Texas gubernatorial election, 2002
Encyclopedia
The 2002 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2002 to select the governor of the state of Texas
. The election was won by Rick Perry
, candidate of the Republican Party
.Incumbent Rick Perry
became governor after Gov.George W. Bush
became President in 2000. He was elected Lieutenant Governor in 1998. Laredo oilman Tony Sanchez finished second, with Libertarian Jeff Daiell placing third. Perry was inaugurated for a full four-year term on January 21, 2003.
In the 2002 gubernatorial election, Perry carried 218 counties while Sanchez managed to carry 36 out of 254 counties.
primaries were held on March 12, 2002 with the winner of each requiring a majority vote. The Libertarians selected their nominee at their State Convention, being forbidden by Texas statute from holding a primary.
ascended to the governorship of Texas on December 21, 2000 following the resignation of then-Gov. George W. Bush
, who had been elected President of the United States
. Perry had been elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas
in 1998. He successfully ran for a full four-year term in 2002.
Perry had an ongoing political feud with Democratic Speaker
Pete Laney
during the 2001 legislative session, and vetoed several pieces of legislation brought forward by several Democratic state lawmakers. However, rumors about fellow Republican U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
launching a primary challenge against Perry had been swirling for weeks, but Hutchison chose not to run for governor, choosing instead to serve as Vice Chair of the Senate Republican Conference to avoid a nasty primary battle that would have divided the Texas Republican Party in time for the general election of 2002. Perry's campaign received the endorsement of former State Attorney General
Dan Morales
, who lost the Democratic primary nomination, and he also received endorsements from the Dallas Morning News, Abilene Reporter-News
, Midland Reporter-Telegram
, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
, and the Galveston County Daily News. Public opinion polls from Zogy International, Survey USA, and Scripps-Howard showed Perry leading by double-digits and the Perry campaign was outspent by Sanchez by a margin of 12-to-1, with Perry spending $27 million to Sanchez's $76 million.
, having been appointed to the University of Texas Board of Regents by then-Governor Bush in 1997, and he also served on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission from 1985 to 1991-having been appointed by then-Governor Mark Wells White in 1985.
Sanchez was best known for getting involved in successful battles such as: challenging the architectural plan for a new art museum and to consider a Hispanic candidate for President of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
. Sanchez started making waves on running for governor back in late 2000, when he was helped by Kelly Fero, who served as a consultant on Jim Mattox
's unsuccessful campaign for Governor in 1990 and John Sharp
's 1998 unsuccessful bid for Lieutenant Governor, and also had discussions with George Shipley, a longtime Democratic strategist and consultant. In the Democratic primary, Sanchez easily defeated Morales by a landslide margin of 60 percent to 32 percent in the March 12, 2002 primary elections. However, the bitter primary campaign between Sanchez and Morales resulted in negative campaign attacks including Morales criticizing Sanchez for connections between a failed Sanchez-owned savings and loan and Mexican drug lords. Sanchez pummeled Morales by picking up the questions on the tobacco settlement and suggested the former Texas Attorney General was only running for office to protect himself from federal indictments. Sanchez managed to get the endorsements from the Austin Chronicle
, Corpus Christi Caller Times, and the Waco Tribune Herald during the general election campaign.
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. The election was won by Rick Perry
Rick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
, candidate of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
.Incumbent Rick Perry
Rick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
became governor after Gov.George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
became President in 2000. He was elected Lieutenant Governor in 1998. Laredo oilman Tony Sanchez finished second, with Libertarian Jeff Daiell placing third. Perry was inaugurated for a full four-year term on January 21, 2003.
In the 2002 gubernatorial election, Perry carried 218 counties while Sanchez managed to carry 36 out of 254 counties.
Primaries
The Republican and Democratic PartyDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
primaries were held on March 12, 2002 with the winner of each requiring a majority vote. The Libertarians selected their nominee at their State Convention, being forbidden by Texas statute from holding a primary.
Perry
Incumbent Rick PerryRick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
ascended to the governorship of Texas on December 21, 2000 following the resignation of then-Gov. George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, who had been elected President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. Perry had been elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas
Lieutenant Governor of Texas
The Lieutenant Governor of Texas is the second-highest executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the U.S. It is the second most powerful post in Texas government because its occupant controls the work of the Texas Senate and controls the budgeting process as a leader of the...
in 1998. He successfully ran for a full four-year term in 2002.
Perry had an ongoing political feud with Democratic Speaker
Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives
The Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the Texas House of Representatives. The Speaker's main duties are to conduct meetings of the House, appoint committees, and enforce the Rules of the House...
