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3 governorships 2 states; 1 territory | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 5, 1985, in two states and one territory. Both seats remained in their respective parties' control, as DemocratGerald Baliles held the open seat inVirginia, while Republican incumbentThomas Kean was reelected inNew Jersey.
| State | Incumbent | Party | First elected | Result | Candidates |
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| New Jersey | Thomas Kean | Republican | 1981 | Incumbentre-elected. |
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| Virginia | Chuck Robb | Democratic | 1981 | Incumbent term-limited. New governorelected. Democratic hold. |
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 County results Congressional district results Municipality ResultsKean: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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The1985 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1985.IncumbentRepublicanGovernorThomas Kean won a landslide re-election against theDemocratic candidate,Essex County ExecutivePeter Shapiro. As of 2025, Kean's is the largest margin in terms of percentage and raw votes in allNew Jersey gubernatorial elections.[3] Kean was the first Republican to be re-elected governor since 1949, and the first Republican to ever win two four-year terms.
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| Turnout | 53.0% (voting eligible)[4] | ||||||||||||||||
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 County and independent city results Baliles: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Durrette: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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In the1985 Virginia gubernatorial election, incumbent GovernorChuck Robb, aDemocrat, was unable to seek re-election due to term limits.Jerry Baliles, theAttorney General of Virginia, was nominated by theDemocratic Party to run against theRepublican nominee,Wyatt B. Durrette.
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