November 5, 2002 | |||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 50.40% | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||
Alexander: 40–50% 50–60% 60—70% 70–80% Clement: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Tennessee |
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The 2002 United States Senate election in Tennessee was held on November 5, 2002, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Tennessee. Incumbent Republican Senator Fred Thompson announced that he would not seek re-election. Former Republican Governor Lamar Alexander won the open seat, defeating Democratic Congressman Bob Clement with 54.3% of the vote.
With this election, Alexander became the first Tennessean to be popularly elected both governor and senator. [2] At the age of 62, Alexander also became the oldest elected freshman US senator from Tennessee since Democrat Lawrence D. Tyson in 1924, which he held until 2018 when Marsha Blackburn surpassed him at the age of 66.
In early 2002, Republican Senator Fred Thompson announced that he would not seek re-election to the United States Senate, reversing earlier indications that he intended to run for a second full term. His retirement created an open-seat contest in a state that had trended Republican in recent federal elections, contributing to increased attention on the race within Tennessee. [3]
The open seat drew involvement from both state and national party organizations. Lamar Alexander, a former Governor of Tennessee and United States Secretary of Education, entered the race and won the Republican nomination. His prior statewide service and fundraising totals placed him in a strong position heading into the general election. [4] President George W. Bush, who had a 60% approval rating in the state, participated in campaign events for Alexander, including fundraising and public appearances in Tennessee during the general election. [5] [6]
Bob Clement, a member of the United States House of Representatives and the son of former Tennessee governor Frank G. Clement, won the Democratic nomination.
Alexander raised $2 million through June 2002. [7] Clement attacked the Governor for his corporate connections and business dealings. By October, Clement had nearly raised $900,000, while Alexander raised almost $3 million. [8] Alexander was also endorsed by the NRA Political Victory Fund. [9]
The Republican primary between former Governor Lamar Alexander and U.S. Representative Ed Bryant involved competitive campaigning and ideological differences that drew attention within the state. Bryant positioned himself as the more conservative candidate, running television advertisements criticizing Alexander's record and emphasizing his own conservative credentials. Alexander's campaign responded by highlighting his prior experience in statewide and national office. Observers noted that the tone of the advertisements and the exchanges between the campaigns reflected the ongoing battle between moderate and conservative factions of the Tennessee Republican Party during the primary. [10]
