2002 Colorado gubernatorial election
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November 5, 2002
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 County results Owens: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Heath: 40–50% 50–60% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Colorado |
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The 2002 Colorado gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2002, to elect the governor of Colorado. Bill Owens, the Republican incumbent, defeated Democratic nominee Rollie Heath to win a second term. Owen's win set the record for biggest win by a Republican in a Colorado gubernatorial election (Democrats won by larger margins in 1982, 1948, and 1928, with Billy Adams' 35 point blowout in that year being the greatest victory for a candidate of any party).[1] As of 2026, this is the last time a Republican was elected Governor of Colorado and the only time in the past half-century that a Republican won a majority in the state.
Republican primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]- Bill Owens, incumbent Governor of Colorado
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bill Owens (incumbent) | 189,705 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 189,705 | 100.00 | ||
Democratic primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]- Rollie Heath, businessman
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Rollie Heath | 98,897 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 98,897 | 100.00 | ||
General election
[edit]Debates
[edit]| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Democratic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
||||||
| Bill Owens | Rollie Heath | |||||
| 1 | Sep. 7, 2002 | Club 20 KJCT-TV |
Jerry Groswald | C-SPAN | P | P |
| 2 | Sep. 24, 2002 | City Club of Denver | C-SPAN | P | P | |
| 3 | Oct. 17, 2002 | KUSA (TV) The Denver Post |
Jim Benemann | C-SPAN | P | P |
Predictions
[edit]| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[3] | Safe R | October 31, 2002 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[4] | Safe R | November 4, 2002 |
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bill Owens (inc.) | 884,583 | 62.62% | +13.58% | |
| Democratic | Rollie Heath | 475,373 | 33.65% | −14.77% | |
| Green | Ronald Forthofer | 32,099 | 2.27% | – | |
| Libertarian | Ralph Shnelvar | 20,547 | 1.45% | −0.23% | |
| Majority | 409,210 | 28.97% | +28.34% | ||
| Turnout | 1,412,602 | ||||
| Republican hold | |||||
By county
[edit]| County | Bill Owens Republican |
Rollie Heath Democratic |
Various candidates Other parties |
Margin | Total votes cast | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 50,623 | 60.01% | 31,551 | 37.40% | 2,189 | 2.59% | 19,072 | 22.61% | 84,363 |
| Alamosa | 2,611 | 56.17% | 1,913 | 41.16% | 124 | 2.67% | 698 | 15.01% | 4,648 |
| Arapahoe | 101,542 | 66.99% | 46,260 | 30.52% | 3,772 | 2.49% | 55,282 | 36.47% | 151,574 |
| Archuleta | 2,885 | 72.47% | 994 | 24.97% | 102 | 2.56% | 1,891 | 47.50% | 3,981 |
| Baca | 1,653 | 75.93% | 501 | 23.01% | 23 | 1.06% | 1,152 | 52.92% | 2,177 |
