Election
elections
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 5, 1985, in two states and one territory. Both seats remained in their respective parties' control, as Democrat Gerald Baliles held the open seat in Virginia, while Republican incumbent Thomas Kean was reelected in New Jersey.
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Text from the Wikipedia article “1985 United States gubernatorial elections”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 5, 1985, in two states and one territory. Both seats remained in their respective parties' control, as Democrat Gerald Baliles held the open seat in Virginia, while Republican incumbent Thomas Kean was reelected in New Jersey.
The 1985 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1985. Incumbent Republican Governor Thomas Kean won a landslide re-election against the Democratic candidate, Essex County Executive Peter Shapiro. As of 2026, Kean's is the largest margin in terms of percentage and raw votes in all New Jersey gubernatorial elections. Kean was the first Republican to be re-elected governor since 1949, and the first Republican to ever win two four-year terms.
In the 1985 Virginia gubernatorial election, incumbent Governor Chuck Robb, a Democrat, was unable to seek re-election due to term limits. Jerry Baliles, the Attorney General of Virginia, was nominated by the Democratic Party to run against the Republican nominee, Wyatt B. Durrette.
Text from the Wikipedia article “1985 United States gubernatorial elections”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.