The U.S. Senate election, 2002 was a fiercely-contested race that resulted in a victory for the Republican Party, which gained two seats from the Democratic Party in the United States Senate.
Notable races
On the Democratic side, Sen. Max Cleland (D-GA) and Sen. Jean Carnahan (D-MO) were both defeated by Republican challengers; Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-MN) died in the middle of his campaign and his seat was lost to a Republican challenger, St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman. The Democratic Party also invested heavily in South Dakota to keep Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD) in office by 500 votes. Democratic incumbent Robert Torricelli (D-NJ) was dogged by scandal, and eventually resigned so that the party could replace him with a better candidate, retired Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), who went on to win. On the Republican side, Sen. Tim Hutchinson (R-AR) was defeated by a Democratic challenger.
Senate contests in 2002
| State | Incumbent | Party | Status | Opposing Candidates |
| Alabama | Jeff Sessions | Republican | Re-elected, 59 - 40 | Susan Parker (Democrat) |
| Alaska | Ted Stevens | Republican | Re-elected, 78 - 11 - 8 | Frank J. Vondersaar (Democrat)
Jim Sykes (Green) |
| Arkansas | Tim Hutchinson | Republican | Defeated, 54 - 46 | Mark Pryor (Democrat) |
| Colorado | Wayne Allard | Republican | Re-elected, 51 - 46 | Tom Strickland (Democrat) |
| Delaware | Joe Biden | Democrat | Re-elected, 58 - 41 | Raymond J. Clatworthy (Republican) |
| Georgia | Max Cleland | Democrat | Defeated, 46 - 53 | Saxby Chambliss (Republican) |
| Idaho | Larry E. Craig | Republican | Re-elected, 65 - 33 | Alan Blinken (Democrat) |
| Illinois | Richard J. Durbin | Democrat | Re-elected, 60 - 38 | Jim Durkin (Republican) |
| Iowa | Tom Harkin | Democrat | Re-elected, 54 - 44 | Greg Ganske (Republican) |
| Kansas | Pat Roberts | Republican | Re-elected, 83 - 9 - 8 | Steven A. Rosile (Libertarian)
George Cook (Reform) |
| Kentucky | Mitch McConnell | Republican | Re-elected, 65 - 35 | Lois Combs Weinberg (Democrat) |
| Louisiana | Mary Landrieu | Democrat | Re-elected, 52 - 48 (in runoff) | Suzanne Haik Terrell (Republican) |
| Maine | Susan M. Collins | Republican | Re-elected, 58 - 42 | Chellie Pingree (Democrat) |
| Massachusetts | John Kerry | Democrat | Re-elected, 80 - 18 | Michael E. Cloud (Libertarian) |
| Michigan | Carl Levin | Democrat | Re-elected, 60 - 38 | Andrew Raczkowski (Republican) |
| Minnesota | Paul Wellstone | Democrat (DFL) | Deceased: Republican victory, 49 - 47 | Norm Coleman (Republican)
Walter Mondale (Democrat [DFL]) |
| Mississippi | Thad Cochran | Republican | Re-elected, 85 - 15 | Shawn O'Hara (Reform) |
| Missouri1 | Jean Carnahan | Democrat | Defeated, 50 - 49 | Jim Talent (Republican) |
| Montana | Max Baucus | Democrat | Re-elected, 63 - 32 | Mike Taylor (Republican) |
| Nebraska | Chuck Hagel | Republican | Re-elected, 83 - 15 | Charlie A. Matulka (Democrat) |
| New Hampshire | Bob Smith | Republican | Lost primary: Republican victory, 51 - 46 | John E. Sununu (Republican)
Jeanne Shaheen (Democrat) |
| New Jersey | Robert Torricelli | Democrat | Withdrew: Democratic victory, 54 - 44 | Frank R. Lautenberg (Democrat)
Douglas R. Forrester (Republican) |
| New Mexico | Pete Domenici | Republican | Re-elected, 65 - 35 | Gloria Tristani (Democrat) |
| North Carolina | Jesse Helms | Republican | Retired: Republican victory, 54 - 45 | Elizabeth Dole (Republican)
Erskine Bowles (Democrat) |
| Oklahoma | Jim Inhofe | Republican | Re-elected, 57 - 36 - 6 | David Walters (Democrat)
James Germalic (Independent) |
| Oregon | Gordon H. Smith | Republican | Re-elected, 56 - 40 | Bill Bradbury (Democrat) |
| Rhode Island | John F. Reed | Democrat | Re-elected, 78 - 22 | Robert G. Tingle (Republican) |
| South Carolina | Strom Thurmond | Republican | Retired: Republican victory, 54 - 44 |
Lindsey Graham (Republican)
Alex Sanders (Democrat) |
| South Dakota | Tim Johnson | Democrat | Re-elected, 50 - 49 | John R. Thune (Republican) |
| Tennessee | Fred Thompson | Republican | Retired: Republican victory, 54 - 44 | Lamar Alexander (Republican)
Bob Clement (Democrat) |
| Texas | Phil Gramm | Republican | Retired: Republican victory, 55 - 43 | John Cornyn (Republican)
Ron Kirk (Democrat) |
| Virginia | John Warner | Republican | Re-elected, 83 - 10 - 7 | Nancy Spannaus (Independent)
Jacob G. Hornberger, Jr. (Independent) |
| West Virginia | Jay Rockefeller | Democrat | Re-elected, 63 - 37 | Jay Wolfe (Republican) |
| Wyoming | Michael B. Enzi | Republican | Re-elected, 73 - 27 | Joyce Jansa Corcoran (Democrat) |
1 special election due to death of Mel Carnahan -- next regular election to be held in 2006
See also
Senate composition before and after elections
Last updated: 06-01-2005 22:19:25
