The 1986 Idaho gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1986 to elect the governor of the state of Idaho. Cecil Andrus, a former Democratic governor, was elected defeating the Republican

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

David Leroy. This was an open seat election; longtime incumbent John V. Evans ran for the U.S. Senate, but lost.

Nominations

Republican Lieutenant Governor David Leroy announced his candidacy for governor fourteen months before the election in the autumn of 1985. Raised in Lewiston, Leroy was a former county prosecutor in Boise and state

attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

. Democrat former governor Cecil Andrus declared his bid for governor six months later in March 1986. He held the office for six years (1971–1977), until his appointment as

U.S. Secretary of the Interior The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natural ...

(1977–1981) in the

Carter Administration Jimmy Carter's tenure as the 39th president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 1977, and ended on January 20, 1981. A Democrat from Georgia, Carter took office after defeating incumbent Republican President ...

. Incumbent Evans, successor to Andrus in 1977, chose to run for the U.S. Senate, but lost to incumbent Steve Symms. Both Andrus and Leroy were unopposed for their respective nominations in the statewide primary on May 27.

Campaign

As election day neared, polls showed Democrat Andrus ahead of Leroy.

Election results

It was the third of four wins for Andrus, and the fifth of six consecutive for the Democrats. Similar to the previous election in

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 ...

(with different candidates), the winning margin was narrow.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Idaho gubernatorial election, 1986 Gubernatorial

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

1986 United States gubernatorial elections