The Governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The California Governor is the chief executive of the state government and the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Military Reserve.
Thomas J. Bradley was an American politician and former police officer who served as the 38th Mayor of Los Angeles from 1973 to 1993. He has been the only African American Mayor of Los Angeles, and his 20 years in office mark the longest tenure by any mayor in the city's history; barring any change to the City Charter, no other future mayor of Los Angeles will serve longer than Bradley. His 1973 election made him the second African-American mayor of a major U.S. city. Bradley retired in 1993, after his approval ratings began dropping subsequent to the 1992 Los Angeles Riots. Bradley unsuccessfully ran for Governor of California in 1982 and 1986 and was defeated each time by the Republican George Deukmejian. The racial dynamics that appeared to underlie his narrow and unexpected loss in 1982 gave rise to the political term "the Bradley effect." In 1985, he was awarded the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP.
The 1982 California gubernatorial election occurred on November 2, 1982. The Republican nominee, Attorney General George Deukmejian, narrowly defeated the Democratic nominee, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley. Incumbent Governor Jerry Brown did not seek reelection to a third term.
The 1986 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1986 to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. Carroll A. Campbell, Jr., a Republican representative of the 4th congressional district, narrowly defeated Democrat Michael R. Daniel to become the 112th governor of South Carolina and only the second Republican governor since Reconstruction.
The Bradley effect is a theory concerning observed discrepancies between voter opinion polls and election outcomes in some United States government elections where a white candidate and a non-white candidate run against each other. The theory proposes that some voters who intend to vote for the white candidate would nonetheless tell pollsters that they are undecided or likely to vote for the non-white candidate. It was named after Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, an African-American who lost the 1982 California governor's race despite being ahead in voter polls going into the elections.
Elizabeth Whitney was Deputy California State Treasurer under Democrat Jesse M. Unruh and became Acting State Treasurer upon his death on August 4, 1987. State law provided for her service to be temporary, until the gubernatorial appointment and legislative confirmation of a permanent successor. However, the reluctance of the Democratic-controlled California Legislature to cede the power of the State Treasurer's office to Congressman Dan Lungren, a nominee of Republican Governor George Deukmejian, led to an extended deadlock, and permitted Whitney to serve throughout 1988 and into 1989, when the State Senate confirmed Governor Deukmejian's second nominee, Thomas W. Hayes.
The 1966 South Carolina United States Senate election was held on November 8, 1966 to select the U.S. Senator from the state of South Carolina simultaneously with the special election to fill out the remainder of Olin D. Johnston's term. Incumbent Senator Strom Thurmond, who had switched parties from Democratic to Republican in 1964, easily defeated state senator Bradley Morrah in the general election.
The 1986 Alabama gubernatorial election saw the election of Republican H. Guy Hunt over Democrat Bill Baxley. In state politics, this election is largely seen as a realigning election since Hunt was the first Republican to be elected Governor since Reconstruction. In March 1986, incumbent George Wallace announced that he would not seek a fifth term as governor, ending an era in Alabama politics.
The 2010 Alabama gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2010. Republican Governor Bob Riley was term limited and unable to seek re-election. The party primaries were held on June 1, 2010, with a Republican runoff on July 13. In the general election, Republican Robert J. Bentley defeated Democrat Ron Sparks.
The 1986 United States elections were held on November 4, and elected the members of the 100th United States Congress. The elections occurred in the middle of Republican President Ronald Reagan's second term. In an instance of the six-year itch phenomenon, the Democrats won a net gain of eight seats to recapture control of the United States Senate, taking back the chamber for the first time since the 1980 election. The Democrats also made a net gain of five seats in the United States House of Representatives, increasing their majority in that chamber. Despite Democratic congressional gains, in the gubernatorial elections, the Republican Party picked up a net of eight governorships.
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.
The 1950 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1950. Democratic incumbent Paul A. Dever defeated Republican Arthur W. Coolidge, Socialist Labor candidate Horace Hillis, and Prohibition candidate Mark R. Shaw.
The 1996 Utah gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 1996. Republican nominee and incumbent Governor Michael Leavitt won the election.
The 1986 Alaska gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 1986, for the post of Governor of Alaska. Incumbent Governor Bill Sheffield, a Democrat who was seeking re-election, was defeated by Steve Cowper in the Democratic primary election on August 26, 1986.
The 1986 South Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1986 to elect the Governor of South Dakota. Incumbent Bill Janklow was term-limited, so the field for the new governor was open. Republican nominee George S. Mickelson was elected, defeating Democratic nominee Ralph Lars Herseth.
The 1992 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 1992. Incumbent Governor of Montana Stan Stephens, who was first elected in 1988, declined to seek re-election. Marc Racicot, the Attorney General of Montana, won the Republican primary and advanced to the general election, where he faced State Representative Dorothy Bradley, who had emerged from a crowded Democratic primary as the nominee of her party. A close election ensued, but in the end, Racicot ended up defeating Bradley to win his first of two terms as governor.
The 1986 gubernatorial election in Wisconsin was held on November 4, 1986. Republican Tommy Thompson won the election with 53% of the vote, winning his first term as Governor of Wisconsin and defeating incumbent Governor Anthony Earl.
The Wyoming gubernatorial election of 1986 took place on November 4, 1986. Incumbent Democrat Edgar Herschler retired rather than run for an unprecedented fourth term as Governor of Wyoming. Democratic Attorney Mike Sullivan defeated former Republican State Representative Pete Simpson.
The 1986 Maryland gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1986. Democratic nominee William Donald Schaefer defeated Republican nominee Thomas J. Mooney with 82.37% of the vote.
