2002 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina
The 2002 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina were held on November 5, 2002 to select six Representatives for two-year terms from the state of South Carolina. The primary elections for the Democrats and the Republicans were held on June 11 and the runoff elections were held two weeks later on June 25. All five incumbents who ran were re-elected and the open seat in the 3rd congressional district was retained by the Republicans. The composition of the state delegation remained four Republicans and two Democrats.


2002 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, District 1
This conservative district, which stretches along coastal South Carolina from the North Carolina to Charleston County and includes Myrtle Beach and some of Charleston, was represented by Republican Congressman Henry E. Brown, Jr. since his initial election in 2000. Seeking a second term, Brown faced only United Citizens candidate James Dunn and Natural Law candidate Joe Innella, whom he dispatched easily.


2002 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, District 2
Initially elected in a 2001 special election, incumbent Republican Congressman Joe Wilson sought a full term. This conservative district, which spans from the southern coast of South Carolina to Columbia in central South Carolina, easily elected Wilson in 2001. This year, he faced only United Citizens candidate Mark Whittington and Libertarian nominee Jim Legg, whom he crushed in a landslide.


2002 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, District 3
When incumbent Republican Congressman Lindsey Graham declined to seek a fifth term, instead opting to run for Senate, an open seat was created. South Carolina State Representative J. Gresham Barrett entered the fray and emerged as the Republican nominee. George Brightharp, the 2000 Democratic nominee for this seat, ran again, but was crushed in the general election by Barrett.


2002 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, District 4
In this staunchly conservative district based in Spartanburg and Greenville, incumbent Republican Congressman Jim DeMint since his initial election in 1998. Seeking a third term, DeMint faced Democratic candidate Peter Ashy and Natural Law candidate C. Faye Walters. DeMint ultimately defeated both candidates to secure another term in Congress.


2002 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, District 5
In this conservative-leaning district based in northern South Carolina, Democratic Congressman John Spratt has managed to maintain his popularity since he was first elected in 1982. This year proved to be no different, and Spratt, seeking an eleventh term, defeated Libertarian Doug Kendall and Constitution Party candidate Steve Lefemine in a landslide.


2002 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, District 6
This district, the most liberal one in South Carolina, was crafted to ensure an African-American majority in it. Pulling from central South Carolina counties and from black-dominated areas in Charleston and Columbia, it achieved its purpose. Congressman Jim Clyburn, an African-American, has represented this district since 1993 and sought a sixth term in the general election. Clyburn took full advantage of the district's Democratic tendencies and steamrolled Republican Gary McLeod and Libertarian Craig Augenstein.


2002 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas
The 2002 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas occurred on November 5, 2002, to elect the members of the state of Texas's delegation to the United States House of Representatives. Texas had thirty-two seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States Census. The state gained two seats in reapportionment.


2002 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas
These elections occurred simultaneously with the United States Senate elections of 2002, the United States House elections in other states, and various state and local elections. As of 2020, this is the last time the Democratic Party won a majority of congressional districts from Texas.


2002 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia
The 2002 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia were held on November 5, 2002 to determine who will represent the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States House of Representatives. Virginia has eleven seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States Census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms.


2002 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington
The 2002 House elections in Washington occurred on November 5, 2002 to elect the members of the State of Washington's delegation to the United States House of Representatives. Washington has nine seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States Census. Though competitive races occurred in several districts, no seat switched hands as a result of the elections this year.


2002 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, District 1
Incumbent Democratic Congressman Jay Inslee ran for a fourth nonconsecutive term in Congress from this fairly liberal district rooted in portions of the Kitsap Peninsula and Seattle’s northern suburbs. Inslee faced Republican candidate Joe Marine, a former Mukilteo City Councilman and State Representative. Though Marine gave Inslee one of the closest races of his career, the Congressman was successful on election day and bested Marine by a fourteen point margin.


2002 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, District 2
Freshman Democratic Congressman Rick Larsen, who represents this northwestern Washington-based district, ran for re-election. Larsen faced Republican Norma Smith, an aide to former Congressman Jack Metcalf and a former South Whidbey school board member in the general election. Though Larsen attained a majority of the vote and retained his seat, Smith was able to keep her Democratic opponent to only a five point margin, surprisingly close in this marginally liberal district.


2002 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, District 3
Though the southwestern Washington-based district that two-term Democratic incumbent Congressman Brian Baird represents is essentially a centrist district, the Congressman was able to perform surprisingly well against Republican State Senator Joseph Zarelli. Baird was overwhelmingly re-elected over Zarelli, receiving over sixty percent of the vote on election day.


2002 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, District 4
In this solidly conservative, central Washington congressional district, incumbent Republican Congressman Doc Hastings faced Democrat Craig Mason, a sociology professor at Columbia Basin College in the general election. Owing to Congressman Hastings’s popularity and his district’s strong proclivity towards electing Republican candidates, the Congressman was re-elected in a landslide.


2002 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, District 5
Running for his fifth term in Congress, incumbent Republican Congressman George Nethercutt faced Democratic candidate Bart Haggin and Libertarian candidate Rob Chase as obstacles to another term. In this staunchly conservative district rooted in the socially conservative counties of eastern Washington, Congressman Nethercutt hardly faced a challenge and easily won another term.


2002 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, District 6
Long-serving Democratic Congressman Norm Dicks, the longest-serving of Washington congressmen, has represented this liberal-leaning, Kitsap Peninsula-based district since he was first elected in United States House of Representatives elections, 1980#Washington. Congressman Dicks faced Republican nominee Bob Lawrence in the general election, who was also his opponent in the previous two elections. Lawrence hardly faced a chance in the general election, and Dicks was swept into his fourteenth term in a landslide.


2002 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, District 7
This district, the most liberal in Washington, encompasses most of the city of Seattle and has been represented by Democratic Congressman Jim McDermott since he was first elected in 1988. Running for a seventh term this year, McDermott faced off against Republican Carol Cassady and Libertarian Stan Lippman, whom he crushed in the general election by a convincing margin.


2002 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, District 8
Incumbent Republican Congresswoman Jennifer Dunn ran for a seventh term in this liberal-leaning district and faced Democratic nominee Heidi Behrens-Benedict and Libertarian Mark Taff in the general election. Though this district, based in the eastern suburbs of Seattle, has a tendency to vote Democratic, the potential potency of Behrens-Benedict’s candidacy was hampered by the fact that she has achieved perennial status, running for the same seat two previous times. Ultimately, Congresswoman Dunn was re-elected by a solid margin on election day.


2002 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington, District 9
In his bid for a fourth term, incumbent Democratic Congressman Adam Smith was opposed by Republican State Representative Sarah Casada and Libertarian candidate J. Mills in the general election. Congressman Smith represents a liberal-leaning district that runs from the state’s capital of Olympia to some of the southern suburbs of Seattle, and, true to the liberal tendencies of his constituency, Smith was re-elected by a substantial margin over Casada and Mills.


2002 United States House of Representatives elections in West Virginia
The 2002 United States House of Representatives elections in West Virginia were held on November 5, 2002 to determine who will represent the state of West Virginia in the United States House of Representatives. West Virginia has three seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States Census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms.


2002 United States House of Representatives elections in West Virginia, District 1
Incumbent Democrat Alan Mollohan was re-elected unopposed. This district covers the northern part of the state.


2002 United States House of Representatives elections in West Virginia, District 2
Incumbent Republican Shelley Moore Capito defeated Democrat Jim Humphreys. This district covers the central part of the state.


2002 United States House of Representatives elections in West Virginia, District 3
Incumbent Democrat Nick Rahall defeated Republican Paul Chapman. This district covers the southern part of the state.


2002 United States Senate election in Alabama
The 2002 United States Senate election in Alabama was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions won re-election to a second term. As of 2018, this is the most recent Senate election in Alabama in which Colbert and Lawrence counties voted for the Democratic candidate.


2002 United States Senate election in Alabama, Background
In the 1968 presidential election, Alabama supported native son and American Independent Party candidate George Wallace over both Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey. Wallace was the official Democratic candidate in Alabama, while Humphrey was listed as the "National Democratic". In 1976, Democratic candidate Jimmy Carter from Georgia carried the state, the region, and the nation, but Democratic control of the region slipped after that.


2002 United States Senate election in Alabama, Background
Since 1980, conservative Alabama voters have increasingly voted for Republican candidates at the federal level, especially in presidential elections. By contrast, Democratic candidates have been elected to many state-level offices and comprised a longstanding majority in the Alabama Legislature.


2002 United States Senate election in Alabama, Democratic primary, Results
McPhillips won many counties in the southern part of the state, but Parker won the most counties. Sowell endorsed Parker for the runoff.


2002 United States Senate election in Alaska
The 2002 United States Senate election in Alaska was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican United States Senator Ted Stevens ran for and won a sixth term in the United States Senate. He faced perennial candidate Frank Vondersaar, the Democratic nominee, journalist Jim Sykes, the Green Party nominee, and several other independent candidates in his bid for re-election. Ultimately, Stevens crushed his opponents to win what would be his last term in the Senate, allowing him to win with the largest margin of victory for any Senate election in Alaska, as well as the highest percentage of the vote in any of his elections.


2002 United States Senate election in Arkansas
The 2002 United States Senate election in Arkansas was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Tim Hutchinson ran for a second term, but was defeated by Democratic candidate Mark Pryor, whose father David had held the seat from 1979 to 1997. This was the only seat in the 2002 midterm elections to switch from Republican to Democratic, and Hutchinson was the only incumbent Republican senator to lose reelection during that cycle.


