1982 Alabama gubernatorial election

The 1982 Alabama gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982, to elect the governor of Alabama. Incumbent Democrat Fob James declined to run for re-election; he later successfully ran again in 1994 as a Republican. The open seat election saw former Democratic governor George Wallace, who narrowly won the Democratic primary, defeat Republican Emory Folmar, the Mayor of Montgomery, Alabama.

For related races, see 1982 United States gubernatorial elections.

1982 Alabama gubernatorial election

← 1978 November 2, 1982 (1982-11-02) 1986 →

Nominee George Wallace Emory Folmar Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 650,538 440,815 Percentage 57.6% 39.1%

County results Wallace:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Folmar:      40–50%      50–60%

Governor before election Fob James Democratic Elected Governor George Wallace Democratic

In the Democratic primary, Wallace received challenges from Lieutenant Governor George McMillan, Speaker of the State House Joe McCorquodale, former governor Jim Folsom, and Reuben McKinley. Because Wallace did not receive a majority of the votes, he advanced to a run-off with McMillan and then narrowly won the Democratic nomination. Montgomery Mayor Emory Folmar went unchallenged for the Republican nomination.

Wallace, formerly a notorious segregationist, renounced those views in 1979. On November 2, 1982, Wallace not only won the general election, but also over 90% of the black vote.^[1][2] Overall, Wallace received 650,538 (57.64%) votes against Folmar's 440,815 (39.06%) votes. Folmer was the last Alabama Republican gubernatorial nominee to have never won a gubernatorial general election.

Background

Incumbent governor Fob James declined to seek a second term. Shortly after former governor George Wallace survived an assassination attempt in 1972, he renounced his infamous segregationist past, especially when he stood in front of the school house door at the University of Alabama in 1963, noting that, "I was wrong. Those days are over, and they ought to be over." With Governor James retiring, Wallace decided to run for a fourth non-consecutive term in 1982.

Democratic primary

Incumbent Democratic Governor Fob James decided to not seek a second term.

Candidates

• Jim Folsom, former governor
• Joe McCorquodale, Speaker of the State House of Representatives
• Reuben McKinley
• George McMillan, lieutenant governor
• George Wallace, former governor

Primary results by county:

  Wallace

•   30–40%
•   40–50%
•   50–60%
•   60–70%
•   70–80%

  McMillan

•   30–40%
•   40–50%

  McCorquodale

•   30–40%
•   50–60%

Democratic primary results^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	George Wallace	425,469	42.53
	Democratic	George McMillan	296,271	29.62
	Democratic	Joe McCorquodale	250,614	25.05
	Democratic	Jim Folsom	17,333	1.73
	Democratic	Reuben McKinley	10,617	1.06
Total votes			1,000,304	100.00

Runoff results by county:

  Wallace

•   50–60%
•   60–70%
•   70–80%

  McMillan

•   50–60%
•   60–70%
•   80–90%

Democratic runoff results^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	George Wallace	512,203	51.19
	Democratic	George McMillan	488,444	48.81
Total votes			1,000,647	100.00

Republican primary

Emory M. Folmar won the Republican Party primary without any opposition.

Election results

• George Wallace (D) – 650,538 (57.64%)
• Emory M. Folmar (R) – 440,815 (39.06%)
• Leo Suiter (Alabama Conservative) – 17,936 (1.59%)
• Henry Klingler (Libertarian) – 7,671 (0.68%)
• John Jackson (Alabama National Democrat) – 4,693 (0.42%)
• John Dyer (Prohibition) – 4,364 (0.39%)
• Martin J. Boyers (Socialist Workers) – 2,578 (0.23%)

References

• http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=7393

1. "George C. Wallace (1963-67, 1971-79, 1983-87)". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
2. McCarthy, Colman (March 17, 1995). "George Wallace – From the Heart". Washington Post. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
3. "AL Governor, 1982 - D Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
4. "AL Governor, 1982 - D Runoff". Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 30, 2021.