2002Final results
2002 election for North Carolina's 12th District
U.S. House · North Carolina
Melvin L. Watt (D) won with 65.3% of the vote, defeating Jeff Kish (R) by 32.6 points.
Melvin L. WattDemocrat · winner
65.3%98,821
Jeff KishRepublican
32.8%49,588
Carey HeadLibertarian
1.9%2,830
151,239 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.
Melvin L. WattJeff Kish
$260.6K
Raised by the campaign
$3.6K
$358.9K
Spent by the campaign
$3.6K
$32.6K
Cash on hand
$34
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 2002.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 2002