2002 Connecticut gubernatorial election

For related races, see 2002 United States gubernatorial elections.

2002 Connecticut gubernatorial election

←  1998 November 5, 2002 2006  →
Turnout	56.51% [1]
Nominee John G. Rowland Bill Curry Party Republican Democratic Running mate Jodi Rell George Jepsen Popular vote 573,958 448,984 Percentage 56.1% 43.9%
County results Municipality results Congressional district results Rowland:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80% Curry:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%
Governor before election John G. Rowland Republican Elected Governor John G. Rowland Republican

The 2002 Connecticut gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican governor John G. Rowland won reelection to a third consecutive term, defeating Democrat Bill Curry. Rowland became the first Connecticut governor to win a third term in office, but did not finish his term, resigning in 2004 due to allegations of corruption. Despite losing this election, Curry is to date the last Democratic gubernatorial candidate to carry Windham County.

General election

Candidates

Democratic

• Bill Curry, Counselor to the President under Clinton Administration, nominee in 1994
  • Running mate: George Jepsen, Connecticut state senator

Republican

• John G. Rowland, incumbent governor of Connecticut
  • Running mate: Jodi Rell, incumbent lieutenant governor of Connecticut

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report [2]	Likely R	October 31, 2002
Sabato's Crystal Ball [3]	Likely R	November 4, 2002

Debate

2010 Michigan gubernatorial election republican primary debate

No.	Date	Host	Moderator	Link	Republican	Democratic
Key:  P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited  W  Withdrawn
					John Rowland	Bill Curry
1	Oct. 2, 2002	League of Women Voters Connecticut New London Day WVIT-TV		C-SPAN	P	P

Results

2002 Connecticut gubernatorial election ^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John G. Rowland (incumbent)	573,958	56.1%
	Democratic	Bill Curry	448,984	43.9%
	Write-in		56	0.0%
Total votes			1,022,998	100.0%
	Republican hold

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

• Windham (largest town: Windham)

By congressional district

Rowland won all five congressional districts, including two that elected Democrats. ^[5]

District	Rowland	Curry	Representative
1st	52%	48%	John Larson
2nd	54%	46%	Rob Simmons
3rd	52%	48%	Rosa DeLauro
4th	60%	40%	Chris Shays
5th	63%	37%	Nancy Johnson

References

1. "Connecticut State Register and Manual, 2003". CT State Library.
2. "Governor Updated October 31, 2002 | The Cook Political Report". The Cook Political Report. October 31, 2002. Archived from the original on December 8, 2002. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
3. "Governors Races". www.centerforpolitics.org. November 4, 2002. Archived from the original on December 12, 2002. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
4. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
5. "Statement of Vote" (PDF). Secretary of the State of Connecticut . Archived (PDF) from the original on March 17, 2025. Retrieved May 15, 2025.