Election 2002 Results
Each election opens in its own mode: the forecast before the votes are counted, the live count while races are still too close to call, and the results once every race is decided.
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2002 governor election results by state and county
Republicans won 21 governor races to 14 in 2002, but the map saw heavy turnover: 18 states changed party, with each side taking several big ones.
36 governor races were held in 2002. Democrats won 14 and Republicans 22.
The closest were Alabama (R+0.2), Oklahoma (D+0.7) and Arizona (D+1.0). 20 governorships changed party: Alabama to the Republicans, Alaska to the Republicans, Arizona to the Democrats, Georgia to the Republicans, Hawaii to the Republicans, Illinois to the Democrats, Kansas to the Democrats, Maine to the Democrats, Maryland to the Republicans, Michigan to the Democrats, Minnesota to the Republicans, New Hampshire to the Republicans, New Mexico to the Democrats, Oklahoma to the Democrats, Pennsylvania to the Democrats, South Carolina to the Republicans, Tennessee to the Democrats, Vermont to the Republicans, Wisconsin to the Democrats and Wyoming to the Democrats.
Early projection, based on early and incomplete polling: the likely matchups, each weighted by the betting markets' odds of both nominations, not a result. Each county is its 2024 presidential margin moved by its state's projected swing; set a national vote and every state, district and county moves by the same amount from our projection. Colours run in 100 steps from a safe Republican to a safe Democratic margin. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.
About the 2002 governor elections
The 2002 midterms came a year after September 11, with George W. Bush popular and the country moving toward war with Iraq. Republicans gained seats in Congress, an unusual result for the president's party. Thirty-six states elected governors, and Republicans won 21 to the Democrats' 14. Republicans took Alabama, where Bob Riley beat Governor Don Siegelman by 0.2 points, Georgia, where Sonny Perdue became the first Republican governor since Reconstruction, Hawaii with Linda Lingle, Maryland, where Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. beat Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Vermont, where Jim Douglas won. Democrats gained Arizona with Janet Napolitano, Illinois, Kansas with Kathleen Sebelius, Maine, Michigan with Jennifer M. Granholm, New Mexico with Bill Richardson, Oklahoma, where Brad Henry beat Steve Largent by 0.7 points, Pennsylvania with Ed Rendell, Tennessee with Phil Bredesen, Wisconsin with James E. Doyle, and Wyoming. Mitt Romney won Massachusetts for the Republicans.
Every race
| State | Democrat | Votes | Republican | Votes | Others | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama flip | Don Siegelman | 669,105 (48.9%) | Robert Riley | 672,225 (49.2%) | 25,723 | R+0.2 |
| Alaska flip | Fran Ulmer | 94,216 (40.7%) | Frank Murkowski | 129,279 (55.8%) | 7,989 | R+15.2 |
| Arizona flip | Janet Napolitano | 566,284 (46.2%) | Matt Salmon | 554,465 (45.2%) | Richard D. Mahoney (Independent) 84,947 (6.9%) |
D+1.0 |
| Arkansas | Jimmie Lou Fisher | 378,250 (46.9%) | Mike Huckabee | 427,082 (53.0%) | 364 | R+6.1 |
| California | Gray Davis | 3,533,490 (47.3%) | Bill Simon | 3,169,801 (42.4%) | Peter Miguel Camejo (Green) 393,036 (5.3%) |
D+4.9 |
| Colorado | Rollie Heath | 475,373 (33.7%) | Bill Owens | 884,583 (62.6%) | 52,646 | R+29.0 |
