2002 Vermont gubernatorial election

For related races, see 2002 United States gubernatorial elections.

The 2002 Vermont gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Democratic Governor Howard Dean did not run for re-election to a sixth full term as Governor of Vermont. Republican Jim Douglas defeated Democratic candidate Doug Racine and independent candidate Cornelius Hogan, among others, to succeed him. Since no candidate received a majority in the popular vote, Douglas was elected by the Vermont General Assembly per the state constitution.^[1]

2002 Vermont gubernatorial election

← 2000 November 5, 2002 (2002-11-05) 2004 →

Nominee Jim Douglas Doug Racine Cornelius Hogan Party Republican Democratic Independent Popular vote 103,436 97,565 22,353 Percentage 44.9% 42.4% 9.7%

County results Douglas:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Racine:      40–50%      50–60%

Governor before election Howard Dean Democratic Elected Governor Jim Douglas Republican

Democratic primary

Results

Democratic primary results^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Doug Racine	25,522	99.1
	Democratic	Other	232	0.9
Total votes			25,754	100

Republican primary

Results

Republican primary results^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Jim Douglas	23,366	96.7
	Republican	Other	789	3.3
Total votes			24,155	100

Progressive primary

Results

Progressive primary results^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Progressive	Michael J. Badamo	931	54.2
	Progressive	Peter Diamondstone	412	24.0
	Progressive	Other	376	21.8
Total votes			1,719	100

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report^[3]	Tossup	October 31, 2002
Sabato's Crystal Ball^[4]	Lean R (flip)	November 4, 2002

Results

The race was very close, with Douglas prevailing by just under 6,000 votes or 2.56%. In Vermont for statewide/executive races if no candidate receives 50% then the Vermont General Assembly picks the winner. However, Racine declined to contest it further and conceded to Douglas. Ultimately it was Douglas's strong performance in Montpelier and Rutland that carried him to victory. Racine did do well in populous Burlington and greater Chittenden County, but it ultimately did not suffice. Racine called Douglas at 12:38 P.M. EST and conceded defeat. Douglas would go on to be reelected three more times. Racine would run for Governor one last time in 2010, but narrowly lost the Democratic Primary to Peter Shumlin. After the close contest, Shumlin chose Racine to be his Secretary of Human Services. Racine stepped down from that post in 2014.

2002 Vermont gubernatorial election^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Jim Douglas	103,436	44.94	+6.94
	Democratic	Doug Racine	97,565	42.39	-8.11
	Independent	Cornelius Hogan	22,353	9.71
	Marijuana	Cris Ericson	1,737	0.75
	Progressive	Michael Badamo	1,380	0.60
	Libertarian	Joel Williams	938	0.41
	Grassroots	Patricia Hejny	771	0.33
	Restore Justice-Freedom	Marilynn Christian	638	0.28
	Liberty Union	Peter Diamondstone	625	0.27
	Independent	Brian Pearl	569	0.25
	Write-in	Write-ins	149	0.06
Total votes			230,161	100

See also

• 2002 United States House of Representatives election in Vermont

References

1. "General Election Results - Governor - 1789-2012" (PDF). Office of the Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
2. (PDF). Office of the Vermont Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 December 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
3. . The Cook Political Report. October 31, 2002. Archived from the original on December 8, 2002. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
4. . www.centerforpolitics.org. November 4, 2002. Archived from the original on December 12, 2002. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
5. "2002 Gubernatorial General Election Results - Vermont". U.S. Election Atlas. Retrieved 30 December 2014.