2002 Kansas gubernatorial election

The 2002 Kansas gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Governor Bill Graves, a Republican, was barred from seeking a third term by the Kansas Constitution. Kansas Insurance Commissioner Kathleen Sebelius, the Democratic nominee, ran against Kansas State Treasurer Tim Shallenburger, the Republican nominee, with Sebelius defeating Shallenburger to become the second female Governor of Kansas after Joan Finney who served as governor from 1991 to 1995.

2002 Kansas gubernatorial election

← 1998 November 5, 2002 2006 →

Nominee Kathleen Sebelius Tim Shallenburger Party Democratic Republican Running mate John E. Moore Dave Lindstrom Popular vote 441,858 376,830 Percentage 52.9% 45.1%

County results Sebelius:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Shallenburger:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Tie:      40–50%

Governor before election Bill Graves Republican Elected Governor Kathleen Sebelius Democratic

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Kathleen Sebelius, Kansas Insurance Commissioner

Results

Democratic primary results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Kathleen Sebelius	87,499	100.00
Total votes			87,499	100.00

Republican primary

Primary results by county:

Shallenburger

•   Shallenburger—71-80%
•   Shallenburger—51-60%
•   Shallenburger—41-50%
•   Shallenburger—31-40%

Kerr

•   Kerr—41-50%
•   Kerr—31-40%

Knight

•   Knight—51-60%
•   Knight—41-50%
•   Knight—31-40%

  Tie between Shallenburger and Kerr-38%

Candidates

• Tim Shallenburger, Kansas State Treasurer (1999–present) and former state representative (1987–1998)
  • Running mate: Dave Lindstrom, former Kansas City Chiefs defensive end and businessman
• Dave Kerr, Kansas State Senator
  • Running mate: Mary Birch, former president of the Overland Park Chamber of Commerce (1984–2002)
• Bob Knight, Mayor of Wichita, Kansas
  • Running mate: Kent Glasscock, Speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives (2001–2003) and state representative (1991–2003), was Carla Stovall's running mate until she dropped out.
• Dan Bloom, real estate developer and former Superintendent of the Eudora school district^[2]
  • Running mate: Eric Bloom, architectural engineering student^[3]

Withdrawn

• Carla Stovall, Kansas Attorney General (1995–2003).
  • Running mate: Kent Glasscock, Speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives (2001–2003) and state representative (1991–2003)

Initially, Stovall was one of the presumed "front-runner" candidates, and her anticipated run against the probable Democratic nominee, Kansas Insurance Commissioner Kathleen Sebelius, drew national attention as becoming possibly a rare "woman-vs.-woman" gubernatorial race.^[4][5] Though the front-runner among moderate candidates^[6][7] — and confident that she would win if she stayed in the race^[7] — Stovall dropped out in April, 2002, citing a lack of enthusiasm for campaigning, and for the job of governor,^[7][8] and announced plans to marry Kansas media mogul Larry Steckline, whom she married in August.^[9][10]

Stovall's abrupt withdrawal threw the moderate wing of the Kansas Republican Party into chaos, as they scrambled to replace her.^[6][7] Kent Glasscock, her running mate, was the heir-apparent, and claimed entitlement to Stovall's campaign funds,^[7] but conservative opponent Tim Shallenberger, the incumbent State Treasurer, argued that the funds, per his interpretation of state law, had to be returned to the state Republican party, or to the donors, a charity, or the state government's general revenue fund.^[7] Additional Republican candidates began to emerge, also, further complicating the race.^[7] Glasscock ultimately became a running mate for gubernatorial candidate Bob Knight.^[11]

Stovall's withdrawal was credited with giving advantage to the Democratic nominee (and ultimate victor), Katheleen Sebelius.^[6][8][12]

Results

Republican primary results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Tim Shallenburger	122,141	41.47
	Republican	Dave Kerr	86,995	29.54
	Republican	Bob Knight	77,642	26.36
	Republican	Dan Bloom	7,726	2.62
Total votes			294,504	100.00

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[13]	Lean D (flip)	October 31, 2002
Sabato's Crystal Ball[14]	Lean D (flip)	November 4, 2002

