Incumbent Senator Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) entered the 2006 election in a relatively enviable political position. Chafee was the scion of a Rhode Island dynasty that had produced numerous governors and senators, including his father and immediate predecessor in the Senate, John Chafee. After being appointed to complete his deceased father's term in 1999, Chafee captured 57% of the vote in his own right in the 2000 election. Reflecting the same independent streak demonstrated by his father, Chafee repeatedly defied the Republican leadership on key issues, favoring the relatively liberal positions of his constituents over those of the national party. After fending off a right-wing challenger in the 2006 primary election, Chafee seemed well positioned to appeal to moderate voters in his relatively liberal state, with polling showing that more than half of voters thought his positions on the issues were “about right” and nearly two thirds approved of the way he was handling his job as senator.

Despite all of those advantages, Chafee lost the election to his Democratic opponent, Sheldon Whitehouse. Chafee's actions in office, as well as his ultimate defeat, present an interesting window into the conduct of modern American politics.