2002 United States Senate election in Colorado
The 2002 United States Senate election in Colorado was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Wayne Allard won re-election to a second term.


2002 United States Senate election in Delaware
The 2002 United States Senate election in Delaware was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Biden won re-election to a sixth term, defeating Raymond Clatworthy in a rematch. This is the last Senate election that Biden decreased his percentage of the votes since the previous election and the only time Biden lost  Kent County in his seven elections to the Senate. With this election, Biden became the first senator in Delaware to win six terms and became the state's longest-serving senator.


2002 United States Senate election in Georgia
The 2002 United States Senate election in Georgia took place on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Max Cleland ran for re-election to a second term, but was defeated by Republican Saxby Chambliss by a 52.8—to—45.9—percent margin.


2002 United States Senate election in Georgia
This was the last midterm senate election in which an incumbent of the out-of-presidency party lost reelection until 2018. Chambliss became the first Republican ever to hold Georgia's class 2 Senate seat.


2002 United States Senate election in Georgia, Campaign
Chambliss's campaign used the refrain of national defense and security, but drew criticism for television ads that paired images of Cleland and Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, and for questioning the commitment to homeland security of his opponent, a triple amputee and decorated Vietnam veteran. Republican Senator and fellow Vietnam veteran John McCain of Arizona said of one ad, "It's worse than disgraceful, it's reprehensible." McCain, along with Republican Senator and fellow Vietnam veteran Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, made significant complaints to the Republican National Committee until the ads were taken down.


2002 United States Senate election in Idaho
The 2002 United States Senate election in Idaho took place on November 4, 2002. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Larry Craig won re-election to a third term.


2002 United States Senate election in Illinois
The United States Senate election in Illinois was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Dick Durbin sought re-election to a second term in the United States Senate. Durbin defeated Republican challenger State Representative Jim Durkin in a landslide.


2002 United States Senate election in Illinois, Election information
The primaries and general elections coincided with those for House and those for state offices.


2002 United States Senate election in Illinois, Election information, Turnout
For the primary elections, turnout was 24.66%, with 1,743,698 votes cast. For the general election, turnout was 49.50%, with 3,486,851 votes cast.


2002 United States Senate election in Illinois, General election, Results
Durbin won re-election to a second term easily, carrying a majority of the state's 102 counties.


2002 United States Senate election in Iowa
The 2002 United States Senate election in Iowa was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Tom Harkin sought re-election to a fourth term in office. Harkin was opposed in the general election by U.S. Congressman Greg Ganske, who fought off a surprisingly difficult challenger in the Republican primary. Though Harkin narrowly defeated his opponent six years earlier, he was able to defeat Ganske by a fairly comfortable margin to win re-election.


2002 United States Senate election in Kansas
The 2002 United States Senate election in Kansas was held on November 4, 2002. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Pat Roberts won re-election to a second term overwhelmingly. No Democrats filed to run, and Roberts was only opposed by a Libertarian candidate and a Reform Party candidate.


2002 United States Senate election in Kentucky
The 2002 United States Senate election in Kentucky was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell won re-election to a fourth term. This election was McConnell's biggest margin of victory to date. It is the only election in which he won Franklin County, and the most recent in which he won urban Jefferson and Fayette counties. The latter two were the only Kentucky counties won by either Hillary Clinton in 2016 or Joe Biden in 2020, signifying their leftward drift.


2002 United States Senate election in Louisiana
The 2002 United States Senate election in Louisiana  was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu won re-election to a second term, although she did not earn 50% of the vote in the first round and was therefore forced into a runoff election with Republican Suzanne Haik Terrell, the Louisiana Elections Commissioner.


2002 United States Senate election in Louisiana
During the runoff, Landrieu was outspent three-to-one by Terrell, who also had prominent Republicans including President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney visit Louisiana to campaign on her behalf. Republicans, confident of victory having gained seats in the elections to the House of Representatives and to the Senate, solidifying control of the former and taking control of the latter, publicly called the election "Operation Icing on the Cake". Some Democrats responded by calling their efforts "Operation Wipe that Smirk off of Bush's Face" and dubbed Landrieu's subsequent run-off victory, "Operation Pie in the Face".


2002 United States Senate election in Louisiana, Initial results, Results
Landrieu pulled off what many considered to be an upset victory. The Republicans believed they would most likely win the race. Before the election many Republicans called the race operation icing on the cake. After Landrieu won the runoff Democrats dubbed her victory operation pie in the face. The race was close. In terms of rural parishes the vote was split fairly evenly. Landrieu did well in Caddo Parish home of Shreveport, and in East Baton Rouge Parish home of Baton Rouge.


2002 United States Senate election in Louisiana, Initial results, Results
Ultimately though it was Landrieu's huge win in Orleans Parish home of New Orleans that pushed her over the finish line. Haik Terrell conceded defeat to Landrieu at 12:38 P.M. EST, congratulating Landrieu on her victory. Landrieu would go on to be reelected to a third term in 2008, but ultimately defeated in her bid for a fourth term in 2014.


2002 United States Senate election in Maine
The 2002 United States Senate election in Maine was held November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Susan Collins won re-election to a second term.


2002 United States Senate election in Maine, General election, Campaign
Pingree attacked Collins for supporting the Bush tax cuts. Both candidates opposed the Iraq War in the fall of 2002. However, Collins then supported the congressional resolution to attack Iraq, while Pingree opposed it.


2002 United States Senate election in Maine, General election, Campaign
Collins, a popular moderate, was supported by health care groups, environmentalists and gay rights advocates. She handily defeated Pingree in one of the first U.S. Senate elections in which both major parties nominated women in U.S. history.


2002 United States Senate election in Massachusetts
The 2002 United States Senate election in Massachusetts took place on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator John Kerry won re-election to a fourth term against Libertarian Michael Cloud, with no Republican filing to run.


2002 United States Senate election in Massachusetts
The lack of a Republican Party candidate caused Cloud to receive the largest percentage of votes for a U.S. Senate candidate in the Libertarian Party's history, though this record has since been eclipsed by Joe Miller in Alaska in 2016 and Ricky Dale Harrington Jr. in Arkansas in 2020. Cloud also won the largest number of raw votes for a Libertarian candidate at the time, since eclipsed by Harrington.


2002 United States Senate election in Massachusetts
Kerry's support for the invasion of Iraq also prompted a late write-in challenge by anti-war candidate Randall Forsberg.


2002 United States Senate election in Michigan
The 2002 United States Senate election in Michigan was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Carl Levin won re-election to a fifth term.


2002 United States Senate election in Minnesota
The 2002 United States Senate election in Minnesota took place on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone was running for reelection to a third term, but died in a plane crash eleven days before the election. The Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) chose former Vice President and 1984 Presidential nominee Walter Mondale to replace Wellstone on the ballot. Mondale had previously held the seat from 1964 to 1976, resigning to take office as Vice President. He narrowly lost to Republican Norm Coleman, the former Mayor of Saint Paul.


2002 United States Senate election in Minnesota
The day before the election, Governor Jesse Ventura appointed the 1996 Independence Party candidate, Dean Barkley, to serve the remainder of Wellstone's term. As of 2021, this is the last time the Republicans won a U.S. Senate election in Minnesota. This is also the last time in a midterm election that the party controlling the White House flipped a senate seat in a state they did not win in the preceding presidential election.


2002 United States Senate election in Minnesota, General election, Candidates on the ballot
* Wellstone appeared on the ballot despite his death (he had been replaced by Mondale)


2002 United States Senate election in Minnesota, General election, Campaign
At the time of his death, Wellstone was slightly ahead in the polls. After Mondale was chosen as the DFL candidate, he led 51% to 45% in a poll taken a few days before the election. Early on Election Day, Mondale was leading, but by nightfall Coleman pulled ahead, winning by 2.2 percentage points.


2002 United States Senate election in Minnesota, Aftermath
After Coleman was declared the winner, Mondale conceded and said in his speech, "At the end of what will be my last campaign, I want to say to Minnesota, you always treated me well, you always listened to me." His loss, combined with his landslide defeat in the United States presidential election in 1984, made him the only American major-party candidate to lose a general election in all 50 states as George McGovern had also lost 49 states in the 1972 presidential election and lost the Massachusetts Democratic presidential primary in 1984. Although Mondale did not seek office again, he remained active politically.


2002 United States Senate election in Minnesota, Aftermath
Coleman was sworn in on January 3, 2003. He served one term in the United States Senate, losing to Al Franken by a tiny margin in the 2008 election.


2002 United States Senate election in Mississippi
The 2002 United States Senate election in Mississippi was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Thad Cochran overwhelmingly won re-election to a fifth term. The Democratic Party did not field a candidate, resulting in Reform Party candidate Shawn O'Hara winning 15.42%. O'Hara's percentage of the vote was more than double Ross Perot's statewide total of 5.84% in the 1996 presidential election. His percentage was also the highest percentage for a Reform candidate in a senate election.


2002 United States Senate election in Montana
The 2002 United States Senate election in Montana was held on November 4, 2002. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Max Baucus won re-election to a fifth term.


2002 United States Senate election in Montana, General election, Campaign
The 2002 Montana elections got national attention when Baucus's opponent, state senator Mike Taylor, accused Baucus of having implied that Taylor was gay in a campaign ad. The ad was paid for by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, though designed by the Baucus campaign. The ad, which alleged that Taylor had embezzled funds from the cosmetology school he once owned, showed footage from the early 1980s of Taylor massaging another man's face while wearing a tight suit with an open shirt. Taylor dropped out of the race and Baucus won with 63 percent of the vote.


