The 2002 New York gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2002. Republican Governor George Pataki was re-elected to a third term. As of 2025, this election was the last statewide election won by a Republican in New York.

Pataki faced Democrat Carl McCall and Rochester billionaire Tom Golisano, who ran on the Independence Party line. On Election Day, Pataki was easily re-elected with 49.40% of the vote. McCall received 33.50% of the vote, carrying New York City (other than Staten Island) and nearly carrying Albany County. Golisano received 14.28% of the vote and carried his home county of Monroe in western New York. This was the first time since 1978 that the winner of the gubernatorial election was of the same party as the incumbent president.

Pataki won the nomination unopposed.

Comptroller Carl McCall defeated Andrew Cuomo at the Democratic State Convention, and Cuomo withdrew from the race less than a week before the Democratic primary.

Besides his standard Republican nomination, Pataki sought the nominations of the Conservative Party and the Independence Party. Golisano, who sought (and ultimately won) the nomination of the Independence Party, also ran against the Governor in the Conservative primary as a write-in candidate. Pataki secured the Conservative line.

Andrew Cuomo was nominated by the Liberal Party before his withdrawal from the race, and his withdrawal came too late for his name to be removed from the Liberal Party line.

Counties that flipped from Republican to Independence

Official campaign websites (archived)