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 A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and the

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

elections. As of , this remains the last election cycle in which a Republican won the governorship of

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

Election results

States

Territories and federal district

Close states

States where the margin of victory was under 1%: # Illinois, 0.14% States where the margin of victory was under 5%: # California, 1.2% # Nebraska, 1.4% # New York, 2.4% # Pennsylvania, 2.7% # New Hampshire, 4.7% # Guam, 4.8% States where the margin of victory was under 10%: # Idaho, 5.8% # New Mexico, 6.0% # Iowa, 6.2% # Michigan, 6.3% # Texas, 7.3% # Connecticut, 7.4% # Kansas, 8.7% # Alaska, 9.0% # Arkansas, 9.4%

Alabama

The 1982 Alabama gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982, to elect the

governor of Alabama A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

. Incumbent Democrat

Fob James Forrest Hood "Fob" James Jr. (born September 15, 1934) is an American politician, civil engineer, entrepreneur, and former football player. He served as the 48th governor of Alabama, first as a Democrat from 1979–1983, and then as a Republ ...

declined to run for re-election; he later successfully ran again in 1994 as a Republican. The open seat election saw former Democratic governor

George Wallace George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who was the 45th and longest-serving governor of Alabama (1963–1967; 1971–1979; 1983–1987), and the List of longest-serving governors of U.S. s ...

, who narrowly won the Democratic

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Work ...

, defeat Republican

Emory Folmar Emory McCord Folmar (June 3, 1930 – November 11, 2011) was an American politician who served as the mayor of Montgomery, Alabama, from 1977 to 1999. Although the mayor's office is nonpartisan, Folmar was known to be a Republican. Backgr ...

, the

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...

Alaska

The 1982 Alaska gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 1982, for the post of

Governor of Alaska A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

. To replace outgoing Republican governor

Jay Hammond Jay Sterner Hammond (July 21, 1922 – August 2, 2005) was an American politician of the Republican Party, who served as the fourth governor of Alaska from 1974 to 1982. Hammond was born in Troy, New York and served as a Marine Corps fighter pi ...

, Democratic nominee

Bill Sheffield William Jennings Sheffield Jr. (June 26, 1928 – November 4, 2022) was an American Democratic politician who was the fifth governor of Alaska from 1982 to 1986. Sheffield's term in the governor's mansion was marked by controversy including att ...

defeated three opponents: Republican nominee Tom Fink,

Libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...

nominee

Dick Randolph Richard L. Randolph (born April 10, 1936) is a longtime insurance agency owner in Fairbanks, Alaska who is best known as the first person to be elected to partisan office under the banner of the Libertarian Party with his election to the Alaska ...

and

Alaskan Independence Party The Alaskan Independence Party (AIP) is an Alaskan nationalist political party in the United States that advocates for an in-state referendum which would include the option of Alaska becoming an independent country. The party also supports gun r ...

nominee

Joe Vogler Joseph E. Vogler (April 24, 1913 – ) was an American politician and the founder of the Alaskan Independence Party. He was also chair or gubernatorial nominee during most of the party's existence. Originally known in his adopted hometown of Fa ...

. Hammond had endorsed his

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, Terry Miller, who lost the Republican nomination to Fink in the

primary election Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pr ...

, as did

Don Wright Donald Wright (1907–1985) was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of California, 1970–1977. Donald or Don Wright may also refer to: * Donald O. Wright (1892–1985), Minnesota Lieutenant Governor, 1953–1955 * Donald Wright (schoolmaster) (1 ...

. Sheffield defeated

Steve Cowper Stephen Cambreleng Cowper (born August 21, 1938) is an American Democratic politician who was the sixth governor of Alaska from 1986 to 1990. He was governor during the 1989 ''Exxon Valdez'' oil spill. Cowper is the CEO of Steve Cowper & Asso ...

and former Lieutenant Governor H. A. Boucher for the Democratic nomination.

