2006 Arizona gubernatorial election explained

Election Name:	2006 Arizona gubernatorial election
Country:	Arizona
Type:	presidential
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	2002 Arizona gubernatorial election
Previous Year:	2002
Election Date:	November 7, 2006
Next Election:	2010 Arizona gubernatorial election
Next Year:	2010
Image1:	File:Portrait Napolitano hires crop.JPG
Nominee1:	Janet Napolitano
Party1:	Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:	959,830
Percentage1:	62.6%
Map Size:	210px
Governor
Before Election:	Janet Napolitano
Before Party:	Democratic Party (United States)
After Election:	Janet Napolitano
After Party:	Democratic Party (United States)
Nominee2:	Len Munsil
Party2:	Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:	543,528
Percentage2:	35.4%
Turnout:	60.47% 4.14pp ^[1]

The 2006 Arizona gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Governor Janet Napolitano was reelected in a landslide. Napolitano's widespread popularity contributed to her easy reelection; her general approval rating in October 2006, one month before the election, was at 58%.^[2]

This was the last time until 2022 that a Democrat was elected Governor of Arizona. It is also the last time that a Democrat swept every county in the state in a statewide election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Janet Napolitano, incumbent Governor of Arizona

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

• Don Goldwater, activist, former board member of the Goldwater Institute and nephew of Barry Goldwater
• Mike Harris, businessman
• Len Munsil, former president of the Center for Arizona Policy (CAP)
• Gary Tupper, contractor

Results

Libertarian primary

Candidates

• Barry Hess, currency speculator and perennial candidate

Results

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
align=left	The Cook Political Report^[3]		November 6, 2006
align=left	Sabato's Crystal Ball^[4]		November 6, 2006
align=left	Rothenberg Political Report^[5]		November 2, 2006
align=left	Real Clear Politics^[6]		November 6, 2006

Polling

width=150px	Source	width=150px	Date released	width=100px	Janet Napolitano (D)	width=100px	Len Munsil (R)
align=left	Survey USA	November 3, 2006		57%	38%
align=left	Rasmussen	October 19, 2006		58%	37%
align=left	Survey USA	October 17, 2006		56%	37%
align=left	Rasmussen	September 26, 2006		56%	38%
align=left	Survey USA	September 19, 2006		56%	40%
align=left	Zogby/WSJ	September 11, 2006		51.3%	41.1%
align=left	Rasmussen	August 31, 2006		52%	33%
align=left	Zogby/WSJ	August 28, 2006		51.7%	38.0%
align=left	Rasmussen	August 2, 2006		53%	35%
align=left	Zogby/WSJ	July 24, 2006		49.6%	38.7%
align=left	Zogby/WSJ	June 21, 2006		48.7%	32.8%
align=left	Rasmussen	June 12, 2006		58%	29%
align=left	Rasmussen	April 30, 2006		55%	28%

Results by county

County	Janet Napolitano Democratic		Len Munsil Republican		Barry Hess Libertarian		All Others Write-in		Margin		Total votes cast
		%		%		%		%		%
	Apache		14,475		77.02%		3,627		19.30%		692		3.68%		1		0.01%		10,848		57.72%		18,795
	Cochise		21,416		58.87%		14,038		38.59%		922		2.53%		1		0.00%		7,378		20.28%		36,377
	Coconino		28,551		74.54%		8,879		23.18%		872		2.28%		2		0.01%		19,672		51.36%		38,304
	Gila		10,586		63.21%		5,803		34.65%		358		2.14%		0		0.00%		4,783		28.56%		16,747
	Graham		4,348		55.64%		3,306		42.30%		161		2.06%		0		0.00%		1,042		13.33%		7,815
	Greenlee		1,486		69.70%		588		27.58%		58		2.72%		0		0.00%		898		42.12%		2,132
	La Paz		2,353		61.39%		1,342		35.01%		138		3.60%		0		0.00%		1,011		26.38%		3,833
	Maricopa		538,383		60.64%		332,570		37.46%		16,888		1.90%		12		0.00%		205,813		23.18%		887,853
	Mohave		25,400		55.08%		19,588		42.47%		1,129		2.45%		1		0.00%		5,812		12.60%		46,118
	Navajo		17,368		64.97%		8,708		32.57%		658		2.46%		0		0.00%		8,660		32.39%		26,734
	Pima		195,305		69.22%		82,052		29.08%		4,794		1.70%		0		0.00%		113,253		40.14%		282,151
	Pinal		35,428		61.87%		20,716		36.18%		1,116		1.95%		1		0.00%		14,712		25.69%		57,261
	Santa Cruz		6,482		78.32%		1,634		19.74%		160		1.93%		0		0.00%		4,848		58.58%		8,276
	Yavapai		40,848		56.23%		30,203		41.58%		1,587		2.18%		1		0.00%		10,645		14.65%		72,639
	Yuma		17,401		60.82%		10,474		36.61%		735		2.57%		0		0.00%		6,927		24.21%		28,610
Totals	959,830	62.58%	543,528	35.44%	30,268	1.97%	19	0.00%	416,302	27.14%	1,533,645

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

• Cochise (Largest city: Seirra Vista)
• Graham (Largest city: Safford)
• La Paz (Largest city: Parker)
• Maricopa (Largest city: Phoenix)
• Mohave (Largest city: Lake Havasu City)
• Yavapai (Largest city: Prescott Valley)
• Yuma (Largest city: Yuma)

See also

• 2006 United States gubernatorial elections
• Governors of Arizona

External links

Official campaign websites (Archived)

• Janet Napolitano
• Len Munsil
• Barry Hess

Notes and References

1. Web site: Voter Registration Statistics | Arizona Secretary of State. 7 May 2023.
2. Web site: SurveyUSA America's Neighborhood Pollster.
3. Web site: 2006 Governor Race Ratings for November 6, 2006. The Cook Political Report. October 1, 2006. June 5, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080605094803/https://cookpolitical.com/races/report_pdfs/2006_gov_ratings_nov6.pdf. dead.
4. Web site: Election Eve 2006: THE FINAL PREDICTIONS . Sabato's Crystal Ball . June 25, 2021.
5. Web site: 2006 Gubernatorial Ratings . Senate Ratings . The Rothenberg Political Report . June 25, 2021.
6. Web site: Election 2006 . Real Clear Politics . June 25, 2021.