2002 Governor's Chairs by State

The Green Papers: Midterm Election 2002

2002 Governor's Chairs
by State

36 Governor's Chairs up for election in 2002

36 Elected

14 Governor's Chairs not up for election in 2002

20 Open Governor's Chairs (voluntary retirement, seeking other political office, term limits)

16 Incumbents renominated by same party

196 Candidates seeking a Governor's Chair

This is a list of the current Governors' seats, the incumbents occupying them, and the candidacy status of said incumbents. Chairs up for election in the year 2002 are marked as such.

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Governor Links



Alaska Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms
Partisan Composition: 1 Democrat

		Democrat	Governor Tony Knowles • First elected: 1994; re-elected: 1998 • Chair up for election: Tuesday 5 November 2002 • The current Governor is affected by a term limit and CANNOT run in the next election for Governor. • Open Chair
			Open Chair (no incumbent)

Hawaii Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms
Partisan Composition: 1 Democrat

		Democrat	Governor Ben Cayetano • First elected: 1994; re-elected: 1998 • Chair up for election: Tuesday 5 November 2002 • The current Governor is affected by a term limit and CANNOT run in the next election for Governor. • Open Chair
			Open Chair (no incumbent)

Maryland Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms
Partisan Composition: 1 Democrat

		Democrat	Governor Parris N. Glendening • First elected: 1994; re-elected: 1998 • Chair up for election: Tuesday 5 November 2002 • The current Governor is affected by a term limit and CANNOT run in the next election for Governor. • Open Chair
			Open Chair (no incumbent)

New Hampshire Term Limit: None; 2-year term
Partisan Composition: 1 Democrat

		Democrat	Governor Jeanne Shaheen • First elected: 1996; re-elected: 1998, 2000 • Chair up for election: Tuesday 5 November 2002 • The current Governor is NOT affected by this state's term limit. • Open Chair - Nominee for U.S. Senate
			Open Chair (no incumbent)

Oregon Term Limit: No more than 2 4-year terms in any 3-term period
Partisan Composition: 1 Democrat

		Democrat	Governor John Kitzhaber • First elected: 1994; re-elected: 1998 • Chair up for election: Tuesday 5 November 2002 • The current Governor is affected by a term limit and CANNOT run in the next election for Governor. • Open Chair
			Open Chair (no incumbent)

Vermont Term Limit: None; 2-year term
Partisan Composition: 1 Democrat

		Democrat	Governor Howard Dean • As Lieutenant Governor, succeeded to the office upon the death of Governor Richard A. Snelling (Republican): 14 August 1991; first elected to a full term: 1992; re-elected: 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000 • Chair up for election: Tuesday 5 November 2002 • The current Governor is NOT affected by this state's term limit. • Open Chair - Voluntary Retirement
			Open Chair (no incumbent)
	Since no candidate received 50% of the vote, Governor's race in will be decided by the Republican controlled State Legislature. On 6 November, Democratic Lieutenant Governor Racine (42%) conceded to Republican Jim Douglas (45%).