1986 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

1986 Wisconsin gubernatorial election
November 4, 1986
 
Nominee Tommy G. Thompson Anthony S. Earl
Party Republican Democratic
Running mate Scott McCallum Sharon K. Metz
Popular vote 805,090 705,578
Percentage 52.73% 46.21%
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

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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.

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]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Anthony S. Earl (incumbent) 215,183 80.30%
Democratic Edmond Hou-Seye 52,784 19.70%
Total votes 267,967 100.00%

Lieutenant Governor

Candidates
Results
Democratic lieutenant gubernatorial primary results[3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sharon K. Metz 101,753 42.01%
Democratic Gervase Hephner 52,313 21.60%
Democratic Cletus J. Johnson 50,795 20.97%
Democratic Taylor Benson 29,353 12.12%
Democratic Arlyn F. Wollenburg 7,984 3.30%
Total votes 242,198 100.00%

Republican party

Governor

Candidates
Results
Republican gubernatorial primary results[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Tommy G. Thompson 156,875 52.11%
Republican Jonathan B. Barry 67,114 22.30%
Republican George Watts 58,424 19.41%
Republican Albert Lee Wiley Jr. 15,233 5.06%
Republican Joseph A. Ortiz 3,374 1.12%
Total votes 301,020 100.00%

Lieutenant Governor

Candidates
Results
Republican lieutenant gubernatorial primary results[3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Scott McCallum 134,099 49.48%
Republican Patricia A. Goodrich 65,628 24.22%
Republican Robert Nolan 51,836 19.13%
Republican Drew W. Heiden 19,451 7.18%
Total votes 271,014 100.00%

Labor-Farm party

Governor

Candidates
  • Kathryn A. Christensen
Results
Labor-Farm gubernatorial primary results[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Labor-Farm Kathryn A. Christensen 1,088 100.00%
Total votes 1,088 100.00%

Lieutenant Governor

Candidates
  • John Ervin Bergum
Results
Labor-Farm lieutenant gubernatorial primary results[3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Labor-Farm John Ervin Bergum 1,012 100.00%
Total votes 1,012 100.00%

Independent nominations

Governor

Candidates
  • Sanford Knapp
  • Darold E. Wall
Results
Independent gubernatorial primary results[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Independent Darold E. Wall 525 59.59%
Independent Sanford Knapp 356 40.41%
Total votes 881 100.00%

General election

Candidates

  • Anthony S. Earl & Sharon K. Metz, Democrat
  • Tommy G. Thompson & Scott McCallum, Republican
  • Kathryn A. Christensen & John Ervin Bergum, Labor-Farm
  • Darold E. Wall & Irma L. Lotts, Independent
  • Sanford Knapp & Verdell Hallingstad, Independent