2002 United States Senate election in Nebraska
The 2002 United States Senate election in Nebraska was held on November 7, 2002. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel won re-election to a second term.


2002 United States Senate election in New Hampshire
The 2002 United States Senate election in New Hampshire was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Bob Smith was defeated in the Republican primary by U.S. Representative John E. Sununu. Sununu won the open seat, defeating Democratic Governor Jeanne Shaheen. As of 2021, this is the last time the Republicans won the Class 2 Senate seat in New Hampshire.


2002 United States Senate election in New Hampshire, Republican primary, Background
Senator Bob Smith, the incumbent Republican Senator, briefly left the party in 1999 to run for president as an independent, claiming that the Republican platform was "not worth the paper it's written on". He rejoined the GOP a few months later, saying he made a mistake. Nonetheless, the party never fully forgave him, and some of his fellow Republican Senators went so far as to endorse his primary opponent, Rep. John Sununu, who would go on to win by 8 points.


2002 United States Senate election in New Hampshire, Phone jamming scandal
During the campaign, there was a major scandal that involved the use of a telemarketing firm hired by that state's Republican Party (NHGOP) for election tampering. The GOP Marketplace, based in Northern Virginia, jammed another phone bank being used by the state Democratic Party and the firefighters' union for efforts to turn out voters on behalf of then-governor Jeanne Shaheen on Election Day. The tampering involved using a call center to jam the phone lines of a Get Out the Vote (GOTV) operation. In the end, 900 calls were made for 45 minutes of disruption to the Democratic-leaning call centers.


2002 United States Senate election in New Hampshire, Phone jamming scandal
In addition to criminal prosecutions, disclosures in the case have come from a civil suit filed by the state's Democratic Party against the state's Republican Party (now settled). Four men have been convicted of, or pleaded guilty to, federal crimes and sentenced to prison for their involvement as of 2008. One conviction has been reversed by an appeals court, a decision prosecutors are appealing. James Tobin, freed on appeal, was later indicted on charges of lying to the FBI during the original investigation.


2002 United States Senate election in New Jersey
The 2002 United States Senate election in New Jersey was held on November 5, 2002. The race was to originally feature Democrat Robert Torricelli against former West Windsor Township mayor Douglas Forrester, who had won the Republican nomination. Torricelli had won the seat when former Senator Bill Bradley elected not to run for a fourth term in 1996.


2002 United States Senate election in New Jersey
Torricelli, however, had been the target of an ethics probe and eventually dropped out of the race in late September 2002. Democrats sought to replace him with Frank Lautenberg, who had been the state's senior senator before retiring from New Jersey's other Senate seat at the end of the 106th United States Congress.


2002 United States Senate election in New Jersey
After legal proceedings aimed at forcing Torricelli's name to remain on the ballot were filed by Forrester's campaign, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that Lautenberg could remain on the ballot.


2002 United States Senate election in New Jersey
In the general election, Lautenberg defeated Forrester by a 9.9% margin, winning a fourth, non-consecutive term as a U.S. senator. At 78, Lautenberg became the oldest non-incumbent to win a Senate election. Lautenberg became the state's junior senator for the second time when he was sworn in on January 3, 2003. (Jon Corzine, who was elected to Lautenberg's old Senate seat, became the senior senator in 2003 as Lautenberg's previous eighteen years in the Senate were not counted as he was starting over.)


2002 United States Senate election in New Jersey, Democratic primary, Candidates
Although Torricelli would later withdraw from the race, he was unopposed for the Democratic nomination on June 4.


2002 United States Senate election in New Jersey, General election, Campaign
Torricelli dropped out of the race on September 30 due to ethical problems and poor poll numbers against Forrester, a relatively unknown opponent. The New Jersey Democratic Party convinced the retired Lautenberg to join the race after Torricelli dropped out. In the case of The New Jersey Democratic Party v. Samson, 175 N.J. 178 (2002), Forrester sued to stop Democratic Party efforts to have Lautenberg replace Torricelli. The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled unanimously on October 2 that the party could switch Lautenberg's name in for Sen. Torricelli's on the ballot. Forrester received the endorsement of President George W. Bush.


2002 United States Senate election in New Mexico
The 2002 United States Senate election in New Mexico was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Pete Domenici won re-election to a sixth term. As of 2021, this is the last time the Republicans won a U.S. Senate election in New Mexico.


2002 United States Senate election in North Carolina
The 2002 United States Senate election in North Carolina was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Jesse Helms decided to retire due to health issues. Republican Elizabeth Dole won the open seat. This was the 1st open seat election since 1974.


2002 United States Senate election in Oklahoma
The 2002 United States Senate election in Oklahoma was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe won re-election to a second term.


2002 United States Senate election in Oregon
The 2002 United States Senate election in Oregon was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican United States Senator Gordon Smith ran for re-election to a second term. Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury emerged as the Democratic nominee, and though a competitive gubernatorial election occurred at the same time, Bradbury's campaign was never able to gain traction and Smith overwhelmingly won re-election. As of 2021, this is the last time the Republicans won a U.S. Senate election in Oregon.


2002 United States Senate election in Oregon, General election, Campaign
Smith, who had only served one term in the U.S. Senate, had slightly lower than a 50% approval rating before the summer of 2002 began. By July 2002, Smith had raised over $5 million, while Bradbury raised only about $1 million.


2002 United States Senate election in Rhode Island
The 2002 United States Senate election in Rhode Island took place on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Jack Reed won re-election to a second term. Reed's best performance was in Providence County, where he won with over 80% of the vote.


2002 United States Senate election in Rhode Island, General election, Campaign
Reed was an extremely popular senator who got token opposition in the general election. A May Brown University poll showed the incumbent with a 73% approval rating, higher than any other elected lawmaker in the state. In June 2002, Tingle announced his candidacy. Tingle described himself as a working man with a family, while Reed is single and a veteran politician. In an October poll, Reed was up 61% to 14%.


2002 United States Senate election in South Carolina
The 2002 United States Senate election in South Carolina was held on November 5, 2002. Longtime Republican incumbent Strom Thurmond decided to retire at the age of 100, becoming the first centenarian to ever serve in Congress. At that time, Thurmond was the longest serving Senator in U.S. history, but his record was later surpassed by West Virginia's Robert Byrd. Republican U.S. Representative Lindsey Graham won the open seat, becoming the first non-incumbent Republican Senator from South Carolina since Reconstruction, as Thurmond had been elected as a Democrat, but switched parties in 1964. This was the first open Senate election in South Carolina since 1966.


2002 United States Senate election in South Carolina, Democratic primary
Alex Sanders, the former president of the College of Charleston, entered the race and faced no opposition from South Carolina Democrats, thereby avoiding a primary election.


2002 United States Senate election in South Carolina, Republican primary
Representative Lindsey Graham had no challenge for the Republican nomination and thus avoided a primary election. This was due in large part because the South Carolina Republicans were preoccupied with the gubernatorial race and also because potential rivals were deterred by the huge financial war chest Graham had amassed early in the campaign.


2002 United States Senate election in South Carolina, General election, Campaign
The election campaign between Graham and Sanders pitted ideology against personality. Graham spread his message to the voters that he had a consistent conservative voting record and that his votes in Congress closely matched that of outgoing Senator Strom Thurmond. Sanders claimed that he was best to represent South Carolina in the Senate because he held membership in both the NAACP, the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the NRA, and because he said that his positions more closely matched the citizens of the state. He said that he was against the death penalty for religious reasons, supported abortion rights, and was for greater government involvement in education. Graham attacked Sanders for these positions consistently throughout the campaign, but Sanders hit back at Graham for wanting to privatize social security.


2002 United States Senate election in South Carolina, General election, Campaign
Graham scored an impressive victory in the general election and the margin of victory proved that Democrats had little chance of winning an election in the state for a federal position. He achieved his victory because he rolled up strong margins the Upstate and was able to also achieve a majority in the Lowcountry, an area which Sanders had been expected to do well since he hailed from Charleston. However, strong support in the Lowcountry for Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Sanford doomed Sanders chances of running up a margin in the coastal counties.


2002 United States Senate election in South Dakota
The 2002 United States Senate election in South Dakota was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Tim Johnson narrowly won re-election to a second term by a margin of 524 votes, or 0.15%. This made the election the closest race of the 2002 Senate election cycle.


2002 United States Senate election in South Dakota, General election, Campaign
Thune, who was considered a rising star in his party, ran against Tim Johnson, who narrowly won his first senate election in 1996. Thune launched a television advertising campaign mentioning al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein, contending that both are seeking nuclear weapons and that this country needs a missile defense system, something Johnson voted against 29 times and that Thune supports. The incumbent attacked Thune for politicizing national security. President George W. Bush campaigned for Thune in late October. More than $20 million was spent in the election. Both candidates had raised over $5 million each.


2002 United States Senate election in South Dakota, General election, Results
Johnson narrowly prevailed over Thune by a mere 524 votes. Despite the extremely close results, Thune did not contest the results and conceded defeat on the late afternoon of November 9. Johnson's narrow victory may be attributed to his strong support in Oglala Lakota County, and to Thune also underperforming in typically Republican areas. Johnson was sworn in for a second term on January 3, 2003. Thune was elected to South Dakota's other Senate seat in 2004, defeating incumbent minority leader Tom Daschle.


2002 United States Senate election in Tennessee
The 2002 United States Senate election in Tennessee was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Fred Thompson decided to retire. Republican Lamar Alexander won the open seat.


