1990 United States gubernatorial elections

Election results

States

Territories and federal district

Closest states

States where the margin of victory was under 1%:

1. Michigan, 0.7%
2. Nebraska, 0.7%

States where the margin of victory was under 5%:

1. Illinois, 2.5%
2. Texas, 2.6%
3. Maine, 2.7%
4. Connecticut, 2.9%
5. Massachusetts, 3.3%
6. Minnesota, 3.3%
7. California, 3.4%
8. Alabama, 4.2%
9. Arizona, 4.8%

States where the margin of victory was under 10%:

1. Oregon, 5.7%
2. Vermont, 5.8%
3. Kansas, 6.0%
4. Alaska, 8.0%
5. Georgia, 8.4%
6. New Mexico, 9.4%

Alabama

Main article: 1990 Alabama gubernatorial election

Hunt:

Hubbert:

The 1990 Alabama gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1990, to select the governor of Alabama. The election saw incumbent Republican governor Guy Hunt defeat Democrat Paul Hubbert, executive secretary of the Alabama Education Association. This marked the first time in history that a Republican won a second gubernatorial term in Alabama.

Alaska

Main article: 1990 Alaska gubernatorial election

| [[File:1990 Alaska gubernatorial election results map by borough and census area.svg|400px]] | Borough results | [[File:1990 Alaska gubernatorial election by State House District.svg|325px]] | House district results Knowles:
Sturgulewski:

The 1990 Alaska gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1990, for the open seat of Governor of Alaska. In 1989, incumbent governor Steve Cowper, a Democrat, had announced that he would not seek re-election for a second term.

In a rare third-party win in American politics, former Republican governor Wally Hickel, running on the ticket of the Alaskan Independence Party, defeated Democratic candidate Tony Knowles and Republican candidate Arliss Sturgulewski.

Arizona

Main article: 1990–91 Arizona gubernatorial election

February 26, 1991 (runoff) 49.7%** 52.4%** 49.2%** 47.6% Goddard:

The 1990–91 Arizona gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1990, for the post of Governor of Arizona. Incumbent Democratic Governor Rose Mofford declined to run for a full term. Republican Fife Symington defeated the Democratic nominee and Mayor of Phoenix Terry Goddard. Because no candidate received a majority of votes, a runoff election was held later on February 26, 1991, which Symington also won. This is the only election where Arizona used a runoff election.

Evan Mecham, a former governor who was removed from office in 1988 upon being convicted in his impeachment trial, unsuccessfully ran for another term. This would be the last gubernatorial election until 2018 when the victorious gubernatorial candidate in the state would be of the same party as the incumbent president.

Arkansas

Main article: 1990 Arkansas gubernatorial election

Clinton:

Nelson:

The 1990 Arkansas gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1990. Incumbent Democratic governor Bill Clinton won re-election in a two-way race against Democrat turned Republican Sheffield Nelson with 57.5% of the vote. This was Clinton's fourth consecutive, and fifth overall, term as Governor of Arkansas, as well as his final term (he was elected to the presidency in 1992).

California

Main article: 1990 California gubernatorial election

Feinstein:

The 1990 California gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1990. The Republican candidate, Senator Pete Wilson, defeated the Democratic candidate, former San Francisco mayor Dianne Feinstein.

Colorado

Main article: 1990 Colorado gubernatorial election

Romer:
Andrews:

The 1990 Colorado gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1990. Incumbent Democrat Roy Romer defeated Republican nominee John Andrews with 61.89% of the vote.

Connecticut

Main article: 1990 Connecticut gubernatorial election

|County results |220px |Municipality results}} Rowland:
Morrison:

The 1990 Connecticut gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1990, to elect the governor of Connecticut. It was a three-way race for a seat left open when Governor William A. O'Neill declined to run for re-election. A Connecticut Party nominee Lowell Weicker narrowly won the election, becoming the first candidate who was not a member of one of the two major parties to win a gubernatorial election since the 1974 election in Maine.

