New York gubernatorial election, 2002

← 1998

November 5, 2002

2006 →


Candidate	George Pataki	Carl McCall	Tom Golisano
Party	Republican	Democratic	Independence
Running mate	Mary Donohue	Dennis Mehiel	Mary Donohue
Popular vote	2,262,255	1,534,064	654,016
Percentage	49.4%	33.5%	14.3%

County results

Governor before election

George Pataki
Republican

Elected Governor

George Pataki
Republican

The New York gubernatorial election of 2002 was an election for the state governorship held on November 5, 2002. Governor George Pataki, the two-term Republican incumbent, ran for a third term. Governor Pataki was re-elected to a third term. His leadership and actions as governor during the September 11th Attacks put him over the top. He went on to defeat Carl McCall and Rochester billionaire Tom Golisano. As of 2017, this is the most recent election in which a Republican was elected Governor of New York.

In New York state politics, the proliferation of parties and ballot lines ensures that each candidate attempts to be listed under multiple ballot lines. Besides his standard Republican nomination, Governor Pataki sought the nominations of the Conservative and the Independence Party. Golisano, who sought (and ultimately won) the nomination of the Independence Party, also ran against the Governor in the Conservative primary, spending over $20 million during the primaries, or over $2000 per vote. Pataki secured the Republican and Conservative listings, while Golisano successfully defended his hold on the Independence Party ticket.

Comptroller Carl McCall defeated Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic State Convention, and Cuomo withdrew less than a week before the primary, but this was too late to get his name off the Liberal line. Since Liberal supporters could no longer support the Democratic candidate, but vote for the Liberal line (and thus ensure that the Liberals would maintain ballot access), Cuomo's defeat effectively helped to destroy the Liberal Party.

Pataki was easily reelected; McCall received 33 percent of the vote, carrying New York City (other than Staten Island) and nearly carrying Albany County while Golisano received 14%, carrying western New York's Monroe County.

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Wikipedia