2002 United States Senate election in Tennessee, General election, Campaign
Alexander raised $2 million through June 2002. Clement attacked the Governor for his corporate connections and business dealings. By October, Clement had nearly raised $900,000, while Alexander raised almost $3 million. Bush, who had a 60% approval rating in the state, helped campaign and raise money for Alexander. Alexander was also endorsed by the NRA.


2002 United States Senate election in Tennessee, General election, Polling
In a September poll from the Knoxville News Sentinel, Alexander was up 45% to 27%. In a DNSC poll during the same month, Alexander was up 49% to 42%. In a mid October Zogby poll had the governor leading 49% to 36%. A late October WREG-TV poll had Alexander leading 45% to 36%.


2002 United States Senate election in Texas
The 2002 United States Senate election in Texas was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Phil Gramm decided to retire, instead of seeking a fourth term. State Attorney General Republican John Cornyn won the open seat. This was the first open-seat election since 1984.


2002 United States Senate election in Texas, General election, Campaign
Despite the fact that Texas is a red state, Kirk ran on a socially progressive platform: supporting abortion rights and opposing Bush judicial nominee Priscilla Owen, although Kirk was a former George W. Bush supporter. He also supported increases in defense spending, such as Bush's proposed $48 billion increase in military spending, except for the money Bush wanted to use for missile defense. Kirk had the support of former Governor Ann Richards and former U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen.


2002 United States Senate election in Texas, General election, Campaign
Cornyn was criticized for taking campaign money from Enron and other controversial companies. And although other Democrats have seized on the issue, Kirk is well-entrenched in the Dallas business community, and his wife resigned from two private-sector jobs that created potential conflicts of interest for Kirk while he was mayor.


2002 United States Senate election in Texas, General election, Campaign
An October Dallas Morning News poll had Cornyn leading 47% to 37%. A record $18 million was spent in the election.


2002 United States Senate election in Virginia
The 2002 United States Senate election in Virginia was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator John Warner won re-election to a fifth term, making him one of only three Virginia U.S. Senators to serve five or more terms. The Democrats did not field a candidate against Warner, and he won every single county and city in the state with at least 60% of the vote. As of 2021, this is the last time the Republicans won a U.S. Senate election in Virginia.


2002 United States Senate election in West Virginia
The 2002 United States Senate election in West Virginia  was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller won re-election to a fourth term.


2002 United States Senate election in West Virginia, Campaign
Wolfe ran a Grassroots campaign. Rockefeller was the heavy favorite. Rockefeller had $2.9 million cash on hand to Wolfe at $100,536 (In mid-October). Wolfe was endorsed by President George W. Bush and the National Rifle Association, but it wasn't enough to make the election competitive.


2002 United States Senate election in Wyoming
The 2002 United States Senate election in Wyoming was held November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Mike Enzi won re-election to a second term.


2002 United States Senate election in Wyoming, General election, Campaign
Enzi stated that his top priorities were education, jobs, national security and retirement security. He had $485,000 cash on hand in June 2002, when Corcoran first filed.


2002 United States Senate elections
The 2002 United States Senate elections featured a series of fiercely contested elections that resulted in a victory for the Republican Party, which gained two seats and thus a narrow majority from the Democratic Party in the United States Senate. The Senate seats up for election, known as class 2 Senate seats, were last up for regular election in 1996. The election was held on November 5, 2002, almost fourteen months after the September 11, 2001 attacks.


2002 United States Senate elections
The Democrats had originally hoped to do well, as the party holding the presidency historically loses seats in midterm elections, and additionally, the Republicans had 20 seats up for election compared to 14 Democratic seats up for election. In addition, the Republicans had five open seats, while the Democrats and the Independence Party of Minnesota had one each. However, the Republicans were able to hold their five open seats and pick up the one that was held by the IPM, while the Democrats held their only open seat.


2002 United States Senate elections
Ultimately, Republicans would pick up three seats and lose one, resulting in a net gain of two seats. Together with gains made in the House of Representatives, this election was one of the few mid-term elections in the last one hundred years in which the party in control of the White House gained Congressional seats (the others were 1902 and 1903, 1934, and 1998). This was the first time since 1970 in which a first-term president's party made net gains in the Senate, and would not occur again until 2018. This is also the last midterm election where the party controlling the White House flipped a senate seat in a state they did not win in the preceding presidential election.


2002 United States Senate elections
Trent Lott led the Senate Republicans through this election cycle and was due to become the new Senate Majority Leader upon the retaking of control of the Senate by the Republicans. However, Lott's controversial praise for Strom Thurmond's Dixiecrat presidential campaign at Thurmond's 100th birthday celebration led to Lott stepping down from Senate leadership and resulted in Bill Frist being selected as the new Senate Majority Leader.


2002 United States Senate elections
This was the only election cycle ever where the party of the incumbent president gained new control of a house of Congress in a midterm election. As of 2021, this is the last Senate election cycle where Republicans won Senate elections in Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, and Virginia.


2002 United States Senate elections, Gains and losses
Republicans defeated incumbent Democratic Senators Max Cleland of Georgia, and Jean Carnahan of Missouri, while incumbent Republican Tim Hutchinson of Arkansas lost to Democrat Mark Pryor. Democrat Paul Wellstone of Minnesota was running for re-election, but he died in a plane crash shortly before the election and his seat was won by a Republican.


2002 United States Senate elections, Race summary, Elections leading to the next Congress
In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 2003; ordered by state.


2002 United States Senate elections, Race summary, Closest races
In eleven races the margin of victory was under 10%


2002 United States Senate elections, Alabama
Since around 1980, Alabama voters had increasingly voted for Republican candidates at the federal level, especially in Presidential elections. By contrast, Democratic candidates had been elected to many state-level offices and comprised a longstanding majority in the Alabama Legislature.


2002 United States Senate elections, Alabama
Incumbent Republican Jeff Sessions was not challenged in the primary, and easily won re-election to a second term.


2002 United States Senate elections, Alabama
McPhillips received a large amount of support in the southern part of the state, but Parker won the most votes. Sowell endorsed Parker for the run-off.


2002 United States Senate elections, Alaska
Incumbent Ted Stevens ran for and won a sixth term. He faced perennial candidate Frank Vondersaar, the Democratic nominee, journalist Jim Sykes, the Green Party nominee, and several other independent candidates in his bid for re-election. Ultimately, Stevens crushed his opponents to win what would be his last term in the Senate, allowing him to win with the largest margin of victory for any Senate election in Alaska, as well as the highest percentage of the vote in any of his elections.


2002 United States Senate elections, Arkansas
Incumbent Republican Tim Hutchinson ran for a second term, but lost re-election to Arkansas Attorney General Mark Pryor.


2002 United States Senate elections, Colorado
Incumbent Republican Wayne Allard won re-election to a second term.


2002 United States Senate elections, Delaware
Incumbent Democrat Joe Biden won re-election to a sixth term.


2002 United States Senate elections, Georgia
Incumbent Democrat Max Cleland ran for re-election to a second term, but lost to Republican Saxby Chambliss.


2002 United States Senate elections, Georgia
Chambliss's campaign used the refrain of national defense and security, but drew criticism for television ads that paired images of Cleland and Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, and for questioning the commitment to homeland security of his opponent, a triple amputee and decorated Vietnam veteran. Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona said of one ad: "It's worse than disgraceful. It's reprehensible." McCain, along with Republican Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, made significant complaints to the Republican National Committee until the ads were taken down. Nevertheless, Chambliss defeated Cleland by nearly seven percentage points.


2002 United States Senate elections, Idaho
Incumbent Republican Larry Craig won re-election to a third term.


2002 United States Senate elections, Illinois
Incumbent Democrat Dick Durbin won re-election to a second term. Durbin faced off against State Representative and future Illinois House minority leader Jim Durkin, whom he was able to beat, ensuring his return to the Senate.


2002 United States Senate elections, Illinois
Durbin won re-election to a second term easily, carrying a majority of the states 102 counties.


2002 United States Senate elections, Iowa
Incumbent Democrat Tom Harkin won re-election to a fourth term. Harkin was opposed in the general election by United States Congressman Greg Ganske, who fought off a surprisingly difficult challenger in the Republican primary. Though Harkin had narrowly defeated his opponent six years earlier, he was able to defeat Ganske by a fairly comfortable margin to win re-election.


2002 United States Senate elections, Kansas
Incumbent Pat Roberts won re-election to a second term easily because no Democrat filed to run.


2002 United States Senate elections, Kentucky
Incumbent Republican Mitch McConnell won re-election to a fourth term.


2002 United States Senate elections, Louisiana
Incumbent Democrat Mary Landrieu won re-election to a second term.


2002 United States Senate elections, Louisiana
During the run-off, Landrieu was out-spent three-to-one by Republican contender Suzanne Haik Terrell, the Louisiana Elections Commissioner. Terrell also had prominent Republicans including President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney visit Louisiana to campaign on her behalf. Republicans, confident of victory having gained seats in the elections to the House of Representatives and to the Senate, solidifying control of the former and taking control of the latter, publicly called the election "Operation Icing on the Cake". Some Democrats responded by calling their efforts "Operation Wipe that Smirk off of Bush's Face" and dubbed Landrieu's subsequent run-off victory, "Operation Pie in the Face".


2002 United States Senate elections, Louisiana
Landrieu pulled off what many considered to be an upset victory. The Republicans believed they would most likely win the race. Before the election many Republicans called the race operation icing on the cake. After Landrieu won the runoff Democrats dubbed her victory operation pie in the face. The race was close. In terms of rural parishes the vote was split fairly evenly. Landrieu did well in Caddo Parish home of Shreveport, and in East Baton Rouge Parish home of East Baton Rouge. Ultimately though it was Landrieu's huge win in Orleans Parish home of New Orleans that pushed her over the finish line. Haik Terrell conceded defeat to Landrieu at 12:38 P.M. EST, congratulating Landrieu on her victory. Landrieu would go on to be re-elected to a third term in 2008.


