chief and nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 1994. Rappaport won the Republican primary against S. Rob Sobhani, Ross Zimmerman Pierpont, Robin Ficker, Kenneth R. Timmerman, Kenneth Wayman and John Stafford through a grassroots movement with a plurality of just 23%. Rappaport, a major underdog, pushed for three debates. The four term incumbent actually agreed to one debate on October 26. Massachusetts Incumbent Democrat Ted Kennedy won re-election to his eighth (his seventh full) term. The election was notable for a strong third-party performance from Libertarian Carla Howell, who finished with less than a percent behind Republican Jack E. Robinson. Michigan Incumbent Republican Spencer Abraham ran for re-election to a second term, but was defeated by Democrat Debbie Stabenow. Abraham, who was first elected in the 1994 Republican Revolution despite never running for public office before, was considered vulnerable by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Major issues in the campaign included prescription drugs for the elderly. By September 4, Abraham still had failed to reach 50% in polls despite having spent over $6 million on television ads. In mid-October, he came back and reached 50% and 49% in two polls respectively. The election was very close with Stabenow prevailing by just over 67,000 votes. Stabenow was also likely helped by the fact that Al Gore won Michigan on the presidential level. Ultimately, Stabenow pulled out huge numbers out of the Democratic stronghold of Wayne County, which covers the Detroit Metropolitan Area. Stabenow also performed well in other heavily populated areas such as Ingham County home to the state's capital of Lansing, and the college town of Ann Arbor. Abraham did not concede right after major news networks declared Stabenow the winner; He held out hope that the few outstanding precincts could push him over the edge. At 4:00AM, Abraham conceded defeat. Senator Abraham called Stabenow and congratulated her on her victory. A historic election, Stabenow became the first woman to represent Michigan in the United States Senate. Minnesota The race pitted incumbent Republican senator Rod Grams against former Minnesota State Auditor Mark Dayton. Mississippi Incumbent Republican Trent Lott won re-election to a third term over perennial Democratic candidate Troy Brown. Missouri Incumbent Republican John Ashcroft lost the election to Governor Mel Carnahan, despite Carnahan's death three weeks before election day. In 1998, Ashcroft briefly considered running for president. On January 5, 1999, he announced that he would not seek the presidency