The 2002 Colorado gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2002, to elect the governor of Colorado. Bill Owens, the Republican incumbent, defeated Democratic nominee Rollie Heath to win a second term. Owen's win set the record for biggest win by a Republican in a Colorado gubernatorial election (Democrats won by larger margins in 1982, 1948, and 1928, with Billy Adams' 35 point blowout in that year being the greatest victory for a candidate of any party).[1] As of 2024, this is the last time a Republican was elected Governor of Colorado and the only time in the past half-century that a Republican won a majority in the state.
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 County results Owens: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Heath: 40–50% 50–60% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Republican primary
editCandidates
edit- Bill Owens, incumbent Governor of Colorado
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bill Owens (incumbent) | 189,705 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 189,705 | 100.00 | ||
Democratic primary
editCandidates
edit- Rollie Heath, businessman
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Rollie Heath | 98,897 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 98,897 | 100.00 | ||
General election
editDebates
edit- Complete video of debate, September 7, 2002
- Complete video of debate, September 24, 2002
- Complete video of debate, October 17, 2002
Predictions
edit| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[3] | Safe R | October 31, 2002 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[4] | Safe R | November 4, 2002 |
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bill Owens (inc.) | 884,583 | 62.62% | +13.58% | |
| Democratic | Rollie Heath | 475,373 | 33.65% | −14.77% | |
| Green | Ronald Forthofer | 32,099 | 2.27% | – | |
| Libertarian | Ralph Shnelvar | 20,547 | 1.45% | −0.23% | |
| Majority | 409,210 | 28.97% | +28.34% | ||
| Turnout | 1,412,602 | ||||
| Republican hold | |||||
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
edit- Routt (Largest city: Steamboat Springs)
- Garfield (largest municipality: Glenwood Springs)
- Eagle (largest municipality: Edwards)
- Summit (largest municipality: Breckenridge)
- Clear Creek (largest city: Idaho Springs)
- Gilpin (largest city: Central City)
- Adams (largest city: Thornton)
- Arapahoe (largest city: Aurora)
- Gunnison (Largest city: Gunnison)
- Lake (Largest city: Leadville)
- Pitkin (Largest city: Aspen)
- La Plata (largest municipality: Durango)
- San Juan (largest municipality: Silverton)
- Saguache (largest city: Center)
- Mineral (Largest city: Creede)
- Conejos (largest municipality: Manassa)
- Costilla (largest municipality: San Luis)
- Las Animas (largest city: Trinidad)
- Huerfano (largest city: Walsenburg)
References
edit- ^ "Our Campaigns - Container Detail Page". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
- ^ a b c Davidson, Donetta (2002). Official Publication of the Abstract of Votes Cast for the 2001 Coordinated, 2002 Primary, 2002 General (PDF). Denver, Colorado: Colorado Secretary of State.
- ^ "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.