Pete Laney
Pete Laney
James E. "Pete" Laney is a U.S. Democratic Party politician from West Texas. He was a member of the Texas House of Representatives for 34 years from Hale Center . Laney served as Speaker for ten years from 1993 to 2003, a record matching that set by his predecessor, fellow Democrat Gibson D...
during the 2001 legislative session, and vetoed several pieces of legislation brought forward by several Democratic state lawmakers. However, rumors about fellow Republican U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
Kay Bailey Hutchison
Kathryn Ann Bailey Hutchison, known as Kay Bailey Hutchison , is the senior United States Senator from Texas.She is a member of the Republican Party. In 2001, she was named one of the thirty most powerful women in America by Ladies Home Journal. The first woman to represent Texas in the U.S....
launching a primary challenge against Perry had been swirling for weeks, but Hutchison chose not to run for governor, choosing instead to serve as Vice Chair of the Senate Republican Conference to avoid a nasty primary battle that would have divided the Texas Republican Party in time for the general election of 2002. Perry's campaign received the endorsement of former State Attorney General
Texas Attorney General
The Texas Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Texas.The department has offices at the William P. Clements State Office Building at 300 West 15th Street in Austin.-History:...
Dan Morales
Dan Morales
Daniel C. "Dan" Morales served as the 48th Texas Attorney General from January 15, 1991 through January 13, 1999, during the administrations of Governors Ann Richards and George W. Bush. As attorney general, Morales reached a $17 billion settlement with big tobacco companies. He also authored...
, who lost the Democratic primary nomination, and he also received endorsements from the Dallas Morning News, Abilene Reporter-News
Abilene Reporter-News
Abilene Reporter-News is a daily newspaper based in Abilene, Texas, USA. The newspaper started publishing three months after Abilene was founded by C.E. Gilbert, effective June 17, 1881. It is hence the oldest continuous business in the city....
, Midland Reporter-Telegram
Midland Reporter-Telegram
The Midland Reporter-Telegram is a daily newspaper in Midland, Texas. The offices for the paper are located at 201 E. Illinois Ave., Midland, TX 79701. Midland, Texas is located in the heart of the vast 54-county Permian Basin of West Texas, a geological region producing 70 percent of the oil in...
, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal is a newspaper based in Lubbock, Texas, U.S. It is owned by the Morris Communications Company.-History:The Lubbock Avalanche was founded in 1900 by John James Dillard and Thad Tubbs. According to Dillard, the name "Avalanche" was chosen due to his desire that the...
, and the Galveston County Daily News. Public opinion polls from Zogy International, Survey USA, and Scripps-Howard showed Perry leading by double-digits and the Perry campaign was outspent by Sanchez by a margin of 12-to-1, with Perry spending $27 million to Sanchez's $76 million.
Sanchez
Laredo multimillionaire businessman Tony Sanchez, had served as a regent of the University of Texas at AustinUniversity of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, having been appointed to the University of Texas Board of Regents by then-Governor Bush in 1997, and he also served on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission from 1985 to 1991-having been appointed by then-Governor Mark Wells White in 1985.
Sanchez was best known for getting involved in successful battles such as: challenging the architectural plan for a new art museum and to consider a Hispanic candidate for President of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is an institute of health science education and research, located in the South Texas Medical Center....
. Sanchez started making waves on running for governor back in late 2000, when he was helped by Kelly Fero, who served as a consultant on Jim Mattox
Jim Mattox
James Albon Mattox was a Dallas lawyer and Texas Democratic politician who served three terms in the United States House of Representatives and two four-year terms as state Attorney General, but lost high profile races for Governor in 1990, the U.S. Senate in 1994, and again as attorney general...
's unsuccessful campaign for Governor in 1990 and John Sharp
John Sharp (Texas politician)
John Sharp is the former Democratic Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, having held the office from 1991 to 1999. He is currently a principal in the Austin office of the Dallas-based Ryan & Company, a tax consulting firm. In 2005, he was appointed to serve as Chair of the Texas Tax Reform...
's 1998 unsuccessful bid for Lieutenant Governor, and also had discussions with George Shipley, a longtime Democratic strategist and consultant. In the Democratic primary, Sanchez easily defeated Morales by a landslide margin of 60 percent to 32 percent in the March 12, 2002 primary elections. However, the bitter primary campaign between Sanchez and Morales resulted in negative campaign attacks including Morales criticizing Sanchez for connections between a failed Sanchez-owned savings and loan and Mexican drug lords. Sanchez pummeled Morales by picking up the questions on the tobacco settlement and suggested the former Texas Attorney General was only running for office to protect himself from federal indictments. Sanchez managed to get the endorsements from the Austin Chronicle
Austin Chronicle
The Austin Chronicle is an alternative weekly, tabloid-style newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demographic...
, Corpus Christi Caller Times, and the Waco Tribune Herald during the general election campaign.