2012Final results
2012 election for U.S. Senate in Rhode Island
U.S. Senate · Rhode Island
Sheldon Whitehouse (D) won with 64.8% of the vote, defeating Benjamin Barrett Hinckley III (R) by 29.8 points.
Sheldon WhitehouseDemocrat · winner
64.8%271,034
Benjamin Barrett Hinckley IIIRepublican
35.0%146,222
418,189 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 2012
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Sheldon WhitehouseBenjamin Barrett Hinckley III
$3.3M
Raised by the campaign
$1.7M
$4.2M
Spent by the campaign
$1.7M
$817.2K
Cash on hand
$8.6K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 2012.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 2012