1986 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

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1986 Wisconsin gubernatorial election
Flag of Wisconsin.svg
  1982 November 4, 1986 1990  
  Tommy Thompson (WI) (3x4) a.jpg Anthony Earl (Wisconsin Governor) (3x4) b.jpg
Nominee Tommy G. Thompson Anthony S. Earl
Party Republican Democratic
Running mate Scott McCallum Sharon K. Metz
Popular vote805,090705,578
Percentage52.73%46.21%

1986 Wisconsin gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
County results
Thompson:      40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%
Earl:      50–60%     60–70%

Governor before election

Anthony S. Earl
Democratic

Elected Governor

Tommy G. Thompson
Republican

The 1986 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1986. Republican Tommy G. Thompson won the election with 53% of the vote, winning his first term as Governor of Wisconsin and defeating incumbent Governor Anthony S. Earl. [1] This was the first time since 1962 that the winner of a Wisconsin gubernatorial election was of the same party as the incumbent president. Jonathan B. Barry unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination.

Contents

Primary election

The primary election was held on September 9, 1986. Nominees for Governor and Lieutenant Governor were selected in separate primaries before running on a joint ticket in the general election.

Democratic party

Governor

Candidates
Results
Democratic gubernatorial primary results [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Anthony S. Earl (incumbent) 215,183 80.30%
Democratic Edmond Hou-Seye52,78419.70%
Total votes267,967 100.00%

Lieutenant Governor

Candidates
Results
Democratic lieutenant gubernatorial primary results [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Sharon K. Metz 101,753 42.01%
Democratic Gervase Hephner 52,31321.60%
Democratic Cletus J. Johnson50,79520.97%
Democratic Taylor Benson 29,35312.12%
Democratic Arlyn F. Wollenburg7,9843.30%
Total votes242,198 100.00%

Republican party

Governor

Candidates


Results
Republican gubernatorial primary results [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Tommy G. Thompson 156,875 52.11%
Republican Jonathan B. Barry 67,11422.30%
Republican George Watts58,42419.41%
Republican Albert Lee Wiley Jr.15,2335.06%
Republican Joseph A. Ortiz3,3741.12%
Total votes301,020 100.00%

Lieutenant Governor

Candidates
Results
Republican lieutenant gubernatorial primary results [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Scott McCallum 134,099 49.48%
Republican Patricia A. Goodrich 65,62824.22%
Republican Robert Nolan51,83619.13%
Republican Drew W. Heiden19,4517.18%
Total votes271,014 100.00%

Labor-Farm party

Governor

Candidates
  • Kathryn A. Christensen
Results
Labor-Farm gubernatorial primary results [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Labor-FarmKathryn A. Christensen1,088100.00%
Total votes1,088 100.00%

Lieutenant Governor

Candidates
  • John Ervin Bergum
Results
Labor-Farm lieutenant gubernatorial primary results [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Labor-FarmJohn Ervin Bergum1,012100.00%
Total votes1,012 100.00%

Independent nominations

Governor

Candidates
  • Sanford Knapp
  • Darold E. Wall
Results
Independent gubernatorial primary results [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Independent Darold E. Wall 525 59.59%
Independent Sanford Knapp 356 40.41%
Total votes881 100.00%

General election

Candidates

Results

1986 Wisconsin gubernatorial election [4] [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Tommy G. Thompson 805,090 52.73% +10.79%
Democratic Anthony S. Earl 705,57846.21%−10.55%
Labor-FarmKathryn A. Christensen10,3230.68%
Independent Darold E. Wall3,9130.26%
Independent Sanford Knapp1,6680.11%
Scattering3880.03%
Majority99,5126.52%
Total votes1,526,960 100.00%
Republican gain from Democratic Swing +21.33%

Results by county

Thompson was the first Republican since Walter J. Kohler Jr. in 1952 to win Ashland County and Manitowoc County.

