1990 United States gubernatorial elections
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38 governorships 36 states; 2 territories | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Republican holds
Republican pickups
Democratic holds
Democratic pickups
Alaskan Independence Pickup
A Connecticut Party Pickup | ||||||||||||||||||||||
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 6, 1990 in 36 states and two territories. Most elected in these elections would serve for a 4-year term, while those in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont would serve for a 2-year term.
Heading into the elections, there were 20 seats held by Democrats and 16 held by Republicans. By the end of the elections, 19 seats would be held by a Democrat, 15 would be held by a Republican, and two would be held by other parties.
Notably in these elections, there were two people elected from a third party: Former Alaskan governor and Secretary of the Interior under President Nixon Walter Joseph Hickel was elected governor as a part of the Alaskan Independence Party. Former U.S. Senator Lowell Weicker of Connecticut won on A Connecticut Party's ticket. Two U.S. senators were elected governors that year, Pete Wilson of California and Lawton Chiles of Florida.
In 1988, Arizona voters approved a runoff-style election following the impeachment of governor Evan Mecham. Because no candidate received a majority (50%) of the vote in the November election, a run-off election occurred on February 26, 1991. Note, this style of voting was later repealed in 1992.
The elections coincided with the mid-term elections for the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives.
Election results
| State | Incumbent | Party | Status | Opposing Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | H. Guy Hunt | Republican | Re-elected, 52.1% | Paul Hubbert (Democratic) 47.9% |
| Alaska | Steve Cowper | Democratic | Retired, Alaskan Ind. victory | Walter Joseph Hickel (Alaskan Ind.) 38.9% Tony Knowles (Democratic) 30.9% Arliss Sturgulewski (Republican) 26.2% Jim Sykes (Green) 3.4% Michael O'Callaghan (Independent) 0.5% |
| Arizona | Rose Perica Mofford | Democratic | Retired, Republican victory in runoff |
Fife Symington III (Republican) 49.65% (52%) Terry Goddard (Democratic) 49.24% (48%) Max Hawkins (Stop Abortion) (WI) 1.04% Ed Yetman (Libertarian) (WI) 0.03% |
| Arkansas | Bill Clinton | Democratic | Re-elected, 57.5% | Sheffield Nelson (Republican) 42.5% |
| California | George Deukmejian | Republican | Retired, Republican victory | Pete Wilson (Republican) 48.7% Dianne Feinstein (Democratic) 46.3% Dennis Thompson (Libertarian) 1.9% Jerome McCready (American Ind.) 1.8% Maria Elizabeth Muñoz (Peace & Freedom) 1.3% |
| Colorado | Roy Romer | Democratic | Re-elected, 61.9% | John Andrews (Republican) 35.4% David Aitken (Libertarian) 1.9% William David Livingston (Prohibition) 0.8% |
| Connecticut | William O'Neill | Democratic | Retired, A Connecticut Party victory |
Lowell Weicker (A Connecticut Party) 40.4% John G. Rowland (Republican) 37.5% Bruce Morrison (Democratic) 20.7% Joseph A. Zdonczyk (Concerned Citizens) 1.4% |
| Florida | Bob Martinez | Republican | Defeated, 43.5% | Lawton Chiles (Democratic) 56.5% Rose 'Jackie' Floyd (Independent) (WI) 0.02% |
| Georgia | Joe Frank Harris | Democratic | Term-limited, Democratic victory | Zell Miller (Democratic) 52.9% Johnny Isakson (Republican) 44.5% Carole Ann Rand (Libertarian) 2.3% |
| Hawaii | John D. Waihee III | Democratic | Re-elected, 59.8% | Fred Hemmings (Republican) 38.6% Triaka-Don Smith (Libertarian) 0.9% Peggy Ross (Natural Law) 0.7% |
| Idaho | Cecil D. Andrus | Democratic | Re-elected, 68.2% | Roger Fairchild (Republican) 31.8% |
