The 1982 New York gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982 to elect the
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
and
Lieutenant Governor of New York
The lieutenant governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of the State of New York. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket wit ...
. Incumbent Democratic Governor
Hugh Carey
Hugh Leo Carey (April 11, 1919 – August 7, 2011) was an American politician and attorney. He was a seven-term U.S. representative from 1961 to 1974 and the 51st governor of New York from 1975 to 1982. He was a member of the Democratic Party. ...
chose not to run for a third term, which resulted in an open race. Democratic nominee
Mario Cuomo
Mario Matthew Cuomo (, ; June 15, 1932 – January 1, 2015) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 52nd governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1994. A member of the Democratic Party, Cuomo previously served as t ...
, the Lieutenant Governor of New York, narrowly defeated Republican
Lewis Lehrman
Lewis E. "Lew" Lehrman (born August 15, 1938, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) is an American investment banker, businessman, Republican Party (United States), Republican politician, economist, and historian who supports the ongoing study of America ...
, a banker who ran as a conservative.
Both candidates had been considered unlikely victors of their respective parties'
primaries
Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the c ...
. Cuomo had unexpectedly defeated
Ed Koch
Edward Irving Koch ( ; December 12, 1924February 1, 2013) was an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, film critic, and television personality. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and was may ...
, the
Mayor of New York City
The mayor of New York City, officially Mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property ...
, to win the Democratic nomination. Cuomo was considered a political liberal who worked to revitalize the
New Deal coalition.
Entering the race as a political novice, Lehrman reportedly spent $7 million to boost his profile through advertising, beginning as early as January 1981. Lehrman ran a
law and order
In modern politics, law and order is the approach focusing on harsher enforcement and penalties as ways to reduce crime. Penalties for perpetrators of disorder may include longer terms of imprisonment, mandatory sentencing, three-strikes laws a ...
campaign, referring to criminals as "savages", and on fiscal policy pledged cuts to the state income tax.
Cuomo ultimately won what was described as "a classic left vs. right battle" by a 50.9 to 47.5 percent margin, buoyed by voters in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. Cuomo would go on to serve three terms in office before ultimately losing reelection in
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
.
Democratic primary
Candidates
*
Mario Cuomo
Mario Matthew Cuomo (, ; June 15, 1932 – January 1, 2015) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 52nd governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1994. A member of the Democratic Party, Cuomo previously served as t ...
, Lieutenant Governor of New York and former Secretary of New York State
*
Ed Koch
Edward Irving Koch ( ; December 12, 1924February 1, 2013) was an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, film critic, and television personality. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and was may ...
, Mayor of New York City since 1978
Declined
*
Robert Abrams
Robert Abrams (born July 4, 1938) is an American attorney and politician. He served as the attorney general of New York from 1979 to 1993 and was the Democratic nominee for the 1992 United States Senate election in New York.
Early life and educ ...
, New York State Attorney General
*
Carol Bellamy
Carol Bellamy (born January 14, 1942) is an American nonprofit executive and former politician. She is chair of the board of the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF). Previously, she was director of the Peace Corps, executive ...
, New York City Council President
[
*]Hugh Carey
Hugh Leo Carey (April 11, 1919 – August 7, 2011) was an American politician and attorney. He was a seven-term U.S. representative from 1961 to 1974 and the 51st governor of New York from 1975 to 1982. He was a member of the Democratic Party. ...
, incumbent Governor of New York since 1975[
The Democratic primary shaped up as a rematch of the 1977 New York City mayoral election between ]Mario Cuomo
Mario Matthew Cuomo (, ; June 15, 1932 – January 1, 2015) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 52nd governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1994. A member of the Democratic Party, Cuomo previously served as t ...
and Ed Koch
Edward Irving Koch ( ; December 12, 1924February 1, 2013) was an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, film critic, and television personality. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and was may ...
. Koch won a Democratic primary runoff narrowly over Cuomo and then defeated Cuomo, running on the Liberal Party of New York
The Liberal Party of New York is a political party in New York. Its platform supports a standard set of socially liberal policies, including abortion rights, increased spending on education, and universal health care.
History
The Liberal Party wa ...
ticket, again in the general election. In the meantime, Cuomo had been elected Lieutenant Governor in 1978 and Koch had been re-elected to a second term as Mayor in 1981.
Governor Hugh Carey announced he would not stand for re-election to a third term on January 15, amid low approval ratings and nascent challenges from within his own party, including by Lieutenant Governor Mario Cuomo
Mario Matthew Cuomo (, ; June 15, 1932 – January 1, 2015) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 52nd governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1994. A member of the Democratic Party, Cuomo previously served as t ...
.[ After Carey announced he would not run, New York City Mayor ]Ed Koch
Edward Irving Koch ( ; December 12, 1924February 1, 2013) was an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, film critic, and television personality. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and was may ...
entered the race. His decision in turn discouraged Robert Abrams
Robert Abrams (born July 4, 1938) is an American attorney and politician. He served as the attorney general of New York from 1979 to 1993 and was the Democratic nominee for the 1992 United States Senate election in New York.
