2002 United States Senate election in Tennessee

2002 United States Senate election in Tennessee

November 5, 2002
Turnout50.40% [1] 12.37 pp
 
Nominee Lamar Alexander Bob Clement
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 891,498 728,232
Percentage 54.28% 44.34%

Alexander:      40–50%      50–60%      60—70%      70–80%
Clement:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Fred Thompson
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Lamar Alexander
Republican

The 2002 United States Senate election in Tennessee was held on November 5, 2002, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Tennessee. Incumbent Republican Senator Fred Thompson announced that he would not seek re-election. Former Republican Governor Lamar Alexander won the open seat, defeating Democratic Congressman Bob Clement with 54.3% of the vote.

With this election, Alexander became the first Tennessean to be popularly elected both governor and senator.[2] At the age of 62, Alexander also became the oldest elected freshman US senator from Tennessee since Democrat Lawrence D. Tyson in 1924, which he held until 2018 when Marsha Blackburn surpassed him at the age of 66.

Background

In early 2002, Republican Senator Fred Thompson announced that he would not seek re-election to the United States Senate, reversing earlier indications that he intended to run for a second full term. His retirement created an open-seat contest in a state that had trended Republican in recent federal elections, contributing to increased attention on the race within Tennessee.[3]

The open seat drew involvement from both state and national party organizations. Lamar Alexander, a former Governor of Tennessee and United States Secretary of Education, entered the race and won the Republican nomination. His prior statewide service and fundraising totals placed him in a strong position heading into the general election.[4] President George W. Bush, who had a 60% approval rating in the state, participated in campaign events for Alexander, including fundraising and public appearances in Tennessee during the general election.[5][6]

Bob Clement, a member of the United States House of Representatives and the son of former Tennessee governor Frank G. Clement, won the Democratic nomination.

Alexander raised $2 million through June 2002.[7] Clement attacked the Governor for his corporate connections and business dealings. By October, Clement had nearly raised $900,000, while Alexander raised almost $3 million.[8] Alexander was also endorsed by the NRA Political Victory Fund.[9]

Republican primary

Campaign

The Republican primary between former Governor Lamar Alexander and U.S. Representative Ed Bryant involved competitive campaigning and ideological differences that drew attention within the state. Bryant positioned himself as the more conservative candidate, running television advertisements criticizing Alexander's record and emphasizing his own conservative credentials. Alexander's campaign responded by highlighting his prior experience in statewide and national office. Observers noted that the tone of the advertisements and the exchanges between the campaigns reflected the ongoing battle between moderate and conservative factions of the Tennessee Republican Party during the primary.[10]

Political scientists later observed that although Bryant’s campaign framed the race around conservative principles, he was unable to consolidate the state’s religious right base behind his candidacy, contributing to Alexander’s victory in the primary.[11]

Candidates

Results

Republican Primary results[12]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Lamar Alexander 295,052 53.79%
Republican Ed Bryant 233,678 42.60%
Republican Mary Taylor-Shelby 5,589 1.02%
Republican June Griffin 4,930 0.90%
Republican Michael Brent Todd 4,002 0.73%
Republican James E. DuBose 3,572 0.65%
Republican Christopher G. Fenner 1,552 0.28%
Republican Write-ins 107 0.03%
Total votes 548,482 100.00%

Democratic primary

Candidates

  • Bob Clement, U.S. Representative and candidate for Governor in 1978
  • Gary G. Davis, perennial candidate
  • Cher A. Hopkey
  • Michael L. Hampstead
  • Alvin M. Strauss

Results

Democratic primary results[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Bob Clement 418,172 82.18%
Democratic Gary G. Davis 50,563 9.94%
Democratic Cher A. Hopkey 14,481 2.85%
Democratic Michael L. Hampstead 12,940 2.54%
Democratic Alvin M. Strauss 12,241 2.41%
Democratic Write-ins 478 0.08%
Total votes 508,875 100.00%

