1996 United States gubernatorial elections

United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 5, 1996, in 11 states and two territories. Going into the elections, seven of the seats were held by Democrats and four by Republicans. Democrats picked up the open seat in New Hampshire, and Republicans picked up the open seat in West Virginia, for no net change in the partisan balance of power. These elections coincided with the presidential election.

1996 United States gubernatorial elections

← 1995 November 5, 1996 1997 →
← 1992 2000 →
13 governorships 11 states; 2 territories
Majority party Minority party   Party Republican Democratic Seats before 32[a] 17 Seats after 32 17 Seat change Seats up 4 7 Seats won 4 7
Map of the results      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Republican gain      Republican hold      New Progressive hold      Nonpartisan      No election

Election results

States

State	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
Delaware	Tom Carper	Democratic	1992	Incumbent re-elected.[1]	Y Tom Carper (Democratic) 69.5% Janet Rzewnicki (Republican) 30.5%
Indiana	Evan Bayh	Democratic	1988	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic hold.[2]	Y Frank O'Bannon (Democratic) 51.5% Stephen Goldsmith (Republican) 46.8% Steve Dillon (Libertarian) 1.7%
Missouri	Mel Carnahan	Democratic	1992	Incumbent re-elected.[3]	Y Mel Carnahan (Democratic) 57.2% Margaret B. Kelly (Republican) 40.4% J. Mark Oglesby (Libertarian) 2.4%
Montana	Marc Racicot	Republican	1992	Incumbent re-elected.[4]	Y Marc Racicot (Republican) 79.2% Judy Jacobson (Democratic) 20.8%
New Hampshire	Steve Merrill	Republican	1992	Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Democratic gain.[5]	Y Jeanne Shaheen (Democratic) 57.2% Ovide Lamontagne (Republican) 39.5%
North Carolina	Jim Hunt	Democratic	1976 1984 (term-limited) 1992	Incumbent re-elected.[6]	Y Jim Hunt (Democratic) 56.0% Robin Hayes (Republican) 42.8%
North Dakota	Ed Schafer	Republican	1992	Incumbent re-elected.[7]	Y Ed Schafer (Republican) 66.2% Lee Kaldor (Democratic) 33.8%
Utah	Mike Leavitt	Republican	1992	Incumbent re-elected.[8]	Y Mike Leavitt (Republican) 75.0% Jim Bradley (Democratic) 23.3%
Vermont	Howard Dean	Democratic	1991[b]	Incumbent re-elected.[9]	Y Howard Dean (Democratic) 70.5% John L. Gropper (Republican) 22.5% Mary Alice Herbert (Liberty Union) 1.6% Dennis Lane (Grassroots) 1.4% Bill Brunelle (Natural Law) 1.3% August St. John (Independent) 1.3% Neil Randall (Libertarian) 1.2%
Washington	Mike Lowry	Democratic	1992	Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Democratic hold.[10]	Y Gary Locke (Democratic) 58.0% Ellen Craswell (Republican) 42.0%
West Virginia	Gaston Caperton	Democratic	1988	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Republican gain.[11]	Y Cecil Underwood (Republican) 51.6% Charlotte Pritt (Democratic) 45.8% Wallace Johnson (Libertarian) 2.6%

Territories

Territory	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
American Samoa	A. P. Lutali	Democratic	1992	Incumbent retired. New governor elected.[12] Democratic hold.	Y Tauese Sunia (Democratic) 51.0% L. Peter Reid (Independent) 49.0%
Puerto Rico	Pedro Rosselló	New Progressive	1992	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Pedro Rosselló (PNP) 51.4% Héctor Luis Acevedo (PPD) 44.7% David Noriega Rodríguez (PIP) 3.8%

Closest races

States where the margin of victory was under 5%:

1. American Samoa, 2.0%
2. Indiana, 4.7%

States where the margin of victory was under 10%:

1. West Virginia, 5.8%
2. Puerto Rico, 6.7%

Delaware

1996 Delaware gubernatorial election

← 1992 November 5, 1996 2000 →

Nominee Tom Carper Janet Rzewnicki Party Democratic Republican Running mate Ruth Ann Minner Sherman N. Miller Popular vote 188,300 82,564 Percentage 69.5% 30.5%

County results House district results Carper:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%

Governor before election Tom Carper Democratic Elected Governor Tom Carper Democratic

The 1996 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1996, to elect the governor of the state of Delaware. Incumbent governor Thomas Carper, the Democratic nominee, was re-elected to his second and final term in a landslide over Republican nominee and Delaware State Treasurer Janet Rzewnicki. Both were unopposed in their respective primaries. Tom Carper became the first Democratic governor in state history to win 2 consecutive terms.

