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Turnout | 50.40% ![]() | ||||||||||||||||
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Bredesen: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Hilleary: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Elections in Tennessee |
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The 2002 Tennessee gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 2002, to elect the next governor of Tennessee, alongside other state and local elections. Incumbent Republican Governor Don Sundquist was term-limited and was prohibited by the Constitution of Tennessee from seeking a third consecutive term. To succeed him, former Democratic Nashville Mayor Phil Bredesen, who had run against Sundquist in 1994, narrowly defeated Republican United States Congressman Van Hilleary in the general election.
With this win, Bredesen flipped the state back into Democratic control, with the state legislature also being controlled by Democrats.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Van Hilleary | 343,543 | 64.31% | |
Republican | Jim Henry | 159,862 | 29.92% | |
Republican | Bob Tripp | 17,156 | 3.21% | |
Republican | Dave Kelley | 8,581 | 1.61% | |
Republican | Jessie D. McDonald | 4,682 | 0.88% | |
Republican | Write-ins | 389 | 0.07% | |
Total votes | 534,213 | 100.00% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Phil Bredesen | 426,418 | 79.05% | |
Democratic | Randy Nichols | 38,322 | 7.10% | |
Democratic | Charles E. Smith | 34,547 | 6.40% | |
Democratic | Charles V. Brown | 17,506 | 3.25% | |
Democratic | L. Best | 16,007 | 2.97% | |
Democratic | Floyd R. Conover | 6,218 | 1.15% | |
Democratic | Write-ins | 420 | 0.08% | |
Total votes | 539,438 | 100.00% |
Source | Ranking | As of |
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The Cook Political Report [4] | Tossup | October 31, 2002 |
Sabato's Crystal Ball [5] | Lean D (flip) | November 4, 2002 |
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [lower-alpha 1] | Margin of error | Phil Bredesen (D) | Van Hilleary (R) | Other / Undecided |
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SurveyUSA | October 26–28, 2002 | 726 (LV) | ± 3.8% | 48% | 44% | 8% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
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Democratic | Phil Bredesen | 837,284 | 50.65% | +21.17% | |
Republican | Van Hilleary | 786,803 | 47.59% | -21.03% | |
Independent | Edwin C. Sanders | 7,749 | 0.47% | N/A | |
Independent | Carl Two Feathers Whitaker | 5,308 | 0.32% | N/A | |
Independent | John Jay Hooker | 4,577 | 0.28% | N/A | |
Independent | David Gatchell | 2,991 | 0.18% | N/A | |
Independent | Gabriel Givens | 1,591 | 0.10% | N/A | |
Independent | Ray Ledford | 1,589 | 0.10% | N/A | |
Independent | James E. Herren | 1,210 | 0.07% | N/A | |
Independent | Charles V. Wilhoit, Jr. | 898 | 0.05% | N/A | |
Independent | Marivuana Stout Leinoff | 645 | 0.04% | N/A | |
Independent | Francis E. Waldron | 635 | 0.04% | N/A | |
Independent | Ronny Simmons | 630 | 0.04% | N/A | |
Independent | Robert O. Watson | 579 | 0.04% | N/A | |
Independent | Basil Marceaux | 302 | 0.02% | N/A | |
Write-ins | 376 | 0.02% | N/A | ||
Total votes | 1,653,167 | 100.00% | |||
Democratic gain from Republican |
The governor of Tennessee is the head of government of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor is the only official in the Tennessee state government who is directly elected by the voters of the entire state.
Philip Norman Bredesen Jr. is an American politician and businessman who served as the 48th governor of Tennessee from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected in 2002 with 50.6% of the vote and re-elected in 2006 with 68.6%. He served as the 66th mayor of Nashville from 1991 to 1999. Bredesen is the founder of the HealthAmerica Corporation, which he sold in 1986. He is the last Democrat to win and/or hold statewide office in Tennessee.
Donald Kenneth Sundquist was an American businessman and politician who served as the 47th governor of Tennessee from 1995 to 2003. Prior to his governorship, he represented Tennessee's 7th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 1995. He was a member of the Republican Party.
William Vanderpool "Van" Hilleary is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Tennessee's 4th congressional district from 1995 to 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party.
The 2006 Tennessee gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 2006, to elect the governor of Tennessee, alongside other state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic Governor Phil Bredesen was re-elected to a second term with 68.6% of the vote, defeating his Republican challenger Jim Bryson. Improving on his performance from 2002, Bredesen also carried every county in the state.
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James M. Henry was minority leader in the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1981 to 1986, and a 2002 candidate for the Republican Party nomination for governor of Tennessee, losing the primary election to U.S. Representative Van Hilleary, who in turn lost the subsequent general election to Tennessee governor Phil Bredesen. Henry has previously served as President and CEO of Omni Visions, Inc, first commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Children's Services. Henry served as deputy to the governor and chief of staff to Bill Haslam.
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 5, 2002, in 36 states and two territories. The Republicans won eight seats previously held by the Democrats, as well as the seat previously held by Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura, who was elected on the Reform Party ticket but had since renounced his party affiliation. The Democrats won 10 seats previously held by the Republicans, as well as the seat previously held by Maine governor Angus King, an independent. The elections were held concurrently with the other United States elections of 2002.
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The 1994 Tennessee gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 1994 to elect the next governor of Tennessee. Incumbent Democratic Governor Ned McWherter was term-limited, leaving the governorship an open seat. Republican Congressman Don Sundquist was elected Governor of Tennessee, defeating Democratic nominee Phil Bredesen, the Mayor of Nashville, who later won Tennessee's Governorship in 2002 & 2006.
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