2002 Colorado gubernatorial election
(Redirected from Colorado gubernatorial election, 2002)
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.