The 1986 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1986. Republican Tommy Thompson won the election with 53% of the vote, winning his first term as Governor of Wisconsin and defeating incumbent Governor Anthony Earl.[1] This was the first time since 1962 that the winner of a Wisconsin gubernatorial election was of the same party as the incumbent president. Jonathan B. Barry unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination.
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County results Thompson: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Earl: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Wisconsin gubernatorial election, 1986[2] | |||||
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Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | ||
Republican | Tommy Thompson | 805,090 | 52.74% | ||
Democrat | Anthony Earl (incumbent) | 705,578 | 46.22% | ||
Labor-Farm | Kathryn Christensen | 10,323 | 0.68% | ||
Independent | Darold Wall | 3,913 | 0.26% | ||
Independent | Sanford Knapp | 1,668 | 0.11% |