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size[a]	Margin of error	Kathleen Sebelius (D)	Tim Shallenburger (R)	Dennis Hawver (L)	Theodore Pettibone (Reform)	Other / undecided
SurveyUSA[15]	October 31 – November 2, 2002	704 (LV)	± 3.8%	51%	44%	2%	1%	2%

Results

Kansas gubernatorial election, 2002^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Kathleen Sebelius	441,858	52.87%	+30.22%
	Republican	Tim Shallenburger	376,830	45.09%	−28.28%
	Reform	Theodore Pettibone	8,907	1.07%	+0.01%
	Libertarian	Dennis Hawver	8,097	0.97%
Majority			65,028	7.78%	−42.93%
Turnout			835,692
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

• Jefferson (largest municipality: Valley Falls)
• Crawford (largest city: Pittsburg)
• Riley (largest municipality: Manhattan)
• Shawnee (largest municipality: Topeka)
• Lyon (largest municipality: Emporia)
• Sherman (largest municipality: Goodland)
• Decatur (largest municipality: Oberlin)
• Sheridan (largest municipality: Hoxie)
• Graham (largest municipality: Hill City)
• Lane (largest municipality: Dighton)
• Trego (largest municipality: WaKeeney)
• Ford (largest municipality: Dodge City)
• Smith (largest municipality: Smith Center)
• Phillips (largest municipality: Phillipsburg)
• Rooks (largest municipality: Plainville)
• Osborne (largest municipality: Osborne)
• Russell (largest municipality: Russell)
• Ellis (largest municipality: Hays)
• Rush (largest municipality: La Crosse)
• Barton (largest municipality: Great Bend)
• Pawnee (largest municipality: Larned)
• Stafford (largest municipality: St. John)
• Edwards (largest municipality: Kinsley)
• Kiowa (largest municipality: Greensburg)
• Mitchell (largest municipality: Beloit)
• Lincoln (largest municipality: Lincoln) (became tied)
• Ellsworth (largest municipality: Ellsworth)
• Rice (largest municipality: Lyons)
• Reno (largest municipality: Hutchinson)
• Kingman (largest municipality: Kingman)
• Harvey (largest municipality: Newton)
• Harper (largest municipality: Anthony)
• Sumner (largest municipality: Wellington)
• McPherson (largest municipality: McPherson)
• Saline (largest municipality: Salina)
• Ottawa (largest municipality: Minneapolis) (became tied)
• Cloud (largest municipality: Concordia)
• Clay (largest municipality: Clay Center)
• Geary (Largest city: Junction City)
• Dickinson (Largest city: Abilene)
• Morris (Largest city: Council Grove)
• Marshall (Largest city: Marysville)
• Nemaha (Largest city: Sabetha)
• Brown (Largest city: Hiawatha)
• Doniphan (Largest city: Wathena)
• Atchison (Largest city: Atchison)
• Leavenworth (Largest city: Leavenworth)
• Jackson (Largest city: Holton)
• Osage (Largest city: Osage City)
• Franklin (Largest city: Ottawa)
• Miami (Largest city: Spring Hill)
• Anderson (Largest city: Garnett)
• Linn (Largest city: Pleasanton)
• Woodson (Largest city: Yates Center)
• Wilson (Largest city: Neodesha)
• Allen (Largest city: Iola)
• Bourbon (Largest city: Fort Scott)
• Neosho (Largest city: Chanute)
• Labette (Largest city: Parsons)
• Cherokee (Largest city: Baxter Springs)
• Johnson (largest municipality: Overland Park)
• Coffey (largest municipality: Burlington)
• Chase (largest city: Cottonwood Falls)
• Greenwood (largest municipality: Eureka)
• Norton (largest municipality: Norton)
• Pratt (largest municipality: Pratt)
• Pottawatomie (largest municipality: Manhattan)
• Douglas (Largest city: Lawrence)
• Wyandotte (Largest city: Kansas City)

Notes

1. Key:
   A – all adults
   RV – registered voters
   LV – likely voters
   V – unclear