Florida gubernatorial election, 2002

Florida gubernatorial election, 2002

←  1998 November 5, 2002 2006  →

Nominee Jeb Bush Bill McBride Party Republican Democratic Running mate Frank Brogan Tom Rossin Popular vote 2,856,845 2,201,427 Percentage 56.0% 43.2%

County results Bush   50-60%   60-70%   70-80% McBride   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%

Governor before election Jeb Bush Republican Elected Governor Jeb Bush Republican

Elections in Florida
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Government
v t e

The 2002 Florida gubernatorial election took place on 5 November 2002 for the post of Governor of Florida. Incumbent Republican governor Jeb Bush defeated Democratic candidate Bill McBride. Bush became the first Republican governor of Florida to win re-election to a second term. ^{[1] [2]}

Republican nomination

Jeb Bush announced that he would run for re-election in June 2001 after first being elected in 1998. ^[3] Bush was unopposed for the GOP nomination, and spent the summer amassing a war chest of over $5.6 million towards his re-election campaign. ^[4]

Democratic primary

In the Democratic primary Bill McBride, a lawyer from Tampa won a narrow upset victory over former United States Attorney General Janet Reno. State Senator Daryl Jones came in third.

Reno led throughout much of the campaign for the Democratic nomination, boasting name recognition and employing a grassroots strategy. In early June, she led McBride in the polls by a margin of 53%-25%, ^[5] but trailed in a hypothetical head-to-head against Bush. Reno's primary campaign was dubbed the "Little red pickup truck tour", so-named because she toured the state in her 1999 Ford Ranger. ^{[5] [6]} Over the summer, her lead dwindled. McBride, backed by big money donors, was able to exploit Reno's paltry war chest, and sometime aloof campaign. ^[4] Reno's connections to the Clinton Administration, and her handling of both the Waco siege and the Elián González affair were frequent topics in the primary. ^[4] In the final few weeks, McBride narrowed the gap to a dead heat going into the September 10 primary. McBride won the nomination by less than 4,800 votes. ^[7]

Reno disputed the results after the primary was marred by problems. Several areas had technical glitches and delayed openings of the poll especially in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, both of which Reno performed strongly in. ^[3] As a result of the problems, Governor Bush kept the polls open for two additional hours. ^[8]

Democratic primary results ^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Bill McBride	602,352	44.4
	Democratic	Janet Reno	597,558	44.0
	Democratic	Daryl L. Jones	157,107	11.6
Total votes			1,357,017	100

Campaign

McBride's campaign focused on the importance of public education, supporting policies such as teacher pay rises and less emphasis on standardized tests. McBride was helped towards the end of the campaign by visits from national Democratic figures such as Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Jesse Jackson. ^[1] Though McBride himself did not make the topic an issue of his campaign, nationwide Democrats saw the race as an opportunity to avenge Al Gore's controversial loss in Florida during the 2000 presidential election and the subsequent recount. ^[10] Likewise Republicans saw this race a preview of 2004.

President George W. Bush made numerous visits to Florida to support his brother for re-election. ^[2] Bush had a strong fundraising advantage over McBride in what was seen as one of the pivotal races in the 2002 midterm elections. ^[1] Republican adverts targeted McBride as a failed lawyer and as a tax and spender. ^[11]

The two main candidates faced each other in two debates on 27 September and 22 October in the most expensive Florida gubernatorial election yet. ^{[12] [13] [14]} Polls towards the end of the campaign showed Bush with a lead over McBride. ^{[11] [13]} Department of Justice observers were stationed at some of the polls, ^[1] but unlike the problems during the 2000 presidential election and the Democratic primary, voting went smoothly. ^[15]

At the same time as the election an initiative was passed to limit class sizes. This had been opposed by Bush due to the cost of implementing it, but had been supported by McBride. ^[15]

Election results

2002 gubernatorial election, Florida ^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Republican	Jeb Bush	2,856,845	56.0	+0.7
	Democratic	Bill McBride	2,201,427	43.2	-1.5
	No Party Affiliation	Robert Kunst	42,039	0.8	+0.8
	Write-ins		270	0.01	+0.0
Majority			655,418	12.8	+2.3
Turnout			5,100,581	54.8	+6.6
	Republican hold		Swing

References

1. "Jeb Bush Makes History In Florida". CBS News . 2002-11-06. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
2. Canedy, Dana (2002-11-07). "THE 2002 ELECTIONS: FLORIDA; Bush Looks to 2nd Term As Analysts Point to 2004". The New York Times . Retrieved 2008-05-25.
3. "Gov. Jeb Bush says he's eager for a second term". polkonline.com. 2001-06-09. Archived from the original on February 10, 2005. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
4. "Reno rocks". The Guardian. August 11, 2002. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
5. "Reno kicks off tour in red pickup once again". The Gainesville Sun. September 1, 2002. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
6. "Reno Starts Little Red Pickup Tour". Fox News. February 26, 2002. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
7. "McBride declares victory; Reno asks review". CNN. 2002-09-12. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
8. "Gov. Bush extends voting in Florida primary". CNN. 2002-09-10. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
9. https://doe.dos.state.fl.us/elections/resultsarchive/Index.asp?ElectionDate=9/10/2002&DATAMODE=
10. Seelye, Katharine (November 2, 2002). "The 2002 Campaign: The Governors; Cast Reassembled, Florida Revives a Drama From 2000". The New York Times. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
11. "Poll shows Bush with open road to victory". South Florida Sun-Sentinel . 2002-10-31. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
12. "Bush, McBride debate tonight". St. Petersburg Times . 2002-09-27. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
13. "Bush, McBride Face Off In Final Debate". Associated Press. 2002-10-22. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
14. "Bush Bets His Popularity And Scores a Big Victory". The Washington Post . 2002-11-06. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
15. Canedy, Dana (2002-11-06). "THE 2002 ELECTIONS: THE FLORIDA VOTE; Bush Wins 2nd Term With Surge". The New York Times . Retrieved 2008-05-25.
16. "2002 Gubernatorial General Election Results - Florida". Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved 2008-05-22.