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County results Wallace: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Folmar: 40–50% 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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The1982 Alabama gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982, to elect thegovernor of Alabama. Incumbent DemocratFob James declined to run for re-election; he later successfully ran again in 1994 as a Republican. The open seat election saw formerDemocratic governorGeorge Wallace, who narrowly won the Democraticprimary, defeatRepublicanEmory Folmar, theMayor ofMontgomery, Alabama.
In the Democratic primary, Wallace received challenges fromLieutenant GovernorGeorge McMillan,Speaker of the State HouseJoe McCorquodale, former governorJim 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 MayorEmory Folmar went unchallenged for the Republican nomination.
Wallace, formerly a notorioussegregationist, 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. Folmar was the last Alabama Republican gubernatorial nominee to have never won a gubernatorial general election.
IncumbentgovernorFob James declined to seek a second term. Shortly after former governorGeorge Wallace survived anassassination attempt in 1972, he renounced his infamous segregationist past, especially for when hestood in front of the school house door at theUniversity 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.
IncumbentDemocraticGovernorFob James decided to not seek a second term.

| 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 | ||

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | George Wallace | 512,203 | 51.19 | |
| Democratic | George McMillan | 488,444 | 48.81 | |
| Total votes | 1,000,647 | 100.00 | ||
Emory M. Folmar won theRepublican Party primary without any opposition.