1982 United States gubernatorial elections explained

Election Name:	1982 United States gubernatorial elections
Country:	United States
Type:	legislative
Ongoing:	No
Previous Election:	1981 United States gubernatorial elections
Previous Year:	1981
Next Election:	1983 United States gubernatorial elections
Next Year:	1983
Seats For Election:	38 governorships 36 states; 2 territories
Election Date:	November 2, 1982
1Blank:	Seats up
2Blank:	Seats won
Party1:	Democratic Party (United States)
Seats Before1:	27
Seats After1:	34
Seat Change1:	7
1Data1:	20
2Data1:	27
Party2:	Republican Party (United States)
Seats Before2:	23
Seats After2:	16
Seat Change2:	7
1Data2:	16
2Data2:	9
Map Size:	324px

United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 2, 1982, in 36 states and two territories. The Democratic party had a net gain of seven seats. This election coincided with the Senate and the House elections. As of, this remains the last election cycle in which a Republican won the governorship of Oregon.

Election results

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

States

State	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
Alabama	Fob James		1978		Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Democratic hold.	nowrap	George Wallace (Democratic) 57.6% Emory Folmar (Republican) 39.1% Leo Suiter (Alabama Conservative) 1.6% Henry Klingler (Libertarian) 0.7% John Jackson (Alabama Nat'l Democrat) 0.4% John Dyer (Prohibition) 0.4% Martin J. Boyers (Socialist Workers) 0.2%
Alaska	Jay Hammond		1974		Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	nowrap	Bill Sheffield (Democratic) 46.1% Tom Fink (Republican) 37.1% Dick Randolph (Libertarian) 14.9% Joe Vogler (Alaskan Ind.) 1.7%
Arizona	Bruce Babbitt		1978	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap	Bruce Babbitt (Democratic) 62.5% Leo Corbet (Republican) 32.5% Sam Steiger (Libertarian) 5.0%
Arkansas	Frank D. White		1980		Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	nowrap	Bill Clinton (Democratic) 54.7% Frank D. White (Republican) 45.3%
California	Jerry Brown		1974		Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Republican gain.	nowrap	George Deukmejian (R) 49.3% Tom Bradley (D) 48.1% Don P. Dougherty (L) 1.0% Elizabeth Martinez (PF) 0.9% James C. Griffin (AI) 0.7%
Colorado	Richard Lamm		1974	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap	Richard Lamm (Democratic) 65.7% John Fuhr (Republican) 31.2% Paul K. Grant (Libertarian) 2.0% Earl Dodge (Prohibition) 0.4% Alan Gummerson (Socialist Workers) 0.3%
Connecticut	William A. O'Neill		1980	Incumbent elected to full term.	nowrap	William A. O'Neill (Democratic) 53.7% Lewis B. Rome (Republican) 46.3%
Florida	Bob Graham		1978	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap	Bob Graham (Democratic) 64.7% Skip Bafalis (Republican) 35.3%
Georgia	George Busbee		1974		Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic hold.	nowrap	Joe Frank Harris (Democratic) 62.8% Robert H. Bell (Republican) 37.2%
Hawaii	George Ariyoshi		1974	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap	George Ariyoshi (Democratic) 45.2% Frank Fasi (Independent Democrat) 28.6% D. G. Anderson (Republican) 26.1%
Idaho	John Evans		1977	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap	John Evans (Democratic) 52.9% Phil Batt (Republican) 47.1%
Illinois	James R. Thompson		1976	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap	James R. Thompson (Republican) 49.44% Adlai Stevenson III (Democratic) 49.30% Bea Armstrong (Libertarian) 0.67% John E. Roche (U.S. Taxpayers) 0.60%
Iowa	Robert D. Ray		1968		Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Republican hold.	nowrap	Terry Branstad (Republican) 52.8% Roxanne Conlin (Democratic) 46.6% Marcia Farrington (Libertarian) 0.3% Jim Bittner (Socialist) 0.3%
Kansas	John W. Carlin		1976	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap	John W. Carlin (Democratic) 53.2% Sam Hardage (Republican) 44.5% James H. Ward (Libertarian) 1.0% Frank Shelton (American) 0.8% Warren C. Martin (Prohibition) 0.6%
Maine	Joseph E. Brennan		1978	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap	Joseph E. Brennan (Democratic) 61.9% Charles R. Cragin (Republican) 38.1% Venn Warren (Independent) 0.6% J. Martin "Marty" Vachon (Independent) 0.6%
Maryland	Harry Hughes		1978	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap	Harry Hughes (Democratic) 62.0% Robert A. Pascal (Republican) 38.0%
Massachusetts	Edward J. King		1978		Incumbent lost re-nomination. New governor elected. Democratic hold.	nowrap	Michael Dukakis (Democratic) 59.5% John W. Sears (Republican) 36.6% Frank Rich (Independent) 3.1% Rebecca Shipman (Libertarian) 0.9%
Michigan	William Milliken		1969		Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	nowrap	James Blanchard (Democratic) 51.4% Richard Headlee (Republican) 45.1% Robert Tisch (Tisch Ind. Citizens) 2.6% Dick Jacobs (Libertarian) 0.5% James Phillips (American Ind.) 0.2% Leslie E. Craine (Socialist Workers) 0.1% Martin P. McLaughlin (Workers League) 0.1%