| Bent | 1,266 | 65.70% | 630 | 32.69% | 31 | 1.58% | 636 | 33.01% | 1,927 |
| Boulder | 46,964 | 44.12% | 50,829 | 47.76% | 8,643 | 8.12% | -3,865 | -3.64% | 106,436 |
| Broomfield | 9,307 | 65.54% | 4,414 | 31.08% | 479 | 3.38% | 4,893 | 34.46% | 14,200 |
| Chaffee | 4,187 | 60.86% | 2,394 | 34.80% | 299 | 4.34% | 1,793 | 26.06% | 6,880 |
| Cheyenne | 890 | 83.57% | 165 | 15.49% | 10 | 0.94% | 725 | 68.08% | 1,065 |
| Clear Creek | 2,348 | 58.05% | 1,466 | 36.24% | 231 | 5.71% | 882 | 21.81% | 4,045 |
| Conejos | 1,841 | 57.05% | 1,339 | 41.49% | 47 | 1.46% | 502 | 15.56% | 3,227 |
| Costilla | 780 | 48.81% | 762 | 47.68% | 56 | 3.51% | 18 | 1.13% | 1,598 |
| Crowley | 904 | 69.27% | 374 | 28.66% | 27 | 2.07% | 530 | 40.61% | 1,305 |
| Custer | 1,499 | 75.94% | 409 | 20.72% | 66 | 3.34% | 1,090 | 55.22% | 1,974 |
| Delta | 7,925 | 70.52% | 2,738 | 24.36% | 575 | 5.12% | 5,187 | 46.16% | 11,238 |
| Denver | 67,959 | 44.40% | 78,838 | 51.51% | 2,788 | 4.09% | -6,268 | -7.11% | 153,065 |
| Dolores | 519 | 60.51% | 298 | 34.81% | 39 | 4.68% | 221 | 25.70% | 856 |
| Douglas | 58,519 | 79.08% | 14,182 | 19.17% | 1,295 | 1.75% | 44,337 | 59.91% | 73,996 |
| Eagle | 7,030 | 60.20% | 4,256 | 36.45% | 391 | 3.35% | 2,774 | 23.75% | 11,677 |
| El Paso | 114,263 | 74.73% | 32,680 | 21.37% | 5,950 | 3.90% | 81,583 | 53.36% | 152,893 |
| Elbert | 6,415 | 79.97% | 1,448 | 18.05% | 159 | 1.98% | 4,967 | 61.92% | 8,022 |
| Fremont | 8,968 | 64.08% | 4,599 | 32.86% | 428 | 3.06% | 4,369 | 31.22% | 13,995 |
| Garfield | 8,856 | 63.79% | 4,438 | 31.97% | 589 | 4.24% | 4,418 | 31.82% | 13,883 |
| Gilpin | 1,277 | 55.74% | 831 | 36.27% | 183 | 7.99% | 446 | 19.47% | 2,291 |
| Grand | 3,502 | 69.48% | 1,356 | 26.90% | 182 | 3.62% | 2,146 | 42.58% | 5,040 |
| Gunnison | 2,634 | 48.52% | 2,428 | 44.72% | 367 | 6.76% | 206 | 3.80% | 5,429 |
| Hinsdale | 334 | 62.31% | 161 | 30.04% | 41 | 7.65% | 173 | 32.27% | 536 |
| Huerfano | 1,602 | 57.01% | 1,131 | 40.25% | 77 | 2.74% | 471 | 16.76% | 2,810 |
| Jackson | 654 | 77.49% | 165 | 19.55% | 25 | 2.96% | 489 | 57.94% | 844 |
| Jefferson | 122,536 | 64.70% | 60,656 | 32.08% | 5,907 | 3.22% | 61,880 | 32.62% | 189,099 |
| Kiowa | 721 | 78.71% | 188 | 20.52% | 7 | 0.77% | 533 | 58.19% | 916 |
| Kit Carson | 2,520 | 81.82% | 520 | 16.88% | 40 | 1.30% | 2,000 | 64.93% | 3,080 |
| La Plata | 9,022 | 56.55% | 5,952 | 37.31% | 980 | 6.14% | 3,070 | 19.24% | 15,954 |
| Lake | 1,340 | 55.74% | 943 | 39.23% | 121 | 5.03% | 397 | 16.51% | 2,404 |
| Larimer | 60,727 | 64.83% | 27,931 | 29.82% | 5,015 | 5.35% | 32,796 | 35.01% | 93,673 |
| Las Animas | 2,690 | 52.12% | 2,363 | 45.79% | 108 | 2.09% | 327 | 6.33% | 5,161 |
| Lincoln | 1,489 | 75.39% | 461 | 23.34% | 25 | 1.27% | 1,028 | 52.05% | 1,975 |
| Logan | 4,977 | 73.96% | 1,638 | 24.34% | 114 | 1.70% | 3,339 | 49.62% | 6,729 |
| Mesa | 27,234 | 66.73% | 12,255 | 30.03% | 1,322 | 3.24% | 14,979 | 36.70% | 40,811 |
| Mineral | 276 | 61.88% | 154 | 34.53% | 16 | 3.59% | 122 | 27.35% | 446 |
| Moffat | 3,318 | 73.36% | 1,091 | 24.12% | 114 | 2.52% | 2,227 | 49.24% | 4,523 |
| Montezuma | 5,311 | 66.40% | 2,363 | 29.54% | 325 | 4.06% | 2,948 | 36.86% | 7,999 |