General election

Debates

Predictions

Source Ranking As of
Sabato's Crystal Ball[14] Likely R November 4, 2002

Polling

Poll source Date(s)
administered
Sample
size[a]
Margin
of error
Lamar
Alexander (R)
Bob
Clement (D)
Other /
Undecided
SurveyUSA[15] October 26–28, 2002 726 (LV) ± 3.8% 52% 41% 7%

In a September poll from the Knoxville News Sentinel, Alexander was up 45% to 27%. In a DNSC poll during the same month, Alexander was up 49% to 42%. In a mid October Zogby poll had the governor leading 49% to 36%.[16] A late October WREG-TV poll had Alexander leading 45% to 36%.[17]

Results

United States Senate election in Tennessee, 2002[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Lamar Alexander 891,498 54.28% −7.09%
Democratic Bob Clement 728,232 44.34% +7.52%
Independent John Jay Hooker 6,401 0.39% N/A
Independent Wesley M. Baker 6,106 0.37% N/A
Independent Connie Gammon 5,349 0.33% N/A
Independent Karl Stanley Davidson 2,217 0.13% N/A
Independent Basil Marceaux 1,170 0.07% N/A
Write-ins 356 0.02% N/A
Majority 163,266 9.94% −14.61%
Turnout 1,642,432 50.40%
Republican hold Swing

