2002 Hawaii gubernatorial election
The 2002 Hawaii gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2002, to select the Governor of Hawaii. Incumbent Democratic Governor of Hawaii Ben Cayetano was term-limited and therefore could not run for re-election. Former Maui Mayor Linda Lingle, who had narrowly lost the 1998 election, was nominated once again by the Republicans while Lieutenant Governor Mazie Hirono earned the Democratic nomination in a tight race. Lingle and Hirono duked it out in a hard-fought campaign, with Hirono's campaign crippled by allegations of corruption within the Hawaii Democratic Party and many voters desiring a change.[1]
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 County results Lingle: 50–60% Hirono: 50–60% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Hawaii |
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Ultimately Lingle defeated Hirono in a close election, making her the first Republican Governor of Hawaii elected since 1959 and the state's first-ever female governor. She was the first white governor of the state since 1970.
Lingle and Hirono faced off again in Hawaii’s 2012 U.S. Senate election, where Hirono won 63% - 37%, making Lingle the first female Governor and Hirono the first female U.S. Senator in Hawaii history.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Mazie Hirono, Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii
- Ed Case, Majority Leader of the Hawaii House of Representatives
- D. G. Anderson, 1982 and 1986 Republican nominee for Governor of Hawaii, former Hawaii State Senator
- George Nitta, Jr., radio personality
- Art P. Reyes, perennial candidate
- Joe Fernandez, school bus driver
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mazie Hirono | 76,709 | 41.24 | |
| Democratic | Ed Case | 74,096 | 39.84 | |
| Democratic | D. G. Anderson | 33,384 | 17.95 | |
| Democratic | George Nitta, Jr. | 747 | 0.40 | |
| Democratic | Art P. Reyes | 568 | 0.31 | |
| Democratic | Joe Fernandez | 491 | 0.26 | |
| Total votes | 185,995 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Linda Lingle, former Mayor of Maui, 1998 Republican nominee for Governor of Hawaii
- John Carroll, former Hawaii State Representative
- Crystal Young
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Linda Lingle | 70,808 | 89.77 | |
| Republican | John Carroll | 7,616 | 9.66 | |
| Republican | Crystal Young | 454 | 0.58 | |
| Total votes | 78,878 | 100.00 | ||
General election
Campaign
Lingle was critical of the way that Hirono had handled education and economic issues as lieutenant governor; in a TV spot premiered by the Lingle campaign in September, the Republican noted that "Reading scores are now among the worst in the nation. We rank last in jobs creation and first in poverty increase" and argued that Hirono bore part of the blame.[3] Hirono responded that low reading scores could be attributed to the fact that many Hawaiian students — such as Hirono, herself an immigrant from Japan — were learning English as a second language. She also pointed to legislation which she had supported to "improve teacher quality" and boost test scores, and commented that "I'd like to know what Linda has done" to further the cause.[3]
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[4] | Tossup | October 31, 2002 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[5] | Lean R (flip) | November 4, 2002 |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Linda Lingle | 197,009 | 51.56% | +2.74% | |
| Democratic | Mazie Hirono | 179,647 | 47.01% | -3.09% | |
| Natural Law | Bu Laʻia Hill | 2,561 | 0.67% | ||
| Libertarian | Tracy Ryan | 1,364 | 0.36% | -0.72% | |
| Independent | Jim Brewer | 1,147 | 0.30% | ||
| Independent | Daniel Cunningham | 382 | 0.10% | ||
| Majority | 17,362 | 4.54% | +3.25% | ||
| Turnout | 382,110 | ||||
| Republican gain from Democratic | Swing | ||||
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
References
- Broder, John M. (October 19, 2002). "THE 2002 CAMPAIGN: THE DEMOCRATS; Hawaii Democrats Reeling After Scandals and a Death". The New York Times. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
- "2002 Primary election results" (PDF).
- "Lingle Unveils New Political Ad Blasting Mazie Hirono's Record". Hawaii News Now. Gray Television. September 26, 2002. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
- "Governor Updated October 31, 2002". 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.
- "2002 General election results" (PDF).
External links
- Official campaign websites (Archived)