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 County results Precinct resultsPerdue: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Barnes: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Tie: 40–50% 50% No data | |||||||||||||||||
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The2002 Georgia gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2002. IncumbentDemocratic governorRoy Barnes sought re-election to a second term as governor.State SenatorSonny Perdue emerged as theRepublican nominee from a crowded and hotly contested primary, and he faced off against Barnes, who had faced no opponents in his primary election, in the general election. Though Barnes had been nicknamed "King Roy" due to his unique ability to get his legislative priorities passed, he faced a backlash amongGeorgia voters due to his proposal to change thestate flag from itsConfederate design.
Ultimately, Perdue was able to defeat governor Barnes and became the first Republican to serve as governor of the state sinceReconstruction. This was only the second election that a Republican won in the state's history, the other being in 1868. The result was widely considered a major upset.[1] DemocratMax Cleland simultaneously losthis re-election bid to RepublicanSaxby Chambliss, marking just the sixth time in the last 50 years in which U.S. Senate and gubernatorial incumbents from the same political party were simultaneously defeated in the same state.[2][a]
As of 2022[update], this is the last governor election in whichDecatur,Grady,Meriwether, andWilkes counties voted for the Democratic candidate.[citation needed] This is the last time that a gubernatorial nominee and a lieutenant gubernatorial nominee from different political parties were elected governor and lieutenant governor in Georgia. Barnes later unsuccessfully ran for Governor of Georgia again in 2010 when Perdue was term-limited.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Roy Barnes (incumbent) | 434,892 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 434,892 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Sonny Perdue | 259,966 | 50.83 | |
| Republican | Linda Schrenko | 142,911 | 27.94 | |
| Republican | Bill Byrne | 108,586 | 21.23 | |
| Total votes | 511,463 | 100.00 | ||
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[5] | Likely D | October 31, 2002 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[6] | Likely D | November 4, 2002 |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Sonny Perdue | 1,041,677 | 51.42% | +7.34% | |
| Democratic | Roy Barnes (incumbent) | 937,062 | 46.25% | −6.24% | |
| Libertarian | Garrett Michael Hayes | 47,122 | 2.33% | −1.11% | |
| Total votes | 2,025,861 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | |||||
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{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)Official campaign websites (archived)