2002 Maryland gubernatorial election
Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Script error: No such module "infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Template:ElectionsMD The 2002 Maryland gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2002. Democratic Governor Parris Glendening was term-limited and could not seek a third term. Republican Bob Ehrlich defeated Democrat Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, making him the first Republican governor of Maryland since Spiro Agnew, who served from 1967 to 1969. As of 2026, this is the last time Charles County voted Republican in a statewide election.
This election marked the first time since the 1934 gubernatorial election that a Republican won Maryland without Baltimore City or Montgomery County.[1]
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Robert Fustero, perennial candidate
- Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, lieutenant governor
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Script error: No such module "Political party". | Kathleen Kennedy Townsend | Script error: No such module "string". | 80.01 | |
| Script error: No such module "Political party". | Robert Fustero | Script error: No such module "string". | 19.99 | |
| Total votes | Script error: No such module "string". | 100 | ||
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Republican primary
Candidates
- Bob Ehrlich, U.S. Representative
- Ross Z. Pierpont, perennial candidate
- James J. Sheridan
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Script error: No such module "Political party". | Bob Ehrlich | Script error: No such module "string". | 92.88 | |
| Script error: No such module "Political party". | James J. Sheridan | Script error: No such module "string". | 3.71 | |
| Script error: No such module "Political party". | Ross Z. Pierpont | Script error: No such module "string". | 3.42 | |
| Total votes | Script error: No such module "string". | 100 | ||
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General election
Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend won the Democratic nomination, and Congressman Bob Ehrlich won the Republican nomination, both over token opposition.
Ehrlich chose Maryland Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele as his running mate, while Townsend chose Admiral Charles R. Larson as her running mate. Larson switched to the Democratic Party just a few weeks before the election.
Kennedy's selection of Larson as her running mate proved to be an unpopular move, seeing as he was a white former Republican and had been selected without consultation with black Democratic leaders.[3] Ehrlich ran advertisements assailing incumbent Governor Parris Glendening for the increasingly dismal fiscal situation in Maryland, an issue that resonated with Maryland voters. Glendening's unpopularity did little to help his Lieutenant Governor's flailing campaign.[4]
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[5] | Template:USRaceRating | October 31, 2002 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[6] | Template:USRaceRating | November 4, 2002 |
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample sizeTemplate:Efn |
Margin of error |
Bob Ehrlich (R) |
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (D) |
Other / Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA[7] | October 31 – November 2, 2002 | 797 (LV) | ± 3.6% | style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading" align=center| 51% | 46% | 2% |
Results
Template:Election box winning candidate with party link| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | <templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />±%Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Script error: No such module "Political party". | Kathleen Kennedy Townsend | 813,422 | 47.68% | Script error: No such module "String". | |
| Script error: No such module "Political party". | Spear Lancaster | 11,546 | 0.68% | ||
| Write-ins | 1,619 | 0.09% | Script error: No such module "String". | ||
| Majority | 66,170 | 3.88% | Script error: No such module "String". | ||
| Turnout | 1,706,179 | Script error: No such module "String". | |||
| Script error: No such module "Political party". gain from Script error: No such module "Political party". Template:Yesno | Swing | ||||
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Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Alleghany (largest municipality: Cumberland)
- Howard (largest municipality: Columbia)
Notes
References
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External links
Template:Elections in Maryland footer Template:2002 United States elections