1990 United States gubernatorial elections

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. The elections coincided with the mid-term elections for the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. 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.

1990 United States gubernatorial elections

← 1989 November 6, 1990 1991 →
38 governorships 36 states; 2 territories
Majority party Minority party   Party Democratic Republican Seats before 29 21 Seats after 28 20 Seat change 1 1 Seats up 20 16 Seats won 19 15   Third party Fourth party   Party A Connecticut Party Alaskan Independence Seats before 0 0 Seats after 1 1 Seat change 1 1 Seats up 0 0 Seats won 1 1
Map of the results      Democratic gain      Republican gain      Democratic hold      Republican hold      Alaskan Independence gain      A Connecticut Party gain      No election

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, and former U.S. Senator Lowell Weicker of Connecticut won on A Connecticut Party's ticket. In addition to Weicker, two other U.S. senators were elected governors that year, Republican Pete Wilson of California and Democrat Lawton Chiles of Florida. The 1990 cycle saw six incumbent governors defeated. These were Republicans Mike Hayden of Kansas, Kay Orr of Nebraska, Bob Martinez of Florida and Edward DiPrete of Rhode Island, as well as Democrats James Blanchard of Michigan and Rudy Perpich of Minnesota.

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. This style of voting was later repealed in 1992.

As of 2024, this is the last time a Democrat was elected governor in Idaho or Texas, as well as the last time a Third party won in Connecticut.

Election results

States

State	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
Alabama	H. Guy Hunt	Republican	1986	Incumbent re-elected.	Y H. Guy Hunt (Republican) 52.1% Paul Hubbert (Democratic) 47.9%
Alaska	Steve Cowper	Democratic	1986	Incumbent retired. New governor elected. AK Independence gain.	Y Wally Hickel (AK Independence) 38.9% Tony Knowles (Democratic) 30.9% Arliss Sturgulewski (Republican) 26.2% Jim Sykes (Green) 3.4%
Arizona	Rose Mofford	Democratic	1988^[a]	Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Republican gain.	Y Fife Symington (Republican) 52.4% Terry Goddard (Democratic) 47.6%
Arkansas	Bill Clinton	Democratic	1978 1980 (defeated) 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Bill Clinton (Democratic) 57.5% Sheffield Nelson (Republican) 42.5%
California	George Deukmejian	Republican	1982	Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Republican hold.	Y Pete Wilson (Republican) 49.2% Dianne Feinstein (Democratic) 45.8% Dennis Thompson (Libertarian) 1.9% Jerome McCready (American Independent) 1.8% Maria E. Muñoz (Peace and Freedom) 1.3%
Colorado	Roy Romer	Democratic	1986	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Roy Romer (Democratic) 61.9% John Andrews (Republican) 35.4% David Aitken (Libertarian) 1.9%
Connecticut	William A. O'Neill	Democratic	1980^[b]	Incumbent retired. New governor elected. A Connecticut Party gain.	Y Lowell Weicker (A Connecticut Party) 40.4% John G. Rowland (Republican) 37.5% Bruce Morrison (Democratic) 20.7% Joseph Zdonczyk (Concerned Citizens) 1.4%
Florida	Bob Martinez	Republican	1986	Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y Lawton Chiles (Democratic) 56.5% Bob Martinez (Republican) 43.5%
Georgia	Joe Frank Harris	Democratic	1982	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic hold.	Y Zell Miller (Democratic) 52.9% Johnny Isakson (Republican) 44.5% Carole Ann Rand (Libertarian) 2.6%
Hawaii	John D. Waiheʻe III	Democratic	1986	Incumbent re-elected.	Y John D. Waiheʻe III (Democratic) 59.8% Fred Hemmings (Republican) 38.6%
Idaho	Cecil Andrus	Democratic	1970 1977 (resigned) 1986	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Cecil Andrus (Democratic) 68.2% Roger Fairchild (Republican) 31.8%
Illinois	James R. Thompson	Republican	1976	Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Republican hold.	Y Jim Edgar (Republican) 50.7% Neil Hartigan (Democratic) 48.2% Jessie Fields (Solidarity) 1.1%
Iowa	Terry Branstad	Republican	1982	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Terry Branstad (Republican) 60.6% Donald Avenson (Democratic) 38.8%
Kansas	Mike Hayden	Republican	1986	Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y Joan Finney (Democratic) 48.6% Mike Hayden (Republican) 42.6% Christina Campbell-Cline (Independent) 8.8%
Maine	John R. McKernan Jr.	Republican	1986	Incumbent re-elected.	Y John R. McKernan Jr. (Republican) 46.7% Joseph E. Brennan (Democratic) 44.0% Andrew Adam (Independent) 9.3%
Maryland	William D. Schaefer	Democratic	1986	Incumbent re-elected.	Y William D. Schaefer (Democratic) 59.8% William S. Shepard (Republican) 40.2%
Massachusetts	Michael Dukakis	Democratic	1982	Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Republican gain.	Y Bill Weld (Republican) 50.2% John Silber (Democratic) 46.9% Leonard Umina (Independent) 2.7%
Michigan	James Blanchard	Democratic	1982	Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Republican gain.	Y John Engler (Republican) 49.8% James Blanchard (Democratic) 49.1% William Roundtree (Workers World) 1.1%
Minnesota	Rudy Perpich	Democratic	1982	Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Republican gain.	Y Arne Carlson (Republican) 50.1% Rudy Perpich (Democratic) 46.8% Heart Warrior Chosa (EarthRIGHT) 1.2% Ross S. Culverhouse (Grassroots) 1.0%
Nebraska	Kay A. Orr	Republican	1986	Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y Ben Nelson (Democratic) 49.9% Kay A. Orr (Republican) 49.2%
Nevada	Bob Miller	Democratic	1989^[c]	Incumbent elected to full term.	Y Bob Miller (Democratic) 64.8% Jim Gallaway (Republican) 29.9% None of These Candidates 2.8% James Frye (Libertarian) 2.5%
New Hampshire	Judd Gregg	Republican	1988	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Judd Gregg (Republican) 60.3% Joseph Grandmaison (Democratic) 34.5% Miriam Luce (Libertarian) 4.9%
New Mexico	Garrey Carruthers	Republican	1986	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y Bruce King (Democratic) 54.6% Frank M. Bond (Republican) 45.2%
New York	Mario Cuomo	Democratic	1982	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Mario Cuomo (Democratic) 53.2% Pierre A. Rinfret (Republican) 21.3% Herbert London (Conservative) 20.4% Louis P. Wein (Right to Life) 3.4%
Ohio	Dick Celeste	Democratic	1982	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Republican gain.	Y George Voinovich (Republican) 55.7% Anthony J. Celebrezze Jr. (Democratic) 44.3%
Oklahoma	Henry Bellmon	Republican	1986	Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y David Walters (Democratic) 57.4% Bill Price (Republican) 32.7% Thomas Ledgerwood (Independent) 9.9%
Oregon	Neil Goldschmidt	Democratic	1986	Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Democratic hold.	Y Barbara Roberts (Democratic) 45.7% David B. Frohnmayer (Republican) 40.0% Al Mobley (Independent) 13.0% Fred Oerther (Libertarian) 1.3%
Pennsylvania	Bob Casey Sr.	Democratic	1986	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Bob Casey Sr. (Democratic) 67.6% Barbara Hafer (Republican) 32.3%
Rhode Island	Edward D. DiPrete	Republican	1984	Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y Bruce Sundlun (Democratic) 74.2% Edward D. DiPrete (Republican) 25.8%
South Carolina	Carroll A. Campbell Jr.	Republican	1986	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Carroll A. Campbell Jr. (Republican) 69.5% Theo Mitchell (Democratic) 27.8% John Peeples (American) 2.3%
South Dakota	George S. Mickelson	Republican	1986	Incumbent re-elected.	Y George S. Mickelson (Republican) 58.9% Bob L. Samuelson (Democratic) 41.1%
Tennessee	Ned McWherter	Democratic	1986	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Ned McWherter (Democratic) 60.8% Dwight Henry (Republican) 36.6% W. Curtis Jacox (Independent) 1.4% David B. Shepard (Independent) 1.1%
Texas	Bill Clements	Republican	1978 1982 (defeated) 1986	Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y Ann Richards (Democratic) 49.5% Clayton Williams (Republican) 46.9% Jeff Daiell (Libertarian) 3.3%
Vermont	Madeleine Kunin	Democratic	1984	Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Republican gain.	Y Richard A. Snelling (Republican) 51.8% Peter Welch (Democratic) 46.0% David Atkinson (Libertarian) 1.3%
Wisconsin	Tommy Thompson	Republican	1986	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Tommy Thompson (Republican) 58.1% Thomas A. Loftus (Democratic) 41.8%
Wyoming	Mike Sullivan	Democratic	1986	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Mike Sullivan (Democratic) 65.3% Mary Mead (Republican) 34.6%