Political scientists later observed that although Bryant’s campaign framed the race around conservative principles, he was unable to consolidate the state’s religious right base behind his candidacy, contributing to Alexander’s victory in the primary. [11]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lamar Alexander | 295,052 | 53.79% | |
| Republican | Ed Bryant | 233,678 | 42.60% | |
| Republican | Mary Taylor-Shelby | 5,589 | 1.02% | |
| Republican | June Griffin | 4,930 | 0.90% | |
| Republican | Michael Brent Todd | 4,002 | 0.73% | |
| Republican | James E. DuBose | 3,572 | 0.65% | |
| Republican | Christopher G. Fenner | 1,552 | 0.28% | |
| Republican | Write-ins | 107 | 0.03% | |
| Total votes | 548,482 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bob Clement | 418,172 | 82.18% | |
| Democratic | Gary G. Davis | 50,563 | 9.94% | |
| Democratic | Cher A. Hopkey | 14,481 | 2.85% | |
| Democratic | Michael L. Hampstead | 12,940 | 2.54% | |
| Democratic | Alvin M. Strauss | 12,241 | 2.41% | |
| Democratic | Write-ins | 478 | 0.08% | |
| Total votes | 508,875 | 100.00% | ||
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Sabato's Crystal Ball [14] | Likely R | November 4, 2002 |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [a] | Margin of error | Lamar Alexander (R) | Bob Clement (D) | Other / Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA [15] | October 26–28, 2002 | 726 (LV) | ± 3.8% | 52% | 41% | 7% |
In a September poll from the Knoxville News Sentinel, Alexander was up 45% to 27%. In a DNSC poll during the same month, Alexander was up 49% to 42%. In a mid October Zogby poll had the governor leading 49% to 36%. [16] A late October WREG-TV poll had Alexander leading 45% to 36%. [17]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lamar Alexander | 891,498 | 54.28% | −7.09% | |
| Democratic | Bob Clement | 728,232 | 44.34% | +7.52% | |
| Independent | John Jay Hooker | 6,401 | 0.39% | N/A | |
| Independent | Wesley M. Baker | 6,106 | 0.37% | N/A | |
| Independent | Connie Gammon | 5,349 | 0.33% | N/A | |
| Independent | Karl Stanley Davidson | 2,217 | 0.13% | N/A | |
| Independent | Basil Marceaux | 1,170 | 0.07% | N/A | |
| Write-ins | 356 | 0.02% | N/A | ||
| Majority | 163,266 | 9.94% | −14.61% | ||
| Turnout | 1,642,432 | 50.40% | |||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
| County [19] | Lamar Alexander Republican | Bob Clement Democratic | John Jay Hooker Independent | Wesley Baker Independent | Others Independent | Total votes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Anderson | 12,700 | 55.2% | 9,957 | 43.3% | 101 | 0.4% | 105 | 0.5% | 136 | 0.6% | 22,999 |
