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 County results Rehberg: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Kelly: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Montana | ||||||||
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The2002 United States House of Representatives election in Montana was held on November 5, 2002, to determine who will represent thestate ofMontana in theUnited States House of Representatives. Montana had oneat-large district in the House, apportioned according to the2000 United States census, due to its low population. Representatives are elected for two-year terms.
RepublicanDenny Rehberg, the former lieutenant governor of Montana, sought re-election to a second term in the United States House of Representatives, winning the party's renomination unopposed in the June 4 primary. Two Democrats — rancher Robert Candee and small business owner Steve Kelly — sought their party's nomination; Kelly ultimately prevailed with 74 percent of the vote in the primary. In the general election, Rehberg won with almost 65 percent of the vote to Kelly's 33 percent, while LibertarianMike Fellows received nearly 3 percent.
Kelly, the Democratic nominee, had previously run for office as both an independent and a Republican, in 1994 running as an independent candidate for the US House and earning 9 percent of the vote, and in 1998 running as a candidate in the Republican primary forGallatin County Commissioner. Kelly observed that his independent candidacy eight years earlier had displeased some Democrats, who felt that he pulled votes from the Democratic nominee; however, Kelly observed that the Democrat still won the race, so he was not aspoiler.[1]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Steve Kelly | 40,441 | 74.28% | |
| Democratic | Robert Candee | 14,003 | 25.72% | |
| Total votes | 54,444 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Denny Rehberg (incumbent) | 83,617 | 100% | |
| Total votes | 83,617 | 100.0% | ||
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[3] | Safe R | November 4, 2002 |
| New York Times[4] | Safe R | October 14, 2002 |
Rehberg won the endorsement of the MontanaTeamsters Union, the first time in Montana history that the union endorsed a Republican statewide candidate.[5] The candidates' first debate was held on June 22, at the annual convention of the Montana Newspaper Association.[6]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Denny Rehberg (inc.) | 214,100 | 64.62 | |
| Democratic | Steve D. Kelly | 108,233 | 32.67 | |
| Libertarian | Mike Fellows | 8,988 | 2.71 | |
| Total votes | 331,321 | 100.00 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
Kelly would go on to be theGreen nominee for Senate in2018, although he would be removed from the ballot prior to Election Day.[8]
| Preceded by 2000 elections | United States House elections in Montana 2002 | Succeeded by 2004 elections |
