2002 United States Senate election in Alabama

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2002 United States Senate election in Alabama
Flag of Alabama.svg
  1996 November 5, 2002 2008  
  Jeff Sessions official portrait.jpg 3x4.svg
Nominee Jeff Sessions Susan Parker
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote792,561538,878
Percentage58.58%39.83%

2002 United States Senate election in Alabama results map by county.svg
County results
Sessions:      50–60%     60–70%     70–80%
Parker:      40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%

U.S. senator before election

Jeff Sessions
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Jeff Sessions
Republican

The 2002 United States Senate election in Alabama was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions won re-election to a second term. [1] Sessions became the first Republican to be elected to two full terms to the Senate from the state. As of 2022, this is the most recent Senate election in Alabama in which Colbert and Lawrence counties voted for the Democratic candidate.

Contents

Background

In the 1968 presidential election, Alabama supported native son and American Independent Party candidate George Wallace over both Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey. Wallace was the official Democratic candidate in Alabama, while Humphrey was listed as the "National Democratic". [2] In 1976, Democratic candidate Jimmy Carter from Georgia carried the state, the region, and the nation, but Democratic control of the region slipped after that.

Since 1980, conservative Alabama voters have increasingly voted for Republican candidates at the federal level, especially in presidential elections. By contrast, Democratic candidates have been elected to many state-level offices and comprised a longstanding majority in the Alabama Legislature.

Republican primary

Candidates

Sessions was not challenged in the primary. [3]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results

County results (initial primary) Alabama Senate D Primary 2002.svg
County results (initial primary)
County results (runoff) Alabama Senate D Runoff 2002.svg
County results (runoff)

Original on June 4 [5]

Democratic primary results [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Susan Parker 190,978 47.99%
Democratic Julian L. McPhillips 170,222 42.78%
Democratic Wayne Sowell36,7199.23%
Total votes397,919 100.00%

McPhillips won many counties in the southern part of the state, but Parker won the most counties. Sowell endorsed Parker for the runoff.

Runoff on June 25

Democratic primary runoff results [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Susan Parker 176,708 65.15%
Democratic Julian L. McPhillips94,54034.85%
Total votes271,248 100.00%

General election

Candidates

Debates

Predictions

SourceRankingAs of
Sabato's Crystal Ball [8] Safe RNovember 4, 2002

Results

2002 United States Senate election, Alabama [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Jeff Sessions (incumbent) 792,561 58.58% +6.13%
Democratic Susan Parker 538,87839.83%−5.63%
Libertarian Jeff Allen20,2341.50%+0.06%
Write-in 1,3500.10%+0.06%
Majority253,68318.75%
Turnout 1,353,023
Republican hold Swing

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

See also

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References

  1. "Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Archived from the original on July 25, 2007. Retrieved August 8, 2007.
  2. "1968 Presidential General Election Results - Alabama". Uselectionatlas.org. November 5, 1968. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
  3. "Primaries set stage for crucial Nov. vote". USA Today. June 5, 2002. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  4. "The Tuscaloosa News - Google News Archive Search".
  5. "Gadsden Times - Google News Archive Search".
  6. 2002 Senatorial Democratic Primary Election Results - Alabama US Election Atlas
  7. "The Tuscaloosa News - Google News Archive Search".
  8. "Senate Races". www.centerforpolitics.org. November 4, 2002. Archived from the original on November 18, 2002. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  9. http://www.sos.alabama.gov/vb/election/her/her-sw2.aspx [ dead link ]