2002 California gubernatorial election
The 2002 California gubernatorial election was an election that occurred on November 5, 2002. Democrat Gray Davis defeated Republican Bill Simon by 5% and was re-elected to a second four-year term as Governor of California. Davis would be recalled less than a year into his next term.
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| Turnout | 36.05%  5.38pp | ||||||||||||||||||||
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 County results Davis: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Simon: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in California |
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The 2002 gubernatorial primary occurred in March 2002. Gray Davis faced no major competitor in the primary and won the nomination. Simon defeated former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan in the Republican primary. Gray Davis ran a series of negative ads against Riordan in the primary. Riordan was seen as a moderate and early state polls showed him defeating Gray Davis in the general election.
Primaries
During the 2002 election campaign, Davis took the unusual step of taking out campaign ads during the Republican primaries against Los Angeles mayor Richard Riordan. Davis claimed that Riordan had attacked his record and that his campaign was defending his record.[1] Polls showed that, as a moderate, Riordan would be a more formidable challenger in the general election than a conservative candidate. Polls even showed that Riordan would defeat Davis.[2] Davis attacked Riordan with negative ads in the primary. The ads questioned Riordan's support of anti-abortion politicians and judges.[3][4] The ads pointed out Riordan's position of wanting a moratorium on the death penalty as being to the left of Gray Davis, who strongly supported it.[5][6][7]
In 2000, the United States Supreme Court in California Democratic Party v. Jones struck down California's blanket primary.[8] With the end of the blanket primary, only non-partisans and registered Republicans could vote for Richard Riordan in the 2002 primary. The end of the blanket primary made it more difficult for the more moderate Riordan. It has long been known in politics that primary voters are much more ideological and strongly liberal or strongly conservative than those who vote in the general election.[9]
Additionally, the Republican primary included negative attacks between Bill Jones and Riordan. Jones highlighted in his attack ads against Riordan that Riordan had contributed money to Davis in past campaigns and had called Bill Clinton "the greatest leader in the free world." Riordan's counter ads highlighted that Jones had also contributed money to Davis. By late February 2002, Riordan's strong lead in the Republican primary had begun to slip. In the previous months of the campaign, Riordan focused his ads and energies on campaigning against Gray Davis and defending himself from Davis' attack ads.[5]
Davis' negative ads against Riordan appear to have contributed to Riordan's defeat in the Republican primary by the more staunchly conservative candidate Bill Simon.[10]
Primary results
Final results from the Secretary of State of California.[11]
Democratic
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gray Davis | 1,755,276 | 80.90 | |
| Anselmo A. Chavez | 179,301 | 8.26 | |
| Charles "Chuck" Pineda, Jr. | 139,121 | 6.41 | |
| Mosemarie Boyd | 95,857 | 4.42 | |
| Total votes | 2,169,555 | 100.00 | |
Republican
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- >90%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 40–50%
- 50-60%
- 60–70%
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Simon | 1,129,973 | 49.44 | |
| Richard Riordan | 715,768 | 31.32 | |
| Bill Jones | 387,237 | 16.94 | |
| Nick Jesson | 19,287 | 0.84 | |
| Edie Bukewihge | 14,436 | 0.63 | |
| Danney Ball | 13,156 | 0.58 | |
| Jim Dimov | 5,595 | 0.24 | |
| Total votes | 2,285,452 | 100.00 | |
Libertarian
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gary David Copeland | 19,079 | 98.80 | |
| Art Olivier (write-in) | 232 | 1.20 | |
