1986 Wyoming state elections
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Wyoming on Tuesday, November 4, 1986. All of the state's executive officers—the Governor, Secretary of State, Auditor, Treasurer, and Superintendent of Public Instruction—were up for election. Democrats performed well in the year's elections; Democratic nominee Mike Sullivan won the gubernatorial election by a decisive margin, Superintendent Lynn Simons won a sizable majority in her bid for a third term, and Kathy Karpan won the open Secretary of State's race. Republicans prevailed in elections for State Auditor and Treasurer, as well as in the US House seat.
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US House
Governor
Incumbent Democratic Governor Edgar Herschler declined to run for re-election to a fourth term, and attorney Mike Sullivan won the Democratic primary to succeed him. He faced former State Representative Pete Simpson in the general election, whom he defeated by a decisive margin.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mike Sullivan | 88,879 | 53.96% | −9.18% | |
| Republican | Pete Simpson | 75,841 | 46.04% | +9.18% | |
| Majority | 13,038 | 7.92% | −18.37% | ||
| Turnout | 164,720 | ||||
| Democratic hold | |||||
Secretary of State
Incumbent Republican Secretary of State Thyra Thomson declined to run for re-election to a seventh term. Her son, K. C. Thomson, a Sheridan banker, ran in the Republican primary to succeed her, as did State Senate President Jerry Geis. The contest between the two was extremely close, with unofficial results showing Thomson with a 61-vote lead over Geis.[2] The recount confirmed Thomson's narrow victory over Geis, and he advanced to the general election,[3] where he faced Kathy Karpan, the former Director of the Wyoming Department of Health and Social Services in Governor Edgar Herschler's cabinet. Karpan ended up narrowly defeating Thomson, the first Democratic victory in a Secretary of State's race since 1958.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Kathy Karpan, former Director of the Wyoming Department of Health and Social Services[4]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Kathy Karpan | 38,201 | 100.0% | |
| Total votes | 38,201 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- K. C. Thomson, Sheridan banker, son of incumbent State Treasurer Thyra Thomson[5]
- Jerry Geis, President of the Wyoming Senate[4]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | K. C. Thomson | 44,868 | 50.03% | |
| Republican | Jerry Geis | 44,807 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 89,675 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Kathy Karpan | 86,449 | 53.59% | +7.29% | |
| Republican | K. C. Thomson | 74,880 | 46.41% | −7.29% | |
| Majority | 11,569 | 7.17% | −0.24% | ||
| Turnout | 161,329 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
Auditor
Incumbent Republican State Auditor Jim Griffith declined to seek re-election to a fourth term. State House Speaker Jack Sidi won the Republican nomination unopposed, and faced Bil Tucker, a technical manager and a former trustee on the Albany County School Board, in the general election. Sidi ultimately defeated Tucker by a decisive margin, though considerably reduced from Griffith's 1982 landslide.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Bil Tucker, former Trustee on the Albany County School Board[6]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bil Tucker | 36,254 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 36,254 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jack Sidi | 78,168 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 78,168 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jack Sidi | 86,384 | 55.30% | −18.31% | |
| Democratic | Bil Tucker | 69,819 | 44.70% | +18.31% | |
| Majority | 16,565 | 10.60% | −36.62% | ||
| Turnout | 156,203 | ||||
| Republican hold | |||||
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
Treasurer
In 1982, Wyoming voters approved a constitutional amendment that allowed state treasurers to seek re-election,[8] making incumbent Republican State Treasurer Stan Smith the first treasurer in state history to be eligible for re-election to a second term. Though Smith initially announced that he would run for governor, he ended his campaign and sought re-election as Treasurer.[9] He faced a challenge in the Republican primary from Lee Galeotos, a former official in Governor Stanley Hathaway's administration, who announced that he would run for State Treasurer while Smith was running for governor. When Smith ran for re-election instead, Galeotos remained in the race.[10] Smith defeated Galeotos by a wide margin, and faced former State Representative Carrol P. Orrison, the Democratic nominee, in the general election.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Carrol P. Orrison, former State Representative from Laramie County[11]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Carrol P. Orrison | 36,080 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 36,080 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Stan Smith, incumbent State Treasurer
- Sam Galeotos, former State Director of Administrative and Fiscal Control[12]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Stan Smith (inc.) | 60,411 | 68.15% | |
| Republican | Sam Galeotos | 28,233 | 31.85% | |
| Total votes | 88,644 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Stan Smith (inc.) | 98,502 | 61.81% | +3.25% | |
| Democratic | Carrol P. Orrison | 60,870 | 38.19% | −3.25% | |
| Majority | 37,632 | 23.61% | +6.49% | ||
| Turnout | 159,372 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 50–60%
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Incumbent Democratic Superintendent of Public Instruction Lynn Simons ran for re-election to a third term. She faced Millard I. Meredith, the Superintendent of the Converse County School District No. 1 and the Republican nominee, in the general election. Simons defeated Meredith by a sizable margin, largely replicating her victory from 1986.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Lynn Simons, incumbent Superintendent of Public Instruction
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lynn Simons (inc.) | 39,172 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 39,172 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Millard I. Meredith, Superintendent of the Converse County School District No. 1, 1978 Republican candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction[13]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Millard I. Meredith | 77,107 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 77,107 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lynn Simons (inc.) | 90,978 | 56.88% | −0.08% | |
| Republican | Millard I. Meredith | 68,960 | 43.12% | +0.08% | |
| Majority | 22,018 | 13.77% | −0.17% | ||
| Turnout | 159,938 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%