2002 Maryland gubernatorial election

2002 Maryland gubernatorial election

← 1998 November 5, 2002 2006 →
Turnout61.85% Increase 1.26%[1]
 
Nominee Bob Ehrlich Kathleen Kennedy Townsend
Party Republican Democratic
Running mate Michael Steele Charles R. Larson
Popular vote 879,592 813,422
Percentage 51.55% 47.68%

County results
Ehrlich:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Townsend:      60–70%      70–80%

Governor before election

Parris Glendening
Democratic

Elected Governor

Bob Ehrlich
Republican

The 2002 Maryland gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2002. Democratic Governor Parris Glendening was term-limited and could not seek a third term. Republican Bob Ehrlich defeated Democrat Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, making him the first Republican governor of Maryland since Spiro Agnew, who served from 1967 to 1969. As of 2024, this is the last time Charles County voted Republican in a statewide election.

This election marked the first time since the 1934 gubernatorial election that a Republican won Maryland without Baltimore City or Montgomery County.[2]

  1. ^ "2002 Gubernatorial General Election - Voter Turnout". elections.maryland.gov. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  2. ^ Maryland Manual. Hall of Records Commission. 1987.