2002 Georgia gubernatorial election explained

Election Name:2002 Georgia gubernatorial election
Country:Georgia (U.S. state)
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1998 Georgia gubernatorial election
Previous Year:1998
Next Election:2006 Georgia gubernatorial election
Next Year:2006
Election Date:November 5, 2002
Flag Year:2001
Image1:File:Sonny Perdue at rally.jpg
Nominee1:Sonny Perdue
Party1:Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:1,041,677
Percentage1:51.42%
Nominee2:Roy Barnes
Party2:Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:937,062
Percentage2:46.25%
Map Size:240px
Governor
Before Election:Roy Barnes
Before Party:Democratic Party (United States)
After Election:Sonny Perdue
After Party:Republican Party (United States)

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.

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] .

As of, 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

Candidates

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

General election

Predictions

SourceRankingAs of
The Cook Political Report[3] October 31, 2002
Sabato's Crystal Ball[4] November 4, 2002

Results

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: THE 2002 ELECTIONS: GEORGIA; Senator Cleland Loses in an Upset to Republican Emphasizing Defense. The New York Times. 6 November 2002. Gettleman. Jeffrey.
  2. Web site: Mark Begich and Sean Parnell Join Small Group in Defeat . Smart Politics . Eric . Ostermeier . November 19, 2014.
  3. Web site: Governor Updated October 31, 2002 The Cook Political Report. https://web.archive.org/web/20021208065752/http://www.cookpolitical.com/display.cfm?section=political&edit_id=225. December 8, 2002. The Cook Political Report. en. October 31, 2002. September 18, 2018. dead. mdy-all.
  4. Web site: Governors Races. https://web.archive.org/web/20021212142349/http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/governor_all.htm. December 12, 2002. www.centerforpolitics.org. en-US. November 4, 2002. September 18, 2018. dead. mdy-all.