2002 United States Senate elections, Maine
Incumbent Republican Susan Collins won re-election to a second term.


2002 United States Senate elections, Maine
Chellie Pingree, State Senator and Senate Majority Leader attacked Collins for supporting the Bush tax cuts. Both candidates opposed the Iraq War in the fall of 2002. However, Collins then supported the congressional resolution to attack Iraq, while Pingree opposed it.


2002 United States Senate elections, Maine
Collins, a popular moderate, was supported by health care groups, environmentalists and gay rights advocates. She handily defeated State Senator Chellie Pingree of North Haven in one of the few U.S. Senate elections in which both major parties nominated women in U.S. history.


2002 United States Senate elections, Massachusetts
Incumbent Democrat John Kerry won re-election to a fourth term against Libertarian Michael Cloud. The lack of a Republican party candidate caused Cloud to receive the largest percentage of votes for a U.S. Senate candidate in the Libertarian Party's history, though this record has since been eclipsed by Joe Miller in Alaska in 2016, and again by Ricky Dale Harrington in Arkansas in 2020.


2002 United States Senate elections, Michigan
Incumbent Democrat Carl Levin won re-election to a fifth term.


2002 United States Senate elections, Minnesota
Incumbent Democrat Paul Wellstone was running for re-election to a third term, but died in a plane crash eleven days before the election. The Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) chose former Vice President and 1984 Presidential candidate Walter Mondale to replace Wellstone on the ballot. Mondale lost to Republican Mayor of Saint Paul Norm Coleman. The day before the election, Independence Governor Jesse Ventura had appointed Dean Barkley (IP) to serve the rest of Wellstone's term. As of 2021, this is the last Senate election in Minnesota won by a Republican.


2002 United States Senate elections, Minnesota
In the primaries, Paul Wellstone defeated Dick Franson 93% to 5% and Norm Coleman defeated Jack Shepard 95% to 5%.


2002 United States Senate elections, Minnesota
At the time of his death, Wellstone was slightly ahead in the polls. After Walter Mondale was chosen as the DFL candidate, in a poll taken a few days before the election Mondale was leading 51% to 45%. Early on Election Day, Mondale was leading in votes. By nightfall, however, Norm Coleman pulled ahead, winning by 49.5 percent to 47.3 percent.


2002 United States Senate elections, Minnesota
Paul Wellstone still appeared on the ballot despite his death, despite a court order replacing Wellstone's name with Mondale's.


2002 United States Senate elections, Mississippi
Incumbent Republican Thad Cochran overwhelmingly won re-election to a fifth term. The Democratic Party did not field a candidate, resulting in Reform Party candidate Shawn O'Hara winning 15.42% of the vote.


2002 United States Senate elections, Missouri (special)
In the 2000 election, Mel Carnahan, who had died in a plane crash three weeks before, remained on the ballot for election to the Senate. Carnahan beat his Republican opponent, John Ashcroft, who did not legally contest being defeated by a dead candidate. Carnahan's successor as governor, Roger B. Wilson, fulfilled his pre-election promise to appoint Carnahan's widow in her husband's place and a special election was scheduled for 2002.


2002 United States Senate elections, Missouri (special)
The election would decide who would serve the rest of Senator-elect Mel Carnahan's term, after he died. The winner would serve four more years until the next election in 2006. Governor Roger Wilson had appointed Carnahan's widow Jean to serve temporarily. She then ran for the remainder of the term. Republican Jim Talent defeated her narrowly. While the race would have flipped control of the Senate from the Democrats to the Republicans, the Senate was adjourned, so Talent could not take office and no change in leadership occurred until the 108th Congress began in January 2003.


2002 United States Senate elections, Missouri (special)
National security and Carnahan's vote against fellow Missourian John Ashcroft as attorney general were major issues in the campaign. Republicans argued Carnahan owed her vote to Ashcroft, who had lost his bid for re-election to the Senate to Carnahan's husband. Talent, citing Carnahan's votes against homeland-security legislation and missile defense, accused her of being soft on national security, which she objected to, saying he was "doubt[ing] her patriotism."


2002 United States Senate elections, Missouri (special)
Jack Abramoff contributed $2,000 to Talent's 2002 senatorial campaign, and Preston Gates & Ellis, a former Abramoff employer, had also contributed $1,000 to Talent's campaign. Talent later returned both contributions. Talent's win returned Republican control of the Senate which had been under slight Democratic dominance resulting from Vermont junior senator Jim Jeffords's decision to renounce the Republican Party, turning independent and making the choice to caucus with the Democrats.


2002 United States Senate elections, Missouri (special)
Talent's victory was certified November 21, 2002, one day before Congress adjourned, which prevented Republicans from claiming a senate majority. He automatically became a Senator the following day because, under federal law, he formally took office the day after both chambers of Congress adjourned. Because Republicans would hold the majority in the following congress, they saw no need to hold a special session in the 107th to take advantage of their brief majority.


2002 United States Senate elections, Montana
Incumbent Democrat Max Baucus won re-election to a fifth term.


2002 United States Senate elections, Montana
The election got national attention when Baucus's opponent, state senator Mike Taylor, accused Baucus of having implied that Taylor was gay in a campaign ad. The ad was paid for by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, though designed by the Baucus campaign. The ad, which alleged that Taylor had embezzled funds from the cosmetology school he once owned, showed footage from the early 1980s of Taylor massaging another man's face while wearing a tight suit with an open shirt. Due to financial shortages making it impossible for him to continue the race and having concerns about the effect the race was having on his family, Taylor dropped out of the race and Baucus won with 63 percent of the vote.


2002 United States Senate elections, Nebraska
Incumbent Republican Chuck Hagel won re-election to a second term.


2002 United States Senate elections, New Hampshire
Incumbent Republican/Independent U.S. Senator Bob Smith was defeated in the Republican primary and denied renomination. Republican John E. Sununu won the open seat. As of 2017 This is the last time a Republican has won the Class 2 Senate seat in New Hampshire.


2002 United States Senate elections, New Hampshire
Senator Bob Smith, the incumbent Republican Senator, briefly left the party in 1999 to run for president as an independent, claiming that the Republican platform was "not worth the paper it's written on". He rejoined the GOP a few months later, saying he made a mistake. Nonetheless, the party never fully forgave him, and some of his fellow Republican Senators went so far as to endorse his primary opponent, Rep. John Sununu, who would go on to win by 8 points.


2002 United States Senate elections, New Hampshire
During the campaign, there was a major scandal that involved the use of a telemarketing firm hired by that state's Republican Party (NHGOP) for election tampering. The GOP Marketplace, based in Northern Virginia, jammed another phone bank being used by the state Democratic Party and the firefighters' union for efforts to turn out voters on behalf of New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen on Election Day. The tampering involved using a call center to jam the phone lines of a Get Out the Vote (GOTV) operation.


2002 United States Senate elections, New Hampshire
In the end, 900 calls were made for 45 minutes of disruption to the Democratic-leaning call centers. In addition to criminal prosecutions, disclosures in the case came from a civil suit filed by the state's Democratic Party against the state's Republican Party (now settled). Four of those involved were convicted of, or pleaded guilty to, federal crimes and sentenced to prison for their involvement as of 2018. One conviction was reversed by an appeals court, a decision prosecutors appealed. James Tobin, the defendant freed on appeal, was later indicted on charges of lying to the FBI during the original investigation.


2002 United States Senate elections, New Jersey
The race was to originally feature Democrat Robert Torricelli, who was running for a second term in the seat he had won when former Senator Bill Bradley elected not to run for a fourth term in 1996 and who had been the state's senior Senator following Frank Lautenberg's retirement at the end of the 106th United States Congress, against former West Windsor Township mayor Douglas Forrester, who had won the Republican nomination.


2002 United States Senate elections, New Jersey
Torricelli, however, had been the target of an ethics probe and eventually dropped out of the race on September 30 due to ethical concerns and poor poll numbers against Forrester, a relatively unknown opponent. The New Jersey Democratic Party convinced the retired Lautenberg to join the race after Torricelli dropped out. In the case of The New Jersey Democratic Party v. Samson, 175 N.J. 178 (2002), Forrester sued to stop Democratic Party efforts to have Lautenberg replace Torricelli. The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled unanimously on October 2 that the party could switch Lautenberg's name in for Sen. Torricelli's on the ballot. Forrester received the endorsement of President George W. Bush.


2002 United States Senate elections, New Jersey
In the general election, Lautenberg defeated Forrester and became the state's junior Senator for the second time when he was sworn in on January 3, 2003 (Bradley, elected in 1978, was the senior Senator during Lautenberg's first fourteen years in office and Jon Corzine, who was elected to Lautenberg's old Senate seat, became the senior Senator in 2003 as Lautenberg's previous eighteen years in the Senate were not counted towards seniority.


2002 United States Senate elections, New Mexico
Incumbent Republican Pete Domenici won re-election to a sixth term. As of 2018, this is the last Senate election in New Mexico won by a Republican.


2002 United States Senate elections, North Carolina
Incumbent Republican Jesse Helms decided to retire due to health issues. Republican Elizabeth Dole won the open seat over Democrat Erskine Bowles, former White House Chief of Staff.


2002 United States Senate elections, Oklahoma
Incumbent Republican Jim Inhofe won re-election to a second term over Democrat David Walters, a former Governor of the state.