Arizona

The 1982 Arizona gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 1982, for the post of

Governor of Arizona A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

. Democratic incumbent

Bruce Babbitt Bruce Edward Babbitt (born June 27, 1938) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 47th United States secretary of the interior from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as the List of governors of Arizo ...

defeated Republican nominee

Leo Corbet Leo Frank Corbet Jr. (November 16, 1936 – December 22, 2019) was an American lawyer and politician who served in the Arizona legislature, mostly during the 1970s and 1980s. Biography Corbet was born in Lordsburg, New Mexico, and graduated from ...

and

candidate and former

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

Sam Steiger Samuel Steiger (March 10, 1929September 26, 2012) was an American politician, journalist, political pundit. He served five terms as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, two terms in the Arizona State Senate, and one term as mayor of Pr ...

Evan Mecham Evan Mecham ( ; May 12, 1924 – February 21, 2008) was an American businessman and the List of governors of Arizona, 17th governor of Arizona, serving from January 5, 1987, until his Impeachment by state and territorial governments of the United ...

unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination. This was the last time until

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

that a Democrat was elected governor of Arizona, and the last time a male Democrat was elected governor.

Arkansas

The 1982 Arkansas gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982. Former Democratic governor

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

regained the position after having narrowly been defeated by Republican candidate

Frank D. White Frank Durward White (born Durward Frank Kyle Jr.; June 4, 1933 – May 21, 2003) was an American banker and politician who served as the 41st governor of Arkansas. He served a single two-year term from 1981 to 1983. Early years, family, an ...

at the previous election. Clinton held the position from January 1983 until he resigned after being elected president in 1992. As of , this is the last time that an incumbent governor of Arkansas lost re-election.

California

The 1982 California gubernatorial election occurred on November 2, 1982. The Republican nominee,

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

George Deukmejian Courken George Deukmejian Jr. ( ; June 6, 1928May 8, 2018) was an American politician who served as the 35th governor of California from 1983 to 1991. A member of the Republican Party, he was the state's first governor of Armenian descent. B ...

, narrowly defeated the Democratic nominee,

Los Angeles Mayor The mayor of Los Angeles is the head of the executive branch of the government of Los Angeles and the chief executive of Los Angeles. The office is officially nonpartisan, a change made in the 1909 charter; previously, both the elections and t ...

Tom Bradley. Incumbent

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Jerry Brown Edmund Gerald Brown Jr. (born April 7, 1938) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 34th and 39th governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic P ...

did not seek reelection to a third consecutive term; he later successfully ran again in

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

and

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

Colorado

The 1982 Colorado gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982. Incumbent

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

Richard Lamm Richard Douglas Lamm (August 3, 1935 – July 29, 2021) was an American politician, writer, and attorney. He served three terms as the 38th Governor of Colorado as a Democrat (1975–1987) and ran for the Reform Party's nomination for Pre ...

defeated Republican nominee John Fuhr with 65.69% of the vote.

Connecticut

The 1982 Connecticut gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 1982. Incumbent Democratic governor Bill O'Neill had assumed the governor's office in 1980 after

Ella Grasso Ella Rosa Giovianna Oliva Grasso (née Tambussi; May 10, 1919 – February 5, 1981) was an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as the 83rd governor of Connecticut from January 8, 1975, to December 31, 1980, after r ...

resigned due to poor health. Grasso died just weeks later on February 5, 1981. Governor O'Neill defeated former Connecticut state senator Lewis Rome for his first full term in the governor's office.

Florida

The 1982 Florida gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982. Incumbent Democratic governor

Bob Graham Daniel Robert Graham (November 9, 1936 – April 16, 2024) was an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 38th List of governors of Florida, governor of Florida from 1979 to 1987 and a United States Senate, United States senat ...

was re-elected in a landslide, defeating Republican nominee

Skip Bafalis Louis Arthur "Skip" Bafalis (September 28, 1929 – March 10, 2023) was an American businessman and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Florida's 10th congressional district from 1973 to 1983. A member of the Republican Party, ...

with 64.70% of the vote.