| Bedford | 4,898 | 49.1% | 4,918 | 49.3% | 58 | 0.6% | 56 | 0.6% | 46 | 0.5% | 9,976 |
| Benton | 2,030 | 35.8% | 3,530 | 62.3% | 27 | 0.5% | 23 | 0.4% | 54 | 1.0% | 5,664 |
| Bledsoe | 1,934 | 53.9% | 1,603 | 44.6% | 6 | 0.2% | 19 | 0.5% | 29 | 0.8% | 3,591 |
| Blount | 21,061 | 63.9% | 11,471 | 34.8% | 105 | 0.3% | 130 | 0.4% | 176 | 0.5% | 32,943 |
| Bradley | 16,489 | 69.7% | 6,782 | 28.7% | 104 | 0.4% | 96 | 0.4% | 196 | 0.8% | 23,667 |
| Campbell | 4,392 | 48.6% | 4,527 | 50.1% | 31 | 0.3% | 25 | 0.3% | 61 | 0.7% | 9,036 |
| Cannon | 1,671 | 41.4% | 2,292 | 56.8% | 23 | 0.6% | 20 | 0.5% | 27 | 0.7% | 4,033 |
| Carroll | 4,540 | 49.1% | 4,518 | 48.9% | 42 | 0.5% | 72 | 0.8% | 66 | 0.7% | 9,238 |
| Carter | 10,798 | 68.7% | 4,542 | 28.9% | 63 | 0.4% | 123 | 0.8% | 185 | 1.2% | 15,711 |
| Cheatham | 5,647 | 51.4% | 5,209 | 47.4% | 43 | 0.4% | 31 | 0.3% | 50 | 0.5% | 10,980 |
| Chester | 2,518 | 57.5% | 1,809 | 41.3% | 11 | 0.3% | 20 | 0.5% | 21 | 0.5% | 4,379 |
| Claiborne | 3,666 | 53.4% | 3,045 | 44.4% | 33 | 0.5% | 50 | 0.7% | 65 | 0.9% | 6,859 |
| Clay | 1,004 | 43.2% | 1,277 | 54.9% | 19 | 0.8% | 14 | 0.6% | 11 | 0.5% | 2,325 |
| Cocke | 4,859 | 58.1% | 3,298 | 39.5% | 53 | 0.6% | 63 | 0.8% | 83 | 1.0% | 8,356 |
| Coffee | 7,541 | 50.1% | 7,322 | 48.7% | 57 | 0.4% | 37 | 0.2% | 80 | 0.5% | 15,037 |
| Crockett | 2,071 | 48.0% | 2,171 | 50.3% | 25 | 0.6% | 16 | 0.4% | 35 | 0.8% | 4,318 |
| Cumberland | 9,942 | 58.8% | 6,714 | 39.7% | 51 | 0.3% | 77 | 0.5% | 117 | 0.7% | 16,901 |
| Davidson | 70,974 | 42.9% | 92,994 | 56.2% | 692 | 0.4% | 261 | 0.2% | 680 | 0.4% | 165,601 |
| Decatur | 1,802 | 43.5% | 2,258 | 54.5% | 21 | 0.5% | 17 | 0.4% | 42 | 1.0% | 4,140 |
| DeKalb | 1,973 | 40.1% | 2,869 | 58.3% | 29 | 0.6% | 18 | 0.4% | 29 | 0.6% | 4,918 |
| Dickson | 5,910 | 43.0% | 7,731 | 56.2% | 47 | 0.3% | 23 | 0.2% | 47 | 0.3% | 13,758 |
| Dyer | 5,475 | 53.2% | 4,610 | 44.8% | 57 | 0.6% | 44 | 0.4% | 113 | 1.1% | 10,299 |
| Fayette | 5,744 | 60.7% | 3,589 | 37.9% | 15 | 0.2% | 64 | 0.7% | 50 | 0.5% | 9,462 |
| Fentress | 2,653 | 54.6% | 2,131 | 43.9% | 20 | 0.4% | 14 | 0.3% | 38 | 0.8% | 4,856 |
| Franklin | 5,499 | 47.1% | 5,994 | 51.3% | 54 | 0.5% | 40 | 0.3% | 96 | 0.8% | 11,683 |
| Gibson | 7,326 | 50.2% | 6,947 | 47.6% | 89 | 0.6% | 106 | 0.7% | 128 | 0.9% | 14,596 |
| Giles | 3,559 | 46.3% | 3,941 | 51.3% | 59 | 0.8% | 42 | 0.5% | 81 | 1.1% | 7,682 |
| Grainger | 3,085 | 58.6% | 2,102 | 39.9% | 21 | 0.4% | 21 | 0.4% | 36 | 0.7% | 5,265 |
| Greene | 10,414 | 65.6% | 5,131 | 32.3% | 73 | 0.5% | 119 | 0.7% | 142 | 0.9% | 15,879 |
| Grundy | 1,220 | 33.0% | 2,439 | 65.9% | 9 | 0.2% | 17 | 0.5% | 16 | 0.4% | 3,701 |
| Hamblen | 10,115 | 61.6% | 6,058 | 36.9% | 54 | 0.3% | 85 | 0.5% | 115 | 0.7% | 16,427 |
