Candidates • Susan C. Gallagher (Conservative) •
John Kerry, incumbent U.S. senator since 1985 (Democratic) • Robert C. Stowe (Natural Law) •
Bill Weld,
governor of Massachusetts (Republican)
Campaign On November 29, 1995, incumbent Governor
Bill Weld announced his candidacy for the Senate seat occupied by U.S. Senator
John Kerry with a formal announcement on March 27, 1996. Kerry's previous two general election opponents in
1984 and
1990 had no prior experience in elected office. At the federal level, Democrats controlled both of the state's U.S. Senate seats and eight of its ten U.S. House seats. No Republican had won a Senate election since
Ed Brooke in
1972. In
1994, incumbent Democrat
Ted Kennedy won re-election against businessman
Mitt Romney with 58% of the vote—a comfortable margin, but his lowest percentage of the vote since his first
Senate election campaign in 1962. However, Weld, a fiscal conservative and social liberal, was a very popular governor; he had won reelection in
1994 with over 70% of the vote in spite of the state's Democratic lean. Therefore, the general election was expected to be highly competitive. This was one of many competitive
U.S. Senate elections in 1996. The first debate between Weld and Kerry was held in
Faneuil Hall on April 8, with a second debate held on June 3. A third debate was held at the Emerson Majestic Theater on July 2. The Weld and Kerry campaigns agreed to eight debates and a spending cap of $6.9 million negotiated at Senator Kerry's Beacon Hill home on August 7; Senator Kerry later mortgaged his house to raise funds in October. On the same day the spending cap was agreed upon, Governor Weld jumped into the
Charles River. He later spoke at the
1996 Republican National Convention on August 14 before debating Senator Kerry again on August 19. Senator Kerry spoke at the
1996 Democratic National Convention and debated Governor Weld again on September 16.
Debates ==Results==