Georgia

The 1982 Georgia gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982.

Joe Frank Harris Joseph Franklin Harris (born February 16, 1936) is an American businessman and Democratic politician who served as the 78th governor of Georgia from 1983 to 1991. Early life and career Harris was born in the Atco Mill Village of Cartersville ...

was elected as the 78th Governor of Georgia.

Hawaii

The 1982 Hawaii gubernatorial election was

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

's seventh gubernatorial election. The election was held on November 2, 1982, and resulted in a victory for the Democratic candidate,

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

George Ariyoshi George Ryoichi Ariyoshi (, born March 12, 1926) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the third governor of Hawaii from 1974 to 1986. A Democrat, he is Hawaii's longest-serving governor and the first American of Asian descent to ...

, over

Frank Fasi Frank Francis Fasi (August 27, 1920 – February 3, 2010) was an American politician who was the longest-serving Mayor of Honolulu, Hawaii, serving for 22 years. He also served as a Hawaii State Senate, territorial senator and member of the Ho ...

, running as an

Independent Democrat In U.S. politics, an independent Democrat is an individual who loosely identifies with the ideals of the Democratic Party but chooses not to be a formal member of the party (chooses to be an independent) or is denied the Democratic nomination in ...

, and the Republican candidate,

state senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...

D. G. Anderson. Ariyoshi received more votes than any other candidate in every county in the state.

Idaho

The 1982 Idaho gubernatorial election was held on November 2. Incumbent

John V. Evans narrowly defeated Republican nominee Phil Batt with 50.64% of the vote, the fourth of

six 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics A six-sided polygon is a hexagon, one of the three regular polygons capable of tiling the plane. A hexagon a ...

consecutive wins for the Democratic party.

Illinois

The 1982 Illinois gubernatorial election was held in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

on November 2, 1982. Incumbent Republican

James R. Thompson won a third term in office, defeating the Democratic nominee, former United States Senator

Adlai Stevenson III Adlai Ewing Stevenson III (October 10, 1930 – September 6, 2021) was an American attorney and politician from Illinois. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a member of the United States Senate from 1970 to 1981. A member of the prom ...

, by a slim margin of 5,074 votes.

Iowa

The 1982 Iowa gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982. Republican nominee

Terry Branstad Terry Edward Branstad (born November 17, 1946) is a retired American politician who served as the 39th and 42nd governor of Iowa (1983–1999; 2011–2017) and the United States ambassador to China (2017–2020). A member of the Repu ...

defeated Democratic nominee

Roxanne Conlin Roxanne Barton Conlin (born June 30, 1944) is an American lawyer who served as United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa from 1977 to 1981. A Democrat, she was the party's nominee for Governor of Iowa in 1982 and for United States ...

with 52.81% of the vote.

Kansas

The 1982 Kansas gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982. Incumbent

John W. Carlin John William Carlin (born August 3, 1940) is an American educator and politician who served as the 40th governor of Kansas from 1979 to 1987, and the archivist of the United States from May 30, 1995, to February 15, 2005. He is a member of the ...

defeated Republican nominee Sam Hardage with 53.2% of the vote.

Maine

The 1982 Maine gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 1982. Incumbent Democratic

Joseph Brennan defeated Republican challenger Charles R. Cragin. Brennan defeated Cragin, winning his re-election by the highest percent margin in more than thirty years.

Maryland

The 1982 Maryland gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982. Incumbent

Harry Hughes Harry Roe Hughes (November 13, 1926 – March 13, 2019) was an American politician from the Democratic Party who served as the 57th Governor of Maryland from 1979 to 1987. Early life and family Hughes was born in Easton, Maryland, the ...

defeated Republican nominee

Robert A. Pascal Robert A. Pascal (July 20, 1934 – March 12, 2021) was an American Republican politician, collegiate football player, professional Canadian football player and a propane entrepreneur who served as County Executive of Anne Arundel County, Mar ...

with 61.97% of the vote.

