1994 Michigan gubernatorial election

The 1994 Michigan gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1994, to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of the state of Michigan. Incumbent Governor John Engler, a member of the Republican Party, was re-elected over Democratic Party nominee and Congressman Howard Wolpe. The voter turnout was 45.5%.^[1]

1994 Michigan gubernatorial election

← 1990 November 8, 1994 1998 →

Nominee John Engler Howard Wolpe Party Republican Democratic Running mate Connie Binsfeld Debbie Stabenow Popular vote 1,899,101 1,188,438 Percentage 61.5% 38.5%

County results Engler:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Wolpe:      50–60%

Governor before election John Engler Republican Elected Governor John Engler Republican

Republican primary

Candidates

• John Engler, incumbent Governor

Engler, who was narrowly elected in 1990, ran unopposed in the GOP Primary^[2] and retained Lt. Gov. Connie Binsfeld as his running mate.

Results

Michigan gubernatorial Republican primary, 1994^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Engler	549,565	99.81
	Republican	Write-ins	1,034	0.19
Total votes			550,599	100.00

Democratic primary

Candidates

• H. Lynn Jondahl, State Representative from Okemos
• Larry Owen, former mayor of East Lansing and former member of the Michigan State University Board of Trustees
• Debbie Stabenow, State Senator from Lansing
• Howard Wolpe, former U.S. Representative from Lansing

All four candidates were notably from Lansing or its immediate surroundings.

Wolpe, who had served 7 terms in Congress before retiring in 1993, won a 4-way battle for the Democratic nomination, taking 35 percent of the vote. He bested his closest rival, state Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who had 30 percent.^[2] Wolpe eventually chose Stabenow as his running mate.^[4]

Results

Michigan gubernatorial Democratic primary, 1994^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Howard Wolpe	242,847	35.25
	Democratic	Debbie Stabenow	209,641	30.43
	Democratic	Larry Owen	176,675	25.64
	Democratic	H. Lynn Jondahl	59,127	8.58
	Democratic	Write-ins	712	0.10
Total votes			689,002	100.00

General election

Polling

Source	Date	Engler (R)	Wolpe (D)
WDIV-TV	Oct. 30, 1994	56%	30%
Detroit News	Oct. 16, 1994	54%	29%
WJBK-TV	Sep. 16, 1994	50%	39%

Results

Michigan gubernatorial election, 1994

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	John Engler (incumbent)	1,899,101	61.50	+11.7
	Democratic	Howard Wolpe	1,188,438	38.50	−10.6
	Write-in		1,538	0.05	-0.02
Majority			710,663	23.0	+22.3
Turnout			3,089,077	45.5
	Republican hold

Results by county

County	Engler	Votes	Feiger	Votes	Others	Votes
Alcona	.%		.%		.%
Alger	.%		.%		.%
Allegan	.%		.%		.%
Alpena	.%		.%		.%
Antrim	.%		.%		.%
Arenac	.%		.%		.%
Baraga	.%		.%		.%
Barry	.%		.%		.%
Bay	.%		.%		.%
Benzie	.%		.%		.%
Berrien	.%		.%		.%
Branch	.%		.%		.%
Calhoun	.%		.%		.%
Cass	.%		.%		.%
Charlevoix	.%		.%		.%
Cheboygan	.%		.%		.%
Chippewa	.%		.%		.%
Clare	.%		.%		.%
Clinton	.%		.%		.%
Crawford	.%		.%		.%
Delta	.%		.%		.%
Dickinson	.%		.%		.%
Eaton	.%		.%		.%
Emmet	.%		.%		.%
Genesee	.%		.%		.%
Gladwin	.%		.%		.%
Gogebic	.%		.%		.%
Grand Traverse	.%		.%		.%
Gratiot	.%		.%		.%
Hillsdale	.%		.%		.%
Houghton	.%		.%		.%
Huron	.%		.%		.%
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Ionia	.%		.%		.%
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Iron	.%		.%		.%
Isabella	.%		.%		.%
Jackson	.%		.%		.%
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Lake	.%		.%		.%
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Roscommon	.%		.%		.%
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St. Joseph	.%		.%		.%
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Schoolcraft	.%		.%		.%
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Wayne	.%		.%		.%
Wexford	.%		.%		.%