United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 3, 1992, in 12 states and two territories. Going into the elections, six of the seats were held by Democrats and six by Republicans. After the elections, Democrats held eight seats and Republicans held four. The elections coincided with the presidential election.
This was the last time where Rhode Island held a gubernatorial election in the same year as the presidential election. The length of gubernatorial terms for Rhode Island's governor would be extended from two to four years, with elections taking place in midterm election years. It was also the last time where the Democrats won or retained control of at least 30 governorships until 2026.
This is the only slate of seats in the overall 1992 election cycle where Democrats retained their majority and scored a net gain; in Congress, Democrats lost 9 seats in the House of Representatives, and neither party netted gains in the Senate, despite Bill Clinton defeating Republican George H. W. Bush and Independent Ross Perot on the same night.
Closest races
States where the margin of victory was under 5%:
- Montana, 2.7%
- Puerto Rico, 4.0%
- Washington, 4.3%
States where the margin of victory was under 10%:
- Utah, 8.6%
- North Carolina, 9.5%
Delaware
The 1992 Delaware gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 1992. Incumbent Republican governor Mike Castle, barred by term limits from seeking another term as Governor of Delaware, instead sought election to the United States House of Representatives. Congressman and Democratic nominee Tom Carper defeated Republican nominee B. Gary Scott in a landslide, winning his first term in office and becoming Delaware's first Democratic governor since 1977.
Indiana
The 1992 Indiana gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1992. Incumbent Governor Evan Bayh, a Democrat, won reelection over his Republican challenger, Linley E. Pearson with 62% of the vote. He was the first Democratic governor of Indiana to win reelection since governors became eligible for election to consecutive terms in office in 1972.
Missouri
The 1992 Missouri gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1992, and resulted in a victory for the Democratic nominee, Lt. Governor Mel Carnahan, over the Republican candidate, Missouri Attorney General William L. Webster, and Libertarian Joan Dow. Carnahan had defeated St. Louis mayor Vincent C. Schoemehl for the Democratic nomination, while Webster had defeated Secretary of State Roy Blunt and Treasurer Wendell Bailey for the Republican nomination.
Montana
The 1992 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 1992. Incumbent Governor of Montana Stan Stephens, who was first elected in 1988, declined to seek re-election. Marc Racicot, the Attorney General of Montana, won the Republican primary and advanced to the general election, where he faced State Representative Dorothy Bradley, who had emerged from a crowded Democratic primary as the nominee of her party. A close election ensued, but in the end, Racicot ended up defeating Bradley to win his first of two terms as governor. While on the same ballot, Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton won the state of Montana, and eventually won the 1992 United States presidential election.
New Hampshire
The 1992 New Hampshire gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 1992. Republican nominee Steve Merrill, who defeated Ed Dupont and Liz Hager for the Republican nomination, won the election, defeating Deborah Arnie Arnesen, who had defeated Norman D'Amours for the Democratic nomination.
North Carolina
The 1992 North Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1992. Incumbent Governor James G. Martin was unable to run for a third consecutive term due to term limits, and his Lieutenant Governor, Jim Gardner, was chosen to replace him as the Republican nominee. Gardner had also been the nominee in a previous gubernatorial election over twenty years earlier. Former Governor Jim Hunt decided to seek his third term as the Democratic nominee. The race became one of the nastiest and most talked about races in the country, with Hunt winning a third term easily over Gardner and Libertarian nominee Scott McLaughlin.
North Dakota
The 1992 North Dakota gubernatorial election took place on 3 November 1992. Incumbent Democratic-NPL Governor George A. Sinner retired. Republican nominee Ed Schafer defeated Democratic former Attorney General of North Dakota Nicholas Spaeth in a landslide. This was the only gubernatorial seat which the Republicans gained during this election cycle.
Rhode Island
The 1992 Rhode Island gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1992. Incumbent Democrat Bruce Sundlun defeated Republican nominee Elizabeth A. Leonard with 61.55% of the vote.
A Democrat would not be elected Governor of Rhode Island again until Gina Raimondo did so in 2014.
Utah
The 1992 Utah gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 1992. Republican nominee Michael Leavitt won the three-way election.
Vermont
The 1992 Vermont gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 1992. After Republican Governor Richard Snelling died in office on August 13, 1991, Lieutenant Governor Howard Dean, a Democrat, took over for the remainder of his term. Incumbent Democrat Howard Dean ran successfully for election to a full term as Governor of Vermont, defeating Republican candidate John McClaughry. This is the best Democratic performance for governor in the history of the state.
Washington
The 1992 Washington gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1992. Incumbent Democratic Governor Booth Gardner chose not to run for a third term. This resulted in an open race for Governor of Washington in which Democrat Mike Lowry narrowly defeated Republican Ken Eikenberry. This is the last time that a gubernatorial nominee and a lieutenant gubernatorial nominee of different political parties were elected governor and lieutenant governor of Washington.
West Virginia
The 1992 West Virginia gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 1992. Incumbent Democratic governor Gaston Caperton won re-election by defeating former Republican U.S. representative Cleve Benedict and Democratic State Senator Charlotte Pritt, who ran as an independent write-in candidate after losing to Caperton in the Democratic primary election. Benedict had defeated Vernon Criss for his party's nomination; this was the only election between 1964 and 2000 that the Republicans had nominated someone other than Arch A. Moore or Cecil H. Underwood.