2002 Maryland gubernatorial election

* * *

| <- 1998 | November 5, 2002 | 2006 ->

|
|

Turnout| 61.85%  1.26%[1]
|  |  |

|
|

Nominee  | Bob Ehrlich | Kathleen Kennedy Townsend |
Party  | Republican | Democratic
Running mate  | Michael Steele | Charles R. Larson
Popular vote  | 879,592 | 813,422
Percentage  | 51.55% | 47.68%

* * *

County results
Ehrlich: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Townsend: 60–70% 70–80%

* * *

| Governor before election

Parris Glendening
Democratic

| Elected Governor

Bob Ehrlich
Republican

|

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Government

* v
* t
* e

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 2025, this is the last time Charles County voted Republican in a statewide election.

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

[edit]

### Candidates

[edit]

* Robert Fustero, perennial candidate
* Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, lieutenant governor

### Results

[edit]

Democratic primary results[3] 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

[edit]

### Candidates

[edit]

* Bob Ehrlich, U.S. Representative
* Ross Z. Pierpont, perennial candidate
* James J. Sheridan

### Results

[edit]

Republican primary results[3] 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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

Poll source  | Date(s)
administered  | Sample
size[a] | Margin
of error | Bob
Ehrlich (R)  | Kathleen
Kennedy
Townsend (D)  | Other /
Undecided

|
|
|
|
|
|

SurveyUSA[8] | October 31 – November 2, 2002  | 797 (LV)  | ± 3.6%  | 51% | 46%  | 2%

### Results

[edit]

Maryland gubernatorial election, 2002  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)

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "2002 Gubernatorial General Election - Voter Turnout". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
2. ^ Maryland Manual. Hall of Records Commission. 1987.
3. ^ a b "2002 Gubernatorial Election".
4. ^ Election 2002 CNN. Archived January 22, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
5. ^ "For this pair, the talking is over". Archived from the original on May 22, 2011. Retrieved April 14, 2011.
6. ^ "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.
7. ^ "Governors Races". www.centerforpolitics.org. November 4, 2002. Archived from the original on December 12, 2002. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
8. ^ SurveyUSA

## External links

[edit]

* Official election website of Bob Ehrlich
* Official election website of Kathleen Kennedy Townsend

* v
* t
* e

Elections in Maryland

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See also: Political party strength in Maryland

* v
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(2001 ←)  2002 United States elections (→ 2003)

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