# 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.
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 This style of voting was later repealed in 1992.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 2025, 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 | 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 | 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 | 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. | Y Joseph Franklin Ada (Republican) 56.9% Madeleine Bordallo (Democratic) 43.1% |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | Alexander Farrelly | Democratic | 1986 | Incumbent re-elected. | Y Alexander Farrelly (Democratic) 56.5% Juan Francisco Luis (Independent) 38.5% |

## Close states

States where the margin of victory was under 1%:
* Michigan, 0.7%
* Nebraska, 0.7%
States where the margin of victory was under 5%:
* Illinois, 2.5%
* Texas, 2.6%
* Maine, 2.7%
* Connecticut, 2.9%
* Massachusetts, 3.3%
* Minnesota, 3.3%
* California, 3.4%
* Alabama, 4.2%
* Arizona, 4.8%
States where the margin of victory was under 10%:
* Oregon, 5.7%
* Vermont, 5.8%
* Kansas, 6.0%
* Alaska, 8.0%
* Georgia, 8.4%
* New Mexico, 9.4%