2002 United States Senate elections, Oregon
Incumbent Republican Gordon Smith ran for re-election to a second term. Smith, who had only served one term in the U.S. Senate, had a popularity rating slightly lower than 50% before the summer of 2002 began. Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury emerged as the Democratic nominee, and though a competitive gubernatorial election occurred at the same time, Bradbury's campaign was never able to gain traction and Smith overwhelmingly won re-election. As of 2021, this is the last Senate election in Oregon won by a Republican.


2002 United States Senate elections, Rhode Island
Incumbent Democrat Jack Reed won re-election to a second term. Reed was an extremely popular senator, with a May Brown University poll showing the incumbent with a 73% approval rating, higher than any other elected lawmaker in the state. Reed's best performance was in Providence County, where he won with over 80% of the vote over Republican Robert Tingle, casino pit boss and nominee for RI-02 in 2000


2002 United States Senate elections, South Carolina
Long-time Incumbent Strom Thurmond decided to retire at the age of 100, becoming the first Centenarian to ever serve in Congress, and at that time was the longest serving Senator in U.S. history (a record later surpassed by West Virginia's Robert Byrd). Republican Lindsey Graham won the open seat.


2002 United States Senate elections, South Carolina
Alex Sanders, the former president of the College of Charleston, entered the race and faced no opposition from South Carolina Democrats, thereby avoiding a primary election.


2002 United States Senate elections, South Carolina
Representative Lindsey Graham had no challenge for the Republican nomination and thus avoided a primary election. This was due in large part because the South Carolina Republicans were preoccupied with the gubernatorial race and also because potential rivals were deterred by the huge financial war chest Graham had amassed early in the campaign.


2002 United States Senate elections, South Carolina
The election campaign between Graham and Sanders was bitterly fought. Graham campaigned that he had a consistent conservative voting record that he claimed closely matched that of outgoing Senator Strom Thurmond. Sanders campaigned on his membership in the NAACP, the Sons of Confederate Veterans, and the NRA. He said that he was against the death penalty for religious reasons, supported abortion rights, and supported greater government involvement in education. Graham attacked Sanders for these positions consistently throughout the campaign, and Sanders hit back at Graham for wanting to privatize social security. Graham won the election by slightly over 10 percent.


2002 United States Senate elections, South Dakota
Incumbent Democrat Tim Johnson won re-election to a second term by a margin of 524 votes.


2002 United States Senate elections, South Dakota
Thune, who was considered a rising star in his party, ran against Tim Johnson, who narrowly won his first senate election in 1996. Thune launched a television advertising campaign mentioning al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein, controversially contending that both were seeking nuclear weapons and that the country needed a missile defense system, something Johnson voted against 29 times and that Thune supported. Johnson attacked Thune for politicizing national security. President George W. Bush campaigned for Thune in late October. More than $20 million was spent in the election. Both candidates had raised over $5 million each.


2002 United States Senate elections, South Dakota
Johnson narrowly prevailed over Thune by a mere 524 votes. Despite the extreme closeness of the election, Thune did not contest the results and conceded defeat on the late afternoon of November 9. Johnson's narrow victory may be attributed to his strong support in Oglala Lakota County. Thune also underperformed in typically Republican areas. Johnson was sworn in for a second term on January 3, 2003.


2002 United States Senate elections, Tennessee
Incumbent Republican Fred Thompson decided to retire. Republican Lamar Alexander, former U.S. Secretary of Education and former Governor of Tennessee, won the open seat over Democrat Bob Clement, U.S. Representative.


2002 United States Senate elections, Tennessee
Alexander raised $2 million through June 2002. Clement attacked the Governor for his corporate connections and business dealings. By October, Clement had nearly raised $900,000, while Alexander raised almost $3 million. Bush, who had a 60% approval rating in the state, helped campaign and raise money for Alexander. Alexander was also endorsed by the NRA.


2002 United States Senate elections, Texas
Incumbent Republican Phil Gramm decided to retire instead of seeking a fourth term. Republican John Cornyn won the open seat over the Democratic Mayor of Dallas, Ron Kirk.


2002 United States Senate elections, Texas
Despite the fact that Texas is a red state, Kirk ran on a socially progressive platform: supporting abortion rights and opposing Bush judicial nominee Priscilla Owen, although Kirk was a former George W. Bush supporter. He also supported increases in defense spending, such as Bush's proposed $48 billion increase in military spending, except for the money Bush wanted to use for missile defense. Kirk had the support of former Governor Ann Richards and former U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen.


2002 United States Senate elections, Texas
Cornyn was criticized for taking campaign money from Enron and other controversial companies.


2002 United States Senate elections, Texas
The race was perceived as close, with an October Dallas Morning News poll showing Cornyn leading 47% to 37%. However, Cornyn won election by 12 percent. A record $18 million was spent in the election.


2002 United States Senate elections, Virginia
Incumbent Republican John Warner won re-election to a fifth term, making him one of only three Virginia U.S. Senators to serve five or more terms. No Democrat ran against Warner, and he won every single county and city in the state with at least 60% of the vote. As of 2021, this is the last Senate election in Virginia won by a Republican.


2002 United States Senate elections, West Virginia
Incumbent Democrat Jay Rockefeller won re-election to a fourth term over Republican State Senator Jay Wolfe.


2002 United States Senate elections, West Virginia
Rockefeller was the heavy favorite, with one poll showed him leading 72% to 17%. Rockefeller had $2.9 million cash on hand to Wolfe at $100,536 (In mid-October). Wolfe was endorsed by President George W. Bush and the National Rifle Association, but it wasn't enough to make the election competitive. Rockefeller won by a margin of over 25 percent.


2002 United States Senate elections, Wyoming
Incumbent Republican Mike Enzi won re-election to a second term.


2002 United States Senate elections, Wyoming
Enzi stated that his top priorities were education, jobs, national security and retirement security. He had $485,000 cash on hand in June 2002, when Joyce Corcoran (D), Mayor of Lander first filed.


2002 United States Senate special election in Missouri
The 2002 United States Special Senate election in Missouri was held on November 5, 2002 to decide who would serve the rest of Democrat Mel Carnahan's term, after he died while campaigning and posthumously won the 2000 election. The winner would serve four more years until the next election in 2006. Missouri Governor Roger Wilson appointed Carnahan's wife Jean, also a Democrat, to serve temporarily. She then decided to run to serve the remainder of the term, but she was narrowly defeated by Republican nominee Jim Talent.


2002 United States Senate special election in Missouri
Technically, the race flipped control of the Senate from Democrats to Republicans, but the Senate had adjourned before Talent could take office, and so no change in leadership occurred until the 108th Congress opened session on January 3, 2003. With a margin of 1.1%, this election was the second-closest race of the 2002 Senate election cycle, behind only the election in South Dakota.


2002 United States Senate special election in Missouri, Background
In the November 2000 elections, Democratic Governor of Missouri Mel Carnahan, who had died in a plane crash three weeks before, remained on the ballot for election to the U.S. Senate. Carnahan received more votes than his Republican opponent, incumbent Senator John Ashcroft, who did not legally contest being defeated by a dead candidate. Lieutenant Governor Roger B. Wilson ascended to serve the remaining three months of Carnahan's gubernatorial term, and promised to appoint Carnahan's widow in her husband's place should Carnahan posthumously defeat Ashcroft. Accordingly, Jean Carnahan was appointed to the Senate effective on January 3, 2001; and a special election was scheduled in 2002 for the balance of Carnahan's Senate term.


2002 United States Senate special election in Missouri, Background
The Seventeenth Amendment requires that appointments to the Senate last only until a special election is held.


2002 United States Senate special election in Missouri, General election, Campaign
National security and Carnahan's vote against fellow Missourian John Ashcroft as attorney general were major issues in the campaign. Republicans argued Carnahan owed her vote to Ashcroft, who had lost his bid for re-election to the Senate to Carnahan's husband. Talent, citing Carnahan's votes against homeland-security legislation and missile defense, accused her of being soft on national security, which she objected to, saying he was "doubt[ing] her patriotism."


2002 United States Senate special election in Missouri, General election, Campaign
Jack Abramoff contributed $2,000 to Talent's 2002 senatorial campaign and Preston Gates & Ellis, a former Abramoff employer, had also contributed $1,000 to Talent's campaign. Talent later returned both contributions. Talent's win returned Republican control of the Senate which had been under slight Democratic dominance resulting from Vermont junior senator Jim Jeffords's decision to renounce the Republican Party, turning independent and making the choice to caucus with the Democrats.


2002 United States Senate special election in Missouri, General election, Campaign
Talent's victory wasn't certified until November 21, 2002, one day before Congress adjourned, which prevented them from claiming a senate majority. He automatically became a Senator the following day because, under federal law, he formally took office the day after both chambers of Congress adjourned. Because Republicans would hold the majority in the following congress, they saw no need to hold a special session in the 107th to take advantage of their brief majority.


2002 United States Shadow Representative election in the District of Columbia
The 2002 Shadow Representative election in the District of Columbia took place on November 5, 2002, to elect a shadow member to the United States House of Representatives to represent the District of Columbia. Unlike non-voting delegates, the Shadow Representative is only recognized by the District of Columbia and is not officially sworn or seated. First-term incumbent Shadow Representative Ray Browne was successfully reelected.


2002 United States Shadow Representative election in the District of Columbia, Primary elections, Other primaries
A Republican primary was held but no candidates filed and only write-in votes were cast. Adam Eidinger was the only Statehood-Green candidate and received just under 90% of the vote.


