2002Final results
2002 election for U.S. Senate in North Carolina
U.S. Senate · North Carolina
Elizabeth Dole (R) won with 53.6% of the vote, defeating Erskine B. Bowles (D) by 8.6 points.
Elizabeth DoleRepublican · winner
53.6%1,248,664
Erskine B. BowlesDemocrat
45.0%1,047,983
Sean HaughLibertarian
1.5%33,807
2,331,181 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.
Erskine B. BowlesElizabeth Dole
$13.3M
Raised by the campaign
$13.8M
$13.3M
Spent by the campaign
$13.7M
$28.9K
Cash on hand
$105.7K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 2002.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 2002