Dennis Mehiel Mary Donohue 1,534,064 654,016 33.5% 14.3% | 2,262,255 1,534,064 49.4% 33.5% Start date November 5, 2002 | |
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Winner George Pataki | ||
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 2016, this is the most recent election in which a Republican was elected Governor of New York.
Background
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.