| Illinois | James R. Thompson | Republican | Retired, Republican victory | Jim Edgar (Republican) 50.8% Neil Hartigan (Democratic) 48.2% Jessie Fields (Solidarity) 1.1% |
| Iowa | Terry E. Branstad | Republican | Re-elected, 60.6% | Donald Avenson (Democratic) 38.5% F. Nan Bailey (Socialist Workers) 0.4% |
| Kansas | Mike Hayden | Republican | Defeated, 42.6% | Joan Finney (Democratic) 48.6% Christina Campbell-Cline (Independent) 8.8% |
| Maine | John R. McKernan, Jr. | Republican | Re-elected, 46.6% | Joseph E. Brennan (Democratic) 44.0% Andrew Adam (Independent) 9.3% |
| Maryland | William Donald Schaefer | Democratic | Re-elected, 59.8% | William S. Shepard (Republican) 40.2% Carol Thies (Independent) (WI) 0.01% |
| Massachusetts | Michael Dukakis | Democratic | Retired, Republican victory | William Weld (Republican) 50.2% John Silber (Democratic) 46.9% Leonard Umina (Independent) 2.7% |
| Michigan | James Blanchard | Democratic | Defeated, 49.1% | John Engler (Republican) 49.8% William Roundtree (Workers World) 1.1% |
| Minnesota | Rudy Perpich | DFL | Defeated, 46.8% | Arne Carlson (Ind. Republican) 50.1% Judith Ann Chosa (Independent) 1.2% Ross S. Culverhouse (Grassroots) 1.0% Jon Grunseth (Ind. Republican) 0.6% Wendy Lyons (Socialist Workers) 0.4% |
| Nebraska | Kay A. Orr | Republican | Defeated, 49.2% | Ben Nelson (Democratic) 49.9% Mort Sullivan (Write-in) 0.3% |
| Nevada | Bob Miller | Democratic | Re-elected, 64.8% | Jim Gallaway (Republican) 29.9% None of These Candidates 2.8% James Frye (Libertarian) 2.5% |
| New Hampshire | Judd Gregg | Republican | Re-elected, 60.5% | J. Joseph Grandmaison (Democratic) 34.7% Miriam F. Luce (Libertarian) 4.9% |
| New Mexico | Garrey Carruthers | Republican | Term-limited, Democratic victory | Bruce King (Democratic) 54.6% Frank M. Bond (Republican) 45.2% |
| New York | Mario Cuomo | Democratic | Re-elected, 53.17% | Pierre Andrew Rinfret (Republican) 21.35% Herbert London (Conservative) 20.40% Louis P. Wein (Right to Life) 3.40% Lenora Fulani (New Alliance) 0.77% W. Gary Johnson (Libertarian) 0.61% Craig Gannon (Socialist Workers) 0.31% |
| Ohio | Dick Celeste | Democratic | Term-limited, Republican victory | George Voinovich (Republican) 55.7% Anthony J. Celebrezze Jr. (Democratic) 44.3% |
| Oklahoma | Henry Bellmon | Republican | Retired, Democratic victory | David Walters (Democratic) 57.4% Bill Price (Republican) 32.3% Thomas D. Ledgerwood II (Reform) 9.9% |
| Oregon | Neil Goldschmidt | Democratic | Retired, Democratic victory | Barbara Roberts (Democratic) 45.7% David B. Frohnmayer (Republican) 40.0% Al Mobley (Independent) 13.0% Fred Oerther (Libertarian) 1.3% |
| Pennsylvania | Robert P. Casey | Democratic | Re-elected, 67.7% | Barbara Hafer (Republican) 32.3% |
| Rhode Island | Edward D. DiPrete | Republican | Defeated, 25.8% | Bruce Sundlun (Democratic) 74.2% |
| South Carolina | Carroll A. Campbell, Jr. | Republican | Re-elected, 69.5% | Theo Mitchell (Democratic) 27.9% John R. Peeples, Jr. (American) 2.3% |
| South Dakota | George S. Mickelson | Republican | Re-elected, 58.9% | Bob L. Samuelson (Democratic) 41.1% |
| Tennessee | Ned McWherter | Democratic | Re-elected, 60.8% | Dwight Henry (Republican) 36.6% W. Curtis Jacox (Independent) 1.4% David Brandon Shepard (Independent) 1.2% |
| Texas | Bill Clements | Republican | Retired, Democratic victory | Ann Richards (Democratic) 49.5% Clayton Williams (Republican) 46.9% Jeff Daiell (Libertarian) 3.3% |
| Vermont | Madeleine M. Kunin | Democratic | Retired, Republican victory | Richard A. Snelling (Republican) 51.8% Peter Welch (Democratic) 46.0% David Atkinson (Libertarian) 1.3% Richard F. Gottlieb (Liberty Union) 0.7% |
| Wisconsin | Tommy Thompson | Republican | Re-elected, 58.2% | Tom Loftus (Democratic) 41.8% |
| Wyoming | Mike Sullivan | Democratic | Re-elected, 65.4% | Mary Mead (Republican) 34.6% |