Bulletin: There was no national election in November 2002, whatever you may have read to the contrary. No, there was no coup, and terrorism or bad weather didn't force a postponement. The truth is much more simple: there was not enough competition to qualify November 5 as anything other than a patchwork of party battles in widely scattered parts of the United States.
So where did political junkies migrate for the autumn of 2002? The Midterm Election Map of American gives directions. A state was assigned ten points for any very competitive Senate race; ten for a large-state governorship contest of the same variety; eight points for a very competitive medium or small-state governorship; six points for a second-tier competitive race for the Senate anywhere or a governorship in a large state; four points for a second-tier governor's contest in a medium or small state; two points for each competitive House seat; and, of course, no points for uncompetitive contests.
Based on this scale, each state was expanded or contracted to represent its real significance in the 2002 midterm elections.
