1994 Alabama gubernatorial election
{{Short description|none}}
{{for|related races|1994 United States gubernatorial elections}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 1994 Alabama gubernatorial election
| country = Alabama
| type = presidential
| ongoing = no
| previous_election = 1990 Alabama gubernatorial election
| previous_year = 1990
| next_election = 1998 Alabama gubernatorial election
| next_year = 1998
| election_date = November 8, 1994
| image1 = File:Reagan Contact Sheet C1331 (cropped2) (cropped).jpg
| image_upright = 0.6
| nominee1 = Fob James
| party1 = Republican Party (United States)
| popular_vote1 = 604,926
| percentage1 = 50.33%
| image2 = File:Jim Folsom Jr. (cropped).jpg
| nominee2 = Jim Folsom Jr.
| party2 = Democratic Party (United States)
| popular_vote2 = 594,169
| percentage2 = 49.43%
| map_image = 1994 Alabama gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
| map_size = 250px
| map_caption = County results
James: {{legend0|#e27f7f|50–60%}} {{legend0|#d75d5d|60–70%}} {{legend0|#d72f30|70–80%}}
Folsom: {{legend0|#7996e2|50–60%}} {{legend0|#6674de|60–70%}} {{legend0|#584cde|70–80%}} {{legend0|#3933e5|80–90%}}
| title = Governor
| before_election = Jim Folsom Jr.
| before_party = Democratic Party (United States)
| after_election = Fob James
| after_party = Republican Party (United States)
}}
{{Elections in Alabama sidebar}}
The 1994 Alabama gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1994, to select the governor of Alabama. The election saw Republican Fob James defeat incumbent Democrat Jim Folsom Jr. in an upset. This was the first of three consecutive Alabama gubernatorial elections where the incumbent was defeated. This was one of four gubernatorial elections where an incumbent Democrat was defeated in 1994.
Democratic primary
The Democratic primary saw Jim Folsom defeat Paul Hubbert for the Democratic nomination. Lieutenant Governor Folsom became governor on April 22, 1993, after Republican Governor H. Guy Hunt was removed from office.{{cite web | url = http://www.archives.state.al.us/govs_list/g_folsoj.html | title = James Elisha Folsom, Jr. | access-date = 2008-07-06 | publisher = Alabama Department of Archives & History | archive-date = 2016-05-04 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160504040458/http://www.archives.state.al.us/govs_list/g_folsoj.html | url-status = dead }}
=Candidates=
- Tom Hayden
- Paul Hubbert, Executive Secretary of the Alabama Education Association and nominee for governor in 1990
- Jim Folsom Jr., incumbent Governor
- F. Ross Stewart
=Results=
{{Election box begin no change
| title=Democratic primary resultshttp://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?fips=1&year=1994&f=0&off=5&elect=1 1994 Gubernatorial Democratic Primary Election Results – Alabama
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
| candidate = Jim Folsom Jr. (incumbent)
| party = Democratic Party (United States)
| votes = 380,227
| percentage = 54.04
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| candidate = Paul Hubbert
| party = Democratic Party (United States)
| votes = 285,554
| percentage = 40.58
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| candidate = F. Ross Stewart
| party = Democratic Party (United States)
| votes = 24,354
| percentage = 3.46
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| candidate = Tom Hayden
| party = Democratic Party (United States)
| votes = 13,532
| percentage = 1.92
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 703,667
| percentage = 100
}}
{{Election box end}}
Republican primary
Fob James defeated five other candidates for the Republican nomination.
=Candidates=
- Ann Bedsole, State Senator
- Winton Blount III, businessman and son of former Postmaster General Winton Blount
- Fob James, former Democratic Governor
- Mickey Kirkland, pastor
- Jack Pollard, candidate for governor in 1990
- Robin Swift, businessman
=Results=
{{Election box begin no change
| title=Republican primary resultshttp://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?fips=1&year=1994&f=0&off=5&elect=2 1994 Gubernatorial Republican Primary Election Results – Alabama
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
| candidate = Fob James
| party = Republican Party (United States)
| votes = 84,021
| percentage = 39.54
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
| candidate = Ann Bedsole
| party = Republican Party (United States)
| votes = 54,450
| percentage = 25.63
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| candidate = Winton Blount III
| party = Republican Party (United States)
| votes = 51,795
| percentage = 24.38
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| candidate = Mickey Kirkland
| party = Republican Party (United States)
| votes = 18,538
| percentage = 8.72
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| candidate = Robin Swift
| party = Republican Party (United States)
| votes = 3,138
| percentage = 1.48
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| candidate = Jack Pollard
| party = Republican Party (United States)
| votes = 543
| percentage = 0.26
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 212,485| percentage = 100.00
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change
| title=Republican runoff results
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
| candidate = Fob James
| party = Republican Party (United States)
| votes = 130,233
| percentage = 62.44
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| candidate = Ann Bedsole
| party = Republican Party (United States)
| votes = 78,338
| percentage = 37.56
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 208,571
| percentage = 100.00
}}
{{Election box end}}
General election
=Polling=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |
| bgcolor=lightgrey
! width="80px" | Source ! width="130px" | Date ! width="100px" | Fob ! width="100px" | Jim |
| align=left | WSFA-TV
| November 6, 1994 | 40% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 47% |
| align=left | WALA-TV
| October 23, 1994 | 38% | {{party shading/Democratic}} | 49% |
=Results=
Folsom led in the polls during the campaign which showed him 10 to 12 percent ahead of James on the last weekend before the election. However, James pulled off a narrow upset victory in the election.{{cite web|url=http://stevensonblog.tuscaloosanews.com/default.asp?item=278269 |title=Jim Folsom learned his lesson |access-date=2008-07-06 |date=2006-11-12 |work=The Tuscaloosa News }}{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
{{Election box begin no change | title=1994 Alabama gubernatorial election}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = Fob James
|votes = 604,926
|percentage = 50.33
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|
|party = Democratic Party (United States)
|candidate = Jim Folsom Jr. (incumbent)
|votes = 594,169
|percentage = 49.43
}}
{{Election box write-in with party link no change|
|votes = 2,874
|percentage = 0.24
}}
{{Election box total no change|
|votes = 1,201,969
|percentage = 100.00
}}
{{Election box gain with party link no swing
|winner = Republican Party (United States)
|loser = Democratic Party (United States)
}}
{{Election box end}}
References
{{Reflist}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20060830141841/http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/u/usa/governors/alabama.txt Recent Alabama gubernatorial election results]
{{s-start}}
{{succession box|
before=1990 election|
title=Gubernatorial election in Alabama|
years=1994|
after=1998 election}}
{{s-end}}
{{Alabama gubernatorial elections}}
{{1994 United States elections}}