1991 United States gubernatorial elections

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1991 United States gubernatorial elections
Flag of the United States.svg
  1990 October 19, November 5 and 16, 1991 1992  
  1987
1995  

4 governorships
3 states; 1 territory
 Majority partyMinority party
 
Party Democratic Republican
Seats before28 [a] 20 [b]
Seats after2820
Seat changeSteady2.svgSteady2.svg
Popular vote1,935,9581,326,961
Percentage59.13%40.53%
Seats up21
Seats won21

1991 United States gubernatorial elections results map.svg
     Democratic gain     Democratic hold
     Republican gain

United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 5, 1991, in three states and one territory. Prior to the elections, Democrats held two seats and Republicans held one. The national balance of power did not change as a result of the elections, but the balance of power shifted in two states.

Contents

In Kentucky, the incumbent governor, Wallace Wilkinson, was term-limited. Lieutenant Governor Brereton C. Jones was the candidate for the Democrats and defeated Republican Representative Larry J. Hopkins. [1]

Election results

StateIncumbentPartyFirst
elected
ResultCandidates
Kentucky Wallace Wilkinson Democratic 1987 Incumbent term-limited.
New governor elected.
Democratic hold.
Louisiana Buddy Roemer Republican 1987 [b] Incumbent eliminated in primary.
New governor elected.
Democratic gain.
Mississippi Ray Mabus Democratic 1987 Incumbent lost re-election.
New governor elected.
Republican gain.

Closest races

States where the margin of victory was under 5%:

  1. Mississippi, 3.2%

Kentucky

1991 Kentucky gubernatorial election
Flag of Kentucky.svg
  1987 November 5, 1991 1995  
Turnout44.1% Increase2.svg 4.3 pp
  Nate Morris Gov Jones (cropped).jpg Larry Hopkins.png
Nominee Brereton Jones Larry J. Hopkins
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote540,468294,452
Percentage64.73%35.27%

1991 Kentucky gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
1991 Kentucky gubernatorial election results map by congressional district.svg
Jones:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%
Hopkins:     50–60%     60–70%

Governor before election

Wallace Wilkinson
Democratic

Elected Governor

Brereton Jones
Democratic

The 1991 Kentucky gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 1991. Incumbent Governor Wallace Wilkinson was not eligible to seek a second term due to term limits established by the Kentucky Constitution, creating an open seat. At the time, Kentucky was one of two states, along with Virginia, which prohibited its governors from serving immediate successive terms. The Democratic nominee, Lieutenant Governor Brereton Jones, defeated Republican nominee and U.S. Congressman Larry J. Hopkins to win a term as governor.

Louisiana

1991 Louisiana gubernatorial election
Flag of Louisiana (1912-2006).svg
  1987 October 19, 1991 (first round)
November 16, 1991 (runoff)
1995  
  Edwin Edwards (1986) (cropped).png David Duke & The KKK in the 1970s (cropped).jpg
Candidate Edwin Edwards David Duke
Party Democratic Republican
First round523,096
33.76%
491,342
31.71%
Runoff1,057,031
61.17%
671,009
38.83%

  Buddy Roemer Congress.jpg Clyde C. Holloway.jpg
Candidate Buddy Roemer Clyde C. Holloway
Party Republican Republican
First round410,690
26.51%
82,683
5.34%
RunoffEliminatedEliminated

1991 Louisiana gubernatorial election results map by parish.svg
1991 Louisiana gubernatorial runoff election results map by parish.svg
Edwards:     30–40%     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     80–90%
Duke:     30–40%     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%
Roemer:     30–40%     40–50%

Governor before election

Buddy Roemer
Republican

Elected Governor

Edwin Edwards
Democratic

The 1991 Louisiana gubernatorial election resulted in the election of Democrat Edwin Edwards to his fourth non-consecutive term as governor of Louisiana. The election received national and international attention due to the unexpectedly strong showing of David Duke, a former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, who had ties to other white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups. Incumbent Republican Governor Buddy Roemer, who had switched from the Democratic to Republican Party during his term, ran for re-election to a second term but was eliminated in the first round of voting.

Mississippi

1991 Mississippi gubernatorial election
Flag of Mississippi (1894-1996).svg
  1987 November 5, 1991 1995  
  KirkFordice (cropped).jpg Ray Mabus (MS) (cropped).png
Nominee Kirk Fordice Ray Mabus
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote361,500338,459
Percentage50.83%47.59%

1991 Mississippi gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
County results
Fordice:     40-50%     50-60%     60-70%     70-80%
Mabus:     50-60%     60-70%     70-80%

Governor before election

Ray Mabus
Democratic

Elected Governor

Kirk Fordice
Republican

The 1991 Mississippi gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 1991 to elect the Governor of Mississippi. Incumbent Democrat Ray Mabus unsuccessfully ran for reelection to a second term. This election marked the first time a Republican was elected Governor of Mississippi since Reconstruction, when Adelbert Ames won the office in 1873.

Notes

  1. Howard Dean (D) succeeded Vermont Governor Richard A. Snelling (R) who died in office in August 1991.
  2. 1 2 Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer was elected as a Democrat in 1987, but switched to the Republican Party in March 1991.

References

  1. Ayres, Jr., B. Drummond (November 2, 1991). "Kentucky Race for Governor Leaves Voters Yawning". The New York Times. Retrieved February 18, 2024.