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2002 Georgia gubernatorial election

(Redirected from Georgia gubernatorial election, 2002)

For related races, see 2002 United States gubernatorial elections.

The 2002 Georgia gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Democratic governor Roy Barnes sought re-election to a second term as governor. State Senator Sonny Perdue emerged as the Republican nominee from a crowded and hotly contested primary, and he faced off against Barnes, who had faced no opponents in his primary election, in the general election. Though Barnes had been nicknamed "King Roy" due to his unique ability to get his legislative priorities passed, he faced a backlash among Georgia voters due to his proposal to change the state flag from its Confederate design.

2002 Georgia gubernatorial election
← 1998 November 5, 2002 2006 →
 
Nominee Sonny Perdue Roy Barnes
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 1,041,677 937,062
Percentage 51.42% 46.25%
Perdue:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Barnes:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Tie:      40–50%      50%      No data
Governor before election

Roy Barnes
Democratic

Elected Governor

Sonny Perdue
Republican

Ultimately, Perdue was able to defeat incumbent governor Barnes and became the first Republican to serve as governor of the state since Reconstruction. This was only the second election that a Republican won in the state's history, the other being in 1868. The result was widely considered a major upset.[1] Democrat Max Cleland simultaneously lost the Senate election to Republican Saxby Chambliss, marking just the sixth time in the last 50 years in which U.S. Senate and gubernatorial incumbents from the same political party were simultaneously defeated in the same state.[2][a].

As of 2024, this is the last governor election in which Decatur, Grady, Meriwether, and Wilkes counties voted for the Democratic candidate. This is the last time that a gubernatorial nominee and a lieutenant gubernatorial nominee from different political parties were elected governor and lieutenant governor in Georgia. Barnes later unsuccessfully ran for Governor of Georgia again in 2010 when Perdue was term-limited.

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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Results

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Democratic primary results[3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Roy Barnes (incumbent) 434,892 100.00
Total votes 434,892 100.00

Republican primary

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Candidates

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Results

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Primary results by county:
  Perdue
  •   Perdue—30–40%
  •   Perdue—40–50%
  •   Perdue—50–60%
  •   Perdue—60–70%
  •   Perdue—70–80%
  •   Perdue—80–90%
  •   Perdue—>90%
  Schrenko
  •   Schrenko—30–40%
  •   Schrenko—40–50%
  •   Schrenko—50–60%
  •   Schrenko—60–70%
  •   Schrenko—>80%
  Bryne
  •   Byrne—40–50%
  •   Byrne—>100%
  Tie
  •   Tie between Perdue and Byrne—33%
Republican primary results[4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Sonny Perdue 259,966 50.83
Republican Linda Schrenko 142,911 27.94
Republican Bill Byrne 108,586 21.23
Total votes 511,463 100.00

General election

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Predictions

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Source Ranking As of
The Cook Political Report[5] Likely D October 31, 2002
Sabato's Crystal Ball[6] Likely D November 4, 2002

Results

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2002 Georgia gubernatorial election[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Sonny Perdue 1,041,677 51.42% +7.34%
Democratic Roy Barnes (incumbent) 937,062 46.25% −6.24%
Libertarian Garrett Michael Hayes 47,122 2.33% −1.11%
Total votes 2,025,861 100.00% N/A
Republican gain from Democratic

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Gettleman, Jeffrey (November 6, 2002). "THE 2002 ELECTIONS: GEORGIA; Senator Cleland Loses in an Upset to Republican Emphasizing Defense". The New York Times.
  2. ^ Ostermeier, Eric (November 19, 2014). "Mark Begich and Sean Parnell Join Small Group in Defeat". Smart Politics.
  3. ^ "Our Campaigns - GA Governor - D Primary Race - Aug 20, 2002". www.ourcampaigns.com.
  4. ^ "8/20/02 - Republican Gubernatorial Primary". September 7, 2002. Archived from the original on September 7, 2002. Retrieved January 7, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. ^ "Governor Updated October 31, 2002 | The Cook Political Report". The Cook Political Report. October 31, 2002. Archived from the original on December 8, 2002. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  6. ^ "Governors Races". www.centerforpolitics.org. November 4, 2002. Archived from the original on December 12, 2002. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  7. ^ "11/5/02 - Governor". February 6, 2008. Archived from the original on February 6, 2008. Retrieved January 7, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

Notes

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  1. ^ The others were 1972 in Delaware, 1974 in Ohio, 1974 in Colorado, 1978 in Minnesota, and 1980 in Washington
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