2002 Idaho gubernatorial election

The 2002 Idaho gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2002 to select the governor of the state of Idaho. Dirk Kempthorne, the Republican incumbent, defeated Democratic nominee Jerry Brady to win a second term, but the win was not nearly as overwhelming as Kempthorne's 1998 victory. This was the first Idaho gubernatorial election since 1978 in which the winner was of the same party as the incumbent president. This was the first time since 1962 that an incumbent Republican Governor of Idaho was re-elected.

2002 Idaho gubernatorial election

← 1998 November 5, 2002 2006 →
 
Nominee Dirk Kempthorne Jerry Brady
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 231,566 171,711
Percentage 56.3% 41.7%

Kempthorne:     40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Brady:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Adams:      50–60%
Tie:      40–50%     50%      No Votes

Governor before election

Dirk Kempthorne
Republican

Elected Governor

Dirk Kempthorne
Republican

Republican primary

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Candidates

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Results

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County results
Republican primary results[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Dirk Kempthorne (inc.) 95,882 65.88
Republican Milt Erhart 37,523 25.78
Republican Walter L. Bayes 6,873 4.72
Republican Raynelle J. George 5,271 3.62
Total votes 145,549 100.00

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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  • Jerry Brady, newspaper publisher
  • Rue T. Stears

Results

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County results
Democratic Primary results[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jerry Brady 33,285 87.40
Democratic Rue T. Stears 4,798 12.60
Total votes 38,083 100.00

Libertarian primary

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Candidates

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  • Daniel L. J. Adams, perennial candidate
  • Michael Monroe Gollaher (write-in)

Results

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Libertarian Primary results[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Libertarian Daniel L. J. Adams 997 90.14
Libertarian Michael Monroe Gollaher (write-in) 109 9.86
Total votes 1,106 100.00

General election

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Campaign

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Although Brady performed considerably better than 1998 Democratic gubernatorial nominee Robert C. Huntley, and won a plurality of the vote in Ada County, the state's most populous county, Kempthorne won reelection with a comfortable majority.

Predictions

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Source Ranking As of
The Cook Political Report[2] Safe R October 31, 2002
Sabato's Crystal Ball[3] Lean R November 4, 2002

Results

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Idaho gubernatorial election, 2002[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Dirk Kempthorne (inc.) 231,566 56.28 −11.42
Democratic Jerry Brady 171,711 41.73 +12.66
Libertarian Daniel L. J. Adams 8,187 1.99
Write-ins 13 0.00
Majority 59,855 14.55 −24.08
Turnout 411,477
Republican hold Swing

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "2002 Primary Results Governor". Archived from the original on November 3, 2010. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
  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. ^ http://www.sos.idaho.gov/elect/results/2002/general/cnty_gov.htm [dead link]

See also

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Preceded by
1998
Idaho gubernatorial elections Succeeded by
2006