Missouri gubernatorial election, 1992

The 1992 Missouri gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1992 and resulted in a victory for the Democratic nominee, Lt. Governor Mel Carnahan, over the Republican candidate, Missouri Attorney General William L. Webster, and Libertarian Joan Dow. Carnahan had defeated St. Louis mayor Vincent C. Schoemehl for the Democratic nomination, while Webster had defeated Secretary of State Roy Blunt and Treasurer Wendell Bailey for the Republican nomination.

Democratic Primary

Candidates

* Mel Carnahan, Incumbent Lt. Governor, former State Treasurer, candidate for Governor in 1984
* Anthony Cox
* Elmer Dapron
* Cedric Hawkins
* Mary Johnson
* Sharon Rogers
* Vincent Shoemehl, Mayor of St. Louis since 1981

Since 1988, Carnahan and Schoemehl were pegged as top contenders for the Governor's race.The two each brought with them, a unique dynamic which shaped the race. Carnahan, the state's lone statewide elected Democrat, was the older, more establishment friendly candidate. In contrast Shoemehl was a younger and charismatic candidate.This personal dynamic would underscore much of the conflict between the two candidates. Schoemehl attacked Carnahan as an out of touch politician from the past, and Carnahan would respond with attacks of Schoemehl as a big city politician who would never garner statewide support. These charges became relevant when Schoemehl referred to him as "some redneck from Rolla", attacks which Carnahan claimed reflected how his opponent truly viewed rural Missourians. This incident would be used part of a larger attack on Schoemehl and his tendency for offensive outbursts.

In terms of issues, education funding was central to the campaign. Carnahan favored a plan of a $200 million tax increase for education funding, but Schoemehl favored cutting back on state bureaucracy to raise funds.Another issue which had some salience was abortion. Schoemehl had been personally opposed to abortion, in contrast to Carnahan who was unequivocally pro-choice.

Carnahan had led in most polls, but at the end, the race was close, and Schoemehl had an advantage in fundraising. In the end, Carnahan won handily against Schoemehl and token opposition, sweeping all but one county. Schoemehl would concede and offered his support to the Lt. Governor.

Republican Primary

Candidates

* Wendell Bailey, Incumbent State Treasurer since 1985
* Roy Blunt, Incumbent Secretary of State since 1985
* Fred Salmon
* Dwight Watts
* William Webster, Incumbent Attorney General since 1985

At the start of the primary, it seemed to be a fair bet that one of the major candidates would emerge to become the next governor. Webster was the leading candidate, but Blunt's base in conservative southwest Missouri and Bailey's personable nature meant they were all formidable candidates. However, owing to this competitive nature, the primary was marred by the foibles of each candidate. For example, Bailey was detained by the FBI for carrying a pistol in an airport, an incident which was seen as derailing to his campaign.

Among the frontrunners Blunt and Webster, word would soon emerge of Webster's involvement in a corruption scandal involving the Second Injury Fund, a state workers compensation program. The investigation, originally started in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, showed among other things, lawyers who contributed to Webster's campaign received larger settlements. The investigation would eventually expand to an investigation by a federal grand jury. Webster would attack an opponent, possibly Blunt, for leaking the story to the press that he was being investigated by a grand jury.

The scandal would become central to Blunt's campaign, who hired Roger Ailes to make an ad featuring wealthy businessmen on a merry go round, drawing attention to the scandal. However, Webster responded with an attack on Blunt for supposedly printing the official state manual of Missouri in Indiana.

The primary was not completely about personalities. One issue which became a focal point was abortion. Blunt was anti-abortion, as was Webster, who argued a case before the Supreme Court upholding Missouri's abortion restrictions. Bailey, however was pro-choice, distinguishing him from the rest of the field.

In the end, Webster would win the primary by a narrow margin.

Results

Despite the fact that Webster had wide recognition serving as the Attorney General of Missouri, he was handily defeated in a 17% margin of victory for Carnahan. Carnahan won the typically Democratic strongholds such as St. Louis and Kansas City, but also performed surprisingly well in most of rural Missouri. A factor in this was the issue of abortion, an issue which Webster found himself at a disadvantage owing to shifting support for pro-choice policies. Carnahan's victory was likely aided in Bill Clinton's concurrent win in Missouri in the 1992 presidential election. Webster conceded defeat soon after the polls closed. This was a Democratic flip in the 1992 election cycle. Webster would be tried and convicted for his role in the Second Injury Fund scandal.

References

{{United States elections, 1992

Gubernatorial
1992
Missouri
1992 in Missouri
November 1992 events
November 1992 events in North America
November 1992 events in the United States