Results

1986 Wisconsin gubernatorial election[4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Tommy G. Thompson 805,090 52.73% +10.79%
Democratic Anthony S. Earl 705,578 46.21% −10.55%
Labor-Farm Kathryn A. Christensen 10,323 0.68%
Independent Darold E. Wall 3,913 0.26%
Independent Sanford Knapp 1,668 0.11%
Scattering 388 0.03%
Majority 99,512 6.52%
Total votes 1,526,960 100.00%
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 		Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # %
Adams 3,193 63.54% 1,800 35.82% 32 0.64% 1,393 27.72% 5,025
Ashland 3,076 49.67% 3,015 48.68% 102 1.65% 61 0.98% 6,193
Barron 5,720 51.27% 5,366 48.10% 70 0.63% 354 3.17% 11,156
Bayfield 2,664 48.15% 2,788 50.39% 81 1.46% -124 -2.24% 5,533
Brown 34,762 55.73% 27,000 43.29% 612 0.98% 7,762 12.44% 62,374
Buffalo 2,471 51.27% 2,321 48.15% 28 0.58% 150 3.11% 4,820
Burnett 2,378 44.49% 2,887 54.01% 80 1.50% -509 -9.52% 5,345
Calumet 6,492 62.79% 3,716 35.94% 131 1.27% 2,776 26.85% 10,339
Chippewa 7,041 47.93% 7,173 48.83% 477 3.25% -132 -0.90% 14,691
Clark 6,080 57.90% 4,287 40.83% 133 1.27% 1,793 17.08% 10,500
Columbia 9,035 59.74% 6,002 39.69% 86 0.57% 3,033 20.06% 15,123
Crawford 3,563 64.23% 1,926 34.72% 58 1.05% 1,637 29.51% 5,547
Dane 51,412 39.68% 76,204 58.82% 1,947 1.50% -24,792 -19.14% 129,563
Dodge 15,045 66.73% 7,300 32.38% 200 0.89% 7,745 34.35% 22,545
Door 5,211 63.67% 2,903 35.47% 70 0.86% 2,308 28.20% 8,184
Douglas 4,582 33.33% 9,063 65.93% 101 0.73% -4,481 -32.60% 13,746
Dunn 4,520 44.77% 5,459 54.07% 117 1.16% -939 -9.30% 10,096
Eau Claire 12,813 47.42% 13,862 51.30% 344 1.27% -1,049 -3.88% 27,019
Florence 895 52.10% 815 47.44% 8 0.47% 80 4.66% 1,718
Fond du Lac 17,248 64.83% 9,136 34.34% 219 0.82% 8,112 30.49% 26,603
Forest 1,367 49.65% 1,364 49.55% 22 0.80% 3 0.11% 2,753
Grant 7,847 62.83% 4,548 36.42% 94 0.75% 3,299 26.42% 12,489
Green 4,721 59.99% 3,054 38.81% 94 1.19% 1,667 21.18% 7,869
Green Lake 4,407 73.63% 1,522 25.43% 56 0.94% 2,885 48.20% 5,985
Iowa 3,385 54.31% 2,790 44.76% 58 0.93% 595 9.55% 6,233
Iron 1,205 46.24% 1,381 52.99% 20 0.77% -176 -6.75% 2,606
Jackson 3,256 54.35% 2,698 45.03% 37 0.62% 558 9.31% 5,991
Jefferson 11,551 58.98% 7,876 40.21% 159 0.81% 3,675 18.76% 19,586
Juneau 5,904 73.04% 2,122 26.25% 57 0.71% 3,782 46.79% 8,083
Kenosha 12,385 38.77% 19,293 60.40% 263 0.82% -6,908 -21.63% 31,941
Kewaunee 4,052 56.77% 3,029 42.44% 56 0.78% 1,023 14.33% 7,137
La Crosse 17,596 52.92% 15,290 45.98% 365 1.10% 2,306 6.94% 33,251
Lafayette 3,124 59.29% 2,113 40.10% 32 0.61% 1,011 19.19% 5,269
Langlade 3,907 59.43% 2,610 39.70% 57 0.87% 1,297 19.73% 6,574
Lincoln 4,060 53.32% 3,456 45.38% 99 1.30% 604 7.93% 7,615
Manitowoc 15,203 56.75% 11,176 41.72% 411 1.53% 4,027 15.03% 26,790
Marathon 20,827 55.33% 16,318 43.35% 498 1.32% 4,509 11.98% 37,643
Marinette 7,856 60.68% 4,974 38.42% 116 0.90% 2,882 22.26% 12,946
Marquette 3,012 68.45% 1,350 30.68% 38 0.86% 1,662 37.77% 4,400
Menominee 216 23.89% 684 75.66% 4 0.44% -468 -51.77% 904
Milwaukee 129,933 44.17% 161,149 54.79% 3,066 1.04% -31,216 -10.61% 294,148
Monroe 6,015 63.65% 3,360 35.56% 75 0.79% 2,655 28.10% 9,450
Oconto 6,058 60.28% 3,897 38.78% 94 0.94% 2,161 21.50% 10,049
Oneida 6,390 57.92% 4,571 41.43% 72 0.65% 1,819 16.49% 11,033
Outagamie 25,445 61.18% 15,701 37.75% 443 1.07% 9,744 23.43% 41,589
Ozaukee 16,973 65.31% 8,807 33.89% 210 0.81% 8,166 31.42% 25,990
Pepin 1,297 51.24% 1,202 47.49% 32 1.26% 95 3.75% 2,531
Pierce 3,614 42.59% 4,781 56.35% 90 1.06% -1,167 -13.75% 8,485
Polk 4,281 44.69% 5,204 54.33% 94 0.98% -923 -9.64% 9,579
Portage 7,938 45.27% 9,363 53.40% 233 1.33% -1,425 -8.13% 17,534
Price 3,969 61.39% 2,437 37.70% 59 0.91% 1,532 23.70% 6,465
Racine 26,575 51.14% 24,892 47.90% 503 0.97% 1,683 3.24% 51,970
Richland 4,051 64.46% 2,165 34.45% 69 1.10% 1,886 30.01% 6,285
Rock 19,459 50.04% 19,005 48.88% 420 1.08% 454 1.17% 38,884
Rusk 2,999 53.00% 2,592 45.81% 67 1.18% 407 7.19% 5,658
Sauk 8,994 61.91% 5,440 37.45% 93 0.64% 3,554 24.46% 14,527
Sawyer 2,895 60.41% 1,839 38.38% 58 1.21% 1,056 22.04% 4,792
Shawano 7,181 66.10% 3,608 33.21% 75 0.69% 3,573 32.89% 10,864
Sheboygan 17,324 49.91% 17,091 49.24% 294 0.85% 233 0.67% 34,709
St. Croix 5,990 46.80% 6,744 52.70% 64 0.50% -754 -5.89% 12,798
Taylor 4,069 62.52% 2,345 36.03% 94 1.44% 1,724 26.49% 6,508
Trempealeau 4,171 49.26% 4,243 50.11% 53 0.63% -72 -0.85% 8,467
Vernon 4,911 62.10% 2,9433 37.22% 54 0.68% 1,968 24.89% 7,908
Vilas 4,854 68.32% 2,207 31.06% 44 0.62% 2,647 37.26% 7,105
Walworth 11,786 60.41% 7,505 38.47% 220 1.13% 4,281 21.94% 19,511
Washburn 2,613 53.02% 2,267 46.00% 48 0.97% 346 7.02% 4,928
Washington 16,757 62.57% 9,755 36.43% 269 1.00% 7,002 26.15% 26,781
Waukesha 62,387 62.54% 36,389 36.48% 973 0.98% 25,998 26.06% 99,749
Waupaca 7,835 64.92% 4,121 34.15% 113 0.94% 3,714 30.77% 12,069
Waushara 4,057 67.17% 1,909 31.61% 74 1.23% 2,148 35.56% 6,040
Winnebago 25,786 59.04% 17,316 39.65% 571 1.31% 8,470 19.39% 43,673
Wood 14,401 58.31% 10,059 40.73% 236 0.96% 4,342 17.58% 24,696
Total 805,090 52.73% 705,578 46.21% 16,292 1.07% 99,512 6.52% 1,526,960

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

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. ^ a b c d 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. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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.
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