2002 United States Senate election in Tennessee
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| Turnout | 50.40%  [1] 12.37 pp | ||||||||||||||||
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 County results Alexander: 40–50% 50–60% 60—70% 70–80% Clement: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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The 2002 United States Senate election in Tennessee was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Fred Thompson decided to retire. Former Republican Governor Lamar Alexander won the open seat.
Republican primary
Candidates
- Lamar Alexander, former U.S. Secretary of Education, former Governor of Tennessee
- Ed Bryant, U.S. Representative
- Mary Taylor-Shelby, perennial candidate
- June Griffin, activist
- Michael Brent Todd
- James E. DuBose
- Christopher G. Fenner
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lamar Alexander | 295,052 | 53.79% | |
| Republican | Ed Bryant | 233,678 | 42.60% | |
| Republican | Mary Taylor-Shelby | 5,589 | 1.02% | |
| Republican | June Griffin | 4,930 | 0.90% | |
| Republican | Michael Brent Todd | 4,002 | 0.73% | |
| Republican | James E. DuBose | 3,572 | 0.65% | |
| Republican | Christopher G. Fenner | 1,552 | 0.28% | |
| Republican | Write-ins | 107 | 0.03% | |
| Total votes | 548,482 | 100.00% | ||
Alexander
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 60–70%
Bryant
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 50–60%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Bob Clement, U.S. Representative and candidate for Governor in 1978
- Gary G. Davis, perennial candidate
- Cher A. Hopkey
- Michael L. Hampstead
- Alvin M. Strauss
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bob Clement | 418,172 | 82.18% | |
| Democratic | Gary G. Davis | 50,563 | 9.94% | |
| Democratic | Cher A. Hopkey | 14,481 | 2.85% | |
| Democratic | Michael L. Hampstead | 12,940 | 2.54% | |
| Democratic | Alvin M. Strauss | 12,241 | 2.41% | |
| Democratic | Write-ins | 478 | 0.08% | |
| Total votes | 508,875 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Campaign
Alexander raised $2 million through June 2002.[4] 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.[5] Bush, who had a 60% approval rating in the state, helped campaign and raise money for Alexander.[6] Alexander was also endorsed by the NRA Political Victory Fund.[7]
Debates
- Complete video of debate, September 30, 2002
- Complete video of debate, October 6, 2002
- Complete video of debate, October 13, 2002
- Complete video of debate, October 20, 2002
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[8] | Likely R | November 4, 2002 |
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[a] | Margin of error | Lamar Alexander (R) | Bob Clement (D) | Other / Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA | October 26–28, 2002 | 726 (LV) | ± 3.8% | 52% | 41% | 7% |
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%.[9] A late October WREG-TV poll had Alexander leading 45% to 36%.[10]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lamar Alexander | 891,498 | 54.28% | -7.09% | |
| Democratic | Bob Clement | 728,232 | 44.34% | +7.52% | |
| Independent | John Jay Hooker | 6,401 | 0.39% | N/A | |
| Independent | Wesley M. Baker | 6,106 | 0.37% | N/A | |
| Independent | Connie Gammon | 5,349 | 0.33% | N/A | |
| Independent | Karl Stanley Davidson | 2,217 | 0.13% | N/A | |
| Independent | Basil Marceaux | 1,170 | 0.07% | N/A | |
| Write-ins | 356 | 0.02% | N/A | ||
| Majority | 163,266 | 9.94% | -14.61% | ||
| Turnout | 1,642,432 | 50.40% | |||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Bedford (Largest city: Shelbyville)
- Campbell (Largest city: LaFollette)
- Cannon (Largest town: Woodbury)
- Clay (Largest city: Celina)
- Crockett (Largest city: Bells)
- Davidson (Largest city: Nashville)
- Dickson (Largest city: Dickson)
- Franklin (Largest city: Winchester)
- Giles (Largest city: Pulaski)
- Henry (Largest city: Paris)
- Lewis (Largest city: Hohenwald)
- Macon (Largest city: Lafayette)
- Marion (Largest town: Jasper)
- Marshall (Largest city: Lewisburg)
- Morgan (Largest community: Coalfield)
- Obion (Largest city: Union City)
- Robertson (Largest city: Springfield)
- Sequatchie (Largest city: Dunlap)
- Stewart (Largest city: Dover)
- Warren (Largest city: McMinnville)
- Weakley (Largest city: Martin)
- White (Largest city: Sparta)
See also
Notes
- ^ Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear
References
- ^ "Tennessee Voter Turnout in 2002". Tennessee Secretary of State. November 5, 2002. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 13, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 13, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ http://0-infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=NewsBank&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=0F3F35A6FADD62C1&p_docnum=2&p_queryname=15[dead link]
- ^ http://0-infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=NewsBank&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=0F6B623AA37922AC&p_docnum=6&p_queryname=18[dead link]
- ^ http://0-infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=NewsBank&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=0F619F2C1D75492C&p_docnum=4&p_queryname=15[dead link]
- ^ http://0-infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=NewsBank&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=0F71FA86E46BE3D8&p_docnum=16&p_queryname=18[dead link]
- ^ "Senate Races". www.centerforpolitics.org. November 4, 2002. Archived from the original on November 18, 2002. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- ^ http://0-infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=NewsBank&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=110FA9E198336770&p_docnum=14&p_queryname=18[dead link]
- ^ http://0-infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=NewsBank&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=0F75BDFE8D07F58E&p_docnum=4&p_queryname=18[dead link]
- ^ "Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives".
