%
U.S. senator before election Sheldon Whitehouse Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse Democratic

In the 2006 Senate election, former Attorney General of Rhode Island Sheldon Whitehouse defeated one-term Republican incumbent Lincoln Chafee. Chafee had been appointed to the Senate in 1999 when his father, the incumbent senator John Chafee died. He then won election to a first term in 2000. Whitehouse won 53.52% of the vote in 2006.

Incumbent Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse was reelected to a second term in a landslide by a 30-point margin of 65% - 35%. This election was the first time since 1970 that the election for Rhode Island's Class 1 Senate seat did not feature a member of the Chafee family.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Sheldon Whitehouse, incumbent U.S. Senator

Unsuccessful

• Todd Giroux, contractor and Independent candidate for governor in 2010^[2]

Results

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Sheldon Whitehouse (incumbent)	60,223	100.00%
Total votes			60,223	100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Barry Hinckley, president and co-founder of software company Bullhorn^[3]

Declined

• Joseph Almond, Lincoln town administrator^[4]
• Scott Avedisian, Mayor of Warwick^[5]
• Donald Carcieri, former Governor of Rhode Island^[6]
• Giovanni Cicione, former chairman of the Rhode Island Republican Party^[7]
• Brendan Doherty, former Rhode Island state police superintendent (running for a U.S. House seat)^[8]
• Leo Fontaine, Mayor of Woonsocket^[9]
• Allan Fung, Mayor of Cranston^[10]
• John Robitaille, businessman and nominee for Governor in 2010^[11][12]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Scott Avedisian	Donald Carcieri	Buddy Cianci	Giovanni Cicione	Allan Fung	John Loughlin	John Robitaille	Catherine Taylor	Other/ Undecided
Public Policy Polling[13]	February 16–22, 2011	250	±6.2%	12%	44%	12%	0%	6%	12%	12%	2%	—

Results

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Barry Hinckley	6,890	100.00%
Total votes			6,890	100.00%

Independent

Candidates

Declined

• Alan Hassenfeld, former Hasbro CEO^[14]

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[15]	Solid D	November 1, 2012
Sabato's Crystal Ball[16]	Safe D	November 5, 2012
Rothenberg Political Report[17]	Safe D	November 2, 2012
Real Clear Politics[18]	Safe D	November 5, 2012

Debates

• Complete video of debate, October 24, 2012 - YouTube

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Sheldon Whitehouse (D)	Barry Hinckley (R)	Other	Undecided
Fleming & Associates[19]	February 20–23, 2012	511	±4.38%	50%	28%	—	20%
Fleming & Associates[20]	September 26–29, 2012	501	±4.38%	56%	30%	—	11%
Brown University[21]	September 26 – October 5, 2012	471	±4.4%	59%	30%	—	12%
McLaughlin and Associates[22]	October 11, 2012	300	±5.6%	49%	41%	—	10%
Fleming & Associates[23]	October 24–27, 2012	601	±4%	55%	33%	—	10%

Hypothetical polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Sheldon Whitehouse (D)	Scott Avedisian (R)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling[24]	February 16–22, 2011	544	±4.2%	47%	37%	—	16%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Sheldon Whitehouse (D)	Donald Carcieri (R)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling[25]	February 16–22, 2011	544	±4.2%	54%	37%	—	8%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Sheldon Whitehouse (D)	Donald Carcieri (R)	Buddy Cianci (I)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling[26]	February 16–22, 2011	544	±4.2%	43%	31%	22%	—	4%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Sheldon Whitehouse (D)	Buddy Cianci (R)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling[27]	February 16–22, 2011	544	±4.2%	51%	35%	—	14%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Sheldon Whitehouse (D)	John Loughlin (R)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling[28]	February 16–22, 2011	544	±4.2%	51%	34%	—	15%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Sheldon Whitehouse (D)	John Robitaille (R)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling[29]	February 16–22, 2011	544	±4.2%	49%	38%	—	13%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Sheldon Whitehouse (D)	John Robitaille (R)	Buddy Cianci (I)	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling[30]	February 16–22, 2011	544	±4.2%	44%	28%	24%	—	4%

Results

United States Senate election in Rhode Island, 2012^[31]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Sheldon Whitehouse (incumbent)	271,034	64.81%	+11.29%
	Republican	Barry Hinckley	146,222	34.97%	−11.51%
	Write-in		933	0.22%	N/A
Total votes			418,189	100.00%	N/A
	Democratic hold

By county

	Sheldon Whitehouse Democratic		Barry Hinckley Republican		Others
County	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%
Bristol	14,556	63.4%	8,390	36.5%	32	0.1%
Kent	44,332	59.3%	30,217	40.4%	170	0.2%
Newport	22,774	61.5%	14,224	38.4%	50	0.1%
Providence	154,123	68.9%	69,136	30.9%	549	0.2%
Washington	35,006	59.0%	24,209	40.8%	131	0.2%

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

• Bristol (largest municipality: Bristol)
• Kent (largest city: Warwick)
• Newport (largest municipality: Newport)
• Washington (largest municipality: South Kingstown)

By congressional district

Whitehouse won both congressional districts.^[32]

District	Whitehouse	Hinckley	Representative
1st	68.5%	31.5%	David Cicilline
2nd	61.71%	38.29%	James Langevin

See also

• 2012 United States Senate elections
• 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Rhode Island