County [4] [5] Tommy G. Thompson
Republican
Anthony S. Earl
Democratic
All Others
Various
MarginTotal votes cast
# %# %# %# %
Adams 3,19363.54%1,80035.82%320.64%1,39327.72%5,025
Ashland 3,07649.67%3,01548.68%1021.65%610.98%6,193
Barron 5,72051.27%5,36648.10%700.63%3543.17%11,156
Bayfield 2,66448.15%2,78850.39%811.46%-124-2.24%5,533
Brown 34,76255.73%27,00043.29%6120.98%7,76212.44%62,374
Buffalo 2,47151.27%2,32148.15%280.58%1503.11%4,820
Burnett 2,37844.49%2,88754.01%801.50%-509-9.52%5,345
Calumet 6,49262.79%3,71635.94%1311.27%2,77626.85%10,339
Chippewa 7,04147.93%7,17348.83%4773.25%-132-0.90%14,691
Clark 6,08057.90%4,28740.83%1331.27%1,79317.08%10,500
Columbia 9,03559.74%6,00239.69%860.57%3,03320.06%15,123
Crawford 3,56364.23%1,92634.72%581.05%1,63729.51%5,547
Dane 51,41239.68%76,20458.82%1,9471.50%-24,792-19.14%129,563
Dodge 15,04566.73%7,30032.38%2000.89%7,74534.35%22,545
Door 5,21163.67%2,90335.47%700.86%2,30828.20%8,184
Douglas 4,58233.33%9,06365.93%1010.73%-4,481-32.60%13,746
Dunn 4,52044.77%5,45954.07%1171.16%-939-9.30%10,096
Eau Claire 12,81347.42%13,86251.30%3441.27%-1,049-3.88%27,019
Florence 89552.10%81547.44%80.47%804.66%1,718
Fond du Lac 17,24864.83%9,13634.34%2190.82%8,11230.49%26,603
Forest 1,36749.65%1,36449.55%220.80%30.11%2,753
Grant 7,84762.83%4,54836.42%940.75%3,29926.42%12,489
Green 4,72159.99%3,05438.81%941.19%1,66721.18%7,869
Green Lake 4,40773.63%1,52225.43%560.94%2,88548.20%5,985
Iowa 3,38554.31%2,79044.76%580.93%5959.55%6,233
Iron 1,20546.24%1,38152.99%200.77%-176-6.75%2,606
Jackson 3,25654.35%2,69845.03%370.62%5589.31%5,991
Jefferson 11,55158.98%7,87640.21%1590.81%3,67518.76%19,586
Juneau 5,90473.04%2,12226.25%570.71%3,78246.79%8,083
Kenosha 12,38538.77%19,29360.40%2630.82%-6,908-21.63%31,941
Kewaunee 4,05256.77%3,02942.44%560.78%1,02314.33%7,137
La Crosse 17,59652.92%15,29045.98%3651.10%2,3066.94%33,251
Lafayette 3,12459.29%2,11340.10%320.61%1,01119.19%5,269
Langlade 3,90759.43%2,61039.70%570.87%1,29719.73%6,574
Lincoln 4,06053.32%3,45645.38%991.30%6047.93%7,615
Manitowoc 15,20356.75%11,17641.72%4111.53%4,02715.03%26,790
Marathon 20,82755.33%16,31843.35%4981.32%4,50911.98%37,643
Marinette 7,85660.68%4,97438.42%1160.90%2,88222.26%12,946
Marquette 3,01268.45%1,35030.68%380.86%1,66237.77%4,400
Menominee 21623.89%68475.66%40.44%-468-51.77%904
Milwaukee 129,93344.17%161,14954.79%3,0661.04%-31,216-10.61%294,148
Monroe 6,01563.65%3,36035.56%750.79%2,65528.10%9,450
Oconto 6,05860.28%3,89738.78%940.94%2,16121.50%10,049
Oneida 6,39057.92%4,57141.43%720.65%1,81916.49%11,033
Outagamie 25,44561.18%15,70137.75%4431.07%9,74423.43%41,589
Ozaukee 16,97365.31%8,80733.89%2100.81%8,16631.42%25,990
Pepin 1,29751.24%1,20247.49%321.26%953.75%2,531
Pierce 3,61442.59%4,78156.35%901.06%-1,167-13.75%8,485
Polk 4,28144.69%5,20454.33%940.98%-923-9.64%9,579
Portage 7,93845.27%9,36353.40%2331.33%-1,425-8.13%17,534
Price 3,96961.39%2,43737.70%590.91%1,53223.70%6,465
Racine 26,57551.14%24,89247.90%5030.97%1,6833.24%51,970
Richland 4,05164.46%2,16534.45%691.10%1,88630.01%6,285
Rock 19,45950.04%19,00548.88%4201.08%4541.17%38,884
Rusk 2,99953.00%2,59245.81%671.18%4077.19%5,658
Sauk 8,99461.91%5,44037.45%930.64%3,55424.46%14,527
Sawyer 2,89560.41%1,83938.38%581.21%1,05622.04%4,792
Shawano 7,18166.10%3,60833.21%750.69%3,57332.89%10,864
Sheboygan 17,32449.91%17,09149.24%2940.85%2330.67%34,709
St. Croix 5,99046.80%6,74452.70%640.50%-754-5.89%12,798
Taylor 4,06962.52%2,34536.03%941.44%1,72426.49%6,508
Trempealeau 4,17149.26%4,24350.11%530.63%-72-0.85%8,467
Vernon 4,91162.10%2,943337.22%540.68%1,96824.89%7,908
Vilas 4,85468.32%2,20731.06%440.62%2,64737.26%7,105
Walworth 11,78660.41%7,50538.47%2201.13%4,28121.94%19,511
Washburn 2,61353.02%2,26746.00%480.97%3467.02%4,928
Washington 16,75762.57%9,75536.43%2691.00%7,00226.15%26,781
Waukesha 62,38762.54%36,38936.48%9730.98%25,99826.06%99,749
Waupaca 7,83564.92%4,12134.15%1130.94%3,71430.77%12,069
Waushara 4,05767.17%1,90931.61%741.23%2,14835.56%6,040
Winnebago 25,78659.04%17,31639.65%5711.31%8,47019.39%43,673
Wood 14,40158.31%10,05940.73%2360.96%4,34217.58%24,696
Total805,09052.73%705,57846.21%16,2921.07%99,5126.52%1,526,960

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

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References

  1. Joint Committee on Legislative Organization, Wisconsin Legislature (2015). Wisconsin Blue Book 2015-2016. Madison, Wisconsin: Wisconsin Department of Administration. pp. 699–701. ISBN   978-0-9752820-7-6.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (1987). "Vote For State Officers. By County". The State of Wisconsin Blue Book 1987-1988. Madison, Wisconsin. pp. 874–875.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. 1 2 3 Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (1987). "Vote For State Officers, By County". The State of Wisconsin Blue Book 1987-1988. Madison, Wisconsin. pp. 876–877.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. 1 2 Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (1987). "Vote For State Officers, By County". The State of Wisconsin Blue Book 1987-1988. Madison, Wisconsin. p. 896.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. 1 2 Richard M. Scammon; Alice V. McGillivray, eds. (1987). America Votes 17, A Handbook of Contemporary American Election Statistics. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly. pp. 412–413.