2002 United States Senate election in Oregon
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The 2002 United States Senate election in Oregon was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican United States Senator Gordon Smith ran for re-election to a second term. Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury emerged as the Democratic nominee, and though a competitive gubernatorial election occurred at the same time, Bradbury's campaign was never able to gain traction and Smith overwhelmingly won re-election (Bradbury only carried Multnomah County). As of 2026, this is the last time the Republicans have won a U.S. Senate election in Oregon or any mainland West Coast states.
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November 5, 2002
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 County results Smith: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Bradbury: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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Along with Maine and New Mexico, this was one of the three Republican-held Senate seats up for election in a state that Al Gore won in the 2000 presidential election.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Bill Bradbury, Oregon Secretary of State
- Craig Hanson
- Greg Haven
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bill Bradbury | 279,792 | 85.89% | |
| Democratic | Craig Hanson | 27,472 | 8.43% | |
| Democratic | Greg Haven | 13,995 | 4.30% | |
| Democratic | Write-ins | 4,480 | 1.38% | |
| Total votes | 325,739 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
- Gordon Smith, incumbent United States Senator
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Gordon Smith (Incumbent) | 306,504 | 98.89% | |
| Republican | Write-ins | 3,439 | 1.11% | |
| Total votes | 309,943 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Campaign
Smith, who had only served one term in the U.S. Senate, had slightly lower than a 50% approval rating before the summer of 2002 began.[2] By July 2002, Smith had raised over $5 million, while Bradbury raised only about $1 million.[3]
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[4] | Likely R | November 4, 2002 |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Gordon H. Smith (Incumbent) | 712,287 | 56.21% | +6.41% | |
| Democratic | Bill Bradbury | 501,898 | 39.61% | −6.30% | |
| Libertarian | Dan Fitzgerald | 29,979 | 2.37% | +1.43% | |
| Constitution | Lon Mabon | 21,703 | 1.71% | ||
| Write-ins | 1,354 | 0.11% | |||
| Majority | 210,389 | 16.60% | +12.71% | ||
| Turnout | 1,267,221 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||