Florida

Main article: 1990 Florida gubernatorial election

Chiles:
Martinez:

The 1990 Florida gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1990. Incumbent Republican governor Bob Martinez ran for a second term in office, but was defeated by Democratic challenger Lawton Chiles, a former U.S. senator.

Georgia

Main article: 1990 Georgia gubernatorial election

Miller:
Isakson:

The 1990 Georgia gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1990. Lieutenant Governor Zell Miller ran for governor after incumbent Joe Frank Harris was term-limited, defeating Andrew Young, Roy Barnes, and Lester Maddox for the Democratic nomination, and defeated Johnny Isakson, a member of the Georgia House of Representatives.

Hawaii

Main article: 1990 Hawaii gubernatorial election

Waiheʻe:

The 1990 Hawaii gubernatorial election was Hawaii's ninth gubernatorial election. The election was held on November 6, 1990, and resulted in a victory for the Democratic candidate, incumbent Governor John D. Waiheʻe III over the Republican candidate, State Representative Fred Hemmings. Waihee received more votes than Hemmings in every county in the state.

Idaho

Main article: 1990 Idaho gubernatorial election

Andrus:

Fairchild:

The 1990 Idaho gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1990, to elect the Governor of the state of Idaho. Cecil Andrus, the Democratic incumbent, ran for an unprecedented fourth term. Roger Fairchild, a former state senate majority leader from Fruitland, won the Republican nomination in May, but was easily defeated in November by the popular Andrus.

This was the sixth consecutive win for the Democrats, which started with Andrus' first victory twenty years earlier in 1970.

Illinois

Main article: 1990 Illinois gubernatorial election

Hartigan:

The 1990 Illinois gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1990 to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of Illinois. The incumbent Governor Jim Thompson chose to retire instead of seeking reelection to a fifth term. The Republican nominee, Secretary of State Jim Edgar, narrowly defeated the Democratic nominee, Attorney General Neil Hartigan, by about 80,000 votes out of the over 3.2 million cast (a margin of 2.58%).

This was the first open-seat gubernatorial election in Illinois since 1952, which was 38 years previously. A competitive race, it had the narrowest margin of victory for a statewide election in Illinois that cycle and was one of the closest gubernatorial races in the nation that year. At the time, it was the costliest campaign in state history.

Iowa

Main article: 1990 Iowa gubernatorial election

Branstad:
Avenson:

The 1990 Iowa gubernatorial election took place November 8, 1990. Incumbent Republican Governor of Iowa Terry Branstad ran for re-election to a third term as governor. On the Democratic side, state representative Donald Avenson won his party's nomination and both Branstad and Avenson moved on to the general election. Branstad won re-election to a third term as governor, defeating Avenson by a margin of over 20 points.

Kansas

Main article: 1990 Kansas gubernatorial election

Finney:
Hayden:

The 1990 Kansas gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1990. Incumbent Republican Governor Mike Hayden lost re-election to Democratic nominee Joan Finney.

Maine

Main article: 1990 Maine gubernatorial election

|[[File:1990 Maine gubernatorial election results map by county.svg|280px]]|County results |[[File:1990 Maine gubernatorial election results map by municipality.svg|280px]]|Municipality results}} Brennan:
Tie:

The 1990 Maine gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1990 to elect the governor of Maine. Incumbent Republican governor John McKernan won re-election to a second term, defeating Democratic nominee, former governor Joseph E. Brennan in a tight contest. Independent Andrew Adam took in 9.3% of the vote. Both Brennan and McKernan were unopposed in their respective primaries.

This was the last election until 2010 that Maine elected a Republican governor. This was also the last Maine gubernatorial election until 2022 in which the winner was of the same party as the incumbent president.

Maryland

Main article: 1990 Maryland gubernatorial election

Schaefer:
Shepard:

The 1990 Maryland gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1990. Incumbent Democrat William Donald Schaefer defeated Republican nominee William S. Shepard handily (59.76% to 40.23%).