Territories and federal district

State	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
District of Columbia	Marion Barry	Democratic	1978	Incumbent retired. New mayor elected. Democratic hold.	Y Sharon Pratt (Democratic) 86.1% Maurice Turner (Republican) 11.5%
Guam	Joseph Franklin Ada	Republican	1986	Incumbent re-elected.^[1]	Y Joseph Franklin Ada (Republican) 56.9% Madeleine Bordallo (Democratic) 43.1%
U.S. Virgin Islands	Alexander Farrelly	Democratic	1986	Incumbent re-elected.^[2]	Y Alexander Farrelly (Democratic) 56.5% Juan Francisco Luis (Independent) 38.5%

Close states

States where the margin of victory was under 1%:

1. Michigan, 0.7%
2. Nebraska, 0.7%

States where the margin of victory was under 5%:

1. Illinois, 2.5%
2. Texas, 2.6%
3. Maine, 2.7%
4. Connecticut, 2.9%
5. Massachusetts, 3.3%
6. Minnesota, 3.3%
7. California, 3.4%
8. Alabama, 4.2%
9. Arizona, 4.8%

States where the margin of victory was under 10%:

1. Oregon, 5.7%
2. Vermont, 5.8%
3. Kansas, 6.0%
4. Alaska, 8.0%
5. Georgia, 8.4%
6. New Mexico, 9.4%

See also

• 1990 United States elections
  • 1990 United States Senate elections
  • 1990 United States House of Representatives elections

Notes

1. Mofford took office after her predecessor (Evan Mecham) was removed from office.
2. O'Neill took office after his predecessor (Ella Grasso) resigned. He was subsequently elected in the 1982 Connecticut gubernatorial election.
3. Miller took office after his predecessor (Richard Bryan) resigned.

References

1. "Guam Governor Race - Nov 06, 1990". Our Campaigns. July 3, 2015.
2. "USVI Governor Race - Nov 06, 1990". Our Campaigns. January 19, 2006.