2002 Oklahoma gubernatorial election

none 2002 United States gubernatorial elections January 2025 September 2023 2002 Oklahoma gubernatorial election Oklahoma Flag of Oklahoma (1988–2006, unofficial).svg presidential no 1998 Oklahoma gubernatorial election 1998 2006 Oklahoma gubernatorial election 2006 November 5, 2002 150x150px Brad Henry.jpg Brad Henry Democratic Party (United States) 448,143 43.27% File:Stevelargent.jpg Steve Largent Republican Party (United States) 441,277 42.61% File:Gary Richardson meeting with local Oklahoman boy (cropped) (cropped).jpg Gary Richardson Independent 146,200 14.12% 300px County results 300px Congressional district results 300px Precinct results 300px Henry: #bdd3ff 30–40% #a5b0ff 40–50% #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% #584cde 70–80% #3933e5 80–90%Largent: #ffc8cd 30–40% #ffb2b2 40–50% #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #D72F30 70–80% #C21B18 80–90% Tie: #ae8bb1 50% #808080 No votes Governor Frank Keating Republican Party (United States) Brad Henry Democratic Party (United States) The 2002 Oklahoma gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2002, to elect the governor of Oklahoma. Democrat Brad Henry won the election with 43 percent of the vote, defeating Republican Steve Largent and conservative independent Gary Richardson. Henry's narrow win has been attributed to Richardson and Largent's split of the conservative voteAverill, David, "Eyeing another campaign: Richardson had impact on 2002 governor's race", Tulsa World, March 22, 2009. and the inclusion of a cockfighting ban on the ballot, an issue which brought opponents of the referendum from Southeastern Oklahoma, a traditional Democratic stronghold that strongly supported Henry, out to vote."Henry upsets Steve Largent in governor's race", AP at USA Today, November 5, 2002.John M. Broder, "The 2002 Elections: Governors; Bright Spots, Amid Dim Ones, for Democrats", The New York Times, November 7, 2009. As of 2024, this is the last time that a gubernatorial nominee and a lieutenant gubernatorial nominee of different political parties were simultaneously elected in Oklahoma to date. Background Though Democrats had dominated state politics for most of Oklahoma's history, the Oklahoma Republican Party had made historic gains, including five of the state's six Congressional seats at the time of the election. This made it especially hard for Henry to win with a growing Republican dominance in the state. This was most notable in the urban areas of Oklahoma City and Tulsa, both of which voted for Largent.Gaddie, Ronald Keith, "Oklahoma Republican Party https://web.archive.org/web/20110903125824/http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/R/RE030.html 2011-09-03 ", Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture https://web.archive.org/web/20100531193517/http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/ May 31, 2010 (accessed May 31, 2010). Democratic primary Three state legislators sought the Democratic Party nomination, trailing Vince Orza, who had previously sought the governor's office as a Republican, only to be defeated by Bill Price in the primary runoff.An Editorial: Orza is the Worst https://oklahoman.com/article/2330529/an-editorial-orza-is-the-worst The Oklahoman September 9, 1990 State Senator Brad Henry advanced to the runoff with 