Early life and educ ...
and Carol Bellamy
Carol Bellamy (born January 14, 1942) is an American nonprofit executive and former politician. She is chair of the board of the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF). Previously, she was director of the Peace Corps, executive ...
from running.[
]
Campaign
Koch's status as the early front-runner was quickly derailed by the publication of an interview he had given to ''Playboy
''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother.
K ...
'' in late 1981, in which he exalted life in New York City and denigrated suburban and rural lifestyles in comparison. On a trip to Albany following the article's publication, Koch was booed loudly. He described the interview as "foolish" and apologized to upstate voters.
Both candidates emphasized their respective records. Cuomo differentiated himself by his opposition to the death penalty, and attempted to link Koch to Republican politicians and President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
.[ Nevertheless, at the June party convention in Albany, Koch received the party's endorsement with 61% of the vote.
Despite an early pledge of neutrality, Governor Carey endorsed Koch late in the campaign. Cuomo criticized Carey's decision to endorse Koch, and called Carey "a good Governor and a lousy politician.''][
]
Results
Cuomo's victory was considered a "stunning upset" by the New York Times that relied on "an unusual coalition of liberal Democrats, labor, minorities and upstaters."[ Koch ran strongly in Jewish communities, while Cuomo won black, liberal, and Italian communities by a similar margin.][ A key to Cuomo's victory was his strong showing in New York City itself; though Koch won the city and its four suburban counties (Rockland, Westchester, Suffolk, and Nassau) as expected, Cuomo kept the margin close and won half of the city's Assembly districts. That, combined with large victories in nearly every upstate county, allowed Cuomo to win.][
Koch endorsed Cuomo immediately, declaring "what's important to all of us is that we keep a Democrat in Albany."][
]
Republican primary
Candidates
* Paul J. Curran, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York
The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York is the chief federal law enforcement officer in eight New York counties: New York (Manhattan), Bronx, Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Orange, Dutchess and Sullivan. Establish ...
*Lewis Lehrman
Lewis E. "Lew" Lehrman (born August 15, 1938, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) is an American investment banker, businessman, Republican Party (United States), Republican politician, economist, and historian who supports the ongoing study of America ...
, investment banker and former president of Rite Aid
Rite Aid Corporation is an American drugstore chain based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1962 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, by Alex Grass under the name Thrift D Discount Center. The company ranked No. 148 in the Fortune 500 lis ...
Declined
*Edward Regan
Edward Van Buren Regan (May 14, 1930 – October 18, 2014) was an American politician and public figure from New York State. He was a member of the Republican Party.
Regan's political career began on the Buffalo Common Council. He rose to pr ...
, New York State Comptroller (ran for re-election)[
]
Campaign
Lehrman spent heavily to raise his profile as a political novice. He spent over a year campaigning before the primary and spent a record $7 million, more than half of which was his own money. He began running television advertisements in January 1981.[ Curran spent less than $500 thousand.][ '']The Harvard Crimson
''The Harvard Crimson'' is the student newspaper of Harvard University and was founded in 1873. Run entirely by Harvard College undergraduates, it served for many years as the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Beginning in the f ...
'' summarized Lehrman's unexpected rise to victory:"Lehrman saturated the airwaves and took the Republican primary in a romp, reportedly spending more than $6 million of his own money for that initial race alone."
Lehrman was also boosted by the endorsement of the Conservative Party, which was said to "strongly influence" the primary as it had in 1978, giving Lehrman a "head start" against the field.[ After he received the endorsement and it became evident the Conservative Party would stick by it, ]Edward Regan
Edward Van Buren Regan (May 14, 1930 – October 18, 2014) was an American politician and public figure from New York State. He was a member of the Republican Party.
Regan's political career began on the Buffalo Common Council. He rose to pr ...
declined to run. Regan was widely seen as the leading candidate for the nomination.[ Regan's decision may also have been influenced by his reliance on ]Wall Street
Wall Street is an eight-block-long street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs between Broadway in the west to South Street and the East River in the east. The term "Wall Street" has become a metonym for t ...
funding, which was largely devoted to Koch.[
Lehrman utilized harsh rhetoric on the issue of crime, referring to criminals as "savages" and criticizing the Court of Appeals for deference to defendants.][ He pledged "systematic" cuts to the state income tax and raised the possibility of a sales tax reduction.][
]
Results
General election
Candidates
* Jane Benedict (Unity)
* Robert J. Bohner (Right to Life)
* Mario Cuomo
Mario Matthew Cuomo (, ; June 15, 1932 – January 1, 2015) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 52nd governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1994. A member of the Democratic Party, Cuomo previously served as t ...
, Lieutenant Governor of New York (Democratic, Liberal)
* Lewis Lehrman
Lewis E. "Lew" Lehrman (born August 15, 1938, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) is an American investment banker, businessman, Republican Party (United States), Republican politician, economist, and historian who supports the ongoing study of America ...
, investment banker (Conservative, Republican, Statewide Independent)
* John H. Northrup (Libertarian)
* Nancy Ross (New Alliance)
* Diane Wang (Socialist Workers)
Results
References
1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
Gubernatorial
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political_regions, political region, ranking under the Head of State, head of state and in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of ...
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
{{NewYork-election-stub