| Election Name: | 2002 Wisconsin gubernatorial election |
| Country: | Wisconsin |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1998 Wisconsin gubernatorial election |
| Previous Year: | 1998 |
| Next Election: | 2006 Wisconsin gubernatorial election |
| Next Year: | 2006 |
| Election Date: | November 5, 2002 |
| Turnout: | 45.43% |
| Image1: | Jim Doyle (3347470710) (1).jpg |
| Nominee1: | Jim Doyle |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 800,515 |
| Percentage1: | 45.1% |
| Nominee2: | Scott McCallum |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 734,779 |
| Percentage2: | 41.4% |
| Nominee3: | Ed Thompson |
| Party3: | Libertarian Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote3: | 185,455 |
| Percentage3: | 10.5% |
| Governor | |
| Before Election: | Scott McCallum |
| Before Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Jim Doyle |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Running Mate1: | Barbara Lawton |
| Running Mate2: | Margaret Farrow |
| Running Mate3: | Marty Reynolds |
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.
McCallum, as the incumbent governor, did not face significant opposition in the primary. He was nominated with 86% of the primary vote.
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.
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Jim Doyle | Tom Barrett | Kathleen Falk | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Wisconsin (Badger Poll) | Sept 2–5, 2002 | align=center | 39% | 31% | 30% | |
| Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Aug 26–28, 2002 | align=center | 31.5% | 25.7% | 25.1% |
| Source | Ranking | As of | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[1] | October 31, 2002 | ||
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[2] | November 4, 2002 |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Jim Doyle (D) | Scott McCallum (R) | Ed Thompson (L) | Jim Young (G) | Others | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Wisconsin (Badger Poll) | Oct 27–29, 2002 | align=center | 41% | 34% | 10% | 2% | 0% | |
| University of Wisconsin (Badger Poll) | Oct 25–27, 2002 | align=center | 38% | 36% | 0% | 0% | 0% | |
| Market Shares Corp | Oct 24–27, 2002 | align=center | 38% | 36% | 8% | 4% | 0% | |
| St. Norbert College | Oct 16–27, 2002 | align=center | 41% | 33% | 6% | 3% | 0% | |
| We the People/Wisconsin | Oct 20–21, 2002 | align=center | 46% | 38% | 8% | 3% | 0% | |
| Research 2000 | Oct 4–7, 2002 | align=center | 44% | 36% | 6% | 3% | 0% | |
| Wisconsin Policy Research Institute | Sept 26–29, 2002 | align=center | 40% | 31% | 7% | 4% | 0% | |
| Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Sept 17–25, 2002 | align=center | 43% | 35% | 6% | 1% | 0% |