| Election Name: | 2012 United States Senate election in New York |
| Country: | New York |
| Flag Image: | Flag of New York (1909–2020).svg |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2010 United States Senate special election in New York |
| Previous Year: | 2010 (special) |
| Next Election: | 2018 United States Senate election in New York |
| Next Year: | 2018 |
| Election Date: | November 6, 2012 |
| Turnout: | 53.2% (voting eligible)[1] |
| Image1: | Kirsten Gillibrand, official portrait, 112th Congress.jpg |
| Nominee1: | Kirsten Gillibrand |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 4,822,330 |
| Percentage1: | 72.21% |
| Nominee2: | Wendy Long |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Alliance2: | Conservative Party of New York |
| Popular Vote2: | 1,758,702 |
| Percentage2: | 26.34% |
| U.S. Senator | |
| Before Election: | Kirsten Gillibrand |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Kirsten Gillibrand |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
The 2012 United States Senate election in New York took place on November 6, 2012, concurrently with the U.S. presidential election as well as other elections to the United States Senate and House of Representatives as well as various state and local elections.
Governor David Paterson appointed then-U.S. Representative Kirsten Gillibrand to serve as U.S. Senator from New York until the 2010 special election, succeeding former U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton, who resigned to serve as U.S. Secretary of State in the Obama administration. Gillibrand won the special election in 2010 with 62.95% of the vote over former U.S. Representative Joseph DioGuardi.
Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand won re-election to her first full term. She was opposed in the general election by Wendy Long (who ran on the Republican and Conservative Party tickets) and by three minor party candidates. Gillibrand was re-elected with 72% of the vote. She carried 60 out of 62 counties statewide, losing only Wyoming and Alleghany counties.
Gillibrand was endorsed by the Independence Party of New York and the Working Families Party and appeared on the ballot lines of both of those parties in the general election.[3] [4]
The 2012 New York State Republican Convention took place on March 16, 2012.[8] Candidates Wendy Long, George Maragos, and Congressman Bob Turner each reached the threshold of 25% of the weighted vote necessary to qualify for the June 26 primary ballot; however, none of the candidates achieved a majority.[9] Long prevailed by a sizeable margin in the June 26 Republican primary, receiving 50.9% of the vote; Turner received 35.6% and Maragos 13.5%.[10]
Long was designated as the nominee for the Conservative Party of New York State, and appeared on its ballot line in the general election as well as the Republican Party line.[4] [11]
| Poll source | Wendy Long | George Maragos | Bob Turner | Other | Undecided | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=left | Quinnipiac[14] | March 28 – April 2, 2012 | 372 | ±5.1% | 11% | 7% | 19% | 2% | 61% | |||
| align=left | Siena College[15] | April 1–4, 2012 | 218 | ±6.6% | 10% | 5% | 19% | — | 66% | |||
| align=left | Siena College[16] | May 6–10, 2012 | 205 | ±6.8% | 12% | 6% | 15% | — | 67% | |||
| align=left | Siena College[17] | June 3–6, 2012 | 201 | ±6.9% | 11% | 3% | 16% | — | 70% |