28% against Orza's 44%, but opposition to the former Republican from New York coalesced behind Henry. Orza found himself once again losing the runoff after winning the initial primary.Primary Election August 27, 2002 Summary Results https://oklahoma.gov/content/dam/ok/en/elections/election-results/2002-election-results/2002-primary-election-results/2002-primary-summary-results.pdf Oklahoma State Election Board1990 Results https://www.oklahoma.gov/content/dam/ok/en/elections/election-results/1989-election-results/1990-results.pdf Oklahoma State Election Board C-4 https://medium.com/@Chris_Powell/the-primary-runoff-alternative-that-could-have-changed-oklahoma-elections-6e6fcbbeedb9 The primary runoff alternative that could have changed Oklahoma elections by Chris Powell Medium 20 July 2019 Primary results Democratic primary results Vince Orza Democratic Party (United States) 154,263 44.03% Brad Henry Democratic Party (United States) 99,883 28.51% Kelly Haney Democratic Party (United States) 59,044 16.85% Jim Dunegan Democratic Party (United States) 28,130 8.03% James E. Lamkin Democratic Party (United States) 9,069 2.59% 350,389 100.00% Runoff primary results Democratic runoff primary resultsRunoff Primary Election September 17, 2002 Summary Results https://oklahoma.gov/content/dam/ok/en/elections/election-results/2002-election-results/2002-runoff-primary-election-results/2002-runoff-summary-results.pdf Oklahoma State Election Board Brad Henry Democratic Party (United States) 135,336 52.42% Vince Orza Democratic Party (United States) 122,855 47.58% 258,191 100.00% Republican primary Steve Largent easily won the GOP nomination against token opposition.Greiner John Hinton Mick Largent easily wins GOP nod Orza, Henry divide Democrats https://oklahoman.com/article/2805083/largent-easily-wins-gop-nod-orza-henry-divide-democrats? The Oklahoman August 28, 2002 Primary results Republican primary results Steve Largent Republican Party (United States) 179,631 87.25% Jim Denny Republican Party (United States) 16,713 8.12% Andrew Marr, Jr Republican Party (United States) 9,532 4.63% 205,876 100.00% General election Predictions SourceRankingAs ofThe Cook Political Reporthttp://www.cookpolitical.com:80/display.cfm?section=political&edit_id=225 https://web.archive.org/web/20021208065752/http://www.cookpolitical.com/display.cfm?section=political&edit_id=225 December 8, 2002 Governor Updated October 31, 2002 The Cook Political Report The Cook Political Report en October 31, 2002 September 18, 2018 dead mdy-all Likely ROctober 31, 2002Sabato's Crystal Ballhttp://www.centerforpolitics.org:80/crystalball/governor_all.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20021212142349/http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/governor_all.htm December 12, 2002 Governors Races www.centerforpolitics.org en-US November 4, 2002 September 18, 2018 dead mdy-all Lean RNovember 4, 2002 Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesizekey Key:A – all adultsRV – registered votersLV – likely votersV – unclear Marginof error BradHenry (D) SteveLargent (R) GaryRichardson (I) Other /UndecidedSurveyUSASurveyUSA November 1–3, 2002 710 (LV) ± 3.8% 42% 38% 17% 3% Results This election was extremely close, with Henry prevailing by just 6,866 votes or 0.6%. Under Oklahoma law, if the margin of victory is less than one percent but