1982 Alabama gubernatorial election

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1982 Alabama gubernatorial election

← 1978 November 2, 1982 (1982-11-02) 1986 →

Nominee George Wallace Emory Folmar Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 650,538 440,815 Percentage 57.6% 39.1%

County results Wallace:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Folmar:      40–50%      50–60%

Governor before election Fob James Democratic Elected Governor George Wallace Democratic

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The 1982 Alabama gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982, to elect the governor of Alabama. Incumbent Democrat Fob James declined to run for re-election; he later successfully ran again in 1994 as a Republican. The open seat election saw former Democratic Governor George Wallace, who narrowly won the Democratic primary, defeat Republican Emory Folmar, the Mayor of Montgomery, Alabama.

In the Democratic primary, Wallace received challenges from Lieutenant Governor George McMillan, Speaker of the State House Joe McCorquodale, former Governor Jim Folsom, and Reuben McKinley. Because Wallace did not receive a majority of the votes, he advanced to a run-off with McMillan and then narrowly won the Democratic nomination. Montgomery Mayor Emory Folmar went unchallenged for the Republican nomination.

Wallace, formerly a notorious segregationist, renounced those views in 1979. On November 2, 1982, Wallace not only won the general election, but also over 90% of the black vote.^[1][2] Overall, Wallace received 650,538 (57.64%) votes against Folmar's 440,815 (39.06%) votes. Folmer was the last Alabama Republican gubernatorial nominee to have never won a gubernatorial general election.