2002 Vermont gubernatorial election
The 2002 Vermont gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Democratic Governor Howard Dean did not run for re-election to a sixth full term as Governor of Vermont. Republican Jim Douglas defeated Democratic candidate Doug Racine and independent candidate Cornelius Hogan, among others, to succeed him. Since no candidate received a majority in the popular vote, Douglas was elected by the Vermont General Assembly per the state constitution.[1]
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Douglas: 30-40% 40-50% 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-90% Racine: 30-40% 40-50% 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Elections in Vermont |
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The race was very close, with Douglas prevailing by just under 6,000 votes or 2.56%. In Vermont for statewide/executive races if no candidate receives 50% then the Vermont General Assembly picks the winner. However, Racine declined to contest it further and conceded to Douglas. Ultimately it was Douglas's strong performance in Montpelier and Rutland that carried him to victory. Racine did do well in populous Burlington and greater Chittenden County, but it ultimately did not suffice. Racine called Douglas at 12:38 P.M. EST and conceded defeat. Douglas would go on to be reelected three more times. Racine would run for governor one last time in 2010, but narrowly lost the Democratic Primary to Peter Shumlin. After the close contest, Shumlin chose Racine to be his Secretary of Human Services. Racine stepped down from that post in 2014.
Democratic primary
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Doug Racine | 25,522 | 99.1 | ||
Democratic | Other | 232 | 0.9 | ||
Total votes | 25,754 | 100 |
Republican primary
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Jim Douglas | 23,366 | 96.7 | ||
Republican | Other | 789 | 3.3 | ||
Total votes | 24,155 | 100 |
Progressive primary
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Progressive | Michael J. Badamo | 931 | 54.2 | ||
Progressive | Peter Diamondstone | 412 | 24.0 | ||
Progressive | Other | 376 | 21.8 | ||
Total votes | 1,719 | 100 |
General election
Predictions
Source | Ranking | As of |
---|---|---|
The Cook Political Report[3] | Tossup | October 31, 2002 |
Sabato's Crystal Ball[4] | Lean R (flip) | November 4, 2002 |
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Jim Douglas | 103,436 | 44.94 | +6.94 | |
Democratic | Doug Racine | 97,565 | 42.39 | -8.11 | |
Independent | Cornelius Hogan | 22,353 | 9.71 | ||
Marijuana | Cris Ericson | 1,737 | 0.75 | ||
Progressive | Michael Badamo | 1,380 | 0.60 | ||
Libertarian | Joel Williams | 938 | 0.41 | ||
Grassroots | Patricia Hejny | 771 | 0.33 | ||
Restore Justice-Freedom | Marilynn Christian | 638 | 0.28 | ||
Liberty Union | Peter Diamondstone | 625 | 0.27 | ||
Independent | Brian Pearl | 569 | 0.25 | ||
Write-in | Write-ins | 149 | 0.06 | ||
Total votes | 230,161 | 100 |
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Addison (largest municipality: Middlebury)
- Bennington (largest municipality: Bennington)
- Grand Isle (largest municipality: Alburgh)
- Lamoille (largest municipality: Morristown)
- Orange (Largest city: Randolph)
- Rutland (largest municipality: Rutland)
References
- "General Election Results - Governor - 1789-2012" (PDF). Office of the Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
- "Primary Election Results" (PDF). Office of the Vermont Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 31, 2014. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
- "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.
- "2002 Gubernatorial General Election Results - Vermont". U.S. Election Atlas. Retrieved December 30, 2014.