1986 United States gubernatorial elections explained

Election Name:	1986 United States gubernatorial elections
Country:	United States
Type:	legislative
Ongoing:	No
Previous Election:	1985 United States gubernatorial elections
Previous Year:	1985
Next Election:	1987 United States gubernatorial elections
Next Year:	1987
Seats For Election:	38 governorships 36 states; 2 territories
Election Date:	November 4, 1986
1Blank:	Seats up
2Blank:	Seats won
Party1:	Democratic Party (United States)
Seats Before1:	34
Seats After1:	26
Seat Change1:	8
1Data1:	27
2Data1:	19
Party2:	Republican Party (United States)
Seats Before2:	16
Seats After2:	24
Seat Change2:	8
1Data2:	9
2Data2:	17
Map Size:	324px

United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 4, 1986, in 36 states and two territories. The Democrats had a net loss of eight seats during this election, which coincided with the Senate and the House elections. This was despite the Democratic trend on a federal level, making this the last midterm election until 2022 where the party of the incumbent president achieved a net gain of governorships.

Election results

A bolded state name features an article about the specific election.

States

State	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
Alabama	George Wallace		1962 1966 1970 1978 1982		Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Republican gain.	nowrap	H. Guy Hunt (Republican) 56.4% Bill Baxley (Democratic) 43.6%
Alaska	Bill Sheffield		1982		Incumbent lost re-nomination. New governor elected. Democratic hold.	nowrap	Steve Cowper (Democratic) 47.3% Arliss Sturgulewski (Republican) 42.6% Joe Vogler (Alaskan Ind.) 5.6% Wally Hickel (write-in) 2.8% Mary Jane O'Brannon (Libertarian) 0.6%
Arizona	Bruce Babbitt		1978		Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Republican gain.	nowrap	Evan Mecham (Republican) 39.7% Carolyn Warner (Democratic) 34.5% Bill Schulz (Independent) 25.8%
Arkansas	Bill Clinton		1978 1980 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap	Bill Clinton (Democratic) 63.9% Frank D. White (Republican) 36.1%
California	George Deukmejian		1982	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap	George Deukmejian (Republican) 60.2% Tom Bradley (Democratic) 37.2% Maria Elizabeth Muñoz (PF) 1.3% Joseph Fuhrig (Libertarian) 0.7%< Gary V. Miller (American Ind.) 0.7%
Colorado	Richard Lamm		1974		Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Democratic hold.	nowrap	Roy Romer (Democratic) 58.2% Ted Strickland (Republican) 41.0% Earl Dodge (Prohibition) 0.8%
Connecticut	William A. O'Neill		1980	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap	William A. O'Neill (Democratic) 58.5% Julie Belaga (Republican) 41.5%
Florida	Bob Graham		1978		Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Republican gain.	nowrap	Bob Martinez (Republican) 54.6% Steve Pajcic (Democratic) 45.4%
Georgia	Joe Frank Harris		1982	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap	Joe Frank Harris (Democratic) 70.5% Guy Davis (Republican) 29.5%
Hawaii	George Ariyoshi		1974		Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic hold.	nowrap	John D. Waiheʻe III (Democratic) 52.0% D. G. Anderson (Republican) 48.0%
Idaho	John Evans		1978		Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Democratic hold.	nowrap	Cecil Andrus (Democratic) 50.5% David H. Leroy (Republican) 49.5%
Illinois	James R. Thompson		1976	Incumbent re-elected	nowrap	James R. Thompson (Republican) 52.7% Adlai Stevenson III (Solidarity) 40.0% No candidate (Democratic) 6.6% Gary L. Shilts (Libertarian) 0.5%
Iowa	Terry Branstad		1982	Incumbent re-elected	nowrap	Terry Branstad (Republican) 51.9% Lowell Junkins (Democratic) 48.0%
Kansas	John W. Carlin		1978		Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Republican gain.	nowrap	Mike Hayden (Republican) 51.9% Thomas R. Docking (Democratic) 48.1%
Maine	Joseph E. Brennan		1978		Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Republican gain.	nowrap	John R. McKernan Jr. (Republican) 39.9% James Tierney (Democratic) 30.2% Sherry Huber (Independent) 15.1% John Menario (Independent) 14.9%
Maryland	Harry Hughes		1978		Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic hold.	nowrap	William Donald Schaefer (Democratic) 82.4% Thomas J. Mooney (Republican) 17.6%
Massachusetts	Michael Dukakis		1974 1978 1982	Incumbent re-elected	nowrap	Michael Dukakis (Democratic) 68.8% George Kariotis (Republican) 31.2%
Michigan	James Blanchard		1982	Incumbent re-elected	nowrap	James Blanchard (Democratic) 68.1% William Lucas (Republican) 31.5%