| Hamilton | 53,070 | 60.6% | 33,433 | 38.2% | 220 | 0.3% | 224 | 0.3% | 569 | 0.7% | 87,516 |
| Hancock | 1,180 | 62.7% | 666 | 35.4% | 7 | 0.4% | 13 | 0.7% | 16 | 0.9% | 1,882 |
| Hardeman | 3,002 | 46.9% | 3,266 | 51.0% | 36 | 0.6% | 49 | 0.8% | 47 | 0.7% | 6,400 |
| Hardin | 3,895 | 52.5% | 3,425 | 46.2% | 23 | 0.3% | 22 | 0.3% | 51 | 0.7% | 7,416 |
| Hawkins | 8,658 | 62.6% | 4,893 | 35.4% | 61 | 0.4% | 97 | 0.7% | 124 | 0.9% | 13,833 |
| Haywood | 2,274 | 43.2% | 2,929 | 55.6% | 25 | 0.5% | 16 | 0.3% | 24 | 0.5% | 5,268 |
| Henderson | 4,096 | 57.7% | 2,858 | 40.3% | 45 | 0.6% | 32 | 0.5% | 68 | 1.0% | 7,099 |
| Henry | 4,097 | 43.0% | 5,263 | 55.2% | 43 | 0.5% | 48 | 0.5% | 86 | 0.9% | 9,537 |
| Hickman | 2,560 | 39.2% | 3,885 | 59.5% | 23 | 0.4% | 22 | 0.3% | 40 | 0.6% | 6,530 |
| Houston | 763 | 29.4% | 1,794 | 69.1% | 14 | 0.5% | 10 | 0.4% | 14 | 0.5% | 2,595 |
| Humphreys | 2,073 | 34.3% | 3,891 | 64.5% | 24 | 0.4% | 19 | 0.3% | 28 | 0.5% | 6,035 |
| Jackson | 1,133 | 33.0% | 2,247 | 65.5% | 17 | 0.5% | 19 | 0.6% | 16 | 0.5% | 3,432 |
| Jefferson | 7,266 | 61.7% | 4,269 | 36.3% | 56 | 0.5% | 82 | 0.7% | 98 | 0.8% | 11,771 |
| Johnson | 3,101 | 70.3% | 1,227 | 27.8% | 23 | 0.5% | 29 | 0.7% | 34 | 0.8% | 4,414 |
| Knox | 70,793 | 61.8% | 42,106 | 36.8% | 367 | 0.3% | 568 | 0.5% | 690 | 0.6% | 114,524 |
| Lake | 506 | 38.4% | 778 | 59.0% | 14 | 1.1% | 8 | 0.6% | 13 | 1.0% | 1,319 |
| Lauderdale | 2,904 | 44.7% | 3,456 | 53.2% | 49 | 0.8% | 35 | 0.5% | 47 | 0.7% | 6,491 |
| Lawrence | 6,381 | 53.5% | 5,380 | 45.1% | 41 | 0.3% | 54 | 0.5% | 60 | 0.5% | 11,916 |
| Lewis | 1,730 | 44.6% | 2,073 | 53.4% | 22 | 0.6% | 15 | 0.4% | 39 | 1.0% | 3,879 |
| Lincoln | 4,523 | 52.2% | 3,967 | 45.8% | 48 | 0.6% | 35 | 0.4% | 86 | 1.0% | 8,659 |
| Loudon | 9,398 | 66.1% | 4,668 | 32.8% | 31 | 0.2% | 33 | 0.2% | 89 | 0.6% | 14,219 |
| Macon | 2,476 | 48.9% | 2,495 | 49.3% | 33 | 0.7% | 27 | 0.5% | 29 | 0.6% | 5,060 |
| Madison | 15,640 | 56.1% | 11,879 | 42.6% | 99 | 0.4% | 97 | 0.3% | 149 | 0.5% | 27,864 |
| Marion | 3,640 | 45.2% | 4,281 | 53.2% | 38 | 0.5% | 35 | 0.4% | 53 | 0.7% | 8,047 |
| Marshall | 3,355 | 44.9% | 3,971 | 53.2% | 47 | 0.6% | 34 | 0.5% | 62 | 0.8% | 7,469 |
| Maury | 10,240 | 49.8% | 10,053 | 48.9% | 87 | 0.4% | 55 | 0.3% | 131 | 0.6% | 20,566 |
| McMinn | 8,410 | 61.5% | 4,989 | 36.5% | 63 | 0.5% | 89 | 0.7% | 115 | 0.8% | 13,666 |
| McNairy | 3,954 | 52.0% | 3,533 | 46.5% | 29 | 0.4% | 32 | 0.4% | 53 | 0.7% | 7,601 |
| Meigs | 1,541 | 54.9% | 1,210 | 43.1% | 12 | 0.4% | 16 | 0.6% | 26 | 0.9% | 2,805 |
| Monroe | 6,469 | 58.8% | 4,396 | 39.9% | 37 | 0.3% | 42 | 0.4% | 65 | 0.6% | 11,009 |
| Montgomery | 15,824 | 49.6% | 15,645 | 49.0% | 114 | 0.4% | 135 | 0.4% | 183 | 0.6% | 31,901 |
| Moore | 1,031 | 50.7% | 984 | 48.4% | 7 | 0.3% | 4 | 0.2% | 8 | 0.4% | 2,034 |
| Morgan | 2,575 | 47.5% | 2,811 | 51.9% | 9 | 0.2% | 5 | 0.1% | 21 | 0.4% | 5,421 |
