2002 Massachusetts elections
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A Massachusetts general election was held on November 5, 2002 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
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November 5, 2002
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Part of the 2002 United States elections | |
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The election included:
- statewide elections for U.S. Senator, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of the Commonwealth, Treasurer, and Auditor;
- district elections for U.S. Representatives, State Representatives, State Senators, and Governor's Councillors; and
- ballot questions at the state and local levels.
Democratic and Republican candidates were selected in party primaries held September 17, 2002.
Governor and lieutenant governor
Republicans Mitt Romney and Kerry Healey were elected governor and lieutenant governor, respectively, over Democratic candidates Shannon O'Brien and Chris Gabrieli, Green-Rainbow candidates Jill Stein and Tony Lorenzen, Libertarian candidates Carla Howell and Rich Aucoin, and independent candidates Barbara C. Johnson and Joe Schebel.
Secretary of the Commonwealth
Democrat William F. Galvin was re-elected Secretary of the Commonwealth for a third term. He defeated perennial candidate Jack E. Robinson III in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | William F. Galvin (incumbent) | 1,472,562 | 73.97% |  3.95 | |
| Republican | Jack E. Robinson III | 516,260 | 25.93% | 0.76 | |
| Write-in | All others | 1,832 | 0.09% | ||
| Turnout | 1,990,654 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
Attorney general
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 County results Reilly: >90% | |||||||||||||||||
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Democrat Thomas Reilly ran unopposed.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Thomas Reilly (incumbent) | 1,602,817 | 99.24% | 32.47 | |
| Write-in | All others | 12,326 | 0.76% | 0.65 | |
| Total votes | 1,615,143 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
Treasurer and Receiver-General
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November 5, 2002
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Democratic primary
Candidates
- Michael P. Cahill, State Representative from Beverly
- Timothy P. Cahill, Norfolk County Treasurer
- Stephen J. Murphy, member of the Boston City Council
- Jim Segel, former State Representative from Brookline and Executive Director of the Massachusetts Municipal Association
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Timothy P. Cahill | 226,505 | 35.79 | |
| Democratic | Jim Segel | 153,940 | 24.33 | |
| Democratic | Stephen J. Murphy | 135,612 | 21.43 | |
| Democratic | Michael P. Cahill | 116,737 | 18.45 | |
Republican primary
Candidates
- Dan Grabauskas, Massachusetts Registrar of Motor Vehicles
- Bruce A. Herzfelder, businessman
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dan Grabauskas | 110,690 | 53.19% | |
| Republican | Bruce A. Herzfelder | 96,851 | 46.54% | |
| Write-in | All others | 560 | 0.27% | |
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Timothy P. Cahill | 1,040,281 | 50.66% | ||
| Republican | Daniel Grabauskas | 848,904 | 41.34% | ||
| Green-Rainbow | James O'Keefe | 163,559 | 7.96% | ||
| Write-in | All others | 830 | 0.04% | ||
| Total votes | 2,053,574 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
Auditor
Democrat A. Joseph DeNucci was re-elected Auditor. He defeated Libertarian Kamal Jain and Independent John James Xenakis.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | A. Joseph DeNucci (incumbent) | 1,456,880 | 77.96% | ||
| Independent | John James Xenakis | 277,974 | 14.87% | N/A | |
| Libertarian | Kamal Jain | 133,997 | 7.17% | ||
| Write-in | All others | 2,065 | 0.11% | ||
| Turnout | 1,868,851 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
United States Senator
Democratic incumbent John Kerry was re-elected over his Libertarian challenger Michael Cloud.
United States House of Representatives
Massachusetts Senate
see 2002 Massachusetts Senate election[3]
Massachusetts House of Representatives
see 2002 Massachusetts House of Representatives election[3]
Governor's Council
See 2002 Massachusetts Governor's Council election
Ballot measures
There were three statewide ballot questions, all initiatives, which Massachusetts voters considered in this election. There were also various local ballot questions around the commonwealth.
| Number | Title | Type | Subject | Result (excludes blank ballots)[4] | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | Eliminating State Personal Income Tax | Initiative Petition | Taxes |  Failed (48%–40%) |
[5] |
| Question 2 | English Language Education in Public Schools | Initiative Petition | Education |  Passed (61%–29%) |
[6] |
| Question 3 | Taxpayer Funding for Political Campaigns | Advisory Question | Taxes, Elections | Failed (66%–23%) |
[7] |
Question 1
Abolishing State Income Tax | |||||||||||||||||||
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Abolishing the state income tax. A law to eliminate any state personal income tax for income or other gain realized on or after July 1, 2003.[8]
| Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 885,683 | 45.3% | ||
| ✓ | No | 1,069,467 | 54.7% | |
Question 2
English Language Education in Public Schools Initiative: Abolishing bilingual education and replacing it with a one-year program of rapid English immersion. A law that would require that, with limited exceptions, all public-school children must be taught all subjects in English.[9]
| Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ | Yes | 1,359,935 | 67.98% | |
| No | 640,525 | 32.02% | ||
Question 3
Taxpayer Funding for Clean Elections | |||||||||||||||||||
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Taxpayer funding for Clean Elections. A non-binding question relative to the funding of political campaigns for public office, with the "no" vote indicating voters were not in favor of publicly funded elections.[9] This was a reversal of opinion against the Clean Elections Law passed by voter referendum in 1988.[9] The law was repealed by the legislature as part of the 2003 state budget.[11] The legislature had refused to fund the law, which prompted state courts to order the sale of a disused state hospital, state-owned automobiles, and desks and sofas in the offices of legislative leaders Thomas M. Finneran, Salvatore F. DiMasi, and Joseph F. Wagner.[11]
| Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ | No | 1,462,435 | 73.87% | |
| Yes | 517,285 | 26.13% | ||