| Election Name: | 2003 United States gubernatorial elections |
| Country: | United States |
| Type: | legislative |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2002 United States gubernatorial elections |
| Previous Year: | 2002 |
| Next Election: | 2004 United States gubernatorial elections |
| Next Year: | 2004 |
| Seats For Election: | 4 governorships |
| Election Date: | October 4 and 7, and November 6 and 15, 2003 |
| 1Blank: | Seats up |
| 2Blank: | Seats won |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Seats Before1: | 26 |
| Seats After1: | 28 |
| Seat Change1: | 2 |
| 1Data1: | 1 |
| 2Data1: | 3 |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Seats Before2: | 24 |
| Seats After2: | 22 |
| Seat Change2: | 2 |
| 1Data2: | 3 |
| 2Data2: | 1 |
| Map Size: | 320px |
United States gubernatorial elections were held in four states. Kentucky and Mississippi held their general elections on November 4. Louisiana held the first round of its jungle primary on October 4 and the runoff on November 15. In addition, California held a recall election on October 7.
The Republican Party had a net gain of two seats in 2003, picking up an open seat in Kentucky, removing a Democratic governor in California, and defeating a Democratic governor in Mississippi, while losing an open seat to the Democrats in Louisiana. The election cycle was unusual because every seat that was up for election changed hands. This was the last time a party made net gains in this cycle of gubernatorial elections until 2019.
| State | Incumbent | Last race | Sabato [1] | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California (recall) | Gray Davis | data-sort-value="-47.3" | 47.3% D | data-sort-value="-48.6" | Schwarzenegger 48.6% R | |||
| Kentucky | data-sort-value="-60.7" | 60.7% D | data-sort-value="55.0" | Fletcher 55.0% R | ||||
| Louisiana | data-sort-value="62.2" | 62.2% R | data-sort-value="-51.3" | Blanco 51.3% D | ||||
| Mississippi | Ronnie Musgrove | data-sort-value="-49.6" | 49.6% D | data-sort-value="52.6" | Haley Barbour 52.6% R |
| State | Incumbent | Party | First elected | Result | Candidates | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | Gray Davis | Democratic | 1998 | Incumbent recalled. New governor elected. Republican gain. | nowrap |
| |||
| Kentucky | Paul Patton | Democratic | 1995 | Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Republican gain. | nowrap |
| |||
| Louisiana | Mike Foster | Republican | 1995 | Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic gain. | nowrap |
| |||
| Mississippi | Ronnie Musgrove | Democratic | 1999 | Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Republican gain. | nowrap |
|
States where the margin of victory was under 5%:
States where the margin of victory was under 10%:
| Election Name: | 2003 California gubernatorial recall election | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country: | California | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type: | presidential | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ongoing: | no | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Previous Election: | 2002 California gubernatorial election | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Previous Year: | 2002 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Next Election: | 2006 California gubernatorial election | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Next Year: | 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Election Date: | October 7, 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout: | 61.20%[2] 34.4pp | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Module: |
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The 2003 California gubernatorial recall election was a special election permitted under California state law. It resulted in voters replacing incumbent Democratic Governor Gray Davis with Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger. The recall effort spanned the latter half of 2003. Seven of the nine previous governors, including Davis, had faced unsuccessful recall attempts.[3]
After several legal and procedural efforts failed to stop it, California's first-ever gubernatorial recall election was held on October 7, and the results were certified on November 14, 2003, making Davis the first governor recalled in the history of California, and just the second in U.S. history (the first was North Dakota's 1921 recall of Lynn Frazier).[4] California is one of 19 states that allow recalls.[5] Nearly 18 years after the 2003 election, California held a second recall election in 2021; however, that recall was unsuccessful, failing to oust Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom.[6]
| Election Name: | 2003 Kentucky gubernatorial election |
| Country: | Kentucky |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1999 Kentucky gubernatorial election |
| Previous Year: | 1999 |
| Next Election: | 2007 Kentucky gubernatorial election |
| Next Year: | 2007 |
| Election Date: | November 4, 2003 |
| Nominee1: | Ernie Fletcher |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 596,284 |
| Percentage1: | 55.0% |
| Running Mate1: | Steve Pence |
| Nominee2: | Ben Chandler |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 487,159 |
| Percentage2: | 45.0% |
| Running Mate2: | Charlie Owen |
| Map Size: | 300px |
| Governor | |
| Before Election: | Paul E. Patton |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Ernie Fletcher |
| After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
The 2003 Kentucky gubernatorial election was held to elect the Governor of Kentucky on November 4, 2003. Republican candidate Ernie Fletcher defeated Democrat Ben Chandler and became the first Republican governor of Kentucky in 32 years.[7]
| Election Name: | 2003 Louisiana gubernatorial election |
| Country: | Louisiana |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1999 Louisiana gubernatorial election |
| Previous Year: | 1999 |
| Election Date: | October 4, 2003 (first round) November 15, 2003 (runoff) |
| Next Election: | 2007 Louisiana gubernatorial election |
| Next Year: | 2007 |
| Flag Year: | 1912 |
| 1Blank: | First round |
| 2Blank: | Runoff |
| Nominee1: | Kathleen Blanco |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| 1Data1: | 250,136 18.36% |
| 2Data1: | 731,358 51.95% |
| Nominee2: | Bobby Jindal |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| 1Data2: | 443,389 32.54% |
| 2Data2: | 676,484 48.05% |
| Image3: | 3x4.svg |
| Nominee3: | Richard Ieyoub |
| Party3: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| 1Data3: | 223,513 16.4% |
| 2Data3: | Eliminated |
| Nominee4: | Buddy Leach |
| Party4: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| 1Data4: | 187,872 13.79% |
| 2Data4: | Eliminated |
| Image5: | 3x4.svg |
| Nominee5: | Randy Ewing |
| Party5: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| 1Data5: | 123,936 9.1% |
| 2Data5: | Eliminated |
| Image6: | 3x4.svg |
| Nominee6: | Hunt Downer |
| Party6: | Republican Party (United States) |
| 1Data6: | 84,718 6.22% |
| 2Data6: | Eliminated |
| Governor | |
| Before Election: | Mike Foster |
| Before Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Kathleen Blanco |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
The 2003 Louisiana gubernatorial election was held on November 15, 2003 to elect the Governor of Louisiana. Incumbent Republican Governor Mike Foster was not eligible to run for re-election to a third term because of term limits established by the Louisiana Constitution. As of 2023, this is the most recent Louisiana gubernatorial election in which the first round winner did not win the runoff.
| Election Name: | 2003 Mississippi gubernatorial election |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1999 Mississippi gubernatorial election |
| Previous Year: | 1999 |
| Next Election: | 2007 Mississippi gubernatorial election |
| Next Year: | 2007 |
| Election Date: | November 4, 2003 |
| Nominee1: | Haley Barbour |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 470,404 |
| Percentage1: | 52.59% |
| Electoral Vote1: | 76 |
| Nominee2: | Ronnie Musgrove |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 409,787 |
| Percentage2: | 45.81% |
| Electoral Vote2: | 46 |
| Map Size: | 250px |
| Governor | |
| Before Election: | Ronnie Musgrove |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Haley Barbour |
| After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Country: | Mississippi |
| Flag Year: | 2001 |
The 2003 Mississippi gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2003 to elect the governor of the U.S. state of Mississippi. Former Republican National Committee chairman Haley Barbour defeated incumbent Democrat Ronnie Musgrove by a margin of 6.78%.
As of 2023, the election remains the most expensive gubernatorial election in state history, with over $18 million having been spent between Barbour and Musgrove.[8] An additional $5 million was spent by the Republican Governors Association, mostly on television advertising. Barbour's victory in the election made him only the second Republican governor of Mississippi since Reconstruction.[9]