2002Final results
2002 election for Mississippi's 4th District
U.S. House · Mississippi
Gene Taylor (D) won with 75.2% of the vote, defeating Karl Cleveland Mertz (R) by 54.0 points.
Gene TaylorDemocrat · winner
75.2%121,742
Karl Cleveland MertzRepublican
21.2%34,373
Wayne L. ParkerLibertarian
2.0%3,311
Thomas HuffmasterReform
1.5%2,442
161,868 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 2002
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Gene TaylorNo Republican
$364.7K
Raised by the campaign
—
$371K
Spent by the campaign
—
$108.1K
Cash on hand
—
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 2002.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 2002
The candidates
Gene Taylor (D)Karl Cleveland Mertz (R)
Also on the ballot: Wayne L. Parker (Libertarian), 2.0%; Thomas Huffmaster (Reform), 1.5%