greater than half a percent, the losing candidate can request a recount that their campaign has to pay for. However, Largent ultimately decided against it, considering that because Henry led by 6,866 votes, the chances of him prevailing were extremely unlikely. On November 23, Largent officially conceded defeat. Two days later on November 25, Oklahoma Secretary of State Kay Dudley certified the results, declaring Henry the governor-elect.July 2017 2002 Oklahoma gubernatorial electionGovernor - General Election - November 5, 2002 https://oklahoma.gov/content/dam/ok/en/elections/election-results/2002-election-results/2002-general-election-results/02gov.pdf Oklahoma State Election Board 8 January 2026 Democratic Party (United States) Brad Henry 448,143 43.27% +2.34% Republican Party (United States) Steve Largent 441,277 42.61% -15.25% Independent Gary Richardson 146,200 14.12% 1,035,620 100.00% 6,866 0.66% Democratic Party (United States) Republican Party (United States) +17.60% Results by county County Brad HenryDemocratic Steve LargentRepublican Gary RichardsonIndependent Margin Total votes cast # % # % # % # %Adair2,80346.32%2,37439.23%87414.44%4297.09%6,051Alfalfa78238.28%96447.19%29714.54%-182-8.91%2,043Atoka2,42963.57%1,21131.69%1814.74%1,21831.88%3,821Beaver56128.38%1,29765.60%1196.02%-736-37.23%1,977Beckham2,51147.69%2,10539.98%64912.33%4067.71%5,265Blaine1,55445.81%1,28537.88%55316.30%2697.93%3,392Bryan6,15861.81%3,42234.35%3833.84%2,73627.46%9,963Caddo3,94850.93%2,34130.20%1,46318.87%1,60720.73%7,752Canadian9,65833.81%14,42250.49%4,48515.70%-4,764-16.68%28,565Carter7,09952.75%5,45840.56%9006.69%1,64112.19%13,457Cherokee6,54951.16%3,73129.15%2,52019.69%2,81822.02%12,800Choctaw2,47263.91%1,18330.58%2135.51%1,28933.32%3,868Cimarron29823.26%90970.96%745.78%-611-47.70%1,281Cleveland28,11243.05%29,16044.66%8,02212.29%-1,048-1.61%65,294Coal1,36066.47%55427.08%1326.45%80639.39%2,046Comanche8,36338.40%9,07741.68%4,34019.93%-714-3.28%21,780Cotton79943.21%71738.78%33318.01%824.43%1,849Craig2,25349.92%1,40931.22%85118.86%84418.70%4,513Creek8,38541.90%7,49737.46%4,13220.65%8884.44%20,014Custer3,42642.60%3,43842.75%1,17914.66%-12-0.15%8,043Delaware4,84544.75%4,25339.29%1,72815.96%5925.47%10,826Dewey82044.40%74440.28%28315.32%764.11%1,847Ellis63338.55%73945.01%27016.44%-106-6.46%1,642Garfield6,42136.55%8,38147.70%2,76715.75%-1,960-11.16%17,569Garvin4,52551.05%3,06434.57%1,27514.38%1,46116.48%8,864Grady6,29143.74%5,58338.82%2,50917.44%7084.92%14,383Grant87540.87%94143.95%32515.18%-66-3.08%2,141Greer95749.36%65133.57%33117.07%30615.78%1,939Harmon44650.17%31034.87%13314.96%13615.30%889Harper59441.77%64245.15%18613.08%-48-3.38%1,422Haskell2,51660.05%1,16527.80%50912.15%1,35132.24%4,190Hughes2,35557.36%1,17328.57%57814.08%1,18228.79%4,106Jackson2,36337.48%3,15650.06%78512.45%-793-12.58%6,304Jefferson1,05753.71%75638.41%1557.88%30115.29%1,968Johnston2,28066.84%99029.02%1414.13%1,29037.82%3,411Kay6,07138.88%7,26446.52%2,27914.60%-1,193-7.64%15,614Kingfisher1,76736.05%2,42649.50%70814.45%-659-13.45%4,901Kiowa1,74255.92%1,00032.10%37311.97%74223.82%3,115Latimer1,98460.58%91427.91%37711.51%1,07032.67%3,275Le