1994 Arizona gubernatorial election

The 1994 Arizona gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 1994, for the post of Governor of Arizona. Fife Symington, the incumbent Republican Governor of Arizona, defeated the Democratic nominee Eddie Basha to win a second term in office. However, Symington resigned in 1997 due to a federal indictment on corruption charges.

1994 Arizona gubernatorial election

← 1990–91 November 8, 1994 1998 →
 
Nominee Fife Symington Eddie Basha
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 593,492 500,702
Percentage 52.5% 44.3%

County results

Symington:      40–50%      50-60%      60–70%

Basha:      50–60%      70–80%

Governor before election

Fife Symington
Republican

Elected Governor

Fife Symington
Republican

Republican primary

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In the Republican primary, incumbent Governor Fife Symington was challenged by businesswoman Barbara Barrett, wife of business executive Craig Barrett. Symington announced his primary campaign by stating, "I vowed to get state spending under control, reduce taxes and do my best to promote economic development and restore strength to the economy. I think I am in a strong position because I accomplished my goals."[1] Barrett spent more than $1 million of her own money in the attempt to defeat Symington, who she stated she did not dislike personally, but simply felt that she could do a better job as governor.[1]

On September 13, 1994, Symington defeated Barrett in the primary by a margin of 68% to 32%.[2] Political analysts stated that Barrett had failed to distinguish herself from the incumbent governor, and ran a flawed campaign.[1]

Candidates

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Results

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Republican primary results [3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Fife Symington (incumbent) 202,588 68.14%
Republican Barbara Barrett 94,740 31.86%
Total votes 297,328 100.00%

Democratic primary

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In the Democratic primary, 1990 Democratic gubernatorial nominee and former Phoenix Mayor Terry Goddard attempted to seek the Democratic nomination once again, but was challenged by Paul Johnson, who was also a former mayor of Phoenix, and Arizona Board of Regents member Eddie Basha, more famous for his involvement with the grocery store chain Bashas'. In the primary held on September 13, Basha defeated Goddard by a very small margin, with Johnson receiving a sizable level of support as well.

Candidates

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Results

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Democratic primary results [3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Eddie Basha 96,613 36.82%
Democratic Terry Goddard 92,239 35.16%
Democratic Paul Johnson 73,512 28.02%
Total votes 262,364 100.00%

General election

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Following the 1990 election, in which a run-off election was held in order to deter the possibility of a candidate winning with less than a plurality of all of the votes cast, as was the case with the 1986 election in which Evan Mecham was elected with only 39.96% of the vote, the 1994 election did not have a runoff. This was due to a measure that was approved by voters to eliminate the runoff system, which was marred by a longer than usual campaign and issues surrounding the date of when the runoff should be held.[4]

Results

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Arizona gubernatorial election, 1994[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Fife Symington (incumbent) 593,492 52.54% +0.18%
Democratic Eddie Basha 500,702 44.33% −3.31%
Libertarian John A. Buttrick 35,222 3.11% +3.09%
Independent John Wright (write-in) 121 0.01%
Democratic Caroline P. Killeen (write-in) 29 0.00%
Independent Walter L. Bassett (write-in) 11 0.00%
Republican Charles M. Crawford (write-in) 11 0.00%
Democratic S. Roberts (write-in) 11 0.00%
Republican Will Davis, II (write-in) 5 0.00%
Independent Ilias Kostopoulos (write-in) 3 0.00%
Majority 92,790 8.21%
Total votes 1,129,607 100.00%
Republican hold Swing +3.49%

Results by county

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County Fife Symington
Republican
Eddie Basha
Democratic
John A. Buttrick
Libertarian
All Others
Write-in
Margin Total votes
cast[5]
# % # % # % # % # %
Apache 4,229 24.78% 12,409 72.72% 423 2.48% 2 0.01% -8,180 -47.94% 17,063
Cochise 15,203 57.13% 10,647 40.01% 759 2.85% 4 0.02% 4,556 17.12% 26,613
Coconino 13,971 43.25% 17,110 52.97% 1,213 3.76% 8 0.02% -3,139 -9.72% 32,302
Gila 6,978 45.70% 7,770 50.89% 520 3.41% 1 0.01% -792 -5.19% 15,269
Graham 4,570 58.48% 3,101 39.69% 143 1.83% 0 0.00% 1,469 18.80% 7,814
Greenlee 1,522 51.77% 1,358 46.19% 59 2.01% 1 0.03% 164 5.58% 2,940
La Paz 1,850 49.47% 1,773 47.41% 117 3.13% 0 0.00% 77 2.06% 3,740
Maricopa 349,473 54.31% 272,298 42.31% 21,623 3.36% 141 0.02% 77,175 11.99% 643,535
Mohave 19,315 58.71% 12,656 38.47% 922 2.80% 8 0.02% 6,659 20.24% 32,901
Navajo 9,780 43.95% 11,949 53.69% 524 2.35% 2 0.01% -2,169 -9.75% 22,255
Pima 107,287 49.30% 104,669 48.10% 5,637 2.59% 7 0.00% 2,618 1.20% 217,600
Pinal 13,755 44.52% 16,338 52.88% 794 2.57% 7 0.02% -2,583 -8.36% 30,894
Santa Cruz 2,856 41.12% 3,978 57.27% 112 1.61% 0 0.00% -1,122 -16.15% 6,946
Yavapai 29,213 60.00% 17,584 36.11% 1,882 3.87% 10 0.02% 11,629 23.88% 48,689
Yuma 13,490 64.10% 7,062 33.56% 494 2.35% 0 0.00% 6,428 30.54% 21,046
Totals 593,492 52.54% 500,702 44.33% 35,222 3.12% 191 0.02% 92,790 8.21% 1,129,607

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Pittman, David (September 9, 1994). "Governor race nears first stage". Tucson Citizen. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  2. ^ "AZ Governor – R Primary Race – Sep 13, 1994". Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  3. ^ a b "State of Arizona Official Canvass Primary Election - September 13, 1994". Arizona Secretary of State. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  4. ^ Berman, David (1998). Arizona Politics & Government: The Quest for Autonomy, Democracy, and Development. ISBN 0803212887. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  5. ^ a b "State of Arizona Official Canvass General Election - November 8, 1994". Arizona Secretary of State. Retrieved July 14, 2024.