| Total votes | 19,311 | 100.00 | |
Others
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green | Peter Miguel Camejo | 35,767 | 100.00 | |
| American Independent | Reinhold Gulke | 26,269 | 100.00 | |
| Natural Law | Iris Adam | 4,402 | 100.00 | |
General election
Campaign
Davis was re-elected in the November 2002 general election following a long and bitter campaign against Simon, marked by accusations of ethical lapses on both sides and widespread voter apathy.[12] Simon was also hurt by a financial fraud scandal that tarnished his reputation.[13] Davis' campaign featured several negative ads that highlighted Simon's financial fraud scandal.[14] Simon attacked Davis for supposedly fundraising in the Lieutenant Governor's office during his time as Lt. Governor, but the attack backfired when it turned out the photograph had been instead taken in a private home in Santa Monica.[15][16] The 2002 gubernatorial race was the most expensive in California state history with over $100 million spent.[17] Davis' campaign was better financed; Davis had over $26 million in campaign reserves more than Simon in August 2002.[14] Davis won re-election with 47.3% of the vote to Simon's 42.4%. The Simon-Davis race led in the lowest turnout percentage in modern gubernatorial history, allowing for a lower than normal number of signatures required for a recall.[18] Davis won the election but the majority of the voters disliked Davis and did not approve of his job performance.[19][20]
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[21] | Lean D | October 31, 2002 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[22] | Likely D | November 4, 2002 |
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[lower-alpha 1] |
Margin of error |
Gray Davis (D) |
Bill Simon (R) |
Peter Camejo (G) |
Gary Copeland (L) |
Other / Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA | November 1–3, 2002 | 563 (LV) | ± 4.2% | 45% | 39% | 8% | 4% | 5% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Gray Davis (incumbent) | 3,533,490 | 47.26 | |
| Republican | Bill Simon | 3,169,801 | 42.40 | |
| Green | Peter Miguel Camejo | 393,036 | 5.26 | |
| Libertarian | Gary David Copeland | 161,203 | 2.16 | |
| American Independent | Reinhold Gulke | 128,035 | 1.71 | |
| Natural Law | Iris Adam | 88,415 | 1.18 | |
| Write-in | 2,371 | 0.03 | ||
| Invalid or blank votes | 262,470 | 3.39 | ||
| Total votes | 7,738,821 | 100.00 | ||
| Turnout | 36.05 | |||
| Democratic hold | ||||
Results breakdown
| County | Davis | Votes | Simon | Votes | Camejo | Votes | Copeland | Votes | Others | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | 66.20% | 143,102 | 15.37% | 33,214 | 15.50% | 33,495 | 1.41% | 3,048 | 1.53% | 3,297 |
| Alameda | 62.83% | 216,058 | 22.22% | 76,407 | 11.03% | 37,919 | 1.91% | 6,558 | 2.02% | 6,959 |
| San Mateo | 57.95% | 99,803 | 29.90% | 51,497 | 7.86% | 13,537 | 1.86% | 3,205 | 2.42% | 4,168 |
| Marin | 56.23% | 49,512 | 27.85% | 24,520 | 12.16% | 10,710 | 1.71% | 1,502 | 2.06% | 1,811 |
| Santa Cruz | 56.03% | 43,469 | 26.55% | 20,598 | 12.13% | 9,409 | 2.29% | 1,777 | 3.00% | 2,331 |
| Los Angeles | 55.87% | 953,162 | 34.86% | 594,748 | 4.27% | 72,886 | 2.34% | 39,934 | 2.66% | 45,329 |
| Santa Clara | 55.33% | 199,399 | 32.43% | 116,862 | 6.69% | 24,097 | 2.62% | 9,430 | 2.94% | 10,608 |
| Monterey | 54.10% | 47,052 | 36.25% | 31,532 | 4.36% | 3,794 | 2.52% | 2,191 | 2.77% | 2,405 |
| Imperial | 53.29% | 11,644 | 40.23% | 8,789 | 2.50% | 546 | 1.18% | 258 | 2.80% | 612 |
| Contra Costa | 53.22% | 140,975 | 35.67% | 94,487 | 6.30% | 16,676 | 2.23% | 5,894 | 2.58% | 6,838 |
| Solano | 52.40% | 46,385 | 37.86% | 33,516 | 4.56% | 4,038 | 1.49% | 1,316 | 3.69% | 3,267 |
| Sonoma | 50.39% | 73,079 | 29.93% | 43,408 | 13.51% | 19,599 | 2.14% | 3,097 | 4.03% | 5,845 |
| San Benito | 48.89% | 6,049 | 41.73% | 5,163 | 4.07% | 504 | 2.22% | 275 | 3.09% | 382 |
| Napa | 47.76% | 17,516 | 36.77% | 13,483 | 9.73% | 3,570 | 2.11% | 774 | 3.62% | 1,329 |
| Yolo | 47.43% | 21,983 | 37.72% | 17,484 | 10.64% | 4,934 | 1.17% | 543 | 3.04% | 1,409 |
| Lake | 46.71% | 7,424 | 40.64% | 6,459 | 6.07% | 965 | 2.11% | 336 | 4.46% | 709 |