2002 United States Soccer Federation presidential election
The 2002 United States Soccer Federation presidential election was held in San Francisco on August 9, 2002 to determine the next President of the United States Soccer Federation. Robert Contiguglia ran unopposed. Contiguglia has been involved in soccer in the U.S. for more than three decades, during which he has excelled at almost every level of the game.


2002 United States airtanker crashes
In 2002, two large airtankers – a Lockheed C-130 Hercules and a Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer – crashed about a month apart while performing aerial firefighting operations. These crashes prompted a review of the maintenance and use of the entire U.S. large airtanker fleet. Ultimately, the whole fleet (33 aircraft in all) was grounded, dramatically reducing the resources available to fight major wildfires. Both aircraft were owned by Hawkins & Powers Aviation of Greybull, Wyoming and operated under contract to the United States Forest Service (USFS). The crashes occurred in one of the worst fire seasons in the last half century, one in which 73,000 fires burned 7.2 million acres (29,000 km2) of land.


2002 United States airtanker crashes, C-130A, Walker, California
Lockheed C-130A Hercules registration N130HP, call sign Tanker 130, was flying against the Cannon Fire, near Walker, California on June 17, 2002, when it experienced structural failure of the center wing section, causing both wings to fold upward and separate from the aircraft. The fuselage rolled and crashed inverted, killing the three crewmen on board. Unusually, the aircraft was being filmed by a passing tourist during the retardant drop and at the moment the wings separated, providing valuable video evidence for the subsequent investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).


2002 United States airtanker crashes, C-130A, Walker, California
Tanker 130 had departed the Minden, Nevada air attack base at 2:29 p.m. PDT loaded with 3,000 US gallons (11,000 L) of fire retardant for its sixth drop of the day with a pilot, copilot and flight engineer on board, and arrived at the fire at 2:45 p.m. The aircraft made an initial spotting pass over the drop zone, then flew back for the drop, which was to dispense half of the load of retardant. The drop run required the aircraft to make a perpendicular crossing of a ridgeline and then descend into a valley.


2002 United States airtanker crashes, C-130A, Walker, California
A video of the accident shows the aircraft crossing the ridge and then pitching down to begin its drop of the retardant. Near the end of the drop, the nose of the aircraft began to pitch up to level attitude as the descent was arrested. The nose continued to pitch up past level attitude, and at the end of the drop, the right wing began to fold upwards, followed less than one second later by the left wing. Two debris fields were found, one 500 feet (150 m) in length and the other 720 feet (220 m) in length. A post-impact fire in the first debris field consumed major portions of the wing and engine components; there was no fire in the second debris field, which included the fuselage and empennage.


2002 United States airtanker crashes, C-130A, Walker, California
The aircraft, previously United States Air Force (USAF) Serial Number 56-0538, was one of the original C-130A production series and had been built and delivered to the USAF in 1957. It was retired from military service in 1986. In May 1988, the aircraft was acquired from the General Services Administration by the USFS, which in August that year sold it and five other C-130s it had acquired to Hemet Valley Flying Service, for conversion to an airtanker. Hemet then sold the C-130 to Hawkins & Powers. At the time of the crash, the aircraft had logged 21,863 flight hours.


2002 United States airtanker crashes, C-130A, Walker, California
The NTSB investigated the crash and determined that the accident was caused by a structural failure that occurred at the wing-to-fuselage attach point, with the right wing failing just before the left. The investigation disclosed "evidence of fatigue cracks in the right wing's lower surface skin panel, with origins beneath the forward doubler. The origin points were determined to be in rivet holes which join the external doubler and the internal stringers to the lower skin panel.


2002 United States airtanker crashes, C-130A, Walker, California
These cracks, which grew together to about a 12-inch (30 cm) length, were found to have propagated past the area where they would have been covered by the doubler and into the stringers beneath the doubler and across the lap joint between the middle skin panel and the forward skin panel."


2002 United States airtanker crashes, PB4Y-2, Estes Park, Colorado
The second crash occurred on July 18, 2002 near Estes Park, Colorado, also as a result of structural failure, in this case in the wing's spar adjacent to the left side of the fuselage. The aircraft, operating with the callsign Tanker 123, was loaded with 2,000 US gallons (7,600 L) of retardant. At the time of the accident, it was in a left turn to line up for its eighth drop of the day on the Big Elk fire.


2002 United States airtanker crashes, PB4Y-2, Estes Park, Colorado
While still in the 15–20° left bank, witnesses on the ground and in another tanker observed the left wing separate from the aircraft and "fold upwards", followed almost immediately by the initiation of a fire. The aircraft continued to roll left, impacting the ground at a 45° nose down attitude, starting a large fire at the wreck site. Both crewmen were killed in the crash.


2002 United States airtanker crashes, PB4Y-2, Estes Park, Colorado
The aircraft, a Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer registered N7620C, was built during World War II. It had been delivered in July 1945 to the United States Navy, which used it for coastal patrol duties. In 1952, it was transferred to the United States Coast Guard, which operated it until it was retired in 1956. The aircraft was removed from storage and converted to an airtanker in 1958, then was flown by several different companies, the last being Hawkins & Powers. At the time of the crash, the airframe had logged 8,346.3 flight hours.


2002 United States airtanker crashes, PB4Y-2, Estes Park, Colorado
A detailed investigation by the NTSB showed that the wing's lower spar cap had extensive stress fatigue and had fractures through the lower spar cap, vertically up the spar web and into the upper spar cap. The lower wing skin also found signs of fatigue in the area adjacent to the cracked spar cap. An examination of two other similar aircraft showed that the area of cracking was hidden from view by other fuselage structure.


2002 United States airtanker crashes, Prior safety concerns and incidents
Concerns about the safety of older transport aircraft being used as airtankers had been ongoing, long before the 2002 crashes. In the early 1980s, concern about the age and safety issues of World War II and Korean War-era aircraft that were the predominant aircraft used as airtankers led the Forest Service to initiate a program to provide more modern, turbine-powered C-130As to contracting companies. However, this solution quickly became the problem. According to an NTSB advisory,


2002 United States airtanker crashes, Prior safety concerns and incidents
During a C-130A contract pre-award evaluation in 1991, the Department of the Interior's (DOI) Office of Aviation Services inspectors concluded that essential inspection and maintenance services critical to sustaining the airplane in an airworthy condition under normal operating conditions were not being accomplished with the C-130A. This prompted the DOI, in 1993, to prohibit the use of the C130A on DOI land. The FAA and the DOI subsequently developed an action plan to address many of the same inspection and maintenance issues seen in the most recent C-130A and P4Y accident investigations. Since that time the DOI has dropped its restrictions on the C-130A....


2002 United States airtanker crashes, Prior safety concerns and incidents
On August 13, 1994, a 1957-built C-130A, registration N135FF with call sign Tanker 82, crashed near Pearblossom, California while fighting a fire in the San Gabriel Mountains. Eyewitnesses reported seeing an explosion followed by the separation of the right wing at the wing attach point. Due to the extremely rugged terrain, the NTSB recovered only a small portion of the wreckage, and its preliminary conclusion that an explosion caused by a fuel leak led to the wing separation was based largely on eyewitness statements.


2002 United States airtanker crashes, Prior safety concerns and incidents
A subsequent independent investigation in 1997 led by Douglas Herlihy, a former NTSB investigator, reexamined the site and the wreckage, and found no evidence of an explosion, but rather found evidence of structural failure due to fatigue stress. The NTSB subsequently reexamined its findings, and found evidence of fatigue cracking "consistent with overstress separation", and ultimately revised its findings. The initial eyewitness reports of an explosion are not inconsistent with a fatigue-caused wing separation. Similar eyewitness reports were given in the 2002 crash, and an analysis of a video of that crash showed the initiation of a fireball 0.9 seconds after the wing separated.


2002 United States airtanker crashes, Prior safety concerns and incidents
On September 6, 2000, a 1957-built C-130A registered N116TG, operated by T&G Aviation, fighting a fire near Burzet, France crashed killing two of the four crewmen on board. It struck a ridge while preparing for a second drop on the fire.


2002 United States airtanker crashes, Fleet grounding
Following the two crashes, the USFS and the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) jointly established an independent blue ribbon panel "to investigate issues associated with aerial wildland firefighting in the United States." In March, 2003, the panel released its report, which included eight key findings


2002 United States airtanker crashes, Fleet grounding
...critical for planning a safe and effective fire aviation program. The Report identified various concerns about aircraft safety, including the airworthiness of aircraft that were operating outside of their original intended design and the appropriate levels of maintenance and training to ensure safe operations. The report also identified a lack of training in contemporary aviation management areas that has contributed to an unacceptable accident rate.


2002 United States airtanker crashes, Fleet grounding
As a result of the panel's recommendations, the USFS and BLM declined to renew the leases on nine C-130A and PB4Y-2 airtankers, and ordered the 33 remaining large airtankers to undergo an improved inspection program before they returned to active service. The agencies contracted with the Sandia National Laboratories to analyze the safety of continuing use of five types of airtankers – the Douglas DC-4, Douglas DC-6, Douglas DC-7, Lockheed P-3 Orion and Lockheed P-2 Neptune. In addition, 11 of 19 Beechcraft 58P Baron leadplanes were also retired, as they had exceeded the 6,000 flight hour airframe safety limit. To further reduce the risk to the fleet, the agencies directed their field managers to use airtankers primarily for initial attack only.


