1996 United States gubernatorial elections
Appearance
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13 governorships 11 states; 2 territories | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() Republican holds
Republican pickups
Democratic holds
Democratic pickups |
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 5, 1996 in 11 states and two territories. Going into the elections, seven of the seats were held by Democrats and four by Republicans. Democrats picked up the open seat in New Hampshire, and Republicans picked up the open seat in West Virginia, for no net change in the partisan balance of power. These elections coincided with the presidential election.
Election results
A bolded state name features an article about the specific election.
State | Incumbent | Party | Status | Opposing Candidates |
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Delaware | Tom Carper | Democratic | Re-elected, 69.5% | Janet Rzewnicki (Republican) 30.5% |
Indiana | Evan Bayh | Democratic | Term-limited, Democratic victory | Frank O'Bannon (Democratic) 51.5% Steve Goldsmith (Republican) 46.8% Steve Dillon (Libertarian) 1.7% |
Missouri | Mel Carnahan | Democratic | Re-elected, 57.2% | Margaret Kelly (Republican) 40.4% Mark Oglesby (Libertarian) 2.4% |
Montana | Marc Racicot | Republican | Re-elected, 79.2% | Judy Jacobson (Democratic) 20.8% |
New Hampshire | Steve Merrill | Republican | Retired, Democratic victory | Jeanne Shaheen (Democratic) 57.2% Ovide Lamontagne (Republican) 39.5% Fred Bramante (Independent Reform) 2.1% Robert Kingsbury (Libertarian) 1.2% |
North Carolina | Jim Hunt | Democratic | Re-elected, 56.0% | Robin Hayes (Republican) 42.8% Scott Yost (Libertarian) 0.7% Julia Van Witt (Natural Law) 0.6% |
North Dakota | Ed Schafer | Republican | Re-elected, 66.2% | Lee Kaldor (Democratic) 33.8% |
Utah | Mike Leavitt | Republican | Re-elected, 75.0% | James Bradley (Democratic) 23.3% Ken Larsen (Independent American) 0.7% Dub Richards (Independent) 0.6% Robert Lesh (Natural Law) 0.4% |
Vermont | Howard Dean | Democratic | Re-elected, 70.5% | John Gropper (Republican) 22.5% Mal Herbert (Liberty Union) 1.6% Dennis Lane (Grassroots) 1.4% Bill Brunelle (Natural Law) 1.3% August St. John (Independent) 1.3% Neil Randall (Libertarian) 1.2% |
Washington | Mike Lowry | Democratic | Retired, Democratic victory | Gary Locke (Democratic) 58.0% Ellen Craswell (Republican) 42.0% |
West Virginia | Gaston Caperton | Democratic | Term-limited, Republican victory | Cecil Underwood (Republican) 51.6% Charlotte Pritt (Democratic) 45.8% Wallace Johnson (Libertarian) 2.6% |
Note: Candidates' vote percentages rounded to the nearest tenth of one percent. Candidates who earned 0.05% or more of the vote are included.
References
- ^ Mike Huckabee (R) succeeded Arkansas Governor Jim Guy Tucker (D) after the latter resigned due to convictions for one count of conspiracy and one count of mail fraud