For related races, see 2002 United States gubernatorial elections.
2002 Georgia gubernatorial election
← 1998
November 5, 2002
2006 →
Nominee
Sonny Perdue
Roy Barnes
Party
Republican
Democratic
Popular vote
1,041,677
937,062
Percentage
51.39%
46.23%
County results
Precinct results
Perdue: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Barnes: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Tie: 40–50% 50% No data
Governor before election
Roy Barnes
Democratic
Elected Governor
Sonny Perdue
Republican
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v
t
e
The 2002 Georgia gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Democratic Governor Roy Barnes sought re-election to a second term as governor. State Senator Sonny Perdue emerged as the Republican nominee from a crowded and hotly contested primary, and he faced off against Barnes, who had faced no opponents in his primary election, in the general election. Though Barnes had been nicknamed "King Roy" due to his unique ability to get his legislative priorities passed, he faced a backlash among Georgia voters due to his proposal to change the state flag from its Confederate design.
Ultimately, Perdue was able to defeat incumbent Governor Barnes and became the first Republican to serve as governor of the state since Reconstruction. This was only the second election that a Republican won in the state's history, the other being in 1868. The result was widely considered a major upset.[1] As of 2022, this is the last governor election in which Decatur, Grady, Meriwether, and Wilkes counties voted for the Democratic candidate.
This is the last time that a gubernatorial nominee and a lieutenant gubernatorial nominee from different political parties were elected governor and lieutenant governor in Georgia. Barnes later unsuccessfully ran for Governor of Georgia again in 2010 when Perdue was term limited.
^Gettleman, Jeffrey (November 6, 2002). "THE 2002 ELECTIONS: GEORGIA; Senator Cleland Loses in an Upset to Republican Emphasizing Defense". The New York Times.
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