2002 United States Senate election in Tennessee
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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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| Elections in Tennessee |
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 Government |
The 2002 United States Senate election in Tennessee was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Fred Thompson decided to retire. Republican 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% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Bob Clement, U.S. Representative
- 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.[3] 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.[4] Bush, who had a 60% approval rating in the state, helped campaign and raise money for Alexander.[5] Alexander was also endorsed by the NRA.[6]
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
Polling
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%.[7] A late October WREG-TV poll had Alexander leading 45% to 36%.[8]
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% | ||
| Independent | Wesley M. Baker | 6,106 | 0.37% | ||
| Independent | Connie Gammon | 5,349 | 0.33% | ||
| Independent | Karl Stanley Davidson | 2,217 | 0.13% | ||
| Independent | Basil Marceaux | 1,170 | 0.07% | ||
| Write-ins | 356 | 0.02% | |||
| Majority | 163,266 | 9.94% | −14.61% | ||
| Turnout | 1,642,432 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
See also
References
- ^ http://www.tn.gov/sos/election/results/2002-8/us-senate-rp8-02.pdf
- ^ http://www.tn.gov/sos/election/results/2002-8/us-senate-dp8-02.pdf
- ^ 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
- ^ 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
- ^ 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
- ^ 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
- ^ 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
- ^ 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
- ^ http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/2002/2002Stat.htm#42