2002 United States airtanker crashes, Fleet grounding
Almost two years after the Summer 2002 crashes and as a direct result of the ensuing investigations, on May 10, 2004, the Forest Service abruptly terminated the contracts for the entire large tanker fleet. USFS Chief Dale Bosworth stated, "Safety is a core value of the firefighting community, and it is non-negotiable. To continue to use these contract large airtankers when no mechanism exists to guarantee their airworthiness presents an unacceptable level of risk to the aviators, the firefighters on the ground and the communities we serve." The decision affected tanker contracts issued by both the USFS and BLM.


2002 United States airtanker crashes, Fleet grounding
In the vacuum left by the absence of the large tankers, the Forest Service said it would shift its firefighting strategies to rely more on heavy helicopters, light tankers and military C-130s equipped with the Modular Airborne FireFighting System.


2002 United States elections
The 2002 United States elections were held on November 5, in the middle of Republican President George W. Bush's first term. Republicans won unified control of Congress.


2002 United States elections
Republicans won a net gain of two seats in the Senate and so gained control of a chamber that they had lost in 2001 after Senator Jim Jeffords left the Republican Party. Republicans picked up eight seats in the House of Representatives, marking the fourth time since the American Civil War that the president's party picked up seats in the House (the others being 1902, 1934, and 1998) during a mid-term election. The elections remain the most recent mid-term in which the president's party did not lose control of at least one house of Congress. In the gubernatorial elections, Democrats won a net gain of one seat.


2002 United States elections
The elections were held just a little under fourteen months after the September 11 attacks. Thus, the elections were heavily overshadowed by the War on Terror, the impending Iraq War, the early 2000s recession, and the sudden death of Democratic Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota about one week before the election.


2002 United States elections, Federal elections
Despite being the incumbent party in the White House, which is usually a disadvantage for the President's party during midterm Congressional elections, Republicans achieved gains in both chambers of the United States Congress.


2002 United States elections, Federal elections, United States Senate elections
During the 2002 U.S. Senate elections, all thirty-three regularly scheduled Class II Senate seats as well as a special election in Missouri were held.


2002 United States elections, Federal elections, United States Senate elections
In the United States Senate elections, the Republican Party achieved an overall net gain of two seats with victories in Georgia, Minnesota, and Missouri while the Democrats took a seat in Arkansas. Thus, the balance of power in the Senate changed from 51-49 Democratic majority to 51-49 Republican majority. This represents the only time in U.S. history that the president's party gained control of a chamber of Congress in a mid-term election.


2002 United States elections, Federal elections, United States House of Representatives elections
During the 2002 House elections, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives plus five of the six non-voting Delegates from territories and the District of Columbia were up for election that year. These elections were the first to be held following redistricting in apportionment according to the 2000 United States Census.


2002 United States elections, Federal elections, United States House of Representatives elections
Republicans succeeded in expanding their majority in the House of Representatives by a net gain of eight, resulting in a 229-204 Republican majority. They won the nationwide popular vote by a margin of 4.8 points. This represented just the third time since the American Civil War that the president's party picked up seats in the House of Representatives, following the 1934 and 1998 elections.


2002 United States elections, Federal elections, United States House of Representatives elections
In addition to all regularly scheduled House elections, there were two special elections held, one for Oklahoma's 1st congressional district on January 8 and another for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district on November 30.


2002 United States elections, State elections, Gubernatorial elections
During the 2002 gubernatorial elections, the governorships of the thirty-six states, two territories, and the District of Columbia were up for election.


2002 United States elections, State elections, Gubernatorial elections
Going into the elections, Republicans held the governorships of twenty-seven states and one territory (that being the Northern Mariana Islands), Democrats held those of twenty-one states, four territories, and the Mayorship of the District of Columbia, and two governorships were held by incumbents of neither party (those being Angus King (I-ME) and Jesse Ventura (MIP-MN)).


2002 United States elections, State elections, Gubernatorial elections
Following the elections, Republicans sustained a net loss of one state governorship (but did gain the governorship of the territory of Guam), Democrats gained an overall net gain of three state governorships and held on to all other territorial governorships and the Mayorship of the District of Columbia, and there would be no governorships held by Independents or third parties. Thus the balance of power (excluding non-state entities) would be changed from 27-21 Republican majority to 26-24 Republican Majority.


2002 United States elections, State elections, Other statewide elections
In some states where the positions were elective offices, voters elected candidates for state executive branch offices (Lieutenant Governors (though some were elected on the same ticket as the gubernatorial nominee), Secretary of state, state Treasurer, state Auditor, state Attorney General, state Superintendent of Education, Commissioners of Insurance, Agriculture or, Labor, etc.) and state judicial branch offices (seats on state Supreme Courts and, in some states, state appellate courts).


2002 United States elections, State elections, State legislative elections
In 2002, the seats of the Legislatures of forty-six states and five non-state entities were up for election.


2002 United States elections, State elections, State legislative elections
Republicans captured eight legislative chambers from Democrats and also won the majority of state legislative seats for the first time in half a century.


2002 United States elections, Local elections
Nationwide, there were some cities, counties, school boards, special districts and others that elected members in 2002.


2002 United States elections, Local elections, Mayoral elections
During 2002, various major American cities held their mayoral elections that year, including the following:


2002 United States federal budget
The United States Federal Budget for Fiscal Year 2002, was a spending request by President George W. Bush to fund government operations for October 2001-September 2002. Figures shown in the spending request do not reflect the actual appropriations for Fiscal Year 2002, which must be authorized by Congress.


2002 United States gubernatorial elections
The 2002 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
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.


2002 United States gubernatorial elections
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.


2002 United States gubernatorial elections
This election marked the most recent cycle in which New York and Colorado elected Republican governors.


2002 United States steel tariff
On March 5, 2002, U.S. President George W. Bush placed tariffs on imported steel. The tariffs took effect March 20 and were lifted by Bush on December 4, 2003. Research shows that the tariffs adversely affected US GDP and employment.


2002 United States steel tariff, The tariff
The temporary tariffs of 8–30% were originally scheduled to remain in effect until 2005. They were imposed to give U.S. steel makers protection from what a U.S. probe determined was a detrimental surge in steel imports. More than 30 steel makers had declared bankruptcy in recent years. Steel producers had originally sought up to a 40% tariff. Canada and Mexico were exempt from the tariffs because of penalties the United States would face under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Additionally, some other countries such as Argentina, Thailand, and Turkey were also exempt. The typical steel tariff at the time was usually between zero and one percent, making the 8–30% rates seem exceptionally high. These rates, though, are comparable to the standard permanent U.S. tariff rates on many kinds of clothes and shoes.


2002 United States steel tariff, The tariff
The Bush administration justified the tariffs as an anti-dumping response, namely that the US steel industry had to be protected against sudden surges of imports of steel.


2002 United States steel tariff, Political response in the United States
Both the issuing and the lifting of the tariffs caused controversy in the United States. Some of the president's political opponents, such as Democratic House Representative Dick Gephardt, criticized the plan for not going far enough. For some of the president's conservative allies, imposing the tariff was a step away from Bush's commitment to free trade. Critics also contended that the tariffs would harm consumers and U.S. businesses that relied on steel imports, and would cut more jobs than it would save in the steel industry. Supporters of the tariffs believed that U.S. steel producers were being harmed by a "surge" of steel imports endangering the viability of American steel companies.


2002 United States steel tariff, Political response in the United States
There was a widespread belief on all sides of the debate, confirmed by top Bush administration officials, that politics played a role in the decision to impose tariffs. Namely, the steel-producing swing states of Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia would benefit from the tariffs. However, steel-using states, such as Tennessee and Michigan were harmed by the tariffs. The placement of the tariffs was an odd one for Bush, who had signed numerous free trade agreements during his term in office. This was widely believed to be a calculated political decision, insofar as the localities that stood to benefit were marginal ones. Both the George H. W. Bush administration and the Reagan administration also imposed import limits on steel.


2002 United States steel tariff, Political response in the United States
A 2005 study found that in coverage of the tariffs in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, there were more sentences devoted to the negative impacts of steel tariffs than sentences on the benefits. The authors argue that this is consistent with a model whereby "more newspaper space would be devoted to the costs of steel tariffs—which are widely dispersed—than to their benefits—which are narrowly targeted."


2002 United States steel tariff, International response
The tariffs ignited international controversy as well. Immediately after they were filed, the European Union announced that it would impose retaliatory tariffs on the United States, thus risking the start of a major trade war. To decide whether or not the steel tariffs were fair, a case was filed at the Dispute Settlement Body of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Switzerland, Brazil and others joined with similar cases.


2002 United States steel tariff, International response
On November 11, 2003, the WTO came out against the steel tariffs, saying that they had not been imposed during a period of import surge—steel imports had actually dropped a bit during 2001 and 2002—and that the tariffs therefore were a violation of America's WTO tariff-rate commitments. The ruling authorized more than $2 billion in sanctions, the largest penalty ever imposed by the WTO against a member state, if the United States did not quickly remove the tariffs. After receiving the verdict, Bush declared that he would preserve the tariffs. In retaliation, the European Union threatened to counter with tariffs of its own on products ranging from Florida oranges to cars produced in Michigan, with each tariff calculated to likewise hurt the President in a key marginal state. The United States backed down and withdrew the tariffs on December 4.


2002 United States steel tariff, International response
The early withdrawal of the tariffs also drew political criticism from steel producers and supporters of protectionism. The move was cheered by proponents of free trade and steel importers. When he lifted the tariffs, Bush said, "I took action to give the industry a chance to adjust to the surge in foreign imports and to give relief to the workers and communities that depend on steel for their jobs and livelihoods. These safeguard measures have now achieved their purpose, and as a result of changed economic circumstances it is time to lift them".