2002 United States Senate election in Georgia
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![]() County results Chambliss: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Cleland: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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Elections in Georgia |
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The 2002 United States Senate election in Georgia took place on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Max Cleland ran for re-election to a second term, but was defeated by Republican Saxby Chambliss by a 52.8—to—45.9—percent margin.
This was the last midterm senate election in which an incumbent of the out-of-presidency party lost reelection until 2018.[1] Chambliss became the first Republican ever to hold Georgia's class 2 Senate seat.
Democratic Primary[]
Max Cleland, the incumbent U.S. Senator, won renomination unopposed.[2]
Republican Primary[]
Three candidates ran in the primary:[3]
- Saxby Chambliss, U.S. Representative
- Bob Irvin, State Representative
- Robert Brown, a rancher from Yatesville
Chambliss won easily, carrying nearly every county.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Saxby Chambliss | 300,371 | 61.1 | |
Republican | Bob Irvin | 132,132 | 26.9 | |
Republican | Robert Brown | 59,109 | 12.0 | |
Total votes | 491,612 | 100.00 |
Campaign[]
Chambliss's campaign used the refrain of national defense and security, but drew criticism for television ads that paired images of Cleland and Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, and for questioning the commitment to homeland security of his opponent, a triple amputee and decorated Vietnam veteran.[5][6] Republican Senator and fellow Vietnam veteran John McCain of Arizona said of one ad, "It's worse than disgraceful, it's reprehensible."[7] McCain, along with Republican Senator and fellow Vietnam veteran Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, made significant complaints to the Republican National Committee until the ads were taken down.[8] Political strategist Rick Wilson received criticism from numerous journalists for his role in the ad, including from Glenn Greenwald, Charlie Pierce, and the Center for Public Integrity.[9][10][11]
Debates[]
- Complete video of debate, October 27, 2002
General election[]
Predictions[]
Source | Ranking | As of |
---|---|---|
Sabato's Crystal Ball[12] | Lean D | November 4, 2002 |
Results[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Saxby Chambliss | 1,071,153 | 52.8% | |||
Democratic | Max Cleland (incumbent) | 931,857 | 45.9% | |||
Libertarian | Claude Thomas | 26,981 | 1.3% | |||
Total votes | 2,029,991 | 100.0% | ||||
Republican gain from Democratic |
See also[]
- 2002 United States Senate elections
References[]
- ^ Why The 2018 Senate Elections Are Looking Bad For Both Parties. FiveThirtyEight.
- ^ "Official Results of the August 20, 2002 Primary Election". Georgia Secretary of State. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
- ^ "GOP candidates for U.S. Senate debate in Macon". AccessNorthGa.com. 2 August 2002. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
- ^ "2002 Georgia Senate Primary". Georgia Secretary of State. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
- ^ Chambliss Ad (Cleland), YouTube, August 2, 2006
- ^ Politico: Cleland ad causes trouble for Chambliss. November 12, 2008.
- ^ The Atlantic: The Daily Dish: Quote for the Day. November 12, 2008.
- ^ The Orlando Sentinel: Ex-senator Boosts Kerry, Battles Critics. June 13, 2004
- ^ "Max Cleland Did Not Deserve What Rick Wilson Did to Him". 9 November 2021.
- ^ "Following Max Cleland's death, Glenn Greenwald et al. Recall Rick Wilson's despicable take on the ex-senator and decorated Vietnam vet [video]". 9 November 2021.
- ^ "Anatomy of an attack ad".
- ^ "Senate Races". www.centerforpolitics.org. November 4, 2002. Archived from the original on November 18, 2002. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- 2002 United States Senate elections
- United States Senate elections in Georgia (U.S. state)
- 2002 Georgia (U.S. state) elections