2002 United States gubernatorial elections

United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 5, 2002, in 36 states and two territories. The Republicans won eight seats previously held by the Democrats, as well as the seat previously held by Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura, who was elected on the Reform Party ticket but had since renounced his party affiliation. The Democrats won 10 seats previously held by the Republicans, as well as the seat previously held by Maine governor Angus King, an independent. The elections were held concurrently with the other United States elections of 2002.

2002 United States gubernatorial elections

← 2001 November 5, 2002 2003 →
38 governorships 36 states; 2 territories
Majority party Minority party   Party Republican Democratic Seats before 27 21 Seats after 26 24 Seat change 1 3 Popular vote 30,843,168 27,777,088 Percentage 49.37% 44.47% Seats up 23 11 Seats won 22 14   Third party Fourth party   Party Independent Independence Seats before 1 1 Seats after 0 0 Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 524,973 364,534^[a] Percentage 0.84% 0.58% Seats up 1 1 Seats won 0 0
Map of the results      Republican hold      Republican gain      Democratic hold      Democratic gain      No election

Overall, the Republicans suffered a net loss of one seat while the Democrats made a net gain of three. The Republicans managed to maintain their majority of state governorships, but it was reduced to a margin of only two seats. The elections were notable for the sheer number of state governorships that changed parties – 20 in total, constituting more than half of the seats up for election. Additionally, a number of Democratic and Republican gains occurred in states that typically favor the other party; for instance, Republican candidates won the usually Democratic states of Maryland, Hawaii, Minnesota and Vermont, while Democratic governors were elected in Republican-leaning states like Wyoming, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Kansas.

In addition to the elections held in 36 states, elections were also held in the unincorporated territories of Guam and the United States Virgin Islands. The Democrats held their seat in the United States Virgin Islands, while the Republicans won an open seat in Guam previously held by the Democrats.

As of 2023, this election marks the most recent cycle in which Colorado and New York elected Republican governors.

Democratic gains

• Arizona – State Attorney General Janet Napolitano won an open seat held by term-limited Gov. Jane Dee Hull.
• Illinois – U.S. Representative Rod Blagojevich won an open seat held by retiring Gov. George H. Ryan, becoming the first Democratic governor of Illinois since 1976.
• Kansas – State Insurance Commissioner Kathleen Sebelius won an open seat held by term-limited Gov. Bill Graves.
• Maine – U.S. Representative John Baldacci won an open seat held by Independent term-limited Gov. Angus King.
• Michigan – State Attorney General Jennifer Granholm won an open seat held by term-limited Gov. John Engler.
• New Mexico – former U.S. Representative and U.S. Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson won an open seat held by term-limited Gov. Gary Johnson.
• Oklahoma – State Senator Brad Henry won an open seat held by term-limited Gov. Frank Keating.
• Pennsylvania – former Mayor of Philadelphia and DNC Chairman Ed Rendell won an open seat held by retiring Gov. Mark Schweiker.
• Tennessee – former Nashville Mayor Phil Bredesen won an open seat held by term-limited Gov. Don Sundquist.
• Wisconsin – State Attorney General Jim Doyle defeated incumbent Gov. Scott McCallum
• Wyoming – U.S. Attorney Dave Freudenthal won an open seat held by term-limited Gov. Jim Geringer.

Republican gains

• Alabama – U.S. Representative Bob Riley narrowly defeated incumbent Gov. Don Siegelman.
• Alaska – U.S. Senator Frank Murkowski won an open seat held by term-limited Gov. Tony Knowles.
• Georgia – State Senator Sonny Perdue defeated incumbent Gov. Roy Barnes and became first Republican Governor of Georgia since the 1870s.
• Guam – Territorial Legislative Majority Leader Felix Perez Camacho won an open seat held by term-limited Gov. Carl T.C. Gutierrez.
• Hawaii – Former Maui Mayor Linda Lingle won an open seat held by term-limited Gov. Benjamin Cayetano, becoming the first Republican Governor since 1962.
• Maryland – U.S. Representative Robert Ehrlich won an open seat held by term-limited Gov. Parris Glendening, becoming the first Republican Governor since Spiro Agnew in 1966.
• Minnesota – State House Majority Leader Tim Pawlenty won an open seat held by retiring Independent Gov. Jesse Ventura in difficult, three-way (GOP, DFL and IMP) race.
• New Hampshire – Businessman Craig Benson won an open seat held by retiring Gov. Jeanne Shaheen.
• South Carolina – U.S. Representative Mark Sanford defeated incumbent Gov. Jim Hodges.
• Vermont – State Treasurer Jim Douglas won an open seat held by retiring Gov. Howard Dean.

