1996 Utah gubernatorial election
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The 1996 Utah gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 1996. Republican nominee and incumbent Governor Michael Leavitt easily won reelection.
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November 5, 1996
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| Turnout | 65.78% (of registered voters)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
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 County results Leavitt: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Primary election
Democrat E. James Bradley, who had been elected as a Salt Lake County Commissioner in 1990 and lost re-election in 1994, announced his candidacy on March 18, 1996, the last day for candidates to file. If he had not run, it was likely the Democratic party would not have had a candidate on the ballot.[2]
Utah held a primary election on June 25, 1996. All candidates in the gubernatorial election were nominated without opposition and no names of gubernatorial candidates appeared on the ballot.[3][4]
General election
Campaign
In a poll released in early April 1996, Bradley trailed Leavitt by 63 points.[5] Leavitt, with high popularity ratings as the incumbent Governor, maintained a formidable lead in subsequent polls as well.[6]
Leavitt and Bradley participated in a televised debate on October 26, 1996, at Brigham Young University.[7] Winning by the greatest margin in the state's history, Leavitt won every county.[8][9] Leavitt outspent Bradley four times over in his campaign, and raised over $650,000.[10]
Candidates
Major party candidates
- Mike Leavitt, Republican
- Jim Bradley, Democratic
- Ken Larsen, Independent American
- Dub Richards, Independent
- Robert C. Lesh, Natural Law
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Leavitt (incumbent) | 503,693 | 74.97% | +32.78% | |
| Democratic | Jim Bradley | 156,616 | 23.31% | +0.07% | |
| Independent American | Ken Larsen | 4,741 | 0.71% | +0.61% | |
| Independent | Dub Richards | 3,845 | 0.57% | ||
| Natural Law | Robert C. Lesh | 2,969 | 0.44% | ||
| Write-in | Linda Metzger-Agin | 15 | 0.00% | −0.12% | |
| Total votes | 671,879 | 100.00% | |||
| Majority | 347,077 | 51.66% | |||
| Republican hold | Swing | +32.70% | |||
Results by county
| County[1] | Mike Leavitt Republican |
Jim Bradley Democratic |
All Others Various |
Margin | Total votes cast | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Beaver | 1,760 | 80.88% | 392 | 18.01% | 24 | 1.10% | 1,368 | 62.87% | 2,176 |
| Box Elder | 11,695 | 85.71% | 1,762 | 12.91% | 188 | 1.38% | 9,933 | 72.80% | 13,645 |
| Cache | 22,872 | 85.10% | 3,614 | 13.45% | 392 | 1.46% | 19,258 | 71.65% | 26,878 |
| Carbon | 4,215 | 54.88% | 3,365 | 43.81% | 101 | 1.31% | 850 | 11.07% | 7,681 |
| Daggett | 292 | 72.46% | 108 | 26.80% | 3 | 0.74% | 184 | 45.66% | 403 |
| Davis | 57,137 | 80.38% | 12,810 | 18.02% | 1,140 | 1.60% | 44,327 | 62.36% | 71,087 |
| Duchesne | 3,545 | 83.33% | 655 | 15.40% | 54 | 1.27% | 2,890 | 67.94% | 4,254 |
| Emery | 3,236 | 78.18% | 835 | 20.17% | 68 | 1.64% | 2,401 | 58.01% | 4,139 |
| Garfield | 1,582 | 57.60% | 215 | 11.90% | 9 | 0.50% | 1,367 | 75.69% | 1,806 |
| Grand | 2,066 | 63.03% | 1,094 | 33.37% | 118 | 3.60% | 972 | 29.65% | 3,278 |
| Iron | 8,608 | 87.20% | 1,105 | 11.19% | 158 | 1.60% | 7,503 | 76.01% | 9,871 |
| Juab | 1,967 | 76.57% | 573 | 22.30% | 29 | 1.13% | 1,394 | 54.26% | 2,569 |
| Kane | 2,054 | 86.59% | 274 | 11.55% | 44 | 1.85% | 1,780 | 75.04% | 2,372 |
| Millard | 3,652 | 84.32% | 599 | 13.83% | 80 | 1.85% | 3,053 | 70.49% | 4,331 |
| Morgan | 2,395 | 82.70% | 480 | 16.57% | 21 | 0.73% | 1,915 | 66.13% | 2,896 |
| Piute | 609 | 86.38% | 95 | 13.48% | 1 | 0.14% | 514 | 72.91% | 705 |
| Rich | 675 | 85.44% | 109 | 13.80% | 6 | 0.76% | 566 | 71.65% | 790 |
| Salt Lake | 189,680 | 67.15% | 87,170 | 30.86% | 5,639 | 2.00% | 102,510 | 36.29% | 282,489 |
| San Juan | 2,492 | 60.91% | 1,550 | 37.89% | 49 | 1.20% | 942 | 23.03% | 4,091 |
| Sanpete | 5,088 | 81.04% | 1,053 | 16.77% | 137 | 2.18% | 4,035 | 64.27% | 6,278 |
| Sevier | 5,486 | 86.94% | 741 | 11.74% | 83 | 1.32% | 4,745 | 75.20% | 6,310 |
| Summit | 6,096 | 64.95% | 3,101 | 33.04% | 188 | 2.00% | 2,995 | 31.91% | 9,385 |
| Tooele | 6,676 | 70.27% | 2,664 | 28.04% | 161 | 1.69% | 4,012 | 42.23% | 9,501 |
| Uintah | 6,133 | 81.33% | 1,264 | 16.76% | 144 | 1.91% | 4,869 | 64.57% | 7,541 |
| Utah | 86,852 | 87.20% | 11,508 | 11.55% | 1,238 | 1.24% | 75,344 | 75.65% | 99,598 |
| Wasatch | 3,370 | 77.70% | 915 | 21.10% | 52 | 1.20% | 2,455 | 56.61% | 4,337 |
| Washington | 21,324 | 84.70% | 3,512 | 13.95% | 341 | 1.35% | 17,812 | 70.75% | 25,177 |
| Wayne | 963 | 84.85% | 162 | 14.27% | 10 | 0.88% | 801 | 70.57% | 1,135 |
| Weber | 41,173 | 72.04% | 14,891 | 26.05% | 1,092 | 1.91% | 26,282 | 45.98% | 57,156 |
| Total | 503,693 | 74.97% | 156,616 | 23.31% | 11,570 | 1.72% | 347,077 | 51.66% | 671,879 |