Massachusetts

The 1982 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982.

Michael Dukakis Michael Stanley Dukakis ( ; born November 3, 1933) is an American politician and lawyer who served as governor of Massachusetts from 1975 to 1979 and from 1983 to 1991. He is the longest-serving governor in Massachusetts history and only the s ...

was elected to a second non-consecutive term. He beat Republican John W. Sears in the general election, after defeating incumbent Governor Edward J. King in the Democratic primary.

Michigan

The 1982 Michigan gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982. Incumbent Governor

William Milliken William Grawn Milliken (March 26, 1922 – October 18, 2019) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 44th governor of Michigan from 1969 to 1983. A member of the Republican Party, he assumed the governorship following the r ...

decided to retire instead of seeking a fourth full term as governor. The primary elections occurred on August 10, 1982. Businessman

Richard Headlee Richard Harold Headlee (May 16, 1930 – November 9, 2004) was an American businessman and politician from Michigan. He was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for Governor of Michigan in the 1982 election. He was also known as the author of th ...

narrowly defeated incumbent lieutenant governor James Brickley in a four way race on the Republican side. Congressman

James Blanchard James Johnston Blanchard (born August 8, 1942) is an American attorney, diplomat, and politician who served as the 45th governor of Michigan from 1983 to 1991. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Blanchard previo ...

defeated Michigan Senate Majority Leader William B. Fitzgerald Jr. by a wide margin a fractured seven way race. Blanchard won the general election by a relatively comfortable 6.31% margin. Blanchard became the first Democrat to win the governor’s mansion in Michigan in 22 years.

Minnesota

The 1982 Minnesota gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 1982.

Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) is a political party in the U.S. state of Minnesota affiliated with the national Democratic Party. The party was formed by a merger between the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Minneso ...

candidate

Rudy Perpich Rudolph George Perpich Sr. (born Rudolph George Prpić; June 27, 1928 September 21, 1995) was an American politician who served as the governor of Minnesota from 1976 to 1979 and again from 1983 to 1991. A member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor ...

defeated

Independent-Republican Party The Republican Party of Minnesota is the state affiliate of the Republican Party in Minnesota and the oldest active political party in the state. Founded in 1855, the party is headquartered in Edina, and the current chairman is Alex Plechash. S ...

challenger Wheelock Whitney, Jr. Warren Spannaus unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic nomination, while Lou Wangberg and

Harold Stassen Harold Edward Stassen (April 13, 1907 – March 4, 2001) was an American Republican Party (United States), Republican Party politician, military officer, and attorney who was the List of governors of Minnesota, 25th governor of Minnesota from 193 ...

unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination. Perpich became the first candidate to receive over a million votes in a gubernatorial election in Minnesota.

Nebraska

The 1982 Nebraska gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982, and featured businessman

Bob Kerrey Joseph Robert Kerrey (born August 27, 1943) is an American politician who served as the 35th governor of Nebraska from 1983 to 1987 and as a United States Senator from Nebraska from 1989 to 2001. Before entering politics, he served in the Vietn ...

, a

, narrowly defeating incumbent Republican governor

Charles Thone Charles Thone (January 4, 1924 – March 7, 2018) was an American Republican Party (United States), Republican politician. He was the List of governors of Nebraska, 34th Governor of Nebraska, serving from 1979 to 1983. He previously served as a ...

Nevada

The 1982 Nevada gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 1982 to elect the

Governor of Nevada A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

. Incumbent Republican

Robert List Robert Frank List (born September 1, 1936) is an American attorney and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 24th Governor of Nevada from 1979 to 1983, as Nevada Attorney General from 1971 to 1979, and as Carson City D ...

ran unsuccessfully for re-election to a second term. He lost to Democratic nominee

Richard Bryan Richard Hudson Bryan (born July 16, 1937) is an American retired politician and attorney who served as the 25th Governor of Nevada from 1983 to 1989 and as a United States Senator representing Nevada from 1989 until 2001. A Democrat, Bryan pr ...

by 11.7%.