Indiana

1996 Indiana gubernatorial election

← 1992 November 5, 1996 (1996-11-05) 2000 →

Nominee Frank O'Bannon Steve Goldsmith Party Democratic Republican Running mate Joe Kernan George Witwer Popular vote 1,087,128 986,982 Percentage 51.5% 46.8%

County results O'Bannon:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Goldsmith:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

Governor before election Evan Bayh Democratic Elected Governor Frank O'Bannon Democratic

The 1996 Indiana gubernatorial Election was held on November 5, 1996, alongside the election of both houses of the Indiana General Assembly. Incumbent Governor Evan Bayh, a Democrat, was ineligible to run for a third consecutive term due to term limits established by the Indiana Constitution.^[13] He was succeeded by Lt. Governor Frank O'Bannon, who won election over Republican Stephen Goldsmith with 52% of the vote.

Missouri

1996 Missouri gubernatorial election

← 1992 November 5, 1996 2000 →

Nominee Mel Carnahan Margaret B. Kelly Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,224,801 866,268 Percentage 57.17% 40.43%

County results Carnahan:      40-50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Kelly:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

Governor before election Mel Carnahan Democratic Elected Governor Mel Carnahan Democratic

The 1996 Missouri gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1996, and resulted in a victory for the Democratic nominee, incumbent Governor Mel Carnahan, over the Republican candidate, State Auditor Margaret B. Kelly, and Libertarian J. Mark Oglesby.

Governor Carnahan died in a plane crash on October 16, 2000, near the end of this term, and was replaced by Lt. Governor Roger B. Wilson.^[14]

Montana

1996 Montana gubernatorial election

← 1992 November 5, 1996 2000 →
Turnout	70.60%8.30[15]
Nominee Marc Racicot Judy Jacobson (replacing Chet Blaylock) Party Republican Democratic Running mate Judy Martz Judy Jacobson Popular vote 320,768 84,407 Percentage 79.2% 20.8%
County results Racicot:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Governor before election Marc Racicot Republican Elected Governor Marc Racicot Republican

The 1996 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 1996. Incumbent Governor of Montana Marc Racicot, who was first elected in 1992, ran for re-election. After winning the Republican primary against a conservative activist, he moved on to the general election, where he was set to face Chet Blaylock, a former State Senator and the Democratic nominee. However, on October 23, 1996, Blaylock died of a heart attack, and the Montana Democratic Party selected his running mate, State Senator Judy Jacobson, to replace him, and she therefore became both the gubernatorial nominee and the lieutenant gubernatorial nominee.^[16] Ultimately, Racicot defeated Jacobson in a landslide to win re-election to his second and final term as governor.

As of 2025, this is the last time that the winning gubernatorial nominee carried all counties in Montana. This election was the first time since 1956 and the last until 2024 when an incumbent Republican Governor of Montana was re-elected.

New Hampshire

1996 New Hampshire gubernatorial election

← 1994 November 5, 1996 1998 →

Nominee Jeanne Shaheen Ovide Lamontagne Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 284,175 196,321 Percentage 57.2% 39.5%

County results Municipality results Shaheen:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      >90% Lamontagne:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      80–90%

Governor before election Steve Merrill Republican Elected Governor Jeanne Shaheen Democratic

The 1996 New Hampshire gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 1996. State Senator Jeanne Shaheen won the election,^[17] marking the first time since 1980 that a Democrat was elected Governor of New Hampshire.^[18] She defeated Ovide Lamontagne, who had defeated representative Bill Zeliff for the Republican nomination.

North Carolina

1996 North Carolina gubernatorial election

← 1992 November 5, 1996 2000 →

Nominee Jim Hunt Robin Hayes Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,436,638 1,097,053 Percentage 55.98% 42.75%

County results Hunt:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Hayes:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

Governor before election Jim Hunt Democratic Elected Governor Jim Hunt Democratic

The 1996 North Carolina gubernatorial election was held on 5 November 1996. The general election was fought between the Democratic nominee, incumbent Governor James "Jim" Hunt and the Republican nominee, state representative Robin Hayes. Hunt won by 339,585 votes, winning his fourth term as governor.