By county

County[19] Lamar Alexander
Republican
Bob Clement
Democratic
John Jay Hooker

Independent

Wesley Baker

Independent

Others

Independent

Total

votes

# % # % # % # % # %
Anderson 12,700 55.2% 9,957 43.3% 101 0.4% 105 0.5% 136 0.6% 22,999
Bedford 4,898 49.1% 4,918 49.3% 58 0.6% 56 0.6% 46 0.5% 9,976
Benton 2,030 35.8% 3,530 62.3% 27 0.5% 23 0.4% 54 1.0% 5,664
Bledsoe 1,934 53.9% 1,603 44.6% 6 0.2% 19 0.5% 29 0.8% 3,591
Blount 21,061 63.9% 11,471 34.8% 105 0.3% 130 0.4% 176 0.5% 32,943
Bradley 16,489 69.7% 6,782 28.7% 104 0.4% 96 0.4% 196 0.8% 23,667
Campbell 4,392 48.6% 4,527 50.1% 31 0.3% 25 0.3% 61 0.7% 9,036
Cannon 1,671 41.4% 2,292 56.8% 23 0.6% 20 0.5% 27 0.7% 4,033
Carroll 4,540 49.1% 4,518 48.9% 42 0.5% 72 0.8% 66 0.7% 9,238
Carter 10,798 68.7% 4,542 28.9% 63 0.4% 123 0.8% 185 1.2% 15,711
Cheatham 5,647 51.4% 5,209 47.4% 43 0.4% 31 0.3% 50 0.5% 10,980
Chester 2,518 57.5% 1,809 41.3% 11 0.3% 20 0.5% 21 0.5% 4,379
Claiborne 3,666 53.4% 3,045 44.4% 33 0.5% 50 0.7% 65 0.9% 6,859
Clay 1,004 43.2% 1,277 54.9% 19 0.8% 14 0.6% 11 0.5% 2,325
Cocke 4,859 58.1% 3,298 39.5% 53 0.6% 63 0.8% 83 1.0% 8,356
Coffee 7,541 50.1% 7,322 48.7% 57 0.4% 37 0.2% 80 0.5% 15,037
Crockett 2,071 48.0% 2,171 50.3% 25 0.6% 16 0.4% 35 0.8% 4,318
Cumberland 9,942 58.8% 6,714 39.7% 51 0.3% 77 0.5% 117 0.7% 16,901
Davidson 70,974 42.9% 92,994 56.2% 692 0.4% 261 0.2% 680 0.4% 165,601
Decatur 1,802 43.5% 2,258 54.5% 21 0.5% 17 0.4% 42 1.0% 4,140
DeKalb 1,973 40.1% 2,869 58.3% 29 0.6% 18 0.4% 29 0.6% 4,918
Dickson 5,910 43.0% 7,731 56.2% 47 0.3% 23 0.2% 47 0.3% 13,758
Dyer 5,475 53.2% 4,610 44.8% 57 0.6% 44 0.4% 113 1.1% 10,299
Fayette 5,744 60.7% 3,589 37.9% 15 0.2% 64 0.7% 50 0.5% 9,462
Fentress 2,653 54.6% 2,131 43.9% 20 0.4% 14 0.3% 38 0.8% 4,856
Franklin 5,499 47.1% 5,994 51.3% 54 0.5% 40 0.3% 96 0.8% 11,683
Gibson 7,326 50.2% 6,947 47.6% 89 0.6% 106 0.7% 128 0.9% 14,596
Giles 3,559 46.3% 3,941 51.3% 59 0.8% 42 0.5% 81 1.1% 7,682
Grainger 3,085 58.6% 2,102 39.9% 21 0.4% 21 0.4% 36 0.7% 5,265
Greene 10,414 65.6% 5,131 32.3% 73 0.5% 119 0.7% 142 0.9% 15,879
Grundy 1,220 33.0% 2,439 65.9% 9 0.2% 17 0.5% 16 0.4% 3,701
Hamblen 10,115 61.6% 6,058 36.9% 54 0.3% 85 0.5% 115 0.7% 16,427
Hamilton 53,070 60.6% 33,433 38.2% 220 0.3% 224 0.3% 569 0.7% 87,516
Hancock 1,180 62.7% 666 35.4% 7 0.4% 13 0.7% 16 0.9% 1,882
Hardeman 3,002 46.9% 3,266 51.0% 36 0.6% 49 0.8% 47 0.7% 6,400
Hardin 3,895 52.5% 3,425 46.2% 23 0.3% 22 0.3% 51 0.7% 7,416
Hawkins 8,658 62.6% 4,893 35.4% 61 0.4% 97 0.7% 124 0.9% 13,833
Haywood 2,274 43.2% 2,929 55.6% 25 0.5% 16 0.3% 24 0.5% 5,268
Henderson 4,096 57.7% 2,858 40.3% 45 0.6% 32 0.5% 68 1.0% 7,099
Henry 4,097 43.0% 5,263 55.2% 43 0.5% 48 0.5% 86 0.9% 9,537
Hickman 2,560 39.2% 3,885 59.5% 23 0.4% 22 0.3% 40 0.6% 6,530
Houston 763 29.4% 1,794 69.1% 14 0.5% 10 0.4% 14 0.5% 2,595
Humphreys 2,073 34.3% 3,891 64.5% 24 0.4% 19 0.3% 28 0.5% 6,035
Jackson 1,133 33.0% 2,247 65.5% 17 0.5% 19 0.6% 16 0.5% 3,432
Jefferson 7,266 61.7% 4,269 36.3% 56 0.5% 82 0.7% 98 0.8% 11,771
Johnson 3,101 70.3% 1,227 27.8% 23 0.5% 29 0.7% 34 0.8% 4,414
Knox 70,793 61.8% 42,106 36.8% 367 0.3% 568 0.5% 690 0.6% 114,524
