The 2002 Kansas gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Governor

Bill Graves William Preston Graves (born January 9, 1953) is an American former politician who was the 43rd governor of Kansas from 1995 until 2003. Career Graves was born in Salina, Kansas, to parents who owned a trucking firm. After graduating from Ka ...

, a Republican, was barred from seeking a third term by the Kansas Constitution. Kansas Insurance Commissioner

Kathleen Sebelius Kathleen Sebelius (; née Gilligan, born May 15, 1948) is an American politician who served as the 21st United States secretary of health and human services from 2009 until 2014. As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Sebelius was instrumenta ...

, the Democratic nominee, ran against

Kansas State Treasurer The State Treasurer of Kansas is the chief custodian of Kansas's cash deposits, monies from bond sales, and other securities and collateral and directs the investments of those assets. The Treasurer provides for the safe and efficient operation o ...

Tim Shallenburger, the Republican nominee, with Sebelius defeating Shallenburger to become the second female

Governor of Kansas A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

after

Joan Finney Joan Marie Finney (née McInroy; February 12, 1925 – July 28, 2001) was an American politician who served as the 42nd governor of Kansas from 1991 to 1995. Prior to her tenure as governor, Finney served four terms as the Kansas state treasure ...

who served as governor from 1991 to 1995.

Democratic primary

Candidates

, Kansas Insurance Commissioner

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

* Tim Shallenburger,

(1999–present) and former state representative (1987–1998) **Running mate:

Dave Lindstrom David Alan Lindstrom (born November 16, 1954) is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League (NFL), playing eight seasons (1978–1986) for the Kansas City Chiefs. Drafted by the San Diego Chargers in 1977, Lindstrom ...

, former

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

defensive end and businessman *Dave Kerr, Kansas State Senator **Running mate: Mary Birch, former president of the

Overland Park Overland Park ( ) is the largest city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States, and the second-most populous city in the state of Kansas. It is one of four principal cities in the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the pop ...

Chamber of Commerce (1984–2002) *

Bob Knight Robert Montgomery Knight (October 25, 1940 – November 1, 2023) was an American men's college basketball coach (basketball), coach. Nicknamed "the General", he won 902 NCAA Division I men's basketball games, a record at the time of his retire ...

Mayor of Wichita, Kansas The mayor of the City of Wichita is the head of the Executive (government), executive branch of the Wichita, Kansas#Government, Wichita, Kansas city government. The mayor serves a four-year term and is limited to two successive terms. List Fo ...

**Running mate: Kent Glasscock, Speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives (2001–2003) and state representative (1991–2003), was Carla Stovall's running mate until she dropped out. *Dan Bloom, real estate developer and former Superintendent of the Eudora school district **Running mate: Eric Bloom, architectural engineering student

Withdrawn

* Carla Stovall,

Kansas Attorney General The attorney general of Kansas is a statewide elected official responsible for providing legal services to the state government of Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of ...

(1995–2003). ** Running mate: Kent Glasscock, Speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives (2001–2003) and state representative (1991–2003) Initially, Stovall was one of the presumed "front-runner" candidates, and her anticipated run against the probable Democratic nominee, Kansas Insurance Commissioner Kathleen Sebelius, drew national attention as becoming possibly a rare "woman-vs.-woman" gubernatorial race.Clymer, Adam
"In 2002, Woman's Place May Be the Statehouse,"
date, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

,'' retrieved July 28, 2020 Broder, David
"Closing The Governor Gap,"
February 20, 2002, ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

,'' retrieved July 28, 2020 Though the front-runner among moderate candidates

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

:
"Decision: Lt. Governor says he won't wait for formal announcement from Stovall before he makes decision,"
April 11, 2002, '' Garden City Telegram,'' page 1, from NewspaperArchive.com (OCR text), retrieved July 28, 2020"Stovall Drops Out,"
April 16, 2002, ''

Lawrence Journal-World The ''Lawrence Journal-World'' is a daily newspaper published in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, by Ogden Newspapers. History Though the ''Journal-World'' title came into existence in 1911, the paper dates itself to 1858, according to the ...

, retrieved July 28, 2020'' — and confident that she would win if she stayed in the race — Stovall dropped out in April, 2002, citing a lack of enthusiasm for campaigning, and for the job of governor,"Sebelius: A Legacy,"
April 28, 2009, ''

Topeka Capital-Journal ''The Topeka Capital-Journal'' is a daily newspaper in Topeka, Kansas, owned by Gannett. History The paper was formed following numerous name changes and mergers, including the merger of ''The Topeka Daily Capital'' and ''The Topeka State Jou ...

, retrieved July 28, 2020'' and announced plans to marry Kansas media mogul Larry Steckline, whom she married in August."Kansas official plans to marry,"
, May 9, 2002, ''

Daily Oklahoman ''The Oklahoman'' is the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma, United States, and is the only regional daily that covers the Greater Oklahoma City area. The Alliance for Audited Media (formerly Audit Bureau Circulation) lists it as the 59th larg ...

'', retrieved July 29, 2020"Stovall-Steckline wedding,"
last modified Nov. 13, 2002, '' Marion County Record,'' retrieved July 29, 2020 Stovall's abrupt withdrawal threw the moderate wing of the Kansas Republican Party into chaos, as they scrambled to replace her. Kent Glasscock, her running mate, was the heir-apparent, and claimed entitlement to Stovall's campaign funds, but conservative opponent Tim Shallenberger, the incumbent State Treasurer, argued that the funds, per his interpretation of state law, had to be returned to the state Republican party, or to the donors, a charity, or the state government's general revenue fund. Additional Republican candidates began to emerge, also, further complicating the race. Glasscock ultimately became a running mate for gubernatorial candidate

.Beatty, Bob and Virgil W. Dean, editors
"Doing What Needed to Get Done, When It Needed to Get Done”: A Conversation with Former Governor Bill Graves,"
undated ''

Kansas History The Kansas Historical Society is the official state historical society of Kansas. Headquartered in Topeka, it operates as "the trustee of the state" for the purpose of maintaining the state's history and operates the Kansas Museum of History, ...

'' pp.172-197, retrieved July 29, 2020 from

Washburn University Washburn University (WU), formally Washburn University of Topeka, is a public university in Topeka, Kansas, United States. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs as well as professional programs in law and business. The university enroll ...

reference archives. Stovall's withdrawal was credited with giving advantage to the Democratic nominee (and ultimate victor), Katheleen Sebelius.Beatty, Bob and Linsey Moddelmog, editors
"Find a Way to Find Common Ground": A Conversation with Former Governor Kathleen Sebelius,"
Winter 2017-2018, ''

,'' retrieved July 29, 2020; pp.277-278: former Gov. Sebelius: "I entered the race

hen Hen commonly refers to a female animal: a female chicken, other gallinaceous bird, any type of bird in general, or a lobster. It is also a slang term for a woman. Hen, HEN or Hens may also refer to: Places Norway *Hen, Buskerud, a village in R ...

Carla tovall asin the primary, and... within four months he wasdropping out. So he racechanged dramatically."

Results

General election

Predictions

Polling

Results

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

Notes

References

{{United States elections, 2002

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

Gubernatorial A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

November 2002 in the United States