Massachusetts

Main article: 1990 Massachusetts gubernatorial election

|[[File:1990 Massachusetts gubernatorial election results map by county.svg|300px]] |County results |[[File:1990 Massachusetts Gubernatorial Election by Municipality.svg|300px| ]] |Municipality results Silber:

The 1990 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1990. Incumbent Democratic governor Michael Dukakis, his party's nominee for president in 1988, opted to not seek a fourth term. Republican Bill Weld won the open seat, beating Democrat John Silber to become the first Republican governor of Massachusetts elected since 1970. This was the first open-seat gubernatorial election in Massachusetts since 1960.

Michigan

Main article: 1990 Michigan gubernatorial election

Engler:
Blanchard:

The 1990 Michigan gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1990, to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of the state of Michigan. John Engler, a member of the Republican Party and State Senate majority leader, was elected over Democratic Party nominee, incumbent governor James Blanchard, who was seeking his third term.

In what turned out to be one of the closest elections in recent Michigan history, Engler defeated Blanchard by less than 18,000 votes and a 0.7% margin. Engler's victory was considered a major upset and became infamous among pollsters. The final Detroit News poll showed Engler trailing by 14 points, and the final Detroit Free Press poll showed Engler behind by 4 points. A retrospective of the polling suggests the News poll may have had questions that favored Blanchard and too heavily incorporated the opinions of registered voters rather than likely voters, and thus failed to correctly gauge turnout.

Minnesota

Main article: 1990 Minnesota gubernatorial election

Perpich:

The 1990 Minnesota gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1990. Independent-Republican Party Auditor Arne Carlson defeated incumbent Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party Governor Rudy Perpich. This remains the last gubernatorial election in Minnesota to date in which an incumbent governor ran for reelection to a third consecutive term.

Nebraska

Main article: 1990 Nebraska gubernatorial election

Nelson:
Orr:

In the 1990 Nebraska gubernatorial election, Democratic challenger Ben Nelson narrowly defeated first-term Republican incumbent Kay Orr for the governorship of the state of Nebraska.

Nevada

Main article: 1990 Nevada gubernatorial election

Miller:

The 1990 Nevada gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1990, to elect the next governor of Nevada, alongside an election to the United States House of Representatives and other state and local elections. Incumbent two-term Democratic Governor Richard Bryan resigned in 1989 after being elected to the United States Senate and under the Nevada succession law, Democrat Lieutenant Governor Bob Miller became the next governor. Miller won in a landslide victory to a full term, defeating Republican nominee Jim Gallaway.

New Hampshire

Main article: 1990 New Hampshire gubernatorial election

Gregg:
Grandmaison:

The 1990 New Hampshire gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1990. Incumbent Governor Judd Gregg won reelection to a second term that would be his last, as he ran for and won election to the United States Senate in 1992.

New Mexico

Main article: 1990 New Mexico gubernatorial election

King:

Bond:

The 1990 New Mexico gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1990, in order to elect the Governor of New Mexico. Due to term limits, incumbent Republican Garrey Carruthers was ineligible to seek a second term as governor. Democrat Bruce King won his third and final term overall as governor, defeating Republican Frank Bond. King won the largest share of the vote out of his four gubernatorial campaigns. This is the most recent election in which Catron County has voted for a Democratic gubernatorial candidate.

New York

Main article: 1990 New York gubernatorial election

Rinfret:
London:
Tie:

The 1990 New York gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1990, to elect the governor and Lieutenant Governor of New York. Democratic governor Mario Cuomo won a third term in office, making him the first Democrat elected to three terms as Governor of New York since Herbert H. Lehman.

Ohio

Main article: 1990 Ohio gubernatorial election

| [[File:1990 Ohio gubernatorial election results map by county.svg|210px]] | County results | [[File:Ohio 1990 Governor Election By Township.svg|210px]] | Township results Celebrezze:

The 1990 Ohio gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1990. Incumbent Democratic governor Dick Celeste was unable to run for a third consecutive term due to term limits. Former mayor of Cleveland George Voinovich, who also ran for the United States Senate in 1988, was uncontested for the Republican nomination, while Ohio Attorney General Anthony J. Celebrezze Jr. emerged from the Democratic primary. In the end, Voinovich was able to defeat Celebrezze by a fairly wide margin, winning his first term in office.

