2012 Governor's Chairs by State

The Green Papers: 2012 General Election

2012 Governor's Chairs
by State

11 Governor's Chairs up for election in 2012

11 Elected

39 Governor's Chairs not up for election in 2012

13 Open Governor's Chairs (voluntary retirement, seeking other political office, term limits)

6 Incumbents renominated by same party

74 Candidates seeking a Governor's Chair (Candidates may run under the banner of multiple parties. Hence, the number of parties may be greater than the number of candidates.)

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Gubernatorial Links



Arkansas 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2010, 2014. Term Limit: No one can serve more than 2 4-year terms in a lifetime
Partisan Composition: 1 Democratic

	Democratic			John Burkhalter
	Democratic			Attorney General Dustin McDaniel

Delaware 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2008, 2012. Term Limit: No one can serve more than 2 4-year terms in a lifetime
Partisan Composition: 1 Democratic
	Democratic	275,993	69.34%	Governor Jack A. Markell

	Republican	113,793	28.59%	Jeffrey E. "Jeff" Cragg

	Green	4,575	1.15%	Mark Joseph Perri

	Libertarian	3,668	0.92%	Jesse McVay

	Write-in	4	0.00%	David C. Graham
Total		398,033	100.00%

Florida 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2010, 2014. Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms
Partisan Composition: 1 Republican

	Democratic			state Senator Nan H. Rich • 18 April 2012: Announced candidacy

Indiana 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2008, 2012. Term Limit: No more than 2 4-year terms in any 3-term period
Partisan Composition: 1 Republican
		Open Chair (no incumbent)

	Republican	1,275,424	49.49%	Congressman Mike Pence • For Lieutenant Governor: state Representative Sue Ellspermann

	Democratic	1,200,016	46.56%	former state Representative John R. Gregg • For Lieutenant Governor: state Senator Vi Simpson

	Libertarian	101,868	3.95%	Rupert Boneham • for Lieutenant Governor, Brad Klopfenstein

	Write-in	21	0.00%	Donnie Harold Harris • For Lieutenant Governor: George Fish
Total		2,577,329	100.00%

Maine 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2010, 2014. Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms. GOVERNOR is the only Statewide elected officer
Partisan Composition: 1 Republican

	Democratic			Yarmouth Town Council Man Stephen M. "Steve" Woods

Missouri 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2008, 2012. Term Limit: No one can serve more than 2 4-year terms in a lifetime
Partisan Composition: 1 Democratic
	Democratic	1,494,056	54.77%	Governor Jeremiah W. "Jay" Nixon

	Republican	1,160,265	42.53%	David "Dave" Spence

	Libertarian	73,509	2.69%	Jim Higgins

	Write-in	39	0.00%	Leonard Steinman
	Write-in	14	0.00%	Ronald E. Levy
Total		2,727,883	100.00%

Montana 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2008, 2012. Term Limit: No more than 2 4-year terms in any 4-term period
Partisan Composition: 1 Democratic
		Open Chair (no incumbent)

	Democratic	236,450	48.90%	Attorney General Steve Bullock • For Lieutenant Governor, former state Adjutant General John Walsh

	Republican	228,879	47.34%	former Congressman Rick Hill • For Lieutenant Governor, state Senator Jon Sonju

	Libertarian	18,160	3.76%	Ron Vandevender • For Lieutenant Governor, Marc Mulcahy
Total		483,489	100.00%

Nebraska 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2010, 2014. Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms
Partisan Composition: 1 Republican

	~~Republican~~			~~state Senator Mike Flood - apparently not a candidate~~ • 6 December 2012: Ended his campaign after his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer.
	Republican			Lieutenant Governor Rick Sheehy

New Hampshire 2 year term, Election Cycle: 2010, 2012. Term Limit: None. GOVERNOR is the only Statewide elected officer
Partisan Composition: 1 Democratic
		Open Chair (no incumbent)

	Democratic	378,934	54.61%	former state Senator Maggie Hassan

	Republican	295,026	42.52%	Ovide M. Lamontagne

	Libertarian	19,251	2.77%	John J. Babiarz

	Scattering	666	0.10%	Scatter
Total		693,877	100.00%

New Jersey 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2009, 2013. Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms
Partisan Composition: 1 Republican

	Democratic			state Senator Barbara Buono

	*Republican*			*Governor Christopher J. "Chris" Christie* • Lieutenant Governor: Lieutenant Governor Kimberly M. "Kim" Guadagno

New Mexico 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2010, 2014. Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms
Partisan Composition: 1 Republican

	Democratic			Attorney General Gary K. King

North Carolina 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2008, 2012. Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms
Partisan Composition: 1 Democratic
		Open Chair (no incumbent)

	Republican	2,440,707	54.62%	former Charlotte Mayor Patrick "Pat" McCrory

	Democratic	1,931,580	43.23%	Lieutenant Governor Walter H. Dalton

	Libertarian	94,652	2.12%	Barbara Howe

	Scattering	1,297	0.03%	Write-in

	Write-in	59	0.00%	Donald Kreamer
Total		4,468,295	100.00%

North Dakota 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2008, 2012. Term Limit: None
Partisan Composition: 1 Republican

	Republican	200,526	63.10%	Governor Jack Dalrymple • for Lieutenant Governor, Lieutenant Governor Drew H. Wrigley

	Democratic-Nonpartisan League	109,047	34.31%	state Senator Ryan M. Taylor • for Lieutenant Governor, Ellen Chaffee

	Independent	5,356	1.69%	Paul Sorum • Vice President: Michael Coachman
	Independent	2,616	0.82%	Roland Clifford Riemers • Vice President: Anthony Johns

	Scattering	267	0.08%	write-in
Total		317,812	100.00%

Pennsylvania 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2010, 2014. Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms
Partisan Composition: 1 Republican
	Democratic			former Public Utility Commissioner John Hanger

Rhode Island 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2010, 2014. Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms
Partisan Composition: 1 Independent
	Democratic			former Auditor General Ernest Almonte

Texas 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2010, 2014. Term Limit: None
Partisan Composition: 1 Republican

	Republican			Larry Secede Kilgore

Utah 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2008, 2012. Term Limit: None
Partisan Composition: 1 Republican
	Republican	688,592	68.41%	Governor Gary R. Herbert • for Lieutenant Governor, Lieutenant Governor Gregory S. "Greg" Bell. 21 April 2012: Received his party's nomination.

	Democratic	277,622	27.58%	Peter S. Cooke • for Lieutenant Governor, Vincent C. Rampton. 21 April 2012: Won his party's nomination.

	Libertarian	22,611	2.25%	Kenneth Rex "Ken" Larsen • For Lieutenant Governor, J. Robert "Rob" Latham

	Constitution	17,696	1.76%	Kirk D. Pearson • for Lieutenant Governor: Tim Aalders

	Write-in; (Unaffiliated)	2	0.00%	Dennis C. Owen
	Write-in; (Unaffiliated)	1	0.00%	David J. Cannon
Total		1,006,524	100.00%

Vermont 2 year term, Election Cycle: 2010, 2012. Term Limit: None
Partisan Composition: 1 Democratic

	Democratic; Working Families	170,749	57.80%	Governor Peter Shumlin

	Republican	110,940	37.55%	state Senator Randy Brock

	Independent	5,868	1.99%	Emily Peyton

	Marijuana	5,583	1.89%	Cris Ericson • Running for the Senate Class 1 seat and the Governor's chair in 2012.

	Liberty Union	1,303	0.44%	Dave Eagle

	Scattering	969	0.33%	Combined Write-in votes

	Write-in; (Progressive)			Annette Smith
Total		295,412	100.00%

Virginia 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2009, 2013. Term Limit: ineligble to immediately succeed after a given 4-year term
Partisan Composition: 1 Republican

	Democratic			Terry McAuliffe

	~~Republican~~			~~Lieutenant Governor William T. "Bill" Bolling - apparently not a candidate~~ • 17 August 2011: Candidate for Governor in 2013. 28 November 2012: Suspends campaign.
	Republican			Attorney General Kenneth T. "Ken" Cuccinelli, II
	Republican			Tareq Salahi

Washington 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2008, 2012. Term Limit: None
Partisan Composition: 1 Democratic
		Open Chair (no incumbent)
	Democratic	1,582,802	51.54%	Congressman Jay R. Inslee • Prefers Democratic Party. 24 June 2011: Candidate for Governor in 2012. Congressman CD 1.
	Republican	1,488,245	48.46%	Attorney General Rob McKenna • Prefers Republican Party
	Write-in; (No Party Preference)			Thomas Gerard Grajkowski
Total		3,071,047	100.00%

West Virginia 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2008, 2012. Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms
Partisan Composition: 1 Democratic

	Democratic	335,468	50.49%	Governor Earl Ray Tomblin

	Republican	303,291	45.64%	William Joseph "Bill" Maloney

	Mountain	16,791	2.53%	Jesse Johnson

	Libertarian	8,936	1.34%	David Moran

	Write-in; (Constitution)			Phil Hudok
	Write-in			Frankie Rocchetti
	Write-in			Barbara Lynn Spurlock
Total		664,486	100.00%

Wisconsin 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2010, 2014. Term Limit: None
Partisan Composition: 1 Republican

	Democratic			former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk
	Democratic			Secretary of State Douglas "Doug" La Follette
	Democratic			state Senator Kathleen Vinehout

	Independent			Hari Trivedi

Political Parties Parties appear in parenthesis and italics when a candidate receives the endorsement of a given Party and/or official sources indicate a candidate's association with a particular Party but only where the Party in question does not appear on the actual ballot as such.

Major Parties
	• Democratic
	• Democratic-Nonpartisan League
	• Republican
Major Third Parties
	• Constitution
	• Green
	• Libertarian
Other Third Parties
	• Liberty Union
	• Marijuana
	• Mountain
	• Progressive
	• Working Families
Independents
	• Independent
	• No Party Preference
	• Unaffiliated
Write-in/Scattered/otherwise not readily classifiable
	• Scattering
	• Write-in