1989 United States gubernatorial elections

1989 United States gubernatorial elections

←  1988 November 7, 1989 1990  →
3 governorships 2 states; 1 territory
Majority party Minority party   Party Democratic Republican Seats before 28 22 Seats after 29 21 Seat change 1 1 Seats up 1 1 Seats won 2 0
1989 gubernatorial election results:      Democratic gain     Democratic hold      Republican hold

United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 7, 1989, in two states and one territory, as well as other statewide offices and members of state legislatures. Democrats picked up the open seat in New Jersey formerly held by a Republican, while keeping another open seat in Virginia which was held by a Democrat.

Election results

State	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
New Jersey	Thomas Kean	Republican	1981	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic gain. [1]	Y James Florio (Democratic) 61.23% Jim Courter (Republican) 37.21% Dan Karlan (Libertarian) .53% Michael Ziruolo (Independent) .45% Tom Fuscaldo (Independent) .31% Catherine Renee Sedwick (Socialist Workers) .28%
Virginia	Gerald Baliles	Democratic	1985	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic hold. [2]	Y Douglas Wilder (Democratic) 50.19% Marshall Coleman (Republican) 49.81%

Close states

States where the margin of victory was under 1%:

1. Virginia, 0.38%

References

1. "1989 Gubernatorial General Election Results - New Jersey". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Elections. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
2. "1989 Gubernatorial General Election Results - Virginia". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Elections. Retrieved March 3, 2025.