| Connecticut | Bill Curry | 448,984 (43.9%) | John G. Rowland | 573,958 (56.1%) | 56 | R+12.2 |
| Florida | Bill McBride | 2,201,427 (43.2%) | Jeb Bush | 2,856,845 (56.0%) | 42,309 | R+12.9 |
| Georgia flip | Roy E. Barnes | 937,062 (46.2%) | Sonny Perdue | 1,041,677 (51.4%) | 48,406 | R+5.2 |
| Hawaii flip | Mazie K. Hirono | 179,647 (47.0%) | Linda Lingle | 197,009 (51.6%) | 5,454 | R+4.5 |
| Idaho | Jerry M. Brady | 171,711 (41.7%) | Dirk Kempthorne | 231,566 (56.3%) | 8,200 | R+14.6 |
| Illinois flip | Rod R. Blagojevich | 1,847,040 (52.2%) | Jim Ryan | 1,594,960 (45.1%) | 96,891 | D+7.1 |
| Iowa | Tom Vilsack | 540,449 (52.7%) | Doug Gross | 456,612 (44.5%) | 28,741 | D+8.2 |
| Kansas flip | Kathleen Sebelius | 441,858 (52.9%) | Tim Shallenburger | 376,830 (45.1%) | 17,004 | D+7.8 |
| Maine flip | John Baldacci | 238,179 (47.1%) | Peter Cianchette | 209,496 (41.5%) | Jonathan Carter (Green) 46,903 (9.3%) |
D+5.7 |
| Maryland flip | Kathleen Kennedy Townsend | 813,422 (47.7%) | Bob Ehrlich | 879,592 (51.6%) | 13,165 | R+3.9 |
| Massachusetts | Shannon O'Brien | 985,981 (45.0%) | Mitt Romney | 1,091,988 (49.8%) | 114,909 | R+4.8 |
| Michigan flip | Jennifer M. Granholm | 1,633,796 (51.4%) | Dick Posthumus | 1,506,104 (47.4%) | 37,665 | D+4.0 |
| Minnesota flip | Roger Moe | 821,268 (36.5%) | Tim Pawlenty | 999,473 (44.4%) | Tim Penny (Independence) 364,534 (16.2%) |
R+7.9 |
| Nebraska | Stormy Dean | 132,348 (27.5%) | Mike Johanns | 330,349 (68.7%) | 18,294 | R+41.2 |
| Nevada | Joe Neal | 110,935 (22.0%) | Kenny Guinn | 344,001 (68.2%) | 49,143 | R+46.2 |
| New Hampshire flip | Mark Fernald | 169,275 (38.2%) | Craig R. Benson | 259,656 (58.6%) | 14,036 | R+20.4 |
| New Mexico flip | Bill Richardson | 268,693 (55.5%) | John A. Sanchez | 189,074 (39.0%) | David E. Bacon (Green) 26,465 (5.5%) |
D+16.4 |
| New York | Carl McCall | 1,533,064 (33.5%) | George Pataki | 2,262,255 (49.4%) | Tom Golisano (Independence) 654,016 (14.3%) |
R+15.9 |
| Ohio | Timothy Hagan | 1,236,924 (38.3%) | Robert Alphonso Taft | 1,865,007 (57.8%) | 127,061 | R+19.5 |
| Oklahoma flip | Brad Henry | 448,143 (43.3%) | Steve Largent | 441,277 (42.6%) | Gary Richardson (Independent) 146,200 (14.1%) |
D+0.7 |
| Oregon | Ted Kulongoski | 618,004 (49.0%) | Kevin L. Mannix | 581,785 (46.2%) | 60,708 | D+2.9 |
| Pennsylvania flip | Edward G. Rendell | 1,913,235 (53.4%) | Mike Fisher | 1,589,408 (44.4%) | 79,346 | D+9.0 |
| Rhode Island | Myrth York | 150,229 (45.2%) | Donald L. Carcieri | 181,827 (54.8%) | R+9.5 | |
| South Carolina flip | Jim Hodges | 521,140 (47.1%) | Mark Sanford | 585,422 (52.9%) | R+5.8 | |
| South Dakota | Jim Abbott | 140,263 (41.9%) | Mike Rounds | 189,920 (56.8%) | 4,376 | R+14.8 |
| Tennessee flip | Phil Bredesen | 837,284 (50.6%) | Van Hilleary | 786,803 (47.6%) | 29,080 | D+3.1 |
| Texas | Tony Sanchez | 1,819,798 (40.0%) | Rick Perry | 2,632,591 (57.8%) | 101,598 | R+17.9 |
| Vermont flip | Doug Racine | 97,565 (42.4%) | Jim Douglas | 103,436 (44.9%) | Cornelius Hogan (Independent) 22,353 (9.7%) |
R+2.6 |
| Wisconsin flip | Jim Doyle | 800,515 (45.1%) | Scott McCallum | 734,779 (41.4%) | Ed Thompson (Libertarian) 185,455 (10.4%) |
D+3.7 |
| Wyoming flip | Dave Freudenthal | 92,662 (50.0%) | Eli Bebout | 88,873 (47.9%) | 3,924 | D+2.0 |
Margin: the Democrat's share of all votes minus the Republican's. Margins are Democrat minus Republican, of all votes. Certified results, from the states' own archives, the MIT Election Data and Science Lab, Heideman (2026) and Algara & Amlani (2021). How these results were checked.