2002 Maryland gubernatorial election
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 2024, this is the last time Charles County voted Republican in a statewide election.
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| Turnout | 61.85%  1.26%[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
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 County results Ehrlich: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Townsend: 60–70% 70–80% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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This election marked the first time since the 1934 gubernatorial election that a Republican won Maryland without Baltimore City or Montgomery County.[2]
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Robert Fustero, perennial candidate
- Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, lieutenant governor
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Kathleen Kennedy Townsend | 434,948 | 80.01 | |
| Democratic | Robert Fustero | 108,659 | 19.99 | |
| Total votes | 543,607 | 100 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Bob Ehrlich, U.S. Representative
- Ross Z. Pierpont, perennial candidate
- James J. Sheridan
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bob Ehrlich | 229,927 | 92.88 | |
| Republican | James J. Sheridan | 9,181 | 3.71 | |
| Republican | Ross Z. Pierpont | 8,458 | 3.42 | |
| Total votes | 247,566 | 100 | ||
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.[4] 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.[5]
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[6] | Tossup | October 31, 2002 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[7] | Lean R (flip) | November 4, 2002 |
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[a] | Margin of error | Bob Ehrlich (R) | Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (D) | Other / Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA | October 31 – November 2, 2002 | 797 (LV) | ± 3.6% | 51% | 46% | 2% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bob Ehrlich | 879,592 | 51.55% | +6.74% | |
| Democratic | Kathleen Kennedy Townsend | 813,422 | 47.68% | -7.47% | |
| Libertarian | Spear Lancaster | 11,546 | 0.68% | ||
| Write-ins | 1,619 | 0.09% | |||
| Majority | 66,170 | 3.88% | -6.45% | ||
| Turnout | 1,706,179 | ||||
| Republican gain from Democratic | Swing | ||||
- Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Alleghany (largest municipality: Cumberland)
- Howard (largest municipality: Columbia)