2002 United States Senate election in Kentucky

The 2002 United States Senate election in Kentucky was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell won re-election to a fourth term. This election was McConnell's biggest margin of victory to date. It is the only election in which he won Franklin County, and the most recent in which he won urban Jefferson and Fayette counties. The latter two were the only Kentucky counties won by either Hillary Clinton in 2016 or Joe Biden in 2020, signifying their leftward drift.

2002 United States Senate election in Kentucky

← 1996 November 5, 2002 2008 →
 
Nominee Mitch McConnell Lois Combs Weinberg
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 731,679 399,634
Percentage 64.68% 35.32%

County results
McConnell:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Weinberg:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Mitch McConnell
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Mitch McConnell
Republican

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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Results

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Democratic primary results by county
  Combs Weinberg
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  •   70–80%
  Barlow
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  •   70–80%
  •   80–90%
Democratic primary results[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Lois Combs Weinberg 231,013 50.10%
Democratic Tom Barlow 230,055 49.90%
Total votes 461,068 100.00%

Republican primary

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Candidates

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Results

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McConnell was unopposed.

General election

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Candidates

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Predictions

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Source Ranking As of
Sabato's Crystal Ball[2] Safe R November 4, 2002

Polling

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Poll source Date(s)
administered
Sample
size[a]
Margin
of error
Mitch
McConnell (R)
Lois
Weinberg (D)
Other /
Undecided
SurveyUSA[3] October 28–30, 2002 705 (LV) ± 3.8% 66% 29% 4%

Results

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General election results[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Mitch McConnell (incumbent) 731,679 64.68% +9.22%
Democratic Lois Combs Weinberg 399,634 35.32% −7.52%
Majority 332,045 29.35% +16.74%
Total votes 1,131,313 100.00%
Republican hold

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

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See also

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Notes

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

References

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  1. ^ "KENTUCKY STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS REPORT OF "OFFICIAL" ELECTION NIGHT TALLY RESULT". Archived from the original on November 11, 2010.
  2. ^ "Senate Races". www.centerforpolitics.org. November 4, 2002. Archived from the original on November 18, 2002. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  3. ^ SurveyUSA
  4. ^ "Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives".