| Election Name: | 2002 United States Senate election in North Carolina |
| Country: | North Carolina |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1996 United States Senate election in North Carolina |
| Previous Year: | 1996 |
| Next Election: | 2008 United States Senate election in North Carolina |
| Next Year: | 2008 |
| Election Date: | November 5, 2002 |
| Image1: | Elizabeth Dole official photo.jpg |
| Nominee1: | Elizabeth Dole |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,248,664 |
| Percentage1: | 53.56% |
| Nominee2: | Erskine Bowles |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 1,047,983 |
| Percentage2: | 44.96% |
| Map Size: | 325px |
| U.S. Senator | |
| Before Election: | Jesse Helms |
| Before Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Elizabeth Dole |
| After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
The 2002 United States Senate election in North Carolina was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Jesse Helms announced in August 2001 that he would retire due to health issues. Republican Elizabeth Dole won the open seat, becoming the first non-incumbent elected Republican Senator in the state's history. This was the first open seat election since 1974.
During the primary campaign, Bowles was considered the choice of the party establishment, receiving support from former Governor Jim Hunt and the AFL-CIO.[1]
Dole was described as the "handpicked" choice of the White House, and received the support of President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, as well as outgoing Senator Jesse Helms.
| Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Democratic | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: Participant Absent Not invited Invited Withdrawn | |||||||
| Elizabeth Dole | Erskine Bowles | ||||||
| 1 | Oct. 14, 2002 | Meredith College WRAL-TV WTVD-TV | David Crabtree Larry Stogner | C-SPAN[3] | |||
| 2 | Oct. 19, 2002 | East Carolina University WCTI-TV WNCT-TV | Wes Goforth Alan Hoffman | C-SPAN[4] | |||