The 2002 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican Governor of Wisconsin Scott McCallum, who had assumed office upon the resignation of Tommy Thompson, ran for his first full term in office. McCallum won his party's nomination by defeating two minor candidates, and Attorney General of Wisconsin Jim Doyle won the Democratic primary with a little more than a third of the vote in a highly competitive primary election. In the general election, the presence of Ed Thompson, former Governor Tommy Thompson's younger brother, the Mayor of Tomah, and the Libertarian Party nominee, held both McCallum and Doyle to under fifty percent of the vote, enabling Doyle to win with 45% of the vote, defeating McCallum. As of 2022, this is the last gubernatorial election in which the Democratic candidate carried Taylor, Langlade, Marquette, Manitowoc, and Racine counties, and the last in which Juneau County did not vote for the Republican candidate, instead voting for Thompson.

Quick Facts Turnout, Nominee ...

2002 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

← 1998 November 5, 2002 2006 →
Turnout	45.43%
Nominee Jim Doyle Scott McCallum Ed Thompson Party Democratic Republican Libertarian Popular vote 800,515 734,779 185,455 Percentage 45.1% 41.4% 10.5%
County results Precinct results Doyle:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% McCallum:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Thompson      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Tie:       No data:
Governor before election Scott McCallum Republican Elected Governor Jim Doyle Democratic

Close

The primary election for the Democratic nomination was closely contested by three competitive candidates. The race was ultimately won by Jim Doyle with around 38% of the vote.

Results

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Democratic primary results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jim Doyle	212,066	38.30%
	Democratic	Tom Barrett	190,605	34.43%
	Democratic	Kathleen Falk	150,161	27.12%
	Write-in		802	0.14%
Total votes			553,634	100.00%

Close

McCallum, as the incumbent governor, did not face significant opposition in the primary. He was nominated with 86% of the primary vote.

• Ed Thompson, former Mayor of Tomah, Wisconsin, brother of former Governor Tommy Thompson

• Jim Young, City assessor for Sun Prairie, Wisconsin

• Alan D. Eisenberg, lawyer and real estate dealer

• Ty A. Bollerud, of Janesville, Wisconsin
• Mike Mangan, of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin
• Aneb Jah Rasta, consultant and doctor of metaphysics

• 2002 United States gubernatorial elections