2002 United States Senate election in North Carolina
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November 5, 2002
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Dole: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Bowles: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Tie: 40–50% 50% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in North Carolina |
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The 2002 United States Senate election in North Carolina was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Jesse Helms announced in August 2001 that he would retire due to health issues. Republican Elizabeth Dole won the open seat, becoming the first non-incumbent to capture a Senate seat for the Republican party in the state's history. This was the first open seat election since 1974 and the first time it occurred at this seat.
Democratic primary
[edit]During the primary campaign, Bowles was considered the choice of the party establishment, receiving support from former Governor Jim Hunt and the AFL-CIO.[1]
Candidates
[edit]Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Erskine Bowles | 277,329 | 43.4% | |
| Democratic | Dan Blue | 184,216 | 28.8% | |
| Democratic | Elaine Marshall | 97,392 | 15.2% | |
| Democratic | Cynthia D. Brown | 27,799 | 4.4% | |
| Democratic | Others | 52,289 | 8.2% | |
| Total votes | 639,025 | 100.0% | ||
Republican primary
[edit]Dole was described as the "handpicked" choice of the White House, and received the support of President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, and outgoing Senator Jesse Helms.[1]
Candidates
[edit]- Elizabeth Dole, former United States Secretary of Labor, former United States secretary of transportation, former assistant to the president for public liaison, and wife of former U.S. Senator Bob Dole
- Ada Fisher, physician and activist
- Jim Parker, physician[3]
- James Snyder Jr., former state representative
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Elizabeth Dole | 342,631 | 80.4% | |
| Republican | James Snyder Jr. | 60,477 | 14.2% | |
| Republican | Jim Parker | 8,752 | 2.1% | |
| Republican | Ada Fisher | 6,045 | 1.4% | |
| Republican | Others | 8,201 | 1.9% | |
| Total votes | 426,106 | 100.0% | ||
General election
[edit]Candidates
[edit]- Erskine Bowles (D), former White House chief of staff
- Elizabeth Dole (R), former United States secretary of labor, United States secretary of transportation, assistant to the president for public liaison, and wife of U.S. Senator Bob Dole
- Sean Haugh (L)
Debates
[edit]| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Democratic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
||||||
| Elizabeth Dole | Erskine Bowles | |||||
| 1 | Oct. 14, 2002 | Meredith College WRAL-TV WTVD-TV |
David Crabtree Larry Stogner |
C-SPAN[5] | P | P |
| 2 | Oct. 19, 2002 | East Carolina University WCTI-TV WNCT-TV |
Wes Goforth Alan Hoffman |
C-SPAN[6] | P | P |
Predictions
[edit]| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[7] | Lean R | November 4, 2002 |
Polling
[edit]| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Elizabeth Dole (R) |
Erskine Bowles (D) |
Other / Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA[8] | October 28–30, 2002 | 611 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 50% | 46% | 4% |
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Elizabeth Dole | 1,248,664 | 53.56% | +0.92% | |
| Democratic | Erskine Bowles | 1,047,983 | 44.96% | −0.96% | |
| Libertarian | Sean Haugh | 33,807 | 1.45% | +0.46% | |
| Write-in | 727 | 0.03% | +0.02% | ||
| Total votes | 2,331,181 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Republican hold | |||||
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
[edit]- Wake (largest town: Raleigh)
- Guilford (largest city: Greensboro)
- Mecklenburg (largest city: Charlotte)
- Buncombe (largest town: Asheville)
- Watauga (largest municipality: Boone)
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
[edit]- Perquimans (largest city: Hertford)
- Granville (largest city: Oxford)
- Duplin (largest city: Wallace)
- Jones (largest city: Maysville)
- Madison (largest city: Mars Hill)
- Haywood (largest city: Waynesville)
- Yancey (largest municipality: Burnsville)
- Camden (largest municipality: Elizabeth City)
- Martin (largest town: Williamston)
County results by flips
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ↑ Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear
References
[edit]- 1 2 Broder, David (September 9, 2002). "N.C.'s Democratic Senate Primary Still Open to Upset". The Washington Post.
- ↑ State Board of Elections[permanent dead link]
- ↑ "CANDIDATE FAULTS DOLE, GOP\ JIM PARKER SAYS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND THE DOLE CAMPAIGN AREN'T PLAYING FAIR". Greensboro News and Record. April 19, 2002. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ↑ State Board of Elections[permanent dead link]
- ↑ C-SPAN
- ↑ C-SPAN
- ↑ "Senate Races". www.centerforpolitics.org. November 4, 2002. Archived from the original on November 18, 2002. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- ↑ SurveyUSA
- ↑ State Board of Elections
External links
[edit]Official campaign websites (archived)
