The 1996 United States Senate election in Kansas was held November 5, 1996. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Nancy Kassebaum decided to retire instead of seeking a fourth term. Republican Pat Roberts won the open seat.
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 County results Roberts: 40-50% 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-90% Thompson: 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Term limits were an issue during the campaign; while Roberts said that he was not totally opposed to term limits, he was wary of limits that did not apply to current members of Congress, saying that the proposed limits should apply to everyone. While Thompson signed the national term limits pledge from the group Americans for Limited Terms, Roberts declined to do so, becoming the only major party candidate for the U.S. Senate in the 1996 elections to not sign the pledge.[1] However, he did say that "I plan only to serve two terms in the U.S. Senate."[2] In 2014, he was re-elected to a fourth and final term in office, before retiring in 2020.
Democratic primary
editCandidates
editResults
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Sally Thompson | 121,476 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 121,476 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
editCandidates
edit- Pat Roberts, U.S. Representative
- Tom Little
- Tom Oyler
- Richard L. Cooley
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Pat Roberts | 245,411 | 78.21% | |
| Republican | Tom Little | 25,052 | 7.98% | |
| Republican | Tom Oyler | 23,266 | 7.42% | |
| Republican | Richard L. Cooley | 20,060 | 6.39% | |
| Total votes | 313,789 | 100.00% | ||
General election
editCandidates
edit- Mark Marney (Reform)
- Pat Roberts (R), U.S. Representative
- Steven Rosile (L)
- Sally Thompson (D), Kansas State Treasurer
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Pat Roberts | 652,677 | 62.02% | −11.57% | |
| Democratic | Sally Thompson | 362,380 | 34.44% | +8.05% | |
| Reform | Mark S. Marney | 24,145 | 2.29% | ||
| Libertarian | Steven Rosile | 13,098 | 1.25% | ||
| Majority | 290,297 | 27.59% | −19.61% | ||
| Turnout | 1,052,300 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Roberts sole candidate to resist term limits tide". Lawrence Journal-World. September 25, 1996. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
- ^ "Pat Roberts Said In 1996 He'd Only Serve Two Terms — He's Running For His Fourth". BuzzFeed. October 14, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
- ^ "1996 Primary Election US Senate Races".
- ^ "1996 Primary Election US Senate Races".
- ^ "Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives".