Jed Whittaker Theresa Obermeyer 29,037 24,133 12.52% 10.51% | 177,893 29,037 76.71% 12.52% Start date November 5, 1996 | |
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Winner Theodore Stevens | ||
The 1996 United States Senate election in Alaska was held on November 5, 1996. Incumbent Republican United States Senator Ted Stevens ran for re-election to a fifth term in the United States Senate. Stevens faced off against Democratic nominee Theresa Obermeyer, a former member of the Anchorage School Board, and Green Party nominee Jed Whittaker, a commercial fisherman.
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The race drew national attention for Obermeyer's erratic behavior: she blamed Stevens for her husband's failure to pass the bar exam and contended that he had passed the bar by fraud. She "trailed" him to campaign events, frequently wearing a prisoner's outfit and once dragging a ball and chain behind her. During the campaign, she was arrested and served 30 days in prison in California and Oregon for probation violations.
Stevens was re-elected in an overwhelming landslide and Whittaker finished ahead of Obermeyer.