2002 United States Senate election in Texas

Senator Phil Gramm decided to retire, instead of seeking a fourth term.

State Attorney General Republican John Cornyn won the open seat.

Despite the fact that Texas is a red state, Kirk ran on a socially progressive platform: supporting abortion rights and opposing Bush judicial nominee Priscilla Richman, although Kirk was a former George W. Bush supporter.

[3][4] Cornyn was criticized for taking campaign money from Enron and other controversial companies.

[5] And although other Democrats have seized on the issue, Kirk is well-entrenched in the Dallas business community, and his wife resigned from two private-sector jobs that created potential conflicts of interest for Kirk while he was mayor.

Democratic primary results by county.
Map legend
  • Kirk—60–70%
  • Kirk—50–60%
  • Kirk—40–50%
  • Kirk—30–40%
  • Kirk—20–30%
  • Morales—70–80%
  • Morales—60–70%
  • Morales—50–60%
  • Morales—40–50%
  • Morales—30–40%
  • Bentsen—70–80%
  • Bentsen—60–70%
  • Bentsen—50–60%
  • Bentsen—40–50%
  • Bentsen—30–40%
  • Morales-Bentsen tie—30–40%
  • Kirk-Bentsen tie—32.08%
  • No vote
Democratic runoff results by county.
Map legend
  • Kirk—80–90%
  • Kirk—70–80%
  • Kirk—60–70%
  • Kirk—50–60%
  • Morales—80–90%
  • Morales—70–80%
  • Morales—60–70%
  • Morales—50–60%
  • tie—50%
  • No vote