# 1986 Idaho gubernatorial election

Elections in Idaho :
Federal government
Presidential elections
1892
1896
1900
1904
1908
1912
1916
1920
1924
1928
1932
1936
1940
1944
1948
1952
1956
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Presidential primaries
Democratic
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Republican
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
U.S. Senate elections
1890
1895
1897
1901
1902
1903
1907
1909
1913
1913 sp
1914
1918
1918 sp
1920
1924
1926
1928 sp
1930
1932
1936
1938
1940 sp
1942
1944
1946 sp
1948
1950
1950 sp
1954
1956
1960
1962 sp
1962
1966
1968
1972
1974
1978
1980
1984
1986
1990
1992
1996
1998
2002
2004
2008
2010
2014
2016
2020
2022
2026
2028
U.S. House of Representatives elections
1890
1892
1894
1896
1898
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
1910
1912
1914
1916
1918
1920
1922
1924
1926
1928
1930
1932
1934
1936
1938
1940
1942
1944
1946
1948
1950
1952
1954
1956
1958
1960
1962
1964
1966
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024 :
State government
General elections
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
Gubernatorial elections
1892
1894
1896
1898
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
1910
1912
1914
1916
1918
1920
1922
1924
1926
1928
1930
1932
1934
1936
1938
1940
1942
1944
1946
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022
Lieutenant gubernatorial elections
2022
Secretary of State elections
2022
Attorney General elections
2022
Senate elections
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
House of Representatives elections
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022 *2024 :
Ballot measures
Ballot measures
1994
Proposition 1
2006
Amendment 2
Proposition 2
2018
Proposition 1
Proposition 2 :
Boise
Mayoral elections
2015
2019
2023 :
Meridian
Mayoral elections
2015
2019
2023 :
vte :
The 1986 Idaho gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1986 to elect the governor of the state of Idaho. Cecil Andrus, a former Democratic governor, was elected defeating the Republican Lieutenant Governor David Leroy.
This was an open seat election; longtime incumbent John V. Evans ran for the U.S. Senate, but lost. This was the first open-seat gubernatorial election in Idaho or the first open-seat Idaho gubernatorial election since 1954.

## Nominations

Republican Lieutenant Governor David Leroy announced his candidacy for governor fourteen months before the election in the autumn of 1985. Raised in Lewiston, Leroy was a former county prosecutor in Boise and state attorney general.
Democrat former governor Cecil Andrus declared his bid for governor six months later in March 1986. He held the office for six years (1971–1977), until his appointment as U.S. Secretary of the Interior (1977–1981) in the Carter Administration. Incumbent Evans, successor to Andrus in 1977, chose to run for the U.S. Senate, but lost to incumbent Steve Symms.
Both Andrus and Leroy were unopposed for their respective nominations in the statewide primary on May 27.

## Campaign

As election day neared, polls showed Democrat Andrus ahead of Leroy.

## Election results

It was the third of four wins for Andrus, and the fifth of six consecutive for the Democrats. Similar to the previous election in 1982 (with different candidates), the winning margin was narrow.
Idaho gubernatorial election, 1986 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Cecil Andrus | 193,429 | 49.9 | −3.0 |
| | Republican | David Leroy | 189,794 | 49.0 | +1.9 |
| | Independent | James Miller | 4,203 | 1.1 | +1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,635 | 0.9 | −4.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 387,426 | | |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Swing | | |