The 2002 Oregon gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 2002. Incumbent DemocratJohn Kitzhaber was barred by term limits from seeking a third consecutive term; he later successfully ran again in 2010 and 2014. To replace him, former Oregon Supreme CourtAssociate JusticeTed Kulongoski won a crowded and competitive Democratic primary, while former State RepresentativeKevin Mannix emerged from an equally competitive Republican primary. The campaign between Kulongoski and Mannix, who were joined by Libertarian nominee Tom Cox, was close and went down to the wire. Ultimately, Kulongoski eked out a narrow margin of victory over Mannix, which was slightly smaller than Cox's total vote share, allowing Kulongoski to win what would be the first of two terms as governor. As of 2024, this is the last time that Oregon voted for a gubernatorial nominee and a U.S. Senate nominee of different political parties.