New Hampshire

The 1982 New Hampshire gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1982. Incumbent Democratic governor

Hugh Gallen Hugh Joseph Gallen (July 30, 1924 – December 29, 1982) was an American automobile dealer and Democratic politician from Littleton, New Hampshire. After serving in the New Hampshire House of Representatives, he served as the 74th governor of Ne ...

ran for re-election but was defeated by

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, with additional facilities in Boston and Grafton, as well as Talloires, France. Tufts also has several Doctor of Physical Therapy p ...

professor John Sununu. Sununu, who defeated

Lou D'Allesandro Lou D'Allesandro (born July 30, 1938) is a former Democratic member of the New Hampshire Senate, representing the 20th district from 1998 - 2024. D'Allesandro served as chair of Senate Finance and vice chair of the Ways & Means and Capital B ...

for the Republican nomination, became the first Arab-American governor of New Hampshire. Gallen died just over a week before Sununu's inauguration.

New Mexico

The 1982 New Mexico gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 1982 to elect the

governor of New Mexico The governor of New Mexico () is the head of government of New Mexico. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New Mexico's state government and the commander-in-chief of the New Mexico National Guard. As noted in the govern ...

. Due to

term limits A term limit is a legal restriction on the number of Term of office, terms a Incumbent, person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in Presidential system, presidential and Semi-presidential republic, semi-president ...

, incumbent Democrat

Bruce King Bruce King (April 6, 1924 – November 13, 2009) was an American businessman and politician who for three non-consecutive four-year terms was the governor of New Mexico. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the longest-serving governor in N ...

was ineligible to seek a second consecutive (and third overall) term as governor. Democrat

Toney Anaya Toney Anaya (born April 29, 1941) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 26th governor of New Mexico from 1983 to 1987. Early life and career Anaya was born on in Moriarty, New Mexico. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree fro ...

defeated Republican state senator John B. Irick by about five points. Anaya was the first Democrat to carry Harding County in a gubernatorial election since Thomas J. Mabry in

1946 1946 (Roman numerals, MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1946th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 946th year of the 2nd millennium, the 46th year of the 20th centur ...

New York

The 1982 New York gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982, to elect the

and

Lieutenant Governor of New York The lieutenant governor of New York is a Constitution of New York, constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of the State of New York. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governo ...

. Incumbent Democratic Governor

Hugh Carey Hugh Leo Carey (April 11, 1919 – August 7, 2011) was an American politician and attorney of the Democratic Party who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1961 to 1974 and as the 51st governor of New York from 1975 to 1982. Early ...

chose not to run for a third term, which resulted in an open race. Democratic nominee

Mario Cuomo Mario Matthew Cuomo ( , ; June 15, 1932 – January 1, 2015) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 52nd governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1994. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ...

, the Lieutenant Governor of New York, narrowly defeated Republican

Lewis Lehrman Lewis E. "Lew" Lehrman (born 15 August 1938) is an American investment banker, businessman, politician, economist, and historian who advocates for studying American history using source documents. He received the National Humanities Medal in 200 ...

, a banker who ran as a conservative.

Ohio

The 1982 Ohio gubernatorial election was held in

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

on November 2, 1982.

Dick Celeste Richard Frank Celeste (born November 11, 1937) is an American former diplomat, university administrator and politician from Ohio. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 64th governor of Ohio from 1983 to 1991 and remains the last Dem ...

of the Democratic Party was elected with 59% of the vote.

Oklahoma

The 1982 Oklahoma gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982, and was a race for

Governor of Oklahoma The governor of Oklahoma is the head of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor serves as the head of the Oklahoma Executive (government), executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma. The gover ...

