with the Federal Election Commission against Laffey, saying that he had included a political communication in tax bills mailed to residents of Cranston. Debates Complete video of debate, August 23, 2006 - C-SPAN Complete video of debate, August 26, 2006 - C-SPAN Polling Results General election Candidates Lincoln Chafee (R), incumbent U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D), former state Attorney General Campaign Democrats believed that this was one of the most likely Senate seats to switch party control, due to the Democratic tilt of Rhode Island, as well as the fact that Chafee needed to expend part of his campaign fund to win the Republican primary election. Chafee's approval ratings also took a beating from his primary battle with Laffey and may have hurt him in the general election. Another factor that hurt Chafee was the fact that Whitehouse, the Democratic nominee, had a huge head start on him, as he was able to campaign with little opposition for at least half the year and had not had to contend with a major opponent until the general election campaign. Rhode Islanders' historically large disapproval ratings for President Bush and the Republican Party as a whole was another major hurdle for Chafee. Debates Complete video of debate, October 19, 2006 - C-SPAN Complete video of debate, October 30, 2006 - C-SPAN Issues Whitehouse and Chafee did not have large differences on political issues. On social issues, they were almost entirely in agreement with each other. Chafee was also against the Bush tax cuts. On fiscal issues, such as social security and trade, they were however in disagreement. Abortion Chafee - pro-choice Whitehouse - pro-choice Stem-Cell research Chafee - support Whitehouse - support Death penalty Chafee - strongly opposes Whitehouse - support in federal level, but not in state level Gay Marriage Chafee - supports Whitehouse - supports Privatizing Social Security Chafee - Partially Supports Whitehouse - Strongly Against Bush Tax Cuts Chafee - Strongly against Whitehouse - Strongly against Vouchers Chafee - rated 55% by NEA, representing a mixed record Whitehouse - Strongly against Federal Spending on Health Care Chafee - Strongly supports Whitehouse - Strongly supports PATRIOT Act Chafee - supports Whitehouse - against Free Trade Chafee - supports Whitehouse - against Predictions Polling with Steve Laffey Results Analysis Whitehouse carried Providence County, which contains approximately 60% of the state's population, with 59% to Chafee's 41%. Chafee's strongest showing was in