2012 United States Senate election in Rhode Island

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 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

Elections in Rhode Island
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Ballot measures 2020 Question 1
Providence Mayoral elections 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
v t e

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.

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.