Minnesota	Rudy Perpich		1976 1978 1982	Incumbent re-elected	nowrap	Rudy Perpich (Democratic) 56.1% Cal Ludeman (Republican) 43.1%
Nebraska	Bob Kerrey		1982		Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Republican gain.	nowrap	Kay A. Orr (Republican) 52.9% Helen Boosalis (Democratic) 47.1%
Nevada	Richard Bryan		1982	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap	Richard Bryan (Democratic) 71.9% Patricia Dillon Cafferata (Republican) 25.0% None of These Candidates 2.1% Louis R. Tomburello (Libertarian) 1.0%
New Hampshire	John H. Sununu		1982	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap	John H. Sununu (Republican) 53.7% Paul McEachern (Democratic) 46.3%
New Mexico	Toney Anaya		1982		Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Republican gain.	nowrap	Garrey Carruthers (Republican) 53.0% Ray Powell (Democratic) 47.0%
New York	Mario Cuomo		1982	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap	Mario Cuomo (Democratic) 64.3% Andrew P. O'Rourke (Republican) 31.8% Denis Dillon (Right to Life) 3.1% Lenora Fulani (New Alliance) 0.6%
Ohio	Dick Celeste		1982	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap	Dick Celeste (Democratic) 60.6% Jim Rhodes (Republican) 39.4%
Oklahoma	George Nigh		1978		Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Republican gain.	nowrap	Henry Bellmon (Republican) 48.1% David Walters (Democratic) 45.2% Jerry Brown (Independent) 6.7%
Oregon	Victor Atiyeh		1978		Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	nowrap	Neil Goldschmidt (Democratic) 52.0% Norma Paulus (Republican) 48.0%
Pennsylvania	Dick Thornburgh		1978		Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	nowrap	Bob Casey Sr. (Democratic) 50.7% William Scranton III (Republican) 48.4% Heidi Hoover (Consumer) 1.0%
Rhode Island	Edward D. DiPrete		1984	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap	Edward D. DiPrete (Republican) 64.7% Bruce Sundlun (Democratic) 32.4% Robert Healey (Cool Moose) 1.9% Tony Affigne (Citizens) 1.1%
South Carolina	Richard Riley		1978		Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Republican gain.	nowrap	Carroll A. Campbell Jr. (Republican) 51.0% Michael R. Daniel (Democratic) 47.9% William H. Griffin (Libertarian) 0.6%
South Dakota	Bill Janklow		1978		Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Republican hold.	nowrap	George S. Mickelson (Republican) 51.8% Lars Herseth (Democratic) 48.2%
Tennessee	Lamar Alexander		1978		Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	nowrap	Ned McWherter (Democratic) 54.3% Winfield Dunn (Republican) 45.7%
Texas	Mark White		1982		Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Republican gain.	nowrap	Bill Clements (Republican) 52.7% Mark White (Democratic) 46.0% Theresa S. Doyle (Libertarian) 1.2%
Vermont	Madeleine Kunin		1982	Incumbent re-elected.^[1]	nowrap	Madeleine Kunin (Democratic) 47.0% Peter Plympton Smith (Republican) 38.3% Bernie Sanders (Independent) 14.5%
Wisconsin	Tony Earl		1982		Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Republican gain.	nowrap	Tommy Thompson (Republican) 52.7% Tony Earl (Democratic) 46.2% Kathryn Christenson (Labor and Farm) 0.7%
Wyoming	Edward Herschler		1974		Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Democratic hold.	nowrap	Mike Sullivan (Democratic) 54.0% Pete Simpson (Republican) 46.0%

Territories and federal district

Territory	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
District of Columbia	Marion Barry		1978	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap	Marion Barry (Democratic) 61.4% Carol Schwartz (Republican) 32.8% Brian Moore (Independent) 2.7% Josephine D. Butler (Statehood Green) 1.7%
Guam	Ricardo Bordallo		1982		Incumbent lost re-election.^[2] New governor elected. Republican gain.	nowrap	Joseph Franklin Ada (Republican) 53.8% Ricardo Bordallo (Democratic) 46.2%
U.S. Virgin Islands	Juan Francisco Luis		1978		Incumbent term-limited.^[3] New governor elected. Democratic gain.	nowrap	Alexander Farrelly (Democratic) 65.4% Adelbert Bryan (ICM) 34.6%

See also

• 1986 United States elections
  • 1986 United States Senate elections
  • 1986 United States House of Representatives elections

Notes and References

1. Web site: VT Governor Race - Nov 04, 1986 . Our Campaigns . 2022-03-18.
2. Web site: Guam Governor Race - Nov 04, 1986. Our Campaigns . January 19, 2006 .
3. Web site: USVI Governor Race - Nov 04, 1986 . Our Campaigns . January 19, 2006 .