Source: Update for US Senate Election NY 2012: http://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2012/General/USSenator_07292013.pdf
| Candidate (party) | Receipts | Disbursements | Cash on hand | Debt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirsten Gillibrand (D) | $13,778,867 | $3,734,097 | $10,541,156 | $0 | |
| Wendy Long (R) | $336,976 | $240,564 | $96,411 | $250,077 | |
| Chris Edes (L) | $2,017 | $668 | $1,348 | $0 | |
| John Mangelli (I) | $43,819 | $43,820 | $0 | $22,120 | |
| Source: Federal Election Commission[19] [20] [21] [22] | |||||
| Kirsten Gillibrand | Contribution | Wendy Long | Contribution | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boies, Schiller & Flexner | $394,664 | Citizens United | $10,000 | |
| Davis Polk & Wardwell | $314,600 | Susan B. Anthony List | $10,000 | |
| Corning Inc. | $150,650 | Davis, Polk & Wardwell | $8,500 | |
| JPMorgan Chase & Co | $143,800 | Kirkland & Ellis | $7,000 | |
| Morgan Stanley | $140,800 | Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz | $6,000 | |
| National Amusements Inc. | $126,850 | Alta Partners | $5,500 | |
| Goldman Sachs | $117,400 | Actimize | $5,000 | |
| Blackstone Group | $106,700 | Carlyle Group | $5,000 | |
| Sullivan & Cromwell | $100,750 | Credit Suisse Group | $5,000 | |
| Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett | $95,700 | Crow Holdings | $5,000 |
| Kirsten Gillibrand | Contribution | Wendy Long | Contribution | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawyers/law firms | $4,050,294 | Lawyers/law firms | $38,550 | |
| Financial Institutions | $2,748,640 | Financial institutions | $31,750 | |
| Real estate | $1,257,504 | Real estate | $26,250 | |
| Retired | $921,738 | Retired | $25,050 | |
| Women's issues | $853,517 | Misc. finance | $16,000 | |
| Entertainment industry | $764,677 | Women's issues | $15,150 | |
| Lobbyists | $723,596 | Republican/Conservative | $11,250 | |
| Misc. finance | $644,953 | Education | $7,250 | |
| Business services | $621,286 | Misc. business | $7,000 | |
| Insurance | $518,275 | Construction services | $5,000 |
| Source | Ranking | As of | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=left | The Cook Political Report[25] | November 1, 2012 | ||
| align=left | Sabato's Crystal Ball[26] | November 5, 2012 | ||
| align=left | Rothenberg Political Report[27] | November 2, 2012 | ||
| align=left | Real Clear Politics[28] | November 5, 2012 |
| Poll source | Kirsten Gillibrand (D) | Wendy Long (R) | Other | Undecided | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=left | Quinnipiac | March 28 – April 2, 2012 | 1,597 | ±2.5% | 58% | 25% | 1% | 13% | ||
| align=left | Siena College | April 1–4, 2012 | 808 | ±3.4% | 63% | 23% | — | 14% | ||
| align=left | Siena College | May 6–10, 2012 | 766 | ±3.5% | 60% | 26% | — | 14% | ||
| align=left | Quinnipiac[29] | May 22–28, 2012 | 1,504 | ±2.5% | 58% | 24% | 1% | 15% | ||
| align=left | Siena College | June 3–6, 2012 | 807 | ±3.4% | 65% | 22% | — | 12% | ||
| align=left | Siena College[30] | July 10–15, 2012 | 758 | ±3.6% | 62% | 25% | — | 13% | ||
| align=left | Quinnipiac[31] | July 17–23, 2012 | 1,779 | ±2.3% | 57% | 24% | 1% | 16% | ||
| align=left | Siena College[32] | August 14–19, 2012 | 671 | ±3.8% | 65% | 22% | — | 13% | ||
| align=left | Quinnipiac[33] | September 4–9, 2012 | 1,468 | ±2.5% | 64% | 27% | — | 9% | ||
| align=left | Marist[34] | October 18–21, 2012 | 565 | ±4.1% | 68% | 24% | — | 8% | ||
| align=left | Siena College[35] | October 22–24, 2012 | 750 | ±3.6% | 67% | 24% | — | 8% | ||