Election results

States

State	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
Alabama	Don Siegelman	Democratic	1998	Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Republican gain.	Y Bob R. Riley (Republican) 49.2% Don Siegelman (Democratic) 49.0% John Sophocleus (Libertarian) 1.7%
Alaska	Tony Knowles	Democratic	1994	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Republican gain.	Y Frank Murkowski (Republican) 55.9% Fran Ulmer (Democratic) 40.7% Diane E. Benson (Green) 1.3%
Arizona	Jane Dee Hull	Republican	1997^[b]	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y Janet Napolitano (Democratic) 46.2% Matt Salmon (Republican) 45.2% Richard D. Mahoney (Independent) 6.9% Barry Hess (Libertarian) 1.7%
Arkansas	Mike Huckabee	Republican	1996^[c]	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Mike Huckabee (Republican) 53.0% Jimmie Lou Fisher (Democratic) 47.0%
California	Gray Davis	Democratic	1998	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Gray Davis (Democratic) 47.3% Bill Simon (Republican) 42.4% Peter Camejo (Green) 5.3% Gary Copeland (Libertarian) 2.2% Reinhold Gulke (American Independent) 1.7% Iris Adam (Natural Law) 1.2%
Colorado	Bill Owens	Republican	1998	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Bill Owens (Republican) 62.6% Rollie Heath (Democratic) 33.6% Ronald Forthofer (Green) 2.3% Ralph Shnelvar (Libertarian) 1.4%
Connecticut	John G. Rowland	Republican	1994	Incumbent re-elected.	Y John G. Rowland (Republican) 56.1% Bill Curry (Democratic) 43.9%
Florida	Jeb Bush	Republican	1998	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Jeb Bush (Republican) 56.0% Bill McBride (Democratic) 43.2%
Georgia	Roy Barnes	Democratic	1998	Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Republican gain.	Y Sonny Perdue (Republican) 51.4% Roy Barnes (Democratic) 46.3% Garrett Hayes (Libertarian) 2.3%
Hawaii	Ben Cayetano	Democratic	1994	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Republican gain.	Y Linda Lingle (Republican) 51.6% Mazie Hirono (Democratic) 47.0%
Idaho	Dirk Kempthorne	Republican	1998	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Dirk Kempthorne (Republican) 56.3% Jerry Brady (Democratic) 41.7% Daniel Adams (Libertarian) 2.0%
Illinois	George Ryan	Republican	1998	Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y Rod Blagojevich (Democratic) 52.2% Jim Ryan (Republican) 45.1% Calvin Skinner (Libertarian) 2.1%
Iowa	Tom Vilsack	Democratic	1998	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Tom Vilsack (Democratic) 52.7% Doug Gross (Republican) 44.5% Jay Robinson (Green) 1.4% Clyde Cleveland (Libertarian) 1.3%
Kansas	Bill Graves	Republican	1994	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y Kathleen Sebelius (Democratic) 52.9% Tim Shallenburger (Republican) 45.1% Theodore Pettibone (Reform) 1.1% Dennis Hawver (Libertarian) 1.0%
Maine	Angus King	Independent	1994	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y John Baldacci (Democratic) 47.1% Peter Cianchette (Republican) 41.5% Jonathan Carter (Green) 9.3% John Michael (Independent) 2.1%
Maryland	Parris Glendening	Democratic	1994	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Republican gain.	Y Bob Ehrlich (Republican) 51.5% Kathleen K. Townsend (Democratic) 47.7%
Massachusetts	Jane Swift	Republican	2001^[d]	Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Republican hold.	Y Mitt Romney (Republican) 49.8% Shannon O'Brien (Democratic) 44.9% Jill Stein (Green-Rainbow) 3.5% Carla Howell (Libertarian) 1.1%
Michigan	John Engler	Republican	1990	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y Jennifer Granholm (Democratic) 51.4% Dick Posthumus (Republican) 47.4%
Minnesota	Jesse Ventura	Independence	1998	Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Republican gain.	Y Tim Pawlenty (Republican) 44.4% Roger Moe (Democratic) 36.5% Tim Penny (Independence) 16.2% Ken Pentel (Green) 2.3%
Nebraska	Mike Johanns	Republican	1998	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Mike Johanns (Republican) 68.7% Stormy Dean (Democratic) 27.5% Paul A. Rosberg (Nebraska) 3.8%
Nevada	Kenny Guinn	Republican	1998	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Kenny Guinn (Republican) 68.2% Joe Neal (Democratic) 22.0% Dick Geyer (Libertarian) 1.6% David G. Holmgren (Independent American) 1.4% Jerry L. Norton (Independent) 1.1%
New Hampshire	Jeanne Shaheen	Democratic	1996	Incumbent retired to run for U.S. Senator. New governor elected. Republican gain.	Y Craig Benson (Republican) 58.6% Mark Fernald (Democratic) 38.2% John Babiarz (Libertarian) 2.9%
New Mexico	Gary Johnson	Republican	1994	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y Bill Richardson (Democratic) 55.5% John Sanchez (Republican) 39.0% David Bacon (Green) 5.5%
New York	George Pataki	Republican	1994	Incumbent re-elected.	Y George Pataki (Republican) 49.4% Carl McCall (Democratic) 33.5% Tom Golisano (Independence) 14.3% Gerald Cronin (Right to Life) 1.0%
Ohio	Bob Taft	Republican	1998	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Bob Taft (Republican) 57.8% Tim Hagan (Democratic) 38.3% John Eastman (Independent) 3.9%
Oklahoma	Frank Keating	Republican	1994	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y Brad Henry (Democratic) 43.3% Steve Largent (Republican) 42.6% Gary Richardson (Independent) 14.1%
Oregon	John Kitzhaber	Democratic	1994	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic hold.	Y Ted Kulongoski (Democratic) 49.0% Kevin Mannix (Republican) 46.2% Tom Cox (Libertarian) 4.6%
Pennsylvania	Mark Schweiker	Republican	2001^[e]	Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y Ed Rendell (Democratic) 53.4% Mike Fisher (Republican) 44.4% Ken Krawchuk (Libertarian) 1.1% Mike Morrill (Green) 1.1%
Rhode Island	Lincoln Almond	Republican	1994	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Republican hold.	Y Donald Carcieri (Republican) 54.8% Myrth York (Democratic) 45.2%
South Carolina	Jim Hodges	Democratic	1998	Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Republican gain.	Y Mark Sanford (Republican) 52.9% Jim Hodges (Democratic) 47.0%
South Dakota	Bill Janklow	Republican	1994	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Republican hold.	Y Mike Rounds (Republican) 56.8% Jim Abbott (Democratic) 41.9%
Tennessee	Don Sundquist	Republican	1994	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y Phil Bredesen (Democratic) 50.6% Van Hilleary (Republican) 47.6%
Texas	Rick Perry	Republican	2000^[f]	Incumbent elected to full term.	Y Rick Perry (Republican) 57.8% Tony Sanchez (Democratic) 40.0% Jeff Daiell (Libertarian) 1.5%
Vermont	Howard Dean	Democratic	1991^[g]	Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Republican gain.	Y Jim Douglas (Republican) 44.9% Doug Racine (Democratic) 42.4% Cornelius Hogan (Independent) 9.7%
Wisconsin	Scott McCallum	Republican	2001^[h]	Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y Jim Doyle (Democratic) 45.1% Scott McCallum (Republican) 41.4% Ed Thompson (Libertarian) 10.4% Jim Young (Green) 2.5%
Wyoming	Jim Geringer	Republican	1994	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y Dave Freudenthal (Democratic) 50.0% Eli Bebout (Republican) 47.9% Dave Dawson (Libertarian) 2.1%