George Nigh George Patterson Nigh (born June 9, 1927) is an American politician and civic leader from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Nigh served as the 17th and the 22nd governor of Oklahoma and as the eighth and tenth lieutenant governor of Oklahoma. He was t ...

won re-election by a substantial majority over the Republican, former State Auditor and Inspector

Tom Daxon Thomas E. Daxon (December 19, 1947 – November 2, 2022) was an American businessman and politician from Oklahoma. Daxon had held numerous positions with the government of Oklahoma, Oklahoma state government, including being elected Oklahoma Sta ...

Oregon

The 1982 Oregon gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 1982. Incumbent Republican Governor

Victor Atiyeh Victor George Atiyeh (; February 20, 1923 – July 20, 2014) was an American politician who served as the 32nd governor of Oregon from 1979 to 1987. He was also the first elected governor of Middle Eastern descent and of Syrian descent in the U ...

won re-election to a second term in a landslide, defeating Democratic state senator

Ted Kulongoski Theodore Ralph Kulongoski ( ; born November 5, 1940) is an American politician, judge, and lawyer who served as the List of Governors of Oregon, 36th governor of Oregon from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrati ...

and carrying every county in the state.

Pennsylvania

The 1982 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982, between incumbent Republican

Dick Thornburgh Richard Lewis Thornburgh (July 16, 1932 – December 31, 2020) was an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 76th United States attorney general from 1988 to 1991 under presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. A ...

and Democratic

U.S. Congressman The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

Allen E. Ertel. Thornburgh was a popular incumbent, who largely was the favorite throughout the race. However, owing to a nationwide recession which hit the state particularly hard, and a backlash to

Reaganomics Reaganomics (; a portmanteau of ''Reagan'' and ''economics'' attributed to Paul Harvey), or Reaganism, were the Neoliberalism, neoliberal economics, economic policies promoted by United States President, U.S. President Ronald Reagan during the ...

, the final result ended up becoming much closer than what was initially anticipated.

Rhode Island

The 1982 Rhode Island gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982. Incumbent

J. Joseph Garrahy defeated Republican nominee Vincent Marzullo with 73.30% of the vote.

South Carolina

The 1982 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982 to select the

of the state of

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. The state constitution was amended by the voters on November 4, 1980 to allow for the governor to serve a second consecutive four-year term. Governor

Richard Riley Richard Wilson Riley (born January 2, 1933) is an American politician who served as the sixth United States secretary of education from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton and as the 111th governor of South Carolina from 1979 to 1987. He ...

, the popular Democratic incumbent, easily defeated Republican W. D. Workman, Jr. and became the first governor since

Thomas Gordon McLeod Thomas Gordon McLeod (December 17, 1868December 11, 1932) was an American attorney and the 95th Governor of South Carolina from 1923 to 1927. Biography Born in Lynchburg, South Carolina to William J. McLeod, a former captain in the Confederat ...

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20–January 30, 30 – Kuomintang in Ch ...

to be elected to a second consecutive term.

South Dakota

The 1982 South Dakota gubernatorial elections were held on November 2, 1982, to elect a

Governor of South Dakota The governor of South Dakota is the head of government of South Dakota. The governor is elected to a four-year term in even years when there is no presidential election. The current governor is Larry Rhoden, a member of the Republican Party ...

. Republican candidate

Bill Janklow William John Janklow (September 13, 1939January 12, 2012) was an American lawyer and politician and member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party who holds the record for the longest tenure as the governor of South Dakota: sixt ...

was elected, defeating Democratic nominee Mike O'Connor to take a second term in office.

Tennessee

The 1982 Tennessee gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982, to elect the

governor of Tennessee The governor of Tennessee is the head of government of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Tennessee Military Department, military forces. The governor is the only official in the Government of Tenne ...