Lake 506 38.4% 778 59.0% 14 1.1% 8 0.6% 13 1.0% 1,319
Lauderdale 2,904 44.7% 3,456 53.2% 49 0.8% 35 0.5% 47 0.7% 6,491
Lawrence 6,381 53.5% 5,380 45.1% 41 0.3% 54 0.5% 60 0.5% 11,916
Lewis 1,730 44.6% 2,073 53.4% 22 0.6% 15 0.4% 39 1.0% 3,879
Lincoln 4,523 52.2% 3,967 45.8% 48 0.6% 35 0.4% 86 1.0% 8,659
Loudon 9,398 66.1% 4,668 32.8% 31 0.2% 33 0.2% 89 0.6% 14,219
Macon 2,476 48.9% 2,495 49.3% 33 0.7% 27 0.5% 29 0.6% 5,060
Madison 15,640 56.1% 11,879 42.6% 99 0.4% 97 0.3% 149 0.5% 27,864
Marion 3,640 45.2% 4,281 53.2% 38 0.5% 35 0.4% 53 0.7% 8,047
Marshall 3,355 44.9% 3,971 53.2% 47 0.6% 34 0.5% 62 0.8% 7,469
Maury 10,240 49.8% 10,053 48.9% 87 0.4% 55 0.3% 131 0.6% 20,566
McMinn 8,410 61.5% 4,989 36.5% 63 0.5% 89 0.7% 115 0.8% 13,666
McNairy 3,954 52.0% 3,533 46.5% 29 0.4% 32 0.4% 53 0.7% 7,601
Meigs 1,541 54.9% 1,210 43.1% 12 0.4% 16 0.6% 26 0.9% 2,805
Monroe 6,469 58.8% 4,396 39.9% 37 0.3% 42 0.4% 65 0.6% 11,009
Montgomery 15,824 49.6% 15,645 49.0% 114 0.4% 135 0.4% 183 0.6% 31,901
Moore 1,031 50.7% 984 48.4% 7 0.3% 4 0.2% 8 0.4% 2,034
Morgan 2,575 47.5% 2,811 51.9% 9 0.2% 5 0.1% 21 0.4% 5,421
Obion 4,593 45.4% 5,319 52.6% 48 0.5% 42 0.4% 106 1.0% 10,108
Overton 2,071 36.3% 3,565 62.4% 24 0.4% 20 0.4% 32 0.6% 5,712
Perry 857 39.1% 1,273 58.1% 15 0.7% 19 0.9% 26 1.2% 2,190
Pickett 1,162 57.2% 844 41.5% 11 0.5% 6 0.3% 9 0.4% 2,032
Polk 2,259 49.7% 2,215 48.7% 20 0.4% 13 0.3% 39 0.9% 4,546
Putnam 9,340 50.4% 8,829 47.7% 105 0.6% 97 0.5% 145 0.8% 18,516
Rhea 5,115 65.9% 2,561 33.0% 14 0.2% 34 0.4% 43 0.6% 7,767
Roane 9,693 55.7% 7,445 42.8% 68 0.4% 82 0.5% 111 0.6% 17,399
Robertson 7,948 46.1% 9,110 52.8% 44 0.3% 50 0.3% 102 0.6% 17,254
Rutherford 29,018 56.7% 21,613 42.2% 202 0.4% 96 0.2% 250 0.5% 51,179
Scott 2,414 51.3% 2,202 46.8% 20 0.4% 34 0.7% 33 0.7% 4,703
Sequatchie 1,765 48.5% 1,826 50.2% 10 0.3% 13 0.4% 26 0.7% 3,640
Sevier 13,979 68.3% 6,223 30.4% 58 0.3% 70 0.3% 129 0.6% 20,459
Shelby 117,929 49.5% 117,629 49.3% 971 0.4% 622 0.3% 1,251 0.5% 238,402
Smith 2,137 37.1% 3,555 61.7% 22 0.4% 16 0.3% 29 0.5% 5,759
Stewart 1,317 34.3% 2,436 63.5% 29 0.8% 10 0.3% 45 1.2% 3,837
Sullivan 28,495 67.7% 12,872 30.6% 123 0.3% 247 0.6% 384 0.9% 42,121
Sumner 23,638 56.6% 17,650 42.3% 137 0.3% 123 0.3% 212 0.5% 41,760
Tipton 8,821 64.1% 4,678 34.0% 65 0.5% 72 0.5% 120 0.9% 13,756
Trousdale 786 34.5% 1,461 64.2% 7 0.3% 9 0.4% 12 0.5% 2,275
Unicoi 3,189 69.1% 1,335 28.9% 13 0.3% 31 0.7% 49 1.1% 4,617
Union 2,413 54.3% 1,984 44.6% 15 0.3% 14 0.3% 20 0.4% 4,446
Van Buren 673 38.2% 1,063 60.4% 9 0.5% 6 0.3% 9 0.5% 1,760
Warren 5,219 44.1% 6,414 54.1% 69 0.6% 57 0.5% 87 0.7% 11,846
Washington 20,195 67.9% 8,994 30.3% 100 0.3% 180 0.6% 256 0.9% 29,725
Wayne 2,421 61.2% 1,486 37.6% 10 0.3% 20 0.5% 16 0.4% 3,953
Weakley 5,138 47.7% 5,434 50.4% 54 0.5% 63 0.6% 87 0.8% 10,776
White 3,373 45.9% 3,831 52.2% 36 0.5% 38 0.5% 63 0.9% 7,341
Williamson 36,272 70.2% 15,044 29.1% 134 0.3% 73 0.1% 146 0.3% 51,669
Wilson 17,122 56.3% 12,904 42.4% 118 0.4% 99 0.3% 172 0.6% 30,415
Total[20] 891,420 54.3% 728,295 44.3% 6,407 0.4% 6,105 0.4% 10,205 0.6% 1,642,432