North Dakota

1996 North Dakota gubernatorial election

← 1992 November 5, 1996 (1996-11-05) 2000 →

Nominee Ed Schafer Lee Kaldor Party Republican Democratic–NPL Running mate Rosemarie Myrdal Barbara Pyle Popular vote 174,937 89,349 Percentage 66.2% 33.8%

County results Schafer:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80-90% Kaldor:      50–60%

Governor before election Ed Schafer Republican Elected Governor Ed Schafer Republican

The 1996 North Dakota gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 1996. Incumbent Republican Ed Schafer won re-election to a second term as Governor of North Dakota, defeating Democratic-NPL nominee Lee Kaldor. Schafer became the first Republican to win reelection as governor in the state since John E. Davis in 1958, and the first Republican to ever win more than four years in the office.

Utah

1996 Utah gubernatorial election

← 1992 November 5, 1996 2000 →

Nominee Mike Leavitt Jim Bradley Party Republican Democratic Running mate Olene Walker Shari Holweg Popular vote 503,693 156,616 Percentage 74.97% 23.31%

County results Leavitt:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

Governor before election Mike Leavitt Republican Elected Governor Mike Leavitt Republican

The 1996 Utah gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 1996. Republican nominee and incumbent Governor Michael Leavitt won the election.

Vermont

1996 Vermont gubernatorial election

← 1994 November 5, 1996 (1996-11-05) 1998 →

Nominee Howard Dean John L. Gropper Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 179,544 57,161 Percentage 70.5% 22.5%

County results Municipality results Dean:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80-90% Gropper:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%

Governor before election Howard Dean Democratic Elected Governor Howard Dean Democratic

The 1996 Vermont gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 1996. Incumbent Democrat Howard Dean ran successfully for re-election to a third full term as Governor of Vermont, defeating Republican nominee John L. Gropper.

Washington

1996 Washington gubernatorial election

← 1992 November 5, 1996 2000 →

Nominee Gary Locke Ellen Craswell Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,296,492 940,538 Percentage 57.96% 42.04%

County results Locke:      50–60%      60–70% Craswell:      50–60%      60–70%

Governor before election Mike Lowry Democratic Elected Governor Gary Locke Democratic

The 1996 Washington gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1996. Though eligible for a second term, incumbent governor Mike Lowry chose not to run for reelection following a series of personal and public scandals, including allegations of sexual harassment.^[19] This gubernatorial race was especially significant in that it resulted in the first Asian American governor in the mainland United States (after George Ariyoshi of island state Hawaii), Democrat Gary Locke.

West Virginia

1996 West Virginia gubernatorial election

← 1992 November 5, 1996 2000 →

Nominee Cecil Underwood Charlotte Pritt Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 324,518 287,870 Percentage 51.6% 45.8%

County results Underwood:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Pritt:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

Governor before election Gaston Caperton Democratic Elected Governor Cecil Underwood Republican

The 1996 West Virginia gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 1996 to elect the Governor of West Virginia. Republican Cecil Underwood, who had previously been the Governor of West Virginia from 1957 to 1961, defeated Democratic State Senator Charlotte Pritt. Concurrently, the state voted the opposite way federally, choosing Democratic U.S. Presidential nominee, incumbent Bill Clinton over Republican nominee Bob Dole in the Presidential election that year.

Territories

American Samoa

Candidate	Running mate	Votes	%
Tauese Sunia	Togiola Tulafono	4,404	39.74
Leala	Afoa	4,318	38.96
Lutali	Moaliitele	1,377	12.43
Tufele	Fagafaga	941	8.49
Tuika	Mapu	42	0.38
Total		11,082	100.00
Source: [20]

Puerto Rico

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Pedro Rosselló	New Progressive Party	1,006,331	51.39
	Héctor Luis Acevedo	Popular Democratic Party	875,852	44.73
	David Noriega Rodríguez	Puerto Rican Independence Party	75,305	3.85
Other candidates			808	0.04
Total			1,958,296	100.00
Valid votes			1,958,296	99.52
Invalid/blank votes			9,409	0.48
Total votes			1,967,705	100.00
Registered voters/turnout			2,380,676	82.65
Source: Nohlen

See also

• 1996 United States elections
  • 1996 United States presidential election
  • 1996 United States Senate elections
  • 1996 United States House of Representatives elections

Notes

1. Mike Huckabee (R) succeeded Arkansas Governor Jim Guy Tucker (D) after the latter resigned due to convictions for one count of conspiracy and one count of mail fraud.
2. Dean took office after his predecessor (Richard Snelling) died. He was subsequently elected in the 1992 Vermont gubernatorial election.