2002 Georgia gubernatorial election

For related races, see 2002 United States gubernatorial elections.

2002 Georgia gubernatorial election

November 5, 2002

Nominee Sonny Perdue Roy Barnes Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,041,677 937,062 Percentage 51.3% 46.2%

County results Perdue:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Tie:      40–50% Barnes:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

Governor before election Roy Barnes Democratic Elected Governor Sonny Perdue Republican

The 2002 Georgia gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Democratic Governor Roy Barnes sought re-election to a second term as governor. State Senator Sonny Perdue emerged as the Republican nominee from a crowded and hotly contested primary, and he faced off against Barnes, who had faced no opponents in his primary election, in the general election. Though Barnes had been nicknamed "King Roy" due to his unique ability to get his legislative priorities passed, he faced a backlash among Georgia voters due to his proposal to change the state flag from its Confederate design. Ultimately, Perdue was able to defeat incumbent Governor Barnes and became the first Republican to serve as governor of the state since Reconstruction. The result was widely considered a major upset.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Roy Barnes, incumbent Governor of Georgia

Results

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Roy Barnes (incumbent)	434,892	100.00
Total votes			434,892	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

• Sonny Perdue, Georgia state senator
• Linda Schrenko, Georgia school superintendent
• Bill Byrne, chairman of the Cobb County Commission

Results

Primary results by county:

Perdue

•   Perdue—91-100%
•   Perdue—81-90%
•   Perdue—71-80%
•   Perdue—61-70%
•   Perdue—51-60%
•   Perdue—41-50%
•   Perdue—31-40%

Schrenko

•   Schrenko—81-90%
•   Schrenko—61-70%
•   Schrenko—51-60%
•   Schrenko—41-50%
•   Schrenko—31-40%

Byrne

•   Byrne—91-100%
•   Byrne—41-50%

Tie

•   Tie between Perdue and Byrne—33%

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Sonny Perdue	259,966	50.83
	Republican	Linda Schrenko	142,911	27.94
	Republican	Bill Byrne	108,586	21.23
Total votes			511,463	100.00

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report	Likely D	October 31, 2002
Sabato's Crystal Ball	Likely D	November 4, 2002

Results

2002 Georgia gubernatorial election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Sonny Perdue	1,041,677	51.42%	+7.34%
	Democratic	Roy Barnes (incumbent)	937,062	46.25%	−6.24%
	Libertarian	Garrett Michael Hayes	47,122	2.33%	−1.11%
Total votes			2,025,861	100.00%	N/A
	Republican gain from Democratic

See also

• 2002 United States gubernatorial elections
• 2002 United States Senate election in Georgia
• 2002 United States House of Representatives elections in Georgia
• State of Georgia
• Governors of Georgia