2002 Wyoming gubernatorial election

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2002 Wyoming gubernatorial election
Flag of Wyoming.svg
  1998 November 5, 2002 2006  
  Dave Freudenthal speech.jpg Eli Bebout 20171012.jpg
Nominee Dave Freudenthal Eli Bebout
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote92,66288,873
Percentage49.96%47.92%

2002 Wyoming gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
County results
Freudenthal:      50–60%     60–70%
Bebout:      40–50%     50–60%     60–70%

Governor before election

Jim Geringer
Republican

Elected Governor

Dave Freudenthal
Democratic

The 2002 Wyoming gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican Governor Jim Geringer was term-limited and unable to seek a third term in office, thereby creating an open seat. Former U.S. Attorney Dave Freudenthal and former Wyoming House Speaker Eli Bebout both emerged from competitive Democratic and Republican primaries, respectively, and faced off against each other in the general election. Despite Wyoming's strong inclination to elect Republicans, a contentious race ensued, with Freudenthal ultimately defeating Bebout by fewer than 4,000 votes. As of 2023, this is the last gubernatorial election in Wyoming to be decided by less than 20 percentage points.

Contents

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results

Democratic primary results [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Dave Freudenthal 19,732 53.62
Democratic Paul Hickey13,79337.48
Democratic Toby Simpson1,9185.21
Democratic Ken Casner1,3563.68
Total votes36,799 100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

Republican primary results [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Eli Bebout 44,417 48.98
Republican Ray Hunkins25,36327.97
Republican Bill Sniffin13,63315.03
Republican Stephen Watt5,7246.31
Republican John H. Self1,5481.71
Total votes90,685 100.00

General election

Predictions

SourceRankingAs of
The Cook Political Report [2] TossupOctober 31, 2002
Sabato's Crystal Ball [3] Lean RNovember 4, 2002

Results

Wyoming gubernatorial election, 2002 [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Democratic Dave Freudenthal 92,662 49.96% +9.51%
Republican Eli Bebout 88,87347.92%-7.68%
Libertarian Dave Dawson3,9242.12%-1.83%
Majority3,7892.04%-13.10%
Turnout 185,459
Democratic gain from Republican Swing

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

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References

  1. 1 2 "Statewide Candidates' Abstract - Official Primary Election Results - August 20, 2002" (PDF). Wyoming Secretary of State.
  2. "Governor Updated October 31, 2002 | The Cook Political Report". The Cook Political Report. October 31, 2002. Archived from the original on December 8, 2002. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  3. "Governors Races". www.centerforpolitics.org. November 4, 2002. Archived from the original on December 12, 2002. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  4. "Statewide Candidates' Abstract - Official General Election Results - November 5, 2002" (PDF). Wyoming Secretary of State.