U.S. Midterm Elections 2002 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Norm Coleman

Probably one of the most closely watched races in the country because of the plane crash that killed Senator Paul Wellstone (D) and his replacement by former Vice President Walter Mondale. Norm Coleman (R) is the former mayor of St. Paul. Jim Moore was the Independence Party candidate.

Answer: Frank Lautenberg

Scandal-plagued Robert Torricelli (D) withdrew from the New Jersey Senate race and was replaced by former New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg shortly before the election. Doug Forrester (R) would have probably won if not for the replacement. Ted Glick was the Green Party candidate.

Answer: John Sununu

John Sununu (R) is a two-term congressman and the son of a former New Hampshire Governor and White House Chief of Staff. Jeanne Shaheen (D) was New Hampshire's governor. Craig Benson (R) and Mark Fernald (D) were candidates in the New Hampshire Governor's race. (Benson won.)

Answer: Elizabeth Dole

Elizabeth Dole (R) is best known as the wife of former Presidential candidate Bob Dole. She was also Secretary of Labor and President of the Red Cross. Erskine Bowles (D) was the Clinton White House Chief of Staff. Jesse Helms (R) is a retired North Carolina Senator and Sean Haugh was the Libertarian Party candidate.

Answer: Saxby Chambliss

Saxby Chambliss (R) came from behind and won the Georgia Senate seat. Max Cleland (D) is a Vietnam War veteran, and had a comfortable lead at the beginning of the campaign. Chambliss attacking Cleland on a liberal voting record may have cost Cleland the seat. Sonny Perdue (R) and Roy Barnes (D) were candidates in the Georgia Governor's race. (Perdue won.)

Answer: Jim Talent

This was also an interesting race because it was a special election. Jean Carnahan (D) was appointed U.S. Senator after her husband, Mel Carnahan, died in a plane crash before the election but won the seat anyway. John Ashcroft (R) was the candidate running against Mel Carnahan. Former U.S. Representative Jim Talent (R) unseated Jean Carnahan (D).

Answer: Wayne Allard

This was a close race involving Tom Strickland (D) trying to unseat incumbant Senator Wayne Allard (R). They also ran against each other six years ago, when Allard won by only five percentage points. Bill Owens (R) and Rollie Heath (D) were candidates in the Colorado Governor's race. (Owens won.)

Answer: Tim Johnson

This is one fight President Bush lost. This Senate race became a struggle between President Bush and Senate Majority Leader (now Senate Minority Leader) Tom Daschle, who is from South Dakota. It was one of the closest races of the election, with Tim Johnson (D) beating John Thune (R) by only a few hundred votes. Mike Rounds (R) and Jim Abbott (D) were candidates in the South Dakota Governor's race. (Rounds won.)

Answer: Mark Pryor

Arkansas Attorney General Mark Pryor (D) managed to unseat unpopular U.S. Senator Tim Hutchinson (R) in this Senate race. Mike Huckabee (R) and Jimmie Lou Fisher (D) were candidates in the Arkansas Governor's race. (Huckabee won.)

Answer: Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney (R) is best known as being president of the Salt Lake City Olympic Committee. Shannon O'Brien (D) was the Massachusetts State Treasurer. John Kerry (D) and Michael Cloud (L) were candidates in the Massachusetts Senate race. Kerry ran unopposed by a Republican.

Answer: Robert Ehrlich

U.S. Representative Robert Erlich (R) beat Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (D), some say, by running a more positive campaign. Paul Sarbanes (D) and Barbara Mikulski (D) are current Maryland senators.

Answer: Jeb Bush

Jeb Bush (R), President Bush's younger brother, beat Bill McBride (D) in this race. Janet Reno, Attorney General under President Clinton, lost to McBride in the Democratic primary. The race was considered close at one point, but after a bad debate by McBride, Bush won with a considerable lead. Katherine Harris (R) was the Florida Attorney General in the 2000 election, who was elected the U.S. Representative from Florida's 13th district.

Answer: George Pataki

New York Governor George Pataki (R) was re-elected to a third term when he beat State Comptroller Carl McCall (D). Mike Bloomberg (R) was elected mayor of New York City in 2002 when he beat Mark Green (D) in the election to see who would succeed Rudy Giuliani.

Answer: Rick Perry

This race was interesting because it was to determine if President Bush's successor, Rick Perry (R) could be reelected. He succeeded, beating Tony Sanchez (D). John Cornyn (R) and Ron Kirk (D) were candidates in the Texas Senate race. (Cornyn won.)

Answer: Gray Davis

Unpopular California Governor Gray Davis (D) managed to beat an also unpopular challenger, Bill Simon (R). It is said that just about anybody could have beaten Davis, but Simon obviously wasn't the guy for the job. Barbara Boxer (D) and Dianne Feinstein (D) are current California senators.