. Incumbent Republican governor

Lamar Alexander Andrew Lamar Alexander Jr. (born July 3, 1940) is an American politician and attorney who served as a United States senator from Tennessee from 2003 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he also was the 45th governor of Tennessee from 1 ...

was now qualified to run for re-election because of Tennessee's 1978 constitutional amendment allowing governors to serve a second consecutive four-year term.Phillip Langsdon, ''Tennessee: A Political History'' (Franklin, Tenn.: Hillsboro Press, 2000), pp. 370–381, 370–393. Alexander ran for re-election and defeated Democratic nominee

Randy Tyree Randell "Randy" Tyree (born 1940) is a Tennessee politician who served as mayor of Knoxville from 1976 to 1983 and was the Democratic candidate for Governor in 1982. Biography Tyree was born in Carthage, Tennessee, in 1940. He received a bachel ...

with 59.6% of the vote in the general election. Alexander was the first Republican to be re-elected governor since

1912 This year is notable for Sinking of the Titanic, the sinking of the ''Titanic'', which occurred on April 15. In Albania, this leap year runs with only 353 days as the country achieved switching from the Julian to Gregorian Calendar by skippin ...

Texas

The 1982 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982, to elect the

governor of Texas The governor of Texas is the head of state of the U.S. state of Texas. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the government of Texas and is the commander-in-chief of the Texas Military Forces. Established in the Constit ...

. Incumbent Republican governor

Bill Clements William Perry Clements Jr. (April 13, 1917 – May 29, 2011) was an American businessman and Republican Party politician who served two nonconsecutive terms as the governor of Texas between 1979 and 1991. His terms bookended the sole ...

ran for reelection, but was defeated in the general election by

Mark White, winning 46% of the vote to White's 53%. White was sworn into office on January 18, 1983.

Vermont

The 1982 Vermont gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 1982. Incumbent Republican

Richard A. Snelling Richard Arkwright Snelling (February 18, 1927August 13, 1991) was an American businessman, politician, and the 76th and 78th governor of Vermont from 1977 to 1985 and from January 10, 1991, until his death. A native of Allentown, Pennsylvania, ...

ran successfully for a fourth term as

Governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of the U.S. state of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of two years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold guberna ...

, defeating Democratic candidate

Madeleine Kunin Madeleine Kunin (née May; born September 28, 1933) is a Swiss-born American diplomat, author and politician. She served as the 77th governor of Vermont from 1985 until 1991, as a member of the Democratic Party. She also served as United Stat ...

Wisconsin

The 1982 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982.

Anthony S. Earl won the election with 56.75% of the vote, defeating Republican Terry J. Kohler.

Wyoming

The 1982 Wyoming gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 1982. Incumbent Democratic Governor

Edgar Herschler Edgar Jacob Herschler (October 27, 1918 – February 5, 1990) was an American politician and attorney who served as the 28th governor of Wyoming from 1975 to 1987. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the longest-serving governor of Wyoming, ...

ran for re-election to a third term. He faced former State House Speaker Warren A. Morton in the general election after several prominent Republicans, including then-Congressman

Dick Cheney Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American former politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He has been called vice presidency o ...

, declined to challenge him. However, Herschler remained personally popular and the national political environment favored Democrats, and he had little difficulty defeating Morton to win a third term. In doing so, Herschler became the first (and, with the subsequent adoption of gubernatorial term limits, likely the last) Governor of Wyoming to win three terms in office.

Territories and federal district

District of Columbia

On November 2, 1982, the

District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

held an election for its mayor. It resulted in the reelection of incumbent Democratic mayor

Marion Barry Marion Shepilov Barry (born Marion Barry Jr.; March 6, 1936 – November 23, 2014) was an American politician who served as mayor of the District of Columbia from 1979 to 1991 and 1995 to 1999. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, Barr ...

Election results

States

Territories and federal district

Close states

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Iowa

Kansas

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Mexico

New York

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Vermont

Wisconsin

Wyoming

Territories and federal district

District of Columbia

Guam

U.S. Virgin Islands

See also

Notes

References