For related races, see 2002 United States gubernatorial elections.
 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
 County resultsOwens: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Heath: 40–50% 50–60% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
.jpg)
| Elections in Colorado | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Federal government | ||||
| State government | ||||
Ballot measures
|
||||
Colorado Springs
|
||||
Denver
|
||||
El Paso County
|
||||
Pueblo
|
||||
The 2002 Colorado gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2002, to elect the governor of Colorado. Bill Owens, the Republican incumbent, defeated Democratic nominee Rollie Heath to win a second term. Owen's win set the record for biggest win by a Republican in a Colorado gubernatorial election (Democrats won by larger margins in 1982, 1948, and 1928, with Billy Adams' 35 point blowout in that year being the greatest victory for a candidate of any party). As of 2025, this is the last time a Republican was elected Governor of Colorado and the only time in the past half-century that a Republican won a majority in the state.
Republican primary
Candidates
- Bill Owens, incumbent Governor of Colorado
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bill Owens (incumbent) | 189,705 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 189,705 | 100.00 | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Rollie Heath, businessman
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Rollie Heath | 98,897 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 98,897 | 100.00 | ||
General election
Debates
- Complete video of debate, September 7, 2002
- Complete video of debate, September 24, 2002
- Complete video of debate, October 17, 2002
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report | Safe R | October 31, 2002 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe R | November 4, 2002 |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bill Owens (inc.) | 884,583 | 62.62% | +13.58% | |
| Democratic | Rollie Heath | 475,373 | 33.65% | −14.77% | |
| Green | Ronald Forthofer | 32,099 | 2.27% | – | |
| Libertarian | Ralph Shnelvar | 20,547 | 1.45% | −0.23% | |
| Majority | 409,210 | 28.97% | +28.34% | ||
| Turnout | 1,412,602 | ||||
| Republican hold | |||||
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Routt (Largest city: Steamboat Springs)
- Garfield (largest municipality: Glenwood Springs)
- Eagle (largest municipality: Edwards)
- Summit (largest municipality: Breckenridge)
- Clear Creek (largest city: Idaho Springs)
- Gilpin (largest city: Central City)
- Adams (largest city: Thornton)
- Arapahoe (largest city: Aurora)
- Gunnison (Largest city: Gunnison)
- Lake (Largest city: Leadville)
- Pitkin (Largest city: Aspen)
- La Plata (largest municipality: Durango)
- San Juan (largest municipality: Silverton)
- Saguache (largest city: Center)
- Mineral (Largest city: Creede)
- Conejos (largest municipality: Manassa)
- Costilla (largest municipality: San Luis)
- Las Animas (largest city: Trinidad)
- Huerfano (largest city: Walsenburg)
References
- "Our Campaigns - Container Detail Page". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
- ^ Davidson, Donetta (2002). Official Publication of the Abstract of Votes Cast for the 2001 Coordinated, 2002 Primary, 2002 General (PDF). Denver, Colorado: Colorado Secretary of State.
- "Governor Updated October 31, 2002 | The Cook Political Report". The Cook Political Report. October 31, 2002. Archived from the original on December 8, 2002. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
- "Governors Races". www.centerforpolitics.org. November 4, 2002. Archived from the original on December 12, 2002. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
 Elections in Colorado | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Presidential elections | |||||
| Senate elections |
| ||||
| House elections | |||||
| State elections | |||||
| Gubernatorial elections | |||||
| Legislative elections |
| ||||