The 2002 Wyoming gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican Governor Jim Geringer was term-limited and unable to seek a third term in office, thereby creating an open seat. Former U.S. Attorney Dave Freudenthal and former Wyoming House Speaker Eli Bebout both emerged from competitive Democratic and Republican primaries, respectively, and faced off against each other in the general election. Despite Wyoming's strong inclination to elect Republicans, a contentious race ensued, with Freudenthal ultimately defeating Bebout by fewer than 4,000 votes. As of 2023, this is the last gubernatorial election in Wyoming to be decided by less than 20 percentage points.
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County results Freudenthal: 50–60% 60–70% Bebout: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
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Democratic | Dave Freudenthal | 19,732 | 53.62 | |
Democratic | Paul Hickey | 13,793 | 37.48 | |
Democratic | Toby Simpson | 1,918 | 5.21 | |
Democratic | Ken Casner | 1,356 | 3.68 | |
Total votes | 36,799 | 100.00 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Eli Bebout | 44,417 | 48.98 | |
Republican | Ray Hunkins | 25,363 | 27.97 | |
Republican | Bill Sniffin | 13,633 | 15.03 | |
Republican | Stephen Watt | 5,724 | 6.31 | |
Republican | John H. Self | 1,548 | 1.71 | |
Total votes | 90,685 | 100.00 |
Source | Ranking | As of |
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The Cook Political Report[2] | Tossup | October 31, 2002 |
Sabato's Crystal Ball[3] | Lean R | November 4, 2002 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
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Democratic | Dave Freudenthal | 92,662 | 49.96% | +9.51% | |
Republican | Eli Bebout | 88,873 | 47.92% | -7.68% | |
Libertarian | Dave Dawson | 3,924 | 2.12% | -1.83% | |
Majority | 3,789 | 2.04% | -13.10% | ||
Turnout | 185,459 | ||||
Democratic gain from Republican | Swing |