| Humboldt | 45.44% | 19,499 | 37.56% | 16,118 | 12.05% | 5,170 | 2.24% | 961 | 2.70% | 1,159 |
| Merced | 44.56% | 18,071 | 47.32% | 19,191 | 1.95% | 792 | 3.40% | 1,379 | 2.77% | 1,125 |
| Santa Barbara | 44.32% | 50,741 | 46.15% | 52,832 | 5.05% | 5,785 | 2.26% | 2,586 | 2.22% | 2,547 |
| San Joaquin | 43.54% | 53,747 | 47.18% | 58,239 | 3.75% | 4,630 | 2.06% | 2,540 | 3.47% | 4,287 |
| Stanislaus | 43.57% | 41,908 | 47.91% | 46,091 | 3.08% | 2,967 | 1.44% | 1,385 | 4.00% | 3,843 |
| Mendocino | 43.50% | 10,832 | 33.45% | 8,331 | 16.54% | 4,119 | 2.33% | 581 | 4.18% | 1,041 |
| Ventura | 43.21% | 83,557 | 47.16% | 91,193 | 3.39% | 6,563 | 2.99% | 5,787 | 3.25% | 6,287 |
| Del Norte | 43.29% | 2,922 | 45.82% | 3,093 | 3.07% | 207 | 2.44% | 165 | 5.38% | 363 |
| San Bernardino | 41.23% | 116,757 | 50.32% | 142,513 | 2.38% | 6,754 | 2.29% | 6,485 | 3.77% | 10,682 |
| Sacramento | 40.82% | 129,143 | 46.60% | 147,456 | 7.03% | 22,232 | 2.10% | 6,634 | 3.46% | 10,932 |
| Alpine | 40.89% | 229 | 44.11% | 247 | 7.14% | 40 | 2.68% | 15 | 5.18% | 29 |
| San Diego | 40.57% | 268,278 | 51.73% | 342,095 | 2.75% | 18,184 | 2.08% | 13,742 | 2.87% | 18,999 |
| Riverside | 40.25% | 121,845 | 52.68% | 159,440 | 1.98% | 5,995 | 2.18% | 6,601 | 2.91% | 8,802 |
| Tuolumne | 38.16% | 6,846 | 51.56% | 9,251 | 4.31% | 773 | 1.83% | 328 | 4.15% | 744 |
| Fresno | 37.96% | 59,019 | 55.26% | 85,910 | 2.26% | 3,508 | 2.29% | 3,560 | 2.23% | 3,474 |
| Trinity | 37.23% | 1,833 | 49.17% | 2,421 | 5.52% | 272 | 2.84% | 140 | 5.24% | 258 |
| Kings | 36.65% | 7,776 | 57.56% | 12,212 | 1.40% | 298 | 1.16% | 246 | 3.22% | 683 |
| San Luis Obispo | 36.40% | 29,732 | 53.31% | 43,552 | 5.13% | 4,189 | 1.98% | 1,618 | 3.18% | 2,599 |
| Mono | 35.99% | 1,064 | 52.50% | 1,552 | 5.21% | 154 | 2.17% | 64 | 4.13% | 122 |
| Orange | 34.66% | 222,149 | 57.43% | 368,152 | 2.60% | 16,670 | 2.29% | 14,668 | 3.02% | 19,369 |
| Amador | 34.19% | 4,437 | 53.91% | 6,997 | 5.70% | 740 | 1.90% | 246 | 4.30% | 558 |
| Tulare | 34.07% | 21,294 | 59.48% | 37,172 | 1.74% | 1,090 | 1.93% | 1,208 | 2.77% | 1,734 |
| Nevada | 33.93% | 13,338 | 52.33% | 20,573 | 8.39% | 3,297 | 1.89% | 743 | 3.47% | 1,364 |
| Inyo | 33.62% | 2,114 | 56.73% | 3,567 | 3.34% | 210 | 2.26% | 142 | 4.06% | 255 |
| Kern | 33.69% | 46,250 | 60.21% | 82,660 | 1.43% | 1,965 | 1.34% | 1,839 | 3.33% | 4,574 |
| Calaveras | 33.25% | 5,052 | 53.34% | 8,104 | 5.76% | 875 | 2.86% | 434 | 4.80% | 729 |
| Plumas | 33.06% | 2,598 | 54.85% | 4,310 | 4.84% | 380 | 2.32% | 182 | 4.94% | 388 |
| Mariposa | 32.78% | 2,126 | 57.36% | 3,720 | 3.32% | 215 | 2.00% | 130 | 4.53% | 294 |
| Tehama | 32.48% | 5,000 | 58.54% | 9,010 | 2.35% | 361 | 1.65% | 254 | 4.98% | 767 |
| Siskiyou | 31.87% | 4,972 | 58.40% | 9,112 | 2.80% | 437 | 2.47% | 386 | 4.46% | 696 |
| Lassen | 31.57% | 2,429 | 58.64% | 4,512 | 2.01% | 155 | 2.16% | 166 | 5.61% | 432 |
| Butte | 31.63% | 19,437 | 53.22% | 32,706 | 9.70% | 5,963 | 1.71% | 1,050 | 3.74% | 2,301 |
| Shasta | 31.49% | 15,292 | 58.95% | 28,625 | 2.64% | 1,283 | 1.94% | 942 | 4.98% | 2,417 |
| Madera | 31.40% | 8,217 | 61.13% | 15,998 | 1.98% | 517 | 1.98% | 517 | 3.52% | 920 |
| Sutter | 29.85% | 5,782 | 62.08% | 12,024 | 3.20% | 620 | 1.25% | 242 | 3.62% | 702 |
| Yuba | 29.71% | 3,447 | 59.50% | 6,904 | 3.69% | 428 | 2.15% | 249 | 4.96% | 575 |
| Placer | 29.66% | 28,495 | 61.03% | 58,623 | 4.85% | 4,657 | 1.56% | 1,500 | 2.90% | 2,781 |
| El Dorado | 29.43% | 16,402 | 59.03% | 32,898 | 6.13% | 3,418 | 1.92% | 1,072 | 3.48% | 1,939 |
| Sierra | 29.21% | 420 | 55.98% | 805 | 5.01% | 72 | 4.66% | 67 | 5.15% | 74 |
| Colusa | 27.17% | 1,243 | 65.49% | 2,996 | 2.86% | 131 | 1.05% | 48 | 3.43% | 157 |
| Modoc | 26.62% | 900 | 63.92% | 2,161 | 1.60% | 54 | 1.98% | 67 | 5.89% | 199 |
| Glenn | 25.86% | 1,685 | 65.49% | 4,268 | 2.87% | 187 | 1.47% | 96 | 4.31% | 281 |
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Alpine (largest municipality: Markleeville)
- Amador (largest municipality: Ione)
- Del Norte (largest municipality: Crescent City)
- Kings (largest community: Avenal)
- Merced (largest community: Merced)