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

See also

Notes

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

References

  1. ^ "Tennessee Voter Turnout in 2002". Tennessee Secretary of State. November 5, 2002. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  2. ^ "Government Publishing Office (Official Congressional Directory" (PDF).
  3. ^ "Tennessee battleground state for control of U.S. Senate, says Vanderbilt professor". Vanderbilt University News. Vanderbilt University. June 28, 2002. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  4. ^ "Tennessee battleground state for control of U.S. Senate, says Vanderbilt professor". Vanderbilt University News. Vanderbilt University. June 28, 2002. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  5. ^ http://0-infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=NewsBank&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=0F619F2C1D75492C&p_docnum=4&p_queryname=15
  6. ^ "Tennessee battleground state for control of U.S. Senate, says Vanderbilt professor". Vanderbilt University News. Vanderbilt University. June 28, 2002. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  7. ^ http://0-infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=NewsBank&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=0F3F35A6FADD62C1&p_docnum=2&p_queryname=15
  8. ^ http://0-infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=NewsBank&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=0F6B623AA37922AC&p_docnum=6&p_queryname=18
  9. ^ http://0-infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=NewsBank&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=0F71FA86E46BE3D8&p_docnum=16&p_queryname=18
  10. ^ "Tennessee battleground state for control of U.S. Senate, says Vanderbilt professor". Vanderbilt University News. Vanderbilt University. June 28, 2002. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  11. ^ "Tennessee battleground state for control of U.S. Senate, says Vanderbilt professor". Vanderbilt University News. Vanderbilt University. June 28, 2002. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  12. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 13, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 13, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. ^ "Senate Races". www.centerforpolitics.org. November 4, 2002. Archived from the original on November 18, 2002. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  15. ^ SurveyUSA
  16. ^ http://0-infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=NewsBank&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=110FA9E198336770&p_docnum=14&p_queryname=18
  17. ^ http://0-infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=NewsBank&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=0F75BDFE8D07F58E&p_docnum=4&p_queryname=18
  18. ^ "Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives".
  19. ^ "United States Senate" (PDF). Tennessee Secretary of State. November 5, 2002.
  20. ^ The Tennessee Secretary of State reported slightly different vote totals than the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives, which is the primary source used here. While overall vote totals the same, minor differences exist between the two sources in how votes are attributed to individual candidates. These discrepancies are small and do not affect the outcome in any county.

Official campaign websites (archived)