| Election Name: | 1986 New Mexico gubernatorial election |
| Type: | presidential |
| Country: | New Mexico |
| Previous Election: | 1982 New Mexico gubernatorial election |
| Previous Year: | 1982 |
| Next Election: | 1990 New Mexico gubernatorial election |
| Next Year: | 1990 |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Election Date: | November 4, 1986 |
| Image1: | File:Garrey Carruthers (cropped).jpg |
| Nominee1: | Garrey Carruthers |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 209,455 |
| Percentage1: | 53.05% |
| Nominee2: | Ray Powell |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 185,378 |
| Percentage2: | 46.95% |
| Map Size: | 230px |
| Governor | |
| Before Election: | Toney Anaya |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Garrey Carruthers |
| After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
The 1986 New Mexico gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 1986, in order to elect the governor of New Mexico. Due to term limits, incumbent Democratic governor Toney Anaya was ineligible to seek a second term as governor. This was the last time until 2022, that the state elected a governor of the same party as the sitting president.
Ray Powell was unopposed in the Democratic primary.[1]
The Republican primary was won by former New Mexico Republican Party chair Garrey Carruthers, who defeated five other candidates.
| County | Garrey Carruthers Republican | Ray Powell Democratic | Margin | Total votes cast | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | |||||||||||||
| Bernalillo | 66,820 | 53.68% | 57,656 | 46.32% | 9,164 | 7.36% | 124,476 | ||||||||
| Catron | 814 | 63.89% | 460 | 36.11% | 354 | 27.79% | 1,274 | ||||||||
| Chaves | 10,788 | 63.80% | 6,121 | 36.20% | 4,667 | 27.60% | 16,909 | ||||||||
| Cibola | 2,491 | 48.46% | 2,649 | 51.54% | -158 | -3.07% | 5,140 | ||||||||
| Colfax | 1,997 | 46.17% | 2,328 | 53.83% | -331 | -7.65% | 4,325 | ||||||||
| Curry | 5,742 | 59.53% | 3,904 | 40.47% | 1,838 | 19.05% | 9,646 | ||||||||
| De Baca | 548 | 52.09% | 504 | 47.91% | 44 | 4.18% | 1,052 | ||||||||
| Doña Ana | 17,343 | 60.80% | 11,183 | 39.20% | 6,160 | 21.59% | 28,526 | ||||||||
| Eddy | 7,771 | 50.48% | 7,622 | 49.52% | 149 | 0.97% | 15,393 | ||||||||
| Grant | 3,605 | 46.11% | 4,214 | 53.89% | -609 | -7.79% | 7,819 | ||||||||
| Guadalupe | 791 | 43.44% | 1,030 | 56.56% | -239 | -13.12% | 1,821 | ||||||||
| Harding | 320 | 60.04% | 213 | 39.96% | 107 | 20.08% | 533 | ||||||||
| Hidalgo | 995 | 59.30% | 683 | 40.70% | 312 | 18.59% | 1,678 | ||||||||
| Lea | 8,813 | 65.64% | 4,613 | 34.36% | 4,200 | 31.28% | 13,426 | ||||||||
| Lincoln | 3,049 | 71.57% | 1,211 | 28.43% | 1,838 | 43.15% | 4,260 | ||||||||
| Los Alamos | 4,729 | 59.32% | 3,243 | 40.68% | 1,486 | 18.64% | 7,972 | ||||||||
| Luna | 3,122 | 58.60% | 2,206 | 41.40% | 916 | 17.19% | 5,328 | ||||||||
| McKinley | 4,514 | 39.56% | 6,897 | 60.44% | -2,383 | -20.88% | 11,411 | ||||||||
| Mora | 965 | 44.47% | 1,205 | 55.53% | -240 | -11.06% | 2,170 | ||||||||
| Otero | 6,728 | 60.94% | 4,313 | 39.06% | 2,415 | 21.87% | 11,041 | ||||||||
| Quay | 1,924 | 57.11% | 1,445 | 42.89% | 479 | 14.22% | 3,369 | ||||||||
| Rio Arriba | 3,197 | 33.77% | 6,269 | 66.23% | -3,072 | -32.45% | 9,466 | ||||||||
| Roosevelt | 2,702 | 59.90% | 1,809 | 40.10% | 893 | 19.80% | 4,511 | ||||||||
| San Juan | 13,184 | 61.24% | 8,345 | 38.76% | 4,839 | 22.48% | 21,529 | ||||||||
| San Miguel | 2,510 | 35.04% | 4,654 | 64.96% | -2,144 | -29.93% | 7,164 | ||||||||
| Sandoval | 6,521 | 48.50% | 6,924 | 51.50% | -403 | -3.00% | 13,445 | ||||||||
| Santa Fe | 10,800 | 39.51% | 16,537 | 60.49% | -5,737 | -20.99% | 27,337 | ||||||||
| Sierra | 2,463 | 67.17% | 1,204 | 32.83% | 1,259 | 34.33% | 3,667 | ||||||||
| Socorro | 2,545 | 51.21% | 2,425 | 48.79% | 120 | 2.41% | 4,970 | ||||||||
| Taos | 2,636 | 33.60% | 5,210 | 66.40% | -2,574 | -32.81% | 7,846 | ||||||||
| Torrance | 1,895 | 55.90% | 1,495 | 44.10% | 400 | 11.80% | 3,390 | ||||||||
| Union | 974 | 60.57% | 634 | 39.43% | 340 | 21.14% | 1,608 | ||||||||
| Valencia | 6,159 | 49.95% | 6,172 | 50.05% | -13 | -0.11% | 12,331 | ||||||||
| Total | 209,455 | 53.05% | 185,378 | 46.95% | 24,077 | 6.10% | 394,833 | ||||||||