2002 United States Senate election in Rhode Island
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The 2002 United States Senate election in Rhode Island took place on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Jack Reed won re-election to a second term with nearly 80% of the vote, marking the best performance in his senatorial career as of 2026. Reed's best performance was in Providence County, where he won with over 80% of the vote.
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November 5, 2002
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Reed: 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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Democratic primary
Candidates
- Jack Reed, incumbent U.S. Senator
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jack Reed (incumbent) | 85,315 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 85,315 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Robert Tingle | 16,041 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 16,041 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Candidates
Campaign
Reed was an extremely popular senator who got token opposition in the general election. A May Brown University poll showed the incumbent with a 73% approval rating, higher than any other elected lawmaker in the state.[4] In June 2002, Tingle announced his candidacy.[5] Tingle described himself as a working man with a family, while Reed is single and a veteran politician.[6] In an October poll, Reed was up 61% to 14%.[7]
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[8] | Safe D | November 4, 2002 |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jack Reed (incumbent) | 253,922 | 78.43% | +15.12% | |
| Republican | Robert Tingle | 69,881 | 21.57% | −13.38% | |
| Majority | 183,966 | 56.85% | +28.50% | ||
| Turnout | 323,803 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
By county
| Jack Reed Democratic |
Robert Tingle Republican | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Votes | % | Votes | % |
| Bristol | 13,489 | 75.79% | 4,308 | 24.21% |
| Kent | 45,381 | 76.16% | 14,209 | 23.84% |
| Newport | 21,345 | 74.17% | 7,435 | 25.83% |
| Providence | 140,443 | 81.47% | 31,948 | 18.53% |
| Washington | 33,264 | 73.52% | 11,981 | 26.48% |