| Montrose | 8,644 | 70.16% | 3,217 | 26.11% | 459 | 3.73% | 5,427 | 44.05% | 12,320 |
| Morgan | 5,657 | 73.75% | 1,884 | 24.56% | 129 | 1.69% | 3,773 | 49.19% | 7,670 |
| Otero | 4,112 | 66.52% | 1,989 | 32.17% | 81 | 1.31% | 2,123 | 34.35% | 6,182 |
| Ouray | 1,177 | 62.11% | 621 | 32.77% | 97 | 5.12% | 556 | 29.34% | 1,895 |
| Park | 4,057 | 68.62% | 1,505 | 25.46% | 350 | 5.92% | 2,552 | 43.16% | 5,912 |
| Phillips | 1,516 | 79.00% | 376 | 19.59% | 27 | 1.50% | 1,140 | 59.41% | 1,919 |
| Pitkin | 3,096 | 51.14% | 2,613 | 43.16% | 345 | 5.70% | 483 | 7.98% | 6,054 |
| Prowers | 2,898 | 72.20% | 1,071 | 26.68% | 45 | 1.12% | 1,827 | 45.52% | 4,014 |
| Pueblo | 24,059 | 48.96% | 24,401 | 49.65% | 682 | 1.39% | -342 | -0.69% | 49,142 |
| Rio Blanco | 1,922 | 78.32% | 482 | 19.64% | 50 | 2.04% | 1,440 | 58.68% | 2,454 |
| Rio Grande | 3,107 | 68.41% | 1,349 | 29.70% | 86 | 1.89% | 1,758 | 38.71% | 4,542 |
| Routt | 4,525 | 60.28% | 2,596 | 34.58% | 386 | 5.14% | 1,929 | 25.70% | 7,507 |
| Saguache | 1,038 | 51.31% | 872 | 43.10% | 113 | 5.59% | 166 | 8.21% | 2,023 |
| San Juan | 206 | 50.49% | 154 | 37.75% | 48 | 11.76% | 52 | 12.74% | 408 |
| San Miguel | 1,085 | 43.52% | 1,129 | 45.29% | 279 | 11.19% | -44 | -1.77% | 2,493 |
| Sedgwick | 895 | 75.46% | 279 | 23.52% | 12 | 1.02% | 616 | 51.94% | 1,186 |
| Summit | 4,395 | 53.83% | 3,241 | 39.70% | 528 | 6.47% | 1,154 | 14.13% | 8,164 |
| Teller | 5,885 | 73.60% | 1,772 | 22.16% | 339 | 4.24% | 4,113 | 51.44% | 7,996 |
| Washington | 1,800 | 82.99% | 338 | 15.58% | 31 | 1.43% | 1,462 | 67.41% | 2,169 |
| Weld | 39,682 | 70.97% | 14,670 | 26.24% | 1,564 | 2.79% | 25,012 | 44.73% | 55,916 |
| Yuma | 3,090 | 79.41% | 749 | 19.25% | 52 | 1.34% | 2,341 | 59.89% | 3,891 |
| Total | 884,583 | 62.62% | 475,373 | 33.65% | 52,646 | 3.73% | 411,210 | 28.97% | 1,412,602 |
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
[edit]- Routt (Largest city: Steamboat Springs)
- Garfield (largest municipality: Glenwood Springs)
- Eagle (largest municipality: Edwards)
- Summit (largest municipality: Breckenridge)
- Clear Creek (largest city: Idaho Springs)
- Gilpin (largest city: Central City)
- Adams (largest city: Thornton)
- Arapahoe (largest city: Aurora)
- Gunnison (Largest city: Gunnison)
- Lake (Largest city: Leadville)
- Pitkin (Largest city: Aspen)
- La Plata (largest municipality: Durango)
- San Juan (largest municipality: Silverton)
- Saguache (largest city: Center)
- Mineral (Largest city: Creede)
- Conejos (largest municipality: Manassa)
- Costilla (largest municipality: San Luis)
- Las Animas (largest city: Trinidad)
- Huerfano (largest city: Walsenburg)
References
[edit]- ↑ "Our Campaigns - Container Detail Page". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
- 1 2 3 Davidson, Donetta (2002). Official Publication of the Abstract of Votes Cast for the 2001 Coordinated, 2002 Primary, 2002 General (PDF). Denver, Colorado: Colorado Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 8, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "Governors Races". www.centerforpolitics.org. November 4, 2002. Archived from the original on December 12, 2002. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