- Mono (largest municipality: Mammoth Lakes)
- Riverside (largest city: Riverside)
- Sacramento (largest municipality: Sacramento)
- San Bernardino (largest town: San Bernardino)
- San Diego (largest community: San Diego)
- San Luis Obispo (largest town: San Luis Obispo)
- Santa Barbara (largest municipality: Santa Barbara)
- Trinity (largest community: Weaverville)
- Ventura (largest city: Ventura)
- San Joaquin (largest city: Stockton)
- Stanislaus (largest community: Modesto)
Notes
- Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear
References
- "'Fight' seen in California's governor's race". Archives.cnn.com. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- Lynda Gledhill (December 13, 2001). "Riordan has edge on Davis in polls, Governor's mixed reviews seen to benefit challenger". Sfgate.com. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- Carla Marinucci (January 26, 2002). "Davis ad assails Riordan GOP rival's stand on abortion rights challenged". Sfgate.com. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- Wildermuth, John (January 29, 2002). "Riordan silent on abortion flap Davis ad hits GOP governor hopeful for giving to thousands to anti-choice groups". Sfgate.com. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- "Top GOP governor candidates trade attacks Surveys show Simon closing in on Riordan's once imposing primary lead". Sfgate.com. February 22, 2002. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- "Kevin Cooper Awaits DNA Test Results". Archived from the original on November 27, 2007. Retrieved August 15, 2007.
- Saunders, Debra J. (January 27, 2002). "A man for all reasons". Sfgate.com. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- Asseo, Laurie. "Court nixes 'blanket' primaries." Salon News. June 26, 2000. Associated Press writer. Accessed on August 13, 2007. http://www.salon.com/politics/2000/06/26/blanket/.
- Maisel, Sandy. "Closing the Door on Moderation, One Seat at a Time." The Jewish Daily Forward. Friday, August 18, 2006. Accessed on August 13, 2007. http://www.forward.com/articles/1076/.
- Richard L. Berke (March 6, 2002). "Novice Wins G.O.P. Primary for Governor of California". New York Times. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 21, 2008. Retrieved August 21, 2008.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - Carla Marinucci (September 5, 2002). "Davis, Simon heartily disliked Voter disenchantment has soared to unprecedented level, poll says". Sfgate.com. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- Economist.com. "Gray Davis." http://www.economist.com/research/backgrounders/displaybackgrounder.cfm?bg=1922064
- Carla Marinucci, Lynda Gledhill, Chronicle Staff Writers. "Davis turns up heat as Simon pares down: New ads roast GOP rival as he trims staff." The San Francisco Chronicle. Friday, August 16, 2002. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/08/16/MN76308.DTL
- Carla Marinucci (October 9, 2002). "Simon's attack on Davis backfires 'Evidence' photo isn't clear proof of illegal donation". Sfgate.com. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- "Simon Offers Snafu 'Regret'". Los Angeles Times. October 11, 2002. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- Cal Votes 2002 Archived 2010-06-14 at the Wayback Machine
- "Polling in the Governor's Race in California". Ppic.org. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- Lynda Gledhill (July 11, 2002). "Davis ekes out 7-point lead over Simon Field Poll shows voters against hopeful rather than for governor". Sfgate.com. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- Robert Salladay (November 6, 2002). "NEWS ANALYSIS Big challenges ahead for not-exactly-popular incumbent". Sfgate.com. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- "Governor Updated October 31, 2002 | The Cook Political Report". The Cook Political Report. October 31, 2002. Archived from the original on December 8, 2002. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
- "Governors Races". www.centerforpolitics.org. November 4, 2002. Archived from the original on December 12, 2002. Retrieved September 18, 2018.