| align=left | SurveyUSA[36] | October 23–25, 2012 | 554 | ±4.1% | 64% | 22% | 7% | 7% |
with George Maragos
| Poll source | Kirsten Gillibrand (D) | George Maragos (R) | Other | Undecided | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=left | Siena College[37] | November 8–13, 2011 | 803 | ±3.5% | 65% | 17% | — | 18% | ||
| align=left | Siena College[38] | January 8–12, 2012 | 805 | ±3.5% | 63% | 22% | — | 15% | ||
| align=left | Siena College[39] | January 29 – February 1, 2012 | 807 | ±3.4% | 63% | 20% | — | 17% | ||
| align=left | SurveyUSA[40] | February 24–26, 2012 | 518 | ±4.4% | 53% | 23% | — | 25% | ||
| align=left | Siena College[41] | February 26–29, 2012 | 808 | ±3.4% | 68% | 19% | — | 13% | ||
| align=left | Quinnipiac | March 28 – April 2, 2012 | 1,597 | ±2.5% | 57% | 23% | 2% | 15% | ||
| align=left | Siena College | April 1–4, 2012 | 808 | ±3.4% | 65% | 21% | — | 14% | ||
| align=left | Siena College | May 6–10, 2012 | 766 | ±3.5% | 60% | 25% | — | 15% | ||
| align=left | Quinnipiac | May 22–28, 2012 | 1,504 | ±2.5% | 57% | 24% | 1% | 16% | ||
| align=left | Siena College | June 3–6, 2012 | 807 | ±3.4% | 65% | 23% | — | 13% |
with Bob Turner
| Poll source | Kirsten Gillibrand (D) | Bob Turner (R) | Other | Undecided | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=left | Quinnipiac | March 28 – April 2, 2012 | 1,597 | ±2.5% | 57% | 27% | 1% | 13% | ||
| align=left | Siena College | April 1–4, 2012 | 808 | ±3.4% | 65% | 24% | — | 11% | ||
| align=left | Siena College | May 6–10, 2012 | 766 | ±3.5% | 59% | 25% | — | 15% | ||
| align=left | Quinnipiac | May 22–28, 2012 | 1,504 | ±2.5% | 56% | 26% | 0% | 15% | ||
| align=left | Siena College | June 3–6, 2012 | 807 | ±3.4% | 63% | 25% | — | 11% |
with Marc Cenedella
with Harry Wilson
| Poll source | Kirsten Gillibrand (D) | Harry Wilson (R) | Undecided | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=left | Siena College | November 8–13, 2011 | 803 | ±3.5% | 63% | 21% | 16% | ||
| align=left | Siena College | January 8–12, 2012 | 805 | ±3.5% | 63% | 23% | 14% |
Gillibrand won all 27 congressional districts, including six held by Republicans.[43] She won all but two with over 60% of the vote, with the 27th being her weakest with only 55% of the vote.
| District | Gillibrand | Long | Representative | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 62.13% | 36.58% | Tim Bishop | |||
| 63.33% | 35.51% | Peter T. King | |||
| 62.51% | 36.28% | Steve Israel | |||
| 66.17% | 32.88% | Carolyn McCarthy | |||
| 92.32 | 7.21% | Gregory Meeks | |||
| 75.99% | 22.58% | Grace Meng | |||
| 90.67% | 7.65% | Nydia Velázquez | |||
| 91.75% | 7.35% | Hakeem Jeffries | |||
| 89.59% | 9.33% | Yvette Clarke | |||
| 81.28% | 17.15% | Jerry Nadler | |||
| 64.5% | 34.23% | Michael Grimm | |||
| 81.74% | 16.49% | Carolyn Maloney | |||
| 95.05% | 3.91% | Charles B. Rangel | |||
| 84.85% | 13.76% | Joe Crowley | |||
| 96.89% | 2.7% | Jose Serrano | |||
| 79.78% | 19.23% | Eliot Engel | |||
| 68.41% | 30.33% | Nita Lowey | |||
| 64.33% | 34.22% | Sean Patrick Maloney | |||
| 65.98% | 32.34% | Chris Gibson | |||
| 71.07% | 27.26% | Paul Tonko | |||
| 65.41% | 33.1% | Bill Owens | |||
| 61.77% | 36.05% | Richard L. Hanna | |||
| 58.95% | 39.13% | Tom Reed | |||
| 65.34% | 32.06% | Dan Maffei | |||
| 66.81% | 31.45% | Louise Slaughter | |||
| 73.31% | 24.99% | Brian Higgins | |||
| 55.55% | 42.71% | Chris Collins | |||
Official campaign websites