Oklahoma

Main article: 1990 Oklahoma gubernatorial election

Walters:
Price:

The 1990 Oklahoma gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1990, to elect the governor of Oklahoma. Democratic businessman David Walters won the election easily despite his lack of political experience.

Oregon

Main article: 1990 Oregon gubernatorial election

Roberts:
Frohnmayer:

The 1990 Oregon gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 1990. Democratic nominee Barbara Roberts defeated Republican David B. Frohnmayer and Independent Al Mobley to win the election.

Pennsylvania

Main article: 1990 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election

Hafer:
Tie:

The 1990 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1990. Incumbent Democratic governor Robert P. Casey easily defeated Republican Barbara Hafer. Governor Casey defeated Hafer by a margin of 35.29%, and carried 66 out of 67 Pennsylvania counties.

Rhode Island

Main article: 1990 Rhode Island gubernatorial election

|County results |[[File:1990 Rhode Island gubernatorial election results map by municipality.svg|250px]] |Municipality results}}

The 1990 Rhode Island gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1990. Democratic nominee Bruce Sundlun defeated incumbent Republican Edward D. DiPrete with 74.15% of the vote.

South Carolina

Main article: 1990 South Carolina gubernatorial election

Campbell:
Mitchell:

The 1990 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1990 to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. Governor Carroll A. Campbell Jr., the popular Republican incumbent, handily defeated Democrat Theo Mitchell to become only the second governor at the time elected to a second consecutive four-year term.

South Dakota

Main article: 1990 South Dakota gubernatorial election

Mickelson:
Samuelson:

The 1990 South Dakota gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1990, to elect a governor of South Dakota. Republican governor George S. Mickelson was re-elected, defeating Democratic nominee Bob L. Samuelson. Mickelson died in a plane crash near Zwingle, Iowa on April 19, 1993.

Tennessee

Main article: 1990 Tennessee gubernatorial election

McWherter:
Henry:
Tie:

The 1990 Tennessee gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1990, to elect the governor of Tennessee. Incumbent Democratic governor Ned McWherter was re-elected, defeating his Republican opponent Dwight Henry, a one term member of the Tennessee House of Representatives. McWherter received 60.8% of the vote.

Texas

Main article: 1990 Texas gubernatorial election

Richards:
Williams:

The 1990 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1990, to elect the governor of Texas. Incumbent Republican governor Bill Clements did not run for re-election, so the election pitted Democrat Ann Richards against Republican Clayton Williams. Richards narrowly defeated Williams on Election Day, winning 49.5% of the vote to Williams' 46.9%.

Vermont

Main article: 1990 Vermont gubernatorial election

|x220px |County results |x220px |Municipality results }} Welch:

The 1990 Vermont gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1990. Incumbent Democratic Governor Madeleine Kunin did not seek re-election. Former Governor Republican Richard Snelling defeated Democratic former State Senate President pro tempore Peter Welch in the general election. This would be the last Republican victory in a Vermont gubernatorial election until 2002.

Wisconsin

Main article: 1990 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

Loftus:
Tie:

The 1990 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1990. Incumbent Republican governor Tommy Thompson won the election with 58% of the vote, winning a second term as Governor of Wisconsin. The primary elections were held on September 11, 1990.

Wyoming

Main article: 1990 Wyoming gubernatorial election

35.30% of Total Population 0.22%

Sullivan:
Mead:

The 1990 Wyoming gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1990. Incumbent Democratic Governor Mike Sullivan ran for re-election. In the general election, he faced Republican nominee Mary Mead, a businesswoman and the daughter of former U.S. Senator and Governor Clifford Hansen.

Territories and federal district

District of Columbia

Main article: 1990 Washington, D.C., mayoral election

Dixon:

On November 6, 1990, Washington, D.C., held an election for its mayor, with Democratic candidate Sharon Pratt Dixon defeating Republican Maurice Turner.

