# 1982 Wyoming state elections

"none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]]
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Wyoming on Tuesday, November 2, 1982. All of the state's executive officers—the governor, secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, and superintendent of public instruction—were up for election. Democratic governor Edgar Herschler won a landslide victory on his way to a record third term in office and Democrat Lynn Simons, first elected in 1978 as superintendent of public instruction, won a sizable re-election as well. Republicans held the other statewide offices.
Elections in Wyoming :
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 caucuses
Democratic
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Republican
2008
2012
2016
2024
U.S. Senate elections
1890
1895
1895 sp
1899
1901
1905
1907
1911
1913
1916
1918
1922
1924
1928
1930
1930 sp
1934
1934 sp
1936
1940
1942
1946
1948
1952
1954
1954 sp
1958
1960
1962 sp
1964
1966
1970
1972
1976
1978
1982
1984
1988
1990
1994
1996
2000
2002
2006
2008
2008 sp
2012
2014
2018
2020
2024
2026
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
1989 sp
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024 :
State government
General elections
1890
1894
1898
1902
1904
1906
1910
1914
1918
1922
1926
1930
1934
1938
1942
1946
1950
1952
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
2026
Gubernatorial elections
1890
1892 sp
1894
1898
1902
1904 sp
1906
1910
1914
1918
1922
1924 sp
1926
1930
1932 sp
1934
1938
1942
1946
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022
2026
Secretary of State elections
2014
2018
2022
Senate elections
1992
23 sp
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
House of Representatives elections
2002
36 sp
2004
2006
2008
22 sp
2010
2012
2014
2016
18 sp
2018
2020
2022
2024
Judicial elections
2024 :
Local government
Local elections
2024
2026
Cheyenne (list of mayors)
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Other cities
Gillette :
vte :

## Governor

Incumbent Democratic governor Edgar Herschler ran for re-election to a third term. He faced former state house speaker Warren A. Morton in the general election, and defeated him in a landslide to win a third term, the first governor of the state to do so.
1982 Wyoming gubernatorial election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Edgar Herschler (inc.) | 106,427 | 63.14% | +12.28% |
| | Republican | Warren A. Morton | 62,128 | 36.86% | −12.28% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 44,299 | 26.28% | +24.55% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 168,555 | | |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

## Secretary of state

Incumbent Republican secretary of State Thyra Thomson ran for re-election to a sixth term. Unopposed in the Republican primary, she faced rancher Leslie Peterson, the Democratic nominee, in the general election. Peterson ran a stronger campaign than any of Thomson's past opponents, and though Thomson ultimately won re-election, she did so by her slimmest margin.

### Democratic primary
#### Candidates

* Leslie Peterson, Jackson rancher

#### Results

Democratic Party primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Leslie Peterson | 44,677 | 100.0% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 44,677 | 100.00% |

### Republican primary
#### Candidates

* Thyra Thomson, incumbent secretary of state

#### Results

Republican Primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Thyra Thomson (inc.) | 68,064 | 100.00% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 68,064 | 100.00% |

### General election
#### Results

1982 Wyoming Secretary of State election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | Thyra Thomson (inc.) | 88,808 | 53.70% | −46.30% |
| | Democratic | Leslie Peterson | 76,559 | 46.30% | — |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,249 | 7.41% | −92.59% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 165,367 | 100.00% | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

## Auditor

Incumbent Republican State Auditor Jim Griffith ran for re-election to a third term. He won the Republican primary unopposed and was initially set to face no opposition in the general election, as no Democratic candidate filed to oppose him. However, Sid Kornegay, a Democrat who ran for Congress in 1980, announced on the day of the primary that he would seek the Democratic Party's nomination as a write-in candidate. After Kornegay received 11 write-in votes in the Democratic primary, he was offered the nomination, which he accepted. Griffith, who was not seen as vulnerable by the Democratic Party, ended up defeating Kornegay in a landslide, winning 74% of the vote to Kornegay's 26%.

### Democratic primary

No Democratic candidates filed for State Auditor. However, Kornegay, a Democratic candidate for Congress in 1980 received 11 write-in votes and was offered the nomination, which he accepted.

### Republican primary
#### Candidates

* Jim Griffith, incumbent State Auditor

#### Results

Republican Primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Jim Griffith (inc.) | 68,206 | 100.00% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 68,206 | 100.00% |

### General election
#### Results

1982 Wyoming Auditor election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | Jim Griffith (inc.) | 116,251 | 73.61% | +4.66% |
| | Democratic | Sid Kornegay | 41,672 | 26.39% | −4.66% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 74,579 | 47.22% | +9.31% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 157,923 | | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

## Treasurer

Incumbent Republican state treasurer Shirley Wittler was unable to seek re-election to a second term due to term limits. Craig L. Thomas, who unsuccessfully ran in the 1978 Republican primary, announced that he would run again, and received Wittler's endorsement. He faced former state representative Stan Smith in the primary, and Smith narrowly defeated him—and by an even narrower margin than Wittler did four years earlier. In the general election, Smith was opposed by Carbon County Treasurer C. R. "Dick" Engstrom. Though Engstrom improved on Democrats' performance from 1978, he still lost to Smith by a sizable margin.

### Democratic primary
#### Candidates

* C. R. "Dick" Engstrom, Carbon County Treasurer

#### Results

Democratic Party primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | C. R. "Dick" Engstrom | 25,970 | 66.70% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 38,935 | 100.00% |

### Republican primary
#### Candidates

* Stan Smith, former state representative from Hot Springs
* Craig L. Thomas, general manager of the Wyoming Rural Electric Association

#### Results

Republican Primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Stan Smith | 36,710 | 51.48% |
| | Republican | Craig L. Thomas | 34,597 | 48.52% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 71,307 | 100.00% |

### General election
#### Results

1982 Wyoming Treasurer election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | Stan Smith | 92,743 | 58.56% | −3.83% |
| | Democratic | C. R. "Dick" Engstrom | 65,631 | 41.44% | +3.83% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 27,112 | 17.12% | −7.66% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 158,374 | 100.00% | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

## Superintendent of public instruction

Incumbent Democratic superintendent of public instruction Lynn Simons ran for re-election to a second term. She was opposed in the general election by Republican nominee Gary Elliott, a former member of the Teton County School Board. Simons ultimately defeated Elliott by a significant margin.

### Democratic primary
#### Candidates

* Lynn Simons, incumbent superintendent of public instruction

#### Results

Democratic Party primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Lynn Simons (inc.) | 44,817 | 100.00% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 44,817 | 100.00% |

### Republican primary
#### Candidates

* Gary W. Elliott, former Teton County School Board member

#### Results

Republican Party primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Gary W. Elliott | 63,852 | 100.00% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 63,852 | 100.00% |

### General election
#### Results

1982 Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Lynn Simons (inc.) | 92,270 | 56.97% | +4.27% |
| | Republican | Gary W. Elliott | 69,699 | 43.03% | −4.27% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 22,571 | 13.94% | +8.54% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 161,969 | 100.00% | |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |