The 2002 congressional elections in Minnesota, were held on November 5, 2002, to determine who would represent the state, in the United States House of Representative.
Minnesota had eight seats in the House, and the 2002 congressional election was the first held pursuant to the apportionment made according to the 2000 United States census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected served in the 108th Congress from January 3, 2003, until January 3, 2005. The election coincided with a U.S. Senate election and a gubernatorial election. DFLer Bill Luther, formerly of the 6th congressional district, who was redistricted into the 2nd congressional district, was the only incumbent in Minnesota's House delegation who failed to win reelection.
Results of the 2002 United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota by district:
After redistricting the new 1st district was made of approximately 75% from the old 1st with 25% from the old 2nd. Incumbent Republican Gil Gutknecht, who had represented the district since 1995, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 56.4% of the vote in 2000.
The major issues of the campaign included the Iraq War, agriculture, and medical care.
Gutknecht easily won a fifth term, defeating second-place Pomeroy by a landslide 26.85 percent margin, as Mikkelson finished at a very distant third.
During the reapportionment that occurred in consequence of the 2000 United States census, the old 2nd district was broken up with the largest portion being transferred to the redrawn 7th. The new 2nd was based in the southern metro area and comprised approximately 41% from the old 6th, 22% from the old 2nd, 22% from the old 1st, 14% from the old 3rd and 1% from the old 4th.
Incumbent Republican Mark Kennedy, whose residence in Watertown remained in the 2nd decided to transfer to the new 6th.
Bill Luther, the incumbent Democrat from the old 6th district opted to transfer to the new 2nd, despite his home in Stillwater remaining in the 6th, in order to avoid a match up with Kennedy.
Luther, who was first elected to Congress in 1994, was unchallenged in the DFL primary. However, in the general election against Republican challenger John Kline, the more conservative composition of the new district worked against him. Luther's campaign was further harmed by political fallout that was created when Samuel Garst, a Luther campaign staffer, entered the race on the "No New Taxes" line in an attempt to use a false flag to split the conservative vote.
In the end, Garst was only able to secure 4.3 percent of the vote, and the political damage to Luther contributed to Kline winning the election by a margin of more than 11 percent.
After redistricting the new 3rd district was made of approximately 87% from the old 3rd with 10% from the old 6th and 3% from the 5th. Incumbent Republican Jim Ramstad, who had represented the district since 1991, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 67.6% of the vote in 2000
Ramstad won election to his seventh term in Congress, by a landslide 44.14 percent margin.
The district was largely unaffected by the redistricting with the new 4th district was made of approximately 92% from the old 4th with 8% from the old 6th. Incumbent Democrat Betty McCollum, who had represented the district since 2001, ran for re-election. She was elected with 48.0% of the vote in 2000.
Defeating Billington by a comfortable 28 percent margin, McCollum easily won her second term in Congress, as Raskiewicz finished a very distant third.
Incumbent Democrat Martin Olav Sabo, who had represented the district since 1979, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 69.2% of the vote in 2000.
Sabo had no difficulty winning his 13th term in Congress, defeating Republican challenger Daniel Nielsen Mathias by a margin of just over 41 percent, while Green candidate Tim Davis finished a distant third.
In the reapportionment that occurred in consequence of the 2000 United States census, the old 6th was effectively split into two main parts, with approximately 50% forming the core of the redrawn seat and the next largest portion (around 41%) becoming part of the new 2nd. The new 6th also contained 24% from the old 7th, 14% from the 2nd, 10% from the 8th and 3% from the 3rd.
Incumbent Democrat Bill Luther, who had represented the district since 1995, opted to move to the new 2nd and run for re-election there, after Mark Kennedy, the incumbent Republican from the old 2nd, decided to contest the redrawn 6th.
Corporate ethics became a major theme of the campaign with both Kennedy and Robert running attack ads linking the other to lawsuits involving companies they had worked for.
Kennedy, who was first elected in 2000, encountered little difficulty in winning his second term in Congress, defeating DFL challenger Janet Robert by a landslide margin of 22.28 percent, while Independence Party candidate Dan Becker finished a distant third.
Following redistricting approximately 62% from the old 7th remained with 38% from the old 2nd transferring in. Incumbent Democrat Collin Peterson, who had represented the district since 1991, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 68.7% of the vote in 2000.
Peterson faced no difficulty winning his 8th term in Congress, defeating Republican challenger Dan Stevens by a landslide 30.63 percent margin.
The 8th district remained mostly untouched by the redistricting with approximately 91% of the new seat remaining, with 9% added from the old 7th. Incumbent Democrat Jim Oberstar, who had represented the district since 1975, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 67.8% of the vote in 2000.
Oberstar had no difficulty winning his 15th term in Congress, defeating Republican challenger Bob Lemen by a margin of more than 37 percent.