The 2002 Oregon gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Democratic

Governor of Oregon The governor of Oregon is the head of government of Oregon and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. ter ...

John Kitzhaber John Albert Kitzhaber (born March 5, 1947) is an American former politician who served as the 35th governor of Oregon from 1995 to 2003, and as the 37th governor of Oregon from 2011 until his resignation in 2015. A member of the Democratic Party ...

was unable to seek a third consecutive term as governor, therefore creating an open seat. To replace him, former

Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.Associate Justice Associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some state ...

Ted Kulongoski Theodore Ralph Kulongoski ( ; born November 5, 1940) is an American politician, judge, and lawyer who served as the 36th Governor of Oregon from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative As ...

won a crowded and competitive Democratic primary, while former State Representative

Kevin Mannix Kevin Leese Mannix (born November 26, 1949) is an American politician, business attorney, and former chairman of the Republican Party in the U.S. state of Oregon. Mannix has served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, as a Demo ...

emerged from an equally competitive

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

primary. The campaign between Kulongoski and Mannix, who were joined by

Libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...

nominee Tom Cox, was close and went down to the wire. Ultimately, Kulongoski eked out a narrow margin of victory over Mannix, which was slightly smaller than Cox's total vote share, allowing Kulongoski to win what would be the first of two terms as governor.

Democratic primary

Candidates

, former

Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.Attorney General of Oregon The Oregon Attorney General is a statutory office within the executive branch of the state of Oregon, and serves as the chief legal officer of the state, heading its Department of Justice with its six operating divisions. The attorney general is ...

,nominee for U.S. Senate in

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

, and nominee for governor in

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

* Jim Hill, former

Oregon State Treasurer The Oregon State Treasurer is a constitutional officer within the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon, elected by statewide vote to serve a four-year term. As chief financial officer for the state, the office holder head ...

* Bev Stein, chair of the

Multnomah County Multnomah County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 815,428. Multnomah County is part of the Portland–Vancouver– Hillsboro, OR–WA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Th ...

Commission

Campaign

Kulongoski obtained the endorsement of labor unions and the backing of governor Kitzhaber. A

poll Poll, polled, or polling may refer to: Figurative head counts * Poll, a formal election ** Election verification exit poll, a survey taken to verify election counts ** Polling, voting to make decisions or determine opinions ** Polling places o ...

before the election showed Kulongoski at 40%, ahead of former

State Treasurer In the state governments of the United States, 48 of the 50 states have the executive position of treasurer. New York abolished the position in 1926; duties were transferred to New York State Comptroller. Texas abolished the position of Texas ...

Jim Hill at 23%, and Bev Stein at 19%. Lesser known candidates standing in the Democratic primary included William Allen, campaigning on the belief that

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

paid too much money to the federal government and should consider seceding, and Caleb Burns standing to reform Oregon's schools.

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

, former Oregon State Representative, 2000

nominee for

Attorney General of Oregon The Oregon Attorney General is a statutory office within the executive branch of the state of Oregon, and serves as the chief legal officer of the state, heading its Department of Justice with its six operating divisions. The attorney general is ...

* Jack Roberts,

Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries The Oregon Commissioner of Labor is an elected government position in the U.S. state of Oregon. The commissioner is the chief executive of Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) is an agency in the ...

Ron Saxton Ronald L. Saxton (born 1954) is an American lawyer, business person, and Republican politician in Oregon. He has run twice for Governor of Oregon, losing in the 2002 primary election, and winning the Republican nomination in 2006, but losing ...

, former Chair of the Portland Public Schools Board *W. Ames Curtright *Robert Weidner,

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

Constitution Party nominee for

*Lee R. Shindler

Results

General election

Campaign

Kulongoski focused on education, his support for

gay rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , 3 ...

and the Oregon Death with Dignity law. Mannix campaigned on his plans to cut taxes to stimulate the economy of Oregon and encouraging partnerships between businesses and

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

s. Tom Cox for the

Libertarian party Active parties by country Defunct parties by country Organizations associated with Libertarian parties See also * Liberal parties by country * List of libertarian organizations * Lists of political parties Lists of political part ...

and two write in candidates, Richard Alevizos and Gary Spanovich, also stood in the election. The departure of Kitzhaber, who had opposed plans to build a

Columbia Gorge casino In the first decade of the 2000s, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs (a group of Indian tribes in the U.S. state of Oregon) sought to build a casino in the Columbia River Gorge. They ended their pursuit of the project in 2013. They considered ...

, was considered an opportunity for the

Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs is a recognized Native American tribe made of three tribes who put together a confederation. They live on and govern the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in the U.S. state of Oregon. Tribes The confederat ...

. Tribes invested record amounts of money into Oregon politics in this race, including $40,000 supporting Kulongoski. Kulongoski did not take a position on the issue during the campaign, but later became a supporter of the plan. Kulongoski campaigned using a

motor home A motorhome (or motor coach) is a type of self-propelled recreational vehicle (RV) which offers mobile living accommodation. Features Motorhomes usually have sleeping spaces for two to eight people. Each sleeping space is either fixed or conv ...

and his many visits to

bowling alleys Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), thoug ...

became a trademark of his campaign. Early in the campaign Kulongoski held a large lead over Mannix in the polls but the gap narrowed as the election neared after Mannix put Kulongoski on the defensive. Mannix characterised Kulongoski as a strong

tax and spend "Tax and spend" is a term used in politics meaning government policy to increase or collect taxes for the purpose of increasing public spending. The term is commonly used as criticism; some have embraced the label. The 1936 United States Supreme ...

er after he endorsed a proposed $313 million income tax rise to avoid cuts in education and other areas. He also attacked Kulongoski for being soft on crime. A poll in October showed Kulongoski at 45%, only 4 percent ahead of Mannix at 41%. Mannix conceded the election on 6 November 2002 after Kulongoski secured a decisive lead in the vote count. The Libertarian candidate Tom Cox claimed that he was responsible for Kulongoski's victory as his exit polls suggested he took twice as many Republican votes as Democratic votes.

Predictions

Results

References

{{United States general elections, 2002

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

Gubernatorial A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political_regions, political region, ranking under the Head of State, head of state and in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of ...