Sharon Pratt Dixon announced at the 1988 Democratic National Convention that she would challenge incumbent mayor Marion Barry in the 1990 election. Pratt was the only candidate to have officially announced her plans to run for mayor when Barry was arrested on drug charges and dropped out of the race in early 1990. Shortly thereafter, the race was joined by longtime councilmembers John Ray, Charlene Drew Jarvis and David Clarke. Pratt criticized her three main opponents, referring to them as the "three blind mice" who "saw nothing, said nothing and did nothing as the city rapidly decayed." She was the only candidate who called on Barry to resign from office, and ran specifically as an outsider to his political machine with the campaign slogan of "Clean House."

Following a series of televised debates during the last few weeks of the campaign, Pratt received the endorsement of The Washington Post. The day the endorsement appeared, her poll numbers skyrocketed, with many political observers attributing the rise specifically to the ''Post'''s backing. On the eve of the election, polls showed Councilmember John Ray holding the lead, but Pratt gaining ground fast and a large margin of undecided voters remaining.{{cite news |title=Undecided Vote Makes Race in Capital Too Tight to Call |first=B. Drummond Jr. |last=Ayres |author-link=B. Drummond Ayres Jr.

Guam

Frank Blas Ping Duenas

U.S. Virgin Islands

Main article: 1990 United States Virgin Islands general election

Notes

References

References

1. (July 3, 2015). "Guam Governor Race - Nov 06, 1990". Our Campaigns.
2. (January 19, 2006). "USVI Governor Race - Nov 06, 1990". Our Campaigns.
3. Hanlon, Tegan. (2015-10-27). "Former Alaska first lady Michael Margaret Stewart, ex-wife of Steve Cowper, dead at 62". [[Alaska Dispatch News]].
4. "1990 Gubernatorial General Election Results - Arkansas".
5. (November 8, 1990). "THE 1990 ELECTIONS: STATE BY STATE; South". [[The New York Times]].
6. Fournier, Ron. (October 3, 1991). "Longest-Serving Governor Staking Claim for White House With PM-Clinton-President Bjt".
7. Maraniss, David. (July 15, 1992). "BEFORE RACE BEGAN, CLINTON RESOLVED PLEDGE NOT TO RUN". [[The Washington Post]].
8. "Understanding the 1990 Connecticut Gubernatorial Election". U.S. Election Atlas.
9. "HI Governor Race – Nov 06, 1990". Our Campaigns.
10. (March 20, 1990). "Andrus seeks 4th term". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
11. Trillhaase, Marty. (May 20, 1990). "Fairchild's on a 1-year-long roller coaster". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
12. Warbis, Mark. (May 23, 1990). "Fairchild grabs governor race". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
13. (May 23, 1990). "Fairchild will try to unseat Andrus". Idahonian.
14. (November 7, 1990). "Andrus' 4th win boosts Democrats". Idahonian.
15. (November 7, 1990). "Andrus, Craig record lopsided wins". Spokane Chronicle.
16. Tribune, Chicago. (1991-02-01). "EDGAR-HARTIGAN CLASH COST NEARLY $20 MILLION".
17. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
18. "1990 Gubernatorial Election". [[Maryland State Board of Elections]].
19. "Our Campaigns - MA Governor Race - Nov 06, 1990".
20. Nate Silver. (November 6, 2014). "Why Polls Missed A Shocker In Virginia's Senate Race". [[FiveThirtyEight]].
21. "Media Polling in Michigan: A Case for Stricter Standards". The Public Perspective January/February 1991.
22. . (June 8, 2012). ["SD Governor"](http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=66011).
23. Nevans-Pederson, Mary. (14 April 2013). "'Mayday, Mayday, We're going down'". Telegraph Herald.
24. (1990-08-30). "Clean House-Dixon for Mayor". [[The Washington Post]].
25. Kurtz, Howard. (1990-09-13). "Post Plays Down Impact of Endorsement; Not Everyone Agrees". The Washington Post.
26. Ayres, B. Drummond Jr.. (September 16, 1990). "In Insiders' City, Dixon Clings to Outsider Image". The New York Times.
27. "1990 Election Comparative Analysis Report". Guam Election Commission.
28. "1990 General Election". Election System of the Virgin Islands.