1988 Utah gubernatorial election
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 County results Bangerter: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Wilson: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1988 Utah gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1988. Republican nominee and incumbent governor Norman H. Bangerter defeated Democratic nominee Ted Wilson and independent Merrill Cook with 40.13% of the vote. As of 2023, this is the closest a Democrat has come to winning the governorship in Utah since Scott M. Matheson left office in 1985.
Background
[edit]Governor Bangerter consistently trailed in the polls behind Democrat Ted Wilson until near election day. This was due to his unpopular tax increases that spawned a protest movement against his policies, resulting in three tax ballot measures installed, and independent candidate Merrill Cook championing in support of them.[1] Bangerter justified the increases due to the regional recession in Utah caused by declining energy commodity prices in 1986 to 1987, which caused mining employment to fall by 60%, and construction by 30%. Two major companies, Geneva Steel and Kennecott Copper, had to be closed temporarily. Combined with rapid raising school enrollments, Bangerter was forced to raise taxes to counter the declining state budget.[2] Nevertheless, by election day, polls had shown that Bangerter had closed the near 20–30-point lead Wilson had just three weeks earlier, with previous governor Scott Matheson attributing it to his well received debate performance. In the early morning the day after the election, Bangerter was declared the winner with around 40% of the popular vote.[1]
Republican nomination
[edit]Candidates
[edit]Declared
[edit]- Norman H. Bangerter, incumbent governor[3]
- Dean Samuels, teacher[4]
Withdrawn
[edit]- Jon Huntsman Sr., industrialist and former White House Staff Secretary[5]
Results
[edit]Bangerter defeated Samuels at the state convention on June 11[6] with over 70% of the vote and therefore avoided a primary.[7]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Norm Bangerter (incumbent) | 1,502 | 80.6% | |
| Republican | W. Dean Samuels | 361 | 19.4% | |
| Write-in | Merrill Cook | 1 | 0.1% | |
| Total votes | 1,864 | |||
Democratic nomination
[edit]Candidates
[edit]Declared
[edit]- Ted Wilson, former Mayor of Salt Lake City
- David E. Hewett, physician[9]
Results
[edit]Wilson defeated Hewett at the state convention on June 25 with over 70% of the vote and therefore avoided a primary.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ted Wilson | 1,654 | 97.4% | |
| Democratic | David E. Hewett | 44 | 2.6% | |
| Total votes | 1,698 | |||
American Party nomination
[edit]Candidates
[edit]Declared
[edit]- Arly H. Pedersen, National chairman[11]
- Lawrence Ray Topham, perennial candidate
Results
[edit]Pedersen defeated Topham at the state convention on June 25[12] with over 70% of the vote and therefore avoided a primary.[13]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American | Arly H. Pedersen | 42 | 77.8% | |
| American | Lawrence Rey Topham | 12 | 22.2% | |
| Total votes | 54 | |||
General election
[edit]Polling
[edit]| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Norm Bangerter (R) |
Ted Wilson (D) |
Merrill Cook (I) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Jones & Associates[15] | April 19–21, 1988 | 904 | ± 3.0% | 28% | 56% | 8% | 1% | 7% |
| Deseret News/KSL[16] | (May 3, 1988) | 27% | 52% | 6% | 1% | |||
| Dan Jones & Associates[17] | (June 27, 1988) | 30% | 49% | 11% | ||||
| Dan Jones & Associates[18] | July 26–28, 1988 | 905 | ± 3.2% | 31% | 50% | 12% | 1% | 7% |
| Dan Jones & Associates[19] | (September 3, 1988) | 31% | 50% | 12% | ||||
| Dan Jones & Associates[20] | November 6, 1988 | 36% | 36% | 24% |
Candidates
[edit]- Ted Wilson, Democratic
- Norm Bangerter, Republican
- Arly H. Pedersen, American
- Merrill Cook, Independent
- Kitty K. Burton, Libertarian
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Norman H. Bangerter (incumbent) | 260,462 | 40.13% | ||
| Democratic | Ted Wilson | 249,321 | 38.41% | ||
| Independent | Merrill Cook | 136,651 | 21.05% | ||
| Libertarian | Kitty K. Burton | 1,661 | 0.26% | ||
| American | Arly H. Pedersen | 1,019 | 0.16% | ||
| Majority | 11,141 | 1.72% | |||
| Turnout | 649,114 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
Aftermath
[edit]Governor Bangerter descended from his hotel room around 3:15 am, the morning after election day, to greet reporters and a small group of 40 "cheerful" supporters in the hotel's banquet room upon receiving a concession call from Ted Wilson. In a speech, Bangerter declared that "This morning we start bringing the state back together on an agenda that will move us into the 1990s."[1]
All three of the tax protest ballot initiatives were defeated, with their biggest supporter, independent candidate Merrill Cook, stating: "I'm conceding the race, but I'm not conceding the fight."[24] Cook would run for governor as an independent again in the 1992 gubernatorial election.
Democrats, who thought Wilson would win easily, were astounded by the stunning upset, and had trouble explaining the loss. Former Democratic governor Scott Matheson was asked why he thought Wilson lost: "That is an intriguing question we will be talking about for years. There are so many factors, the matter of a strong independent candidate, the presence of the tax initiatives which took attention away from the regular races. But we can't dismiss the fact we live in a strong Republican state where it is difficult for Democrats to win and that Ted Wilson was running against an incumbent who had the advantage of using the power of incumbency to make his case to the people."[1]
Bangerter would later announce in November 1990 that he would not see a third time and would retire to private life.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Salt Lake Tribune | November 10, 1988 | Page 1". newspapers.lib.utah.edu. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
- ^ a b "Utah History Encyclopedia". www.uen.org. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
- ^ "Here's a list of those who've filed to run for public office throughout the State". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, UT. April 16, 1988. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ "Midvale educator jumps into race for Governor, vowing to battle taxes". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, UT. April 20, 1988. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ Bernick, Bob Jr. (April 13, 1988). "Huntsman bows out of State House race". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, UT. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ Bernick, Bob Jr. (June 10, 1988). "Bangerter tries to win back dissidents". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, UT. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ "Ex-candidate decides against fighting Bangerter nomination". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, UT. July 14, 1988. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ Davidson, Lee (June 20, 1988). "Bangerter's convention win challenged. Kearns legislative candidate says write-ins for Cook weren't counted". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, UT. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ Bernick, Bob Jr. (April 17, 1988). "They're off! But Utah's political sprint may resemble walkathon more than a horse race". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, UT. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ Bernick, Bob Jr. (June 26, 1988). "Demos relish 'new unity'. Wilson will lead slate that has rousing support". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, UT. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ World Almanac 1989, p. 332.
- ^ Davidson, Lee (June 26, 1988). "American Party's convention fraught with mudslinging. Chairman wins nomination for Governor's race by 78 percent of vote". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, UT. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ Davidson, Lee (June 30, 1988). "American Party nomination assailed". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, UT. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ "UT Governor, 1988 – Amer Convention". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ Dan Jones & Associates
- ^ Deseret News/KSL
- ^ Dan Jones & Associates
- ^ Dan Jones & Associates
- ^ Dan Jones & Associates
- ^ Dan Jones & Associates
- ^ "UT Governor, 1988". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ "1988 Gubernatorial General Election Results – Utah". US Election Atlas. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 82.
- ^ "Salt Lake Tribune | November 9, 1988 | Page 1". newspapers.lib.utah.edu. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
Bibliography
[edit]- Gubernatorial Elections, 1787–1997. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998. ISBN 1-56802-396-0.
- The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 1989. New York, NY: Pharos Books. 1988. ISBN 0-88687-361-4.