| Obion | 4,593 | 45.4% | 5,319 | 52.6% | 48 | 0.5% | 42 | 0.4% | 106 | 1.0% | 10,108 |
| Overton | 2,071 | 36.3% | 3,565 | 62.4% | 24 | 0.4% | 20 | 0.4% | 32 | 0.6% | 5,712 |
| Perry | 857 | 39.1% | 1,273 | 58.1% | 15 | 0.7% | 19 | 0.9% | 26 | 1.2% | 2,190 |
| Pickett | 1,162 | 57.2% | 844 | 41.5% | 11 | 0.5% | 6 | 0.3% | 9 | 0.4% | 2,032 |
| Polk | 2,259 | 49.7% | 2,215 | 48.7% | 20 | 0.4% | 13 | 0.3% | 39 | 0.9% | 4,546 |
| Putnam | 9,340 | 50.4% | 8,829 | 47.7% | 105 | 0.6% | 97 | 0.5% | 145 | 0.8% | 18,516 |
| Rhea | 5,115 | 65.9% | 2,561 | 33.0% | 14 | 0.2% | 34 | 0.4% | 43 | 0.6% | 7,767 |
| Roane | 9,693 | 55.7% | 7,445 | 42.8% | 68 | 0.4% | 82 | 0.5% | 111 | 0.6% | 17,399 |
| Robertson | 7,948 | 46.1% | 9,110 | 52.8% | 44 | 0.3% | 50 | 0.3% | 102 | 0.6% | 17,254 |
| Rutherford | 29,018 | 56.7% | 21,613 | 42.2% | 202 | 0.4% | 96 | 0.2% | 250 | 0.5% | 51,179 |
| Scott | 2,414 | 51.3% | 2,202 | 46.8% | 20 | 0.4% | 34 | 0.7% | 33 | 0.7% | 4,703 |
| Sequatchie | 1,765 | 48.5% | 1,826 | 50.2% | 10 | 0.3% | 13 | 0.4% | 26 | 0.7% | 3,640 |
| Sevier | 13,979 | 68.3% | 6,223 | 30.4% | 58 | 0.3% | 70 | 0.3% | 129 | 0.6% | 20,459 |
| Shelby | 117,929 | 49.5% | 117,629 | 49.3% | 971 | 0.4% | 622 | 0.3% | 1,251 | 0.5% | 238,402 |
| Smith | 2,137 | 37.1% | 3,555 | 61.7% | 22 | 0.4% | 16 | 0.3% | 29 | 0.5% | 5,759 |
| Stewart | 1,317 | 34.3% | 2,436 | 63.5% | 29 | 0.8% | 10 | 0.3% | 45 | 1.2% | 3,837 |
| Sullivan | 28,495 | 67.7% | 12,872 | 30.6% | 123 | 0.3% | 247 | 0.6% | 384 | 0.9% | 42,121 |
| Sumner | 23,638 | 56.6% | 17,650 | 42.3% | 137 | 0.3% | 123 | 0.3% | 212 | 0.5% | 41,760 |
| Tipton | 8,821 | 64.1% | 4,678 | 34.0% | 65 | 0.5% | 72 | 0.5% | 120 | 0.9% | 13,756 |
| Trousdale | 786 | 34.5% | 1,461 | 64.2% | 7 | 0.3% | 9 | 0.4% | 12 | 0.5% | 2,275 |
| Unicoi | 3,189 | 69.1% | 1,335 | 28.9% | 13 | 0.3% | 31 | 0.7% | 49 | 1.1% | 4,617 |
| Union | 2,413 | 54.3% | 1,984 | 44.6% | 15 | 0.3% | 14 | 0.3% | 20 | 0.4% | 4,446 |
| Van Buren | 673 | 38.2% | 1,063 | 60.4% | 9 | 0.5% | 6 | 0.3% | 9 | 0.5% | 1,760 |
| Warren | 5,219 | 44.1% | 6,414 | 54.1% | 69 | 0.6% | 57 | 0.5% | 87 | 0.7% | 11,846 |
| Washington | 20,195 | 67.9% | 8,994 | 30.3% | 100 | 0.3% | 180 | 0.6% | 256 | 0.9% | 29,725 |
| Wayne | 2,421 | 61.2% | 1,486 | 37.6% | 10 | 0.3% | 20 | 0.5% | 16 | 0.4% | 3,953 |
| Weakley | 5,138 | 47.7% | 5,434 | 50.4% | 54 | 0.5% | 63 | 0.6% | 87 | 0.8% | 10,776 |
| White | 3,373 | 45.9% | 3,831 | 52.2% | 36 | 0.5% | 38 | 0.5% | 63 | 0.9% | 7,341 |
| Williamson | 36,272 | 70.2% | 15,044 | 29.1% | 134 | 0.3% | 73 | 0.1% | 146 | 0.3% | 51,669 |
| Wilson | 17,122 | 56.3% | 12,904 | 42.4% | 118 | 0.4% | 99 | 0.3% | 172 | 0.6% | 30,415 |
| Total [20] | 891,420 | 54.3% | 728,295 | 44.3% | 6,407 | 0.4% | 6,105 | 0.4% | 10,205 | 0.6% | 1,642,432 |
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