2002 Florida gubernatorial election

Republican nomination

Jeb Bush announced that he would run for re-election in June 2001 after first being elected in 1998. Bush was unopposed for the GOP nomination, and spent the summer amassing a war chest of over $5.6 million towards his re-election campaign.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Daryl Jones, State Senator from Miami
• Bill McBride, Tampa attorney
• Janet Reno, former United States Attorney General

Withdrew

• Lois Frankel, State Representative from West Palm Beach

Campaign

Reno led throughout much of the campaign for the Democratic nomination, boasting name recognition and employing a grassroots strategy. In early June, she led McBride in the polls by a margin of 53%-25%, but trailed in a hypothetical head-to-head against Bush. Reno's primary campaign was dubbed the "Little red pickup truck tour", so-named because she toured the state in her 1999 Ford Ranger.

Over the summer, Reno's lead dwindled. McBride, backed by big money donors, was able to exploit Reno's paltry war chest, and sometime aloof campaign. Reno's connections to the Clinton Administration, and her handling of both the Waco siege and the Elián González affair were frequent topics in the primary.

In the final few weeks, McBride narrowed the gap to a dead heat going into the September 10 primary.

Results

McBride won the nomination by less than 4,800 votes.

Aftermath

Reno disputed the results after the primary was marred by problems. Several areas had technical glitches and delayed openings of the poll especially in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, both of which Reno performed strongly in. As a result of the problems, Governor Bush kept the polls open for two additional hours.

McBride selected Tom Rossin, minority leader of the Florida Senate, as his running mate.

General election

Candidates

• Jeb Bush, incumbent Governor (Republican)
• Bob Kunst, gay rights activist (Independent)
• Bill McBride, Tampa attorney (Democratic)

Campaign

McBride's campaign focused on the importance of public education, supporting policies such as teacher pay rises and less emphasis on standardized tests. McBride was helped towards the end of the campaign by visits from national Democratic figures such as former President Bill Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore and Jesse Jackson. Likewise Republicans saw this race a preview of 2004.

President George W. Bush made numerous visits to Florida to support his brother for re-election.

The two main candidates faced each other in two debates on 27 September and 22 October in the most expensive Florida gubernatorial election yet. Polls towards the end of the campaign showed Bush with a lead over McBride.

At the same time as the election, an initiative was passed to limit class sizes. This had been opposed by Bush due to the cost of implementing it but had been supported by McBride.

Predictions

Polling

Election results

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

• Franklin (largest city: Eastpoint)
• Liberty (largest city: Bristol)
• Calhoun (Largest city: Blountstown)
• Hamilton (Largest city: Jasper)
• Wakulla (Largest city: Sopchoppy)
• Jackson (Largest city: Marianna)
• Madison (Largest city: Madison)

Notes

References

References

1. "November 5, 2002 General Election".
2. (2002-11-06). "Jeb Bush Makes History In Florida". [[CBS News]].
3. Canedy, Dana. (2002-11-07). "THE 2002 ELECTIONS: FLORIDA; Bush Looks to 2nd Term As Analysts Point to 2004". [[The New York Times]].
4. (2001-06-09). "Gov. Jeb Bush says he's eager for a second term".
5. (12 Mar 2003). "Frankel beats Daves for West Palm Mayor". [[Boca Raton News]].
6. (September 1, 2002). "Reno kicks off tour in red pickup once again". The Gainesville Sun.
7. (February 26, 2002). "Reno Starts Little Red Pickup Tour". Fox News.
8. (August 11, 2002). "Reno rocks". The Guardian.
9. (2002-09-12). "McBride declares victory; Reno asks review". [[CNN]].
10. "Florida Department of State - Election Results".
11. (2002-09-10). "Gov. Bush extends voting in Florida primary". [[CNN]].
12. (July 2022). "McBride introduces his running mate".
13. Seelye, Katharine. (November 2, 2002). "The 2002 Campaign: The Governors; Cast Reassembled, Florida Revives a Drama From 2000". The New York Times.
14. (2002-10-31). "Poll shows Bush with open road to victory". [[South Florida Sun-Sentinel]].
15. (2002-09-27). "Bush, McBride debate tonight". [[St. Petersburg Times]].
16. (2002-10-22). "Bush, McBride Face Off In Final Debate".
17. (August 2021). "Bush Bets His Popularity And Scores a Big Victory". [[The Washington Post]] }}{{Dead link.
18. Canedy, Dana. (2002-11-06). "THE 2002 ELECTIONS: THE FLORIDA VOTE; Bush Wins 2nd Term With Surge". [[The New York Times]].
19. (October 31, 2002). "Governor Updated October 31, 2002 {{!}} The Cook Political Report".
20. (November 4, 2002). "Governors Races".
21. [https://www.surveyusa.com/2002Elec.html SurveyUSA]
22. "2002 Gubernatorial General Election Results - Florida".