2002 Iowa gubernatorial election
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The 2002 Iowa gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Democratic Governor of Iowa Tom Vilsack sought re-election to a second term as governor. He won his party's nomination uncontested, while Doug Gross, an advisor to former and future Governor Terry Branstad, narrowly won the Republican primary in a crowded and competitive election. In the general election, Vilsack was able to improve slightly on his margin of victory four years earlier to win what would be his second and final term as governor.
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November 5, 2002
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  Vilsack: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Gross: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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Democratic primary
Candidates
- Tom Vilsack, incumbent Governor of Iowa
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tom Vilsack (incumbent) | 79,277 | 98.55 | |
| Democratic | Write-ins | 1,166 | 1.45 | |
| Total votes | 80,443 | 100 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Doug Gross, advisor to former Governor Terry Branstad
- Steve Sukup, Iowa State Representative (1995–2003)
- Bob Vander Plaats, family values activist
Results
Gross
- Gross—61-70%
- Gross—51-60%
- Gross—41-50%
- Gross—31-40%
Sukup
- Sukup—81-90%
- Sukup—71-80%
- Sukup—61-70%
- Sukup—51-60%
- Sukup—41-50%
- Sukup—31-40%
Vander Plaats
- Vander Plaats—81-90%
- Vander Plaats—71-80%
- Vander Plaats—61-70%
- Vander Plaats—51-60%
- Vander Plaats—41-50%
- Vander Plaats—31-40%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Doug Gross | 71,478 | 35.88 | |
| Republican | Steve Sukup | 64,490 | 32.37 | |
| Republican | Bob Vander Plaats | 63,077 | 31.66 | |
| Republican | Write-ins | 189 | 0.09 | |
| Total votes | 199,234 | 100 | ||
General election
Debate
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Democratic | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
||||||
| Tom Vilsack | Doug Gross | |||||
| 1 | Oct. 12, 2002 | Des Moines Register | Paul Anger | C-SPAN | P | P |
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[2] | Tossup | October 31, 2002 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[3] | Lean D | November 4, 2002 |
Polling
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tom Vilsack (incumbent) | 540,449 | 52.69% | +0.39% | |
| Republican | Doug Gross | 456,612 | 44.51% | −2.00% | |
| Green | Jay Robinson | 14,628 | 1.43% | ||
| Libertarian | Clyde Cleveland | 13,098 | 1.28% | ||
| Write-ins | 1,025 | 0.10% | |||
| Majority | 83,837 | 8.17% | +2.37% | ||
| Turnout | 1,025,802 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Adams (largest city: Corning)
- Hardin (largest city: Iowa Falls)
- Winnebago (largest city: Forest City)
- Clarke (largest city: Osceola)
- Louisa (largest city: Wapello)
- Mitchell (largest city: Osage)
- Union (largest city: Creston)
- Appanoose (Largest city: Centerville)
- Decatur (Largest city: Lamoni)
- Lucas (Largest city: Chariton)
- Monona (Largest city: Onawa)
- Ringgold (Largest city: Mount Ayr)
- Taylor (Largest city: Bedford)
- Wayne (Largest city: Corydon)
- Wright (Largest city: Eagle Grove)
- Cherokee (Largest city: Cherokee)
- Calhoun (Largest city: Rockwell City)
- Carroll (Largest city: Carroll)
- Keokuk (Largest city: Sigourney)
- Woodbury (Largest city: Sioux City)
- Washington (Largest city: Washington)
- Pocahontas (Largest city: Pocahontas)
- Franklin (Largest city: Hampton)
- Delaware (Largest city: Manchester)
- Humboldt (largest city: Humboldt)
- Adair (Largest city: Greenfield)
- Scott (largest city: Davenport)
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Jefferson (Largest city: Fairfield)
- Dickinson (Largest city: Spirit Lake)
- Sac (largest city: Sac City)
- Winneshiek (largest city: Decorah)
By congressional district
Vilsack won four of five congressional districts, including three that elected Republicans.[6]
| District | Vilsack | Gross | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 54% | 43% | Jim Nussle |
| 2nd | 56% | 40% | Jim Leach |
| 3rd | 54% | 44% | Leonard Boswell |
| 4th | 54% | 43% | Tom Latham |
| 5th | 44% | 53% | Steve King |
See also
Notes
- Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear