2002 United States Senate election in Oregon
The 2002 United States Senate election in Oregon was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican United States Senator Gordon Smith ran for re-election to a second term. Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury emerged as the Democratic nominee, and though a competitive gubernatorial election occurred at the same time, Bradbury's campaign was never able to gain traction and Smith overwhelmingly won re-election (Bradbury only carried Multnomah County). As of 2023, this is the last time the Republicans have won a U.S. Senate election in Oregon.
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 County results Smith: 40-50% 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-90% Bradbury: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Oregon |
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Democratic primary
Candidates
- Bill Bradbury, Oregon Secretary of State
- Craig Hanson
- Greg Haven
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bill Bradbury | 279,792 | 85.89% | |
| Democratic | Craig Hanson | 27,472 | 8.43% | |
| Democratic | Greg Haven | 13,995 | 4.30% | |
| Democratic | Write-ins | 4,480 | 1.38% | |
| Total votes | 325,739 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
- Gordon Smith, incumbent United States Senator
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Gordon Smith (Incumbent) | 306,504 | 98.89% | |
| Republican | Write-ins | 3,439 | 1.11% | |
| Total votes | 309,943 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Campaign
Smith, who had only served one term in the U.S. Senate, had slightly lower than a 50% approval rating before the summer of 2002 began.[2] By July 2002, Smith had raised over $5 million, while Bradbury raised only about $1 million.[3]
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[4] | Likely R | November 4, 2002 |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Gordon H. Smith (Incumbent) | 712,287 | 56.21% | +6.41% | |
| Democratic | Bill Bradbury | 501,898 | 39.61% | -6.30% | |
| Libertarian | Dan Fitzgerald | 29,979 | 2.37% | +1.43% | |
| Constitution | Lon Mabon | 21,703 | 1.71% | ||
| Write-ins | 1,354 | 0.11% | |||
| Majority | 210,389 | 16.60% | +12.71% | ||
| Turnout | 1,267,221 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
See also
References
- "Content Manager WebDrawer - 2002 Primary Election Official Results".
- Berke, Richard L. (June 8, 2002). "A Senate Candidate's Refrain: 'Could You Stretch It to $500?'". The New York Times.
- Madden, Mike (July 16, 2002). "Smith, Hooley maintain comfortable fund-raising leads". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012.
- "Senate Races". www.centerforpolitics.org. November 4, 2002. Archived from the original on November 18, 2002. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 2002" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 38.