Minnesota	Al Quie		1978		Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	nowrap	Rudy Perpich (Democratic) 58.6% Wheelock Whitney (Republican) 40.0% Kathy Wheeler (Socialist Workers) 0.6% Tom McDonald (Honest Government) 0.5% Franklin H. Haws (Libertarian) 0.4%
Nebraska	Charles Thone		1978		Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	nowrap	Bob Kerrey (Democratic) 50.7% Charles Thone (Republican) 49.3%
Nevada	Robert List		1978		Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	nowrap	Richard Bryan (Democratic) 53.4% Robert List (Republican) 41.8% None of These Candidates 2.9% Dan Becan (Libertarian) 1.9%
New Hampshire	Hugh Gallen		1978		Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Republican gain.	nowrap	John H. Sununu (Republican) 51.5% Hugh Gallen (Democratic) 46.8% Meldrim Thomson Jr. (Independent) 1.7%
New Mexico	Bruce King		1970 1974 1978		Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic hold.	nowrap	Toney Anaya (Democratic) 53.0% John B. Irick (Republican) 47.0%
New York	Hugh Carey		1974		Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Democratic hold.	nowrap	Mario Cuomo (Democratic) 50.9% Lewis Lehrman (Republican) 47.5% Robert J. Bohner (Right to Life) 1.0% John H. Northrup (Libertarian) 0.3% Jane Benedict (Unity) 0.1% Nancy Ross (New Alliance) 0.1% Diane Wang (Socialist Workers) 0.1%
Ohio	Jim Rhodes		1962 1970 1974		Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	nowrap	Dick Celeste (Democratic) 59.0% Bud Brown (Republican) 38.9% Phyllis Goetz (Libertarian) 1.2% Kurt O. Landefiled (Independent) 0.5% Erwin Reupert (Independent) 0.4%
Oklahoma	George Nigh		1978	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap	George Nigh (Democratic) 62.1% Tom Daxon (Republican) 37.6% Allah-U Akbar Allah-U Wahid (Independent) 0.3%
Oregon	Victor Atiyeh		1978	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap	Victor Atiyeh (Republican) 63.1% Ted Kulongoski (Democratic) 36.9%
Pennsylvania	Dick Thornburgh		1978	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap	Dick Thornburgh (Republican) 50.8% Allen E. Ertel (Democratic) 48.1% Mark Zola (Socialist Workers) 0.4% Lee Frissell (Consumer) 0.4% Richard D. Fuerle (Libertarian) 0.3%
Rhode Island	J. Joseph Garrahy		1976	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap	J. Joseph Garrahy (Democratic) 73.3% Vincent Marzullo (Republican) 23.6% Hilary R. Salk (Independent) 2.1% Peter Van Daam (Independent) 1.0%
South Carolina	Richard Riley		1978	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap	Richard Riley (Democratic) 69.8% W. D. Workman Jr. (Republican) 30.2%
South Dakota	Bill Janklow		1978	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap	Bill Janklow (Republican) 70.9% Michael J. O'Connor (Democratic) 29.1%
Tennessee	Lamar Alexander		1978	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap	Lamar Alexander (Republican) 59.6% Randy Tyree (Democratic) 40.4%
Texas	Bill Clements		1978		Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	nowrap	Mark White (Democratic) 53.2% Bill Clements (Republican) 45.9% David Hutzelman (Libertarian) 0.6% Bob Poteet (U.S. Taxpayers) 0.3%
Vermont	Richard A. Snelling		1976	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap	Richard A. Snelling (Republican) 55.0% Madeleine Kunin (Democratic) 44.0% Richard Gottlieb (Liberty Union) 0.5% John L. Buttolph III (Libertarian) 0.5%
Wisconsin	Lee S. Dreyfus		1978		Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	nowrap	Tony Earl (Democratic) 56.8% Terry Kohler (Republican) 42.0% Larry Smiley (Libertarian) 0.6% James Wickstrom (U.S. Taxpayers) 0.5% Peter Seidman (Socialist Workers) 0.2%
Wyoming	Edgar Herschler		1974	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap	Edgar Herschler (Democratic) 63.1% Warren A. Morton (Republican) 36.9%

Territories and federal district

Territory	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
District of Columbia	Marion Barry		1978	Incumbent re-elected.	nowrap	Marion Barry (Democratic) 81.0% E. Brooke Lee Jr. (Republican) 14.1% Dennis S. Sobin (Independent) 2.3% Glenn B. White (Socialist Workers) 1.3%
Guam	Paul M. Calvo		1978		Incumbent lost re-election.^[1] New governor elected. Democratic gain.	nowrap	Ricardo Bordallo (Democratic) 52.4% Paul McDonald Calvo (Republican) 47.6%
U.S. Virgin Islands	Juan Francisco Luis		1978	Incumbent re-elected.^[2]	nowrap	Juan Francisco Luis (Independent) 100%

See also

• 1982 United States elections
  • 1982 United States Senate elections
  • 1982 United States House of Representatives elections

Notes and References

1. Web site: Guam Governor Race - Nov 02, 1982 . Our Campaigns . July 3, 2015 .
2. Web site: USVI Governor Race - Nov 02, 1982 . Our Campaigns . January 19, 2006 .