Flore6,94158.29%4,46837.52%4994.19%2,47320.77%11,908Lincoln4,93543.72%4,25137.66%2,10318.63%6846.06%11,289Logan4,24537.71%5,04844.84%1,96417.45%-803-7.13%11,257Love1,75364.17%88432.36%953.48%86931.81%2,732Major90732.45%1,49053.31%39814.24%-583-20.86%2,795Marshall2,69463.12%1,40232.85%1724.03%1,29230.27%4,268Mayes6,46051.82%4,02532.29%1,98115.89%2,43519.53%12,466McClain4,10242.06%4,11542.19%1,53615.75%-13-0.13%9,753McCurtain5,18759.97%3,03535.09%4274.94%2,15224.88%8,649McIntosh3,63153.42%1,80926.61%1,35719.96%1,82226.81%6,797Murray2,66259.82%1,32529.78%46310.40%1,33730.04%4,450Muskogee9,86748.67%6,13230.25%4,27521.09%3,73518.42%20,274Noble1,75741.56%1,76741.79%70416.65%-10-0.24%4,228Nowata1,71846.84%1,24133.83%70919.33%47713.00%3,668Okfuskee1,93255.04%97627.81%60217.15%95627.24%3,510Oklahoma73,23638.73%91,27048.27%24,57012.99%-18,034-9.54%189,076Okmulgee5,82352.28%3,34130.00%1,97417.72%2,48222.28%11,138Osage6,84349.28%4,69633.82%2,34716.90%2,14715.46%13,886Ottawa4,50852.04%3,01834.84%1,13613.11%1,49017.20%8,662Pawnee2,25145.30%1,81436.51%90418.19%4378.79%4,969Payne8,71443.56%8,69743.47%2,59512.97%170.08%20,006Pittsburg8,03554.93%4,68632.03%1,90813.04%3,34922.89%14,629Pontotoc5,44752.08%3,90437.33%1,10710.59%1,54314.75%10,458Pottawatomie11,26255.12%6,97534.14%2,19410.74%4,28720.98%20,431Pushmataha2,33661.86%1,11929.63%3218.50%1,21732.23%3,776Roger Mills61442.91%63244.16%18512.93%-18-1.26%1,431Rogers10,50842.10%10,26441.13%4,18416.76%2430.97%24,957Seminole4,26057.19%2,30730.97%88211.84%1,95326.22%7,449Sequoyah5,15854.79%3,39136.02%8659.19%1,76718.77%9,414Stephens5,48438.47%6,29044.12%2,48217.41%-806-5.65%14,256Texas1,42428.98%3,20865.28%2825.74%-1,784-36.30%4,914Tillman1,26347.93%1,03439.24%33812.83%2298.69%2,635Tulsa65,38337.42%84,18748.18%25,15814.40%-18,804-10.76%174,728Wagoner7,32039.37%7,59540.85%3,67619.77%-275-1.48%18,591Washington5,80133.75%8,70050.62%2,68715.63%-2,899-16.87%17,188Washita1,81047.58%1,44037.85%55414.56%3709.73%3,804Woods1,47146.51%1,33942.33%35311.16%1324.17%3,163Woodward2,33940.09%2,69546.19%80113.73%-356-6.10%5,835Totals448,14343.27%441,27742.61%146,20014.12%6,8660.66%1,035,620 Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Beckham (largest city: Elk City) Blaine (largest city: Watonga) Bryan (largest city: Durant) Caddo (largest city: Anadarko) Carter (largest city: Ardmore) Cotton (largest city: Walters) Creek (largest city: Sapulpa) Delaware (largest city: Grove) Dewey (largest city: Seiling) Garvin (largest city: Pauls Valley) Grady (largest city: Chickasaw) Greer (largest city: Mangum) Harmon (largest city: Hollis) Jefferson (largest city: Waurika) Kiowa (largest city: Hobart) Lincoln (largest city: Chandler) Love (largest city: Marietta) Marshall (largest city: Madill) Murray (largest city: Sulphur) Nowata (largest city: Nowata) Payne (largest city: Stillwater) Pontotoc (largest city: Ada) Pottawatomie (largest city: Shawnee) Rogers (largest city: Claremore) Washita (largest city: New Cordell) Woods (largest city: Alva) By congressional district Henry won two of five congressional districts, including one that elected a Republican.https://twitter.com/drewsav/status/1008181881031069696 Twitter District Henry Largent Richardson Representative1st 37.37% 47.43% 15.20%John Sullivan 2nd52.98%33.22%13.80%Brad Carson3rd41.05%43.19%15.75%Wes Watkins (107th Congress) Frank Lucas (108th Congress) 4th44.28%42.02%13.70%J. C. Watts (107th Congress) Tom Cole (108th Congress) 5th40.95%46.29% 12.77%Ernest Istook Notes References 2002 Gubernatorial Okla Category:November 2002 in the United States Category:2002 in Oklahoma