Territories and federal district

Territory	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
District of Columbia	Anthony A. Williams	Democratic	1998	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Anthony A. Williams (Democratic) 60.6% Carol Schwartz (Republican) 34.5% Steve Donkin (Statehood Green) 2.5%
Guam	Carl Gutierrez	Democratic	1994	Incumbent lost renomination. New governor elected. Republican gain.	Y Felix P. Camacho (Republican) 55.4% Robert A. Underwood (Democratic) 44.6%
U.S. Virgin Islands	Charles Turnbull	Democratic	1998	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Charles W. Turnbull (Democratic) 50.1% John P. de Jongh (Independent) 24.6% Alicia Hansen (Independent) 7.8% Michael Bornn (Republican) 7.2% Gerard Luz James II (Independent) 5.1% Cora Christian (Independent) 3.1% Lloyd L. Williams (Independent) 1.5%

Closest races

States where the margin of victory was under 1%:

1. Alabama, 0.2%
2. Oklahoma, 0.7%

States where the margin of victory was under 5%:

1. Arizona, 1.0%
2. Wyoming, 2.0%
3. Vermont, 2.5%
4. Oregon, 2.9%
5. Tennessee, 3.1%
6. Wisconsin, 3.7%
7. Maryland, 3.9%
8. Michigan, 4.0%
9. Hawaii, 4.6%
10. Massachusetts, 4.8%
11. California, 4.9%

States where the margin of victory was under 10%:

1. Georgia, 5.2%
2. Maine, 5.7%
3. South Carolina, 5.9%
4. Arkansas, 6.1%
5. Illinois, 7.1%
6. Kansas, 7.8%
7. Minnesota, 7.9%
8. Iowa, 8.2%
9. Pennsylvania, 9.0%
10. Rhode Island, 9.5%

See also

• 2002 United States elections
  • 2002 United States Senate elections
  • 2002 United States House of Representatives elections

Notes

1. Vote total does not include votes for the Reform Party or the Independence Party of New York.
2. Hull took office after her predecessor (Fife Symington) resigned. She was subsequently elected in the 1998 Arizona gubernatorial election.
3. Huckabee took office after his predecessor (Jim Guy Tucker) resigned. He was subsequently elected in the 1998 Arkansas gubernatorial election.
4. Swift took office after her predecessor (Paul Cellucci) resigned.
5. Schweiker took office after his predecessor (Tom Ridge) resigned.
6. Perry took office after his predecessor (George W. Bush) resigned to become President of the United States.
7. Dean took office after his predecessor (Richard Snelling) died. He was subsequently elected in the 1992 Vermont gubernatorial election.
8. McCallum took office after his predecessor (Tommy Thompson) resigned.

References

External links

• Election 2002 – Governor. CNN.