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 County results Mecham: 30–40% 40–50% Warner: 40–50% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Arizona | ||||||||
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The1986 Arizona gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 1986, for the post ofGovernor of Arizona.RepublicanEvan Mecham, who defeatedBurton Barr for the Republican nomination, defeated theDemocratic nominee and State Superintendent Carolyn Warner and independent candidateBill Schulz.
Mecham's victory in the primary and general elections are considered among the greatest political surprises in Arizona history. Ultimately, Mecham did not complete his full four-year term in office; he was impeached and removed from office in 1988.
This was the first gubernatorial election in whichLa Paz County participated after separating fromYuma County in between this election and the one just before it.
Bruce Babbitt, who succeed to the office of Governor upon the 1978 death ofWesley Bolin, chose not to run for a third term in office. Babbitt was first elected overEvan Mecham in 1978 and re-elected in a landslide in 1982; some speculated that he would seek to succeedBarry Goldwater in theUnited States Senate, but Babbitt ultimately focused on a run forPresident of the United States in 1988.
Although no Republican had been elected Governor of Arizona since 1970, PresidentRonald Reagan had carried the state with record margins in 1980 and 1984.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Carolyn Warner | 106,687 | 50.64% | |
| Democratic | Tony Mason | 92,413 | 43.86% | |
| Democratic | Dave Moss | 11,588 | 5.50% | |
| Total votes | 210,688 | 100.00% | ||
Barr, who was personally recruited by President Reagan to run for governor and had the universal support of the state Republican establishment, was the heavy favorite. His campaign largely ignored Mecham, who launched negative attacks on Barr and the state party generally.[1] When Republicans responded to Mecham's criticism, such as when the Senate Republican leader called him an "ethical pygmy," his popularity with voters rose.[1]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Evan Mecham | 121,614 | 53.74% | |
| Republican | Burton Barr | 104,682 | 46.26% | |
| Total votes | 226,296 | 100.00% | ||
Mecham's primary victory over Barr was received as "the biggest upset in Arizona" sinceBarry Goldwater's 1952 victory over United States SenatorErnest McFarland.[1]
| Source | Rating | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[3] | Toss Up | October 28, 1986 |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Evan Mecham | 343,913 | 39.67% | +7.20% | |
| Democratic | Carolyn Warner | 298,986 | 34.49% | −27.98% | |
| Independent | Bill Schulz | 224,085 | 25.85% | +25.85% | |
| Majority | 44,927 | 5.18% | |||
| Total votes | 866,984 | 100.00% | |||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | Swing | +35.18% | |||
| County | Evan Mecham Republican | Carolyn Warner Democratic | Bill Schulz Independent | Margin | Total votes cast[4] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Apache | 2,965 | 26.52% | 6,936 | 62.04% | 1,279 | 11.44% | -3,971 | -35.52% | 11,180 |
| Cochise | 8,484 | 38.52% | 8,368 | 37.99% | 5,174 | 23.49% | 116 | 0.53% | 22,026 |
| Coconino | 6,647 | 28.04% | 11,492 | 48.48% | 5,565 | 23.48% | -4,845 | -20.44% | 23,704 |
| Gila | 4,779 | 34.45% | 5,775 | 41.63% | 3,319 | 23.92% | -996 | -7.18% | 13,873 |
| Graham | 3,257 | 47.13% | 2,381 | 34.46% | 1,272 | 18.41% | 876 | 12.68% | 6,910 |
| Greenlee | 991 | 33.24% | 1,218 | 40.86% | 772 | 25.90% | -227 | -7.61% | 2,981 |
| La Paz | 1,352 | 38.99% | 1,201 | 34.63% | 915 | 26.38% | 151 | 4.35% | 3,468 |
| Maricopa | 213,049 | 43.06% | 142,540 | 28.81% | 139,231 | 28.14% | 70,509 | 14.25% | 494,820 |
| Mohave | 9,333 | 43.20% | 7,969 | 36.89% | 4,300 | 19.91% | 1,364 | 6.31% | 21,602 |
| Navajo | 6,250 | 37.77% | 7,527 | 45.49% | 2,769 | 16.74% | -1,277 | -7.72% | 16,546 |
| Pima | 56,598 | 32.97% | 72,366 | 42.16% | 42,700 | 24.87% | -15,768 | -9.19% | 171,664 |
| Pinal | 8,244 | 33.35% | 11,127 | 45.02% | 5,347 | 21.63% | -2,883 | -11.66% | 24,718 |
| Santa Cruz | 1,490 | 28.10% | 2,349 | 44.30% | 1,464 | 27.61% | -859 | -16.20% | 5,303 |
| Yavapai | 15,000 | 46.91% | 10,288 | 32.17% | 6,688 | 20.92% | 4,712 | 14.74% | 31,976 |
| Yuma | 5,474 | 33.76% | 7,449 | 45.94% | 3,290 | 20.29% | -1,975 | -12.18% | 16,213 |
| Totals | 343,913 | 39.67% | 298,986 | 34.49% | 224,085 | 25.85% | 44,927 | 5.18% | 866,984 |
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