1986 Tennessee gubernatorial election

Last updated

1986 Tennessee gubernatorial election
Flag of Tennessee.svg
←  1982 November 4, 1986 1990  →
  Ned R. McWherter speaking at a ceremony, Dec 17, 1988 (cropped).JPEG Governor Winfield Dunn.jpeg
Nominee Ned McWherter Winfield Dunn
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote656,602553,449
Percentage54.26%45.74%
1986 Tennessee gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
County results
McWherter:      50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%
Dunn:      50–60%     60–70%
Governor before election

Lamar Alexander
Republican

Elected Governor

Ned McWherter
Democratic

The 1986 Tennessee gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1986, to elect the next governor of Tennessee. Democratic nominee Ned McWherter defeated former Republican governor Winfield Dunn with 54.3% of the vote.

Contents

With this win, McWherter flipped the state back into Democratic control, with the state legislature also being controlled by Democrats.

Background

Republican governor Winfield Dunn's term ended in 1975; at the time, the Constitution of Tennessee barred governors from serving consecutive terms. He returned to the private sector, working for several years as the vice president of public relations for the Nashville-based Hospital Corporation of America. [1]

In 1986, Dunn once again ran for governor. He easily defeated Hubert Patty and Charles Vick in the Republican primary, but questions over party unity dogged his campaign. [1] During his first term, Dunn had vetoed a bill calling for the establishment of a medical school at East Tennessee State University, reasoning that the state's three existing medical schools were adequate. Though the legislature overrode his veto, he nevertheless drew the enmity of powerful 1st district congressman Jimmy Quillen, in whose district the school was to be located. Quillen was still smarting over the veto more than a decade later, and withheld his endorsement in 1986. Without Quillen's endorsement, Dunn struggled in East Tennessee (normally a Republican stronghold), and was defeated in the general election by the Democratic nominee, Ned McWherter. [1]

Primary elections

Primary elections were held on August 7, 1986. [2]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results

Democratic primary results [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Ned McWherter 314,449 42.47
Democratic Jane Eskind 225,55130.46
Democratic Richard Fulton 190,01625.66
Democratic Joseph L. Crichton6,5820.89
Democratic Bill Jacox3,8170.52
Total votes740,415 100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

Republican primary results [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Winfield Dunn 222,458 94.23
Republican Hubert David Patty7,6603.25
Republican Charles Gordon Vick5,9542.52
Total votes236,072 100.00

General election

Candidates

Results

1986 Tennessee gubernatorial election [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Democratic Ned McWherter 656,602 54.26% +13.82%
Republican Winfield Dunn 553,44945.74%−13.82%
Majority 103,153
Turnout 1,210,339
Democratic gain from Republican Swing

References

  1. 1 2 3 Phillip Langsdon, Tennessee: A Political History (Franklin, Tenn.: Hillsboro Press, 2000), pp. 370–381, 396–397.
  2. 1 2 3 Crowell, Gentry. "Tennessee Blue Book: 1987–1988 – Gentry Crowell" . Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  3. ↑ Cook, Rhodes (October 26, 2017). America Votes 32: 2015–2016, Election Returns by State – Rhodes Cook. ISBN   9781506368993 . Retrieved October 5, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.