1982 United States gubernatorial elections

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1982 United States gubernatorial elections
Flag of the United States.svg
  1981 November 2, 1982 1983  

38 governorships
36 states; 2 territories
 Majority partyMinority party
 
Party Democratic Republican
Seats before2723
Seats after3416
Seat changeIncrease2.svg7Decrease2.svg7
Seats up2016
Seats won279

1982 United States gubernatorial elections results map.svg
  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 2025, this remains the last election cycle in which a Republican won the governorship of Oregon.

Contents

Election results

States

StateIncumbentPartyFirst
elected
ResultCandidates
Alabama Fob James Democratic 1978 Incumbent retired.
New governor elected.
Democratic hold.
Alaska Jay Hammond Republican 1974 Incumbent term-limited.
New governor elected.
Democratic gain.
Arizona Bruce Babbitt Democratic1978 [a] Incumbent re-elected.
Arkansas Frank D. White Republican 1980 Incumbent lost re-election.
New governor elected.
Democratic gain.
California Jerry Brown Democratic 1974 Incumbent retired.
New governor elected.
Republican gain.
Colorado Richard Lamm Democratic 1974 Incumbent re-elected.
  • Green check.svgY 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 Democratic1980 [b] Incumbent elected to full term.
Florida Bob Graham Democratic 1978 Incumbent re-elected.
Georgia George Busbee Democratic 1974 Incumbent term-limited.
New governor elected.
Democratic hold.
Hawaii George Ariyoshi Democratic 1974 Incumbent re-elected.
Idaho John Evans Democratic1977 [c] Incumbent re-elected.
Illinois James R. Thompson Republican 1976 Incumbent re-elected.
Iowa Robert D. Ray Republican 1968 Incumbent retired.
New governor elected.
Republican hold.
Kansas John W. Carlin Democratic 1976 Incumbent re-elected.
  • Green check.svgY 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.
Maryland Harry Hughes Democratic 1978 Incumbent re-elected.
Massachusetts Edward J. King Democratic 1978 Incumbent lost re-nomination.
New governor elected.
Democratic hold.
Michigan William Milliken Republican1969 [d] Incumbent retired.
New governor elected.
Democratic gain.
  • Green check.svgY 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.
  • Green check.svgY 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.
Nevada Robert List Republican 1978 Incumbent lost re-election.
New governor elected.
Democratic gain.
New Hampshire Hugh Gallen Democratic 1978 Incumbent lost re-election.
New governor elected.
Republican gain.
New Mexico Bruce King Democratic 1970
1974 (term-limited)
1978
Incumbent term-limited.
New governor elected.
Democratic hold.
  • Green check.svgY Toney Anaya (Democratic) 53.0%
  • John B. Irick (Republican) 47.0%
New York Hugh Carey Democratic 1974 Incumbent retired.
New governor elected.
Democratic hold.
Ohio Jim Rhodes Republican 1962
1970 (term-limited)
1974
Incumbent term-limited.
New governor elected.
Democratic gain.
  • Green check.svgY 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.
  • Green check.svgY 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.
Pennsylvania Dick Thornburgh Republican 1978 Incumbent re-elected.
Rhode Island J. Joseph Garrahy Democratic 1976 Incumbent re-elected.
  • Green check.svgY 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.
  • Green check.svgY Richard Riley (Democratic) 69.8%
  • W. D. Workman Jr. (Republican) 30.2%
South Dakota Bill Janklow Republican 1978 Incumbent re-elected.
Tennessee Lamar Alexander Republican 1978 Incumbent re-elected.
Texas Bill Clements Republican 1978 Incumbent lost re-election.
New governor elected.
Democratic gain.
  • Green check.svgY 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.
Wisconsin Lee S. Dreyfus Republican 1978 Incumbent retired.
New governor elected.
Democratic gain.
Wyoming Edgar Herschler Democratic 1974 Incumbent re-elected.

Territories and federal district

TerritoryIncumbentPartyFirst
elected
ResultCandidates
District of Columbia Marion Barry Democratic 1978 Incumbent re-elected.
  • Green check.svgY 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 Republican1978Incumbent lost re-election. [1]
New governor elected.
Democratic gain.
U.S. Virgin Islands Juan Francisco Luis Independent1978 [e] Incumbent re-elected. [2]

Close states

States where the margin of victory was under 1%:

  1. Illinois, 0.14%

States where the margin of victory was under 5%:

  1. California, 1.2%
  2. Nebraska, 1.4%
  3. New York, 2.4%
  4. Pennsylvania, 2.7%
  5. New Hampshire, 4.7%
  6. Guam, 4.8%

States where the margin of victory was under 10%:

  1. Idaho, 5.8%
  2. New Mexico, 6.0%
  3. Iowa, 6.2%
  4. Michigan, 6.3%
  5. Texas, 7.3%
  6. Connecticut, 7.4%
  7. Kansas, 8.7%
  8. Alaska, 9.0%
  9. Arkansas, 9.4%

See also

Notes

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

References

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