1982 United States gubernatorial elections

1982 United States gubernatorial elections
38 governorships ; 36 states; 2 territories
	Republican hold Republican gain Democratic hold Democratic gain

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 2024, 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	Democratic	1978	Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Democratic hold.	Y 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	Republican	1974	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y Bill Sheffield (Democratic) 46.1% Tom Fink (Republican) 37.1% Dick Randolph (Libertarian) 14.9% Joe Vogler (Alaskan Ind.) 1.7%
Arizona	Bruce Babbitt	Democratic	1978^[a]	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Bruce Babbitt (Democratic) 62.5% Leo Corbet (Republican) 32.5% Sam Steiger (Libertarian) 5.0%
Arkansas	Frank D. White	Republican	1980	Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y Bill Clinton (Democratic) 54.7% Frank D. White (Republican) 45.3%
California	Jerry Brown	Democratic	1974	Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Republican gain.	Y 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	Democratic	1974	Incumbent re-elected.	Y 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	Democratic	1980^[b]	Incumbent elected to full term.	Y William A. O'Neill (Democratic) 53.7% Lewis B. Rome (Republican) 46.3%
Florida	Bob Graham	Democratic	1978	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Bob Graham (Democratic) 64.7% Skip Bafalis (Republican) 35.3%
Georgia	George Busbee	Democratic	1974	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic hold.	Y Joe Frank Harris (Democratic) 62.8% Robert H. Bell (Republican) 37.2%
Hawaii	George Ariyoshi	Democratic	1974	Incumbent re-elected.	Y George Ariyoshi (Democratic) 45.2% Frank Fasi (Independent Democrat) 28.6% D. G. Anderson (Republican) 26.1%
Idaho	John Evans	Democratic	1977^[c]	Incumbent re-elected.	Y John Evans (Democratic) 52.9% Phil Batt (Republican) 47.1%
Illinois	James R. Thompson	Republican	1976	Incumbent re-elected.	Y 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	Republican	1968	Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Republican hold.	Y Terry Branstad (Republican) 52.8% Roxanne Conlin (Democratic) 46.6% Marcia Farrington (Libertarian) 0.3% Jim Bittner (Socialist) 0.3%
Kansas	John W. Carlin	Democratic	1976	Incumbent re-elected.	Y 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	Democratic	1978	Incumbent re-elected.	Y 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	Democratic	1978	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Harry Hughes (Democratic) 62.0% Robert A. Pascal (Republican) 38.0%
Massachusetts	Edward J. King	Democratic	1978	Incumbent lost re-nomination. New governor elected. Democratic hold.	Y Michael Dukakis (Democratic) 59.5% John W. Sears (Republican) 36.6% Frank Rich (Independent) 3.1% Rebecca Shipman (Libertarian) 0.9%
Michigan	William Milliken	Republican	1969^[d]	Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y 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	Republican	1978	Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y 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	Republican	1978	Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y Bob Kerrey (Democratic) 50.7% Charles Thone (Republican) 49.3%
Nevada	Robert List	Republican	1978	Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y 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	Democratic	1978	Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Republican gain.	Y John H. Sununu (Republican) 51.5% Hugh Gallen (Democratic) 46.8% Meldrim Thomson Jr. (Independent) 1.7%
New Mexico	Bruce King	Democratic	1970 1974 (term-limited) 1978	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic hold.	Y Toney Anaya (Democratic) 53.0% John B. Irick (Republican) 47.0%
New York	Hugh Carey	Democratic	1974	Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Democratic hold.	Y 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	Republican	1962 1970 (term-limited) 1974	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y 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	Democratic	1978	Incumbent re-elected.	Y George Nigh (Democratic) 62.1% Tom Daxon (Republican) 37.6% Allah-U Akbar Allah-U Wahid (Independent) 0.3%
Oregon	Victor Atiyeh	Republican	1978	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Victor Atiyeh (Republican) 63.1% Ted Kulongoski (Democratic) 36.9%
Pennsylvania	Dick Thornburgh	Republican	1978	Incumbent re-elected.	Y 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	Democratic	1976	Incumbent re-elected.	Y 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	Democratic	1978	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Richard Riley (Democratic) 69.8% W. D. Workman Jr. (Republican) 30.2%
South Dakota	Bill Janklow	Republican	1978	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Bill Janklow (Republican) 70.9% Michael J. O'Connor (Democratic) 29.1%
Tennessee	Lamar Alexander	Republican	1978	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Lamar Alexander (Republican) 59.6% Randy Tyree (Democratic) 40.4%
Texas	Bill Clements	Republican	1978	Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y 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	Republican	1976	Incumbent re-elected.	Y 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	Republican	1978	Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y 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	Democratic	1974	Incumbent re-elected.	Y 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	Democratic	1978	Incumbent re-elected.	Y 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	Republican	1978	Incumbent lost re-election.^[1] New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y Ricardo Bordallo (Democratic) 52.4% Paul McDonald Calvo (Republican) 47.6%
U.S. Virgin Islands	Juan Francisco Luis	Independent	1978^[e]	Incumbent re-elected.^[2]	Y Juan Francisco Luis (Independent) 100%

Notes

^ Babbitt took office after his predecessor (Wesley Bolin) died.
^ O'Neill took office after his predecessor (Ella Grasso) resigned.
^ Evans took office after his predecessor (Cecil Andrus) resigned.
^ Milliken took office after his predecessor (George W. Romney) resigned.
^ Luis took office after his predecessor (Cyril E. King) died. He was subsequently elected in the 1978 United States Virgin Islands gubernatorial election.

References

^ "Guam Governor Race - Nov 02, 1982". Our Campaigns. July 3, 2015.
^ "USVI Governor Race - Nov 02, 1982". Our Campaigns. January 19, 2006.

[1] Babbitt took office after his predecessor (Wesley Bolin) died.

[2] O'Neill took office after his predecessor (Ella Grasso) resigned.

[3] Evans took office after his predecessor (Cecil Andrus) resigned.

[4] Milliken took office after his predecessor (George W. Romney) resigned.

[6] Luis took office after his predecessor (Cyril E. King) died. He was subsequently elected in the 1978 United States Virgin Islands gubernatorial election.

[5] "Guam Governor Race - Nov 02, 1982". Our Campaigns. July 3, 2015.

[7] "USVI Governor Race - Nov 02, 1982". Our Campaigns. January 19, 2006.

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[b]

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v t e (1981 ←) 1982 United States elections (→ 1983)
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Election results

States

Territories and federal district

See also

Notes

References