1982 New York gubernatorial election

none January 2025 September 2023 1982 New York gubernatorial election New York Flag of New York (1909–2020).svg presidential no 1978 New York gubernatorial election 1978 1986 New York gubernatorial election 1986 November 2, 1982 150x150px Mario Cuomo 1987 (cropped).jpg Mario Cuomo Democratic Party (United States) Liberal Alfred DelBello 2,675,213 50.91% Lewis Lehrman, 1982.jpg Lewis Lehrman Republican Party (United States) ConservativeStatewide Ind. James L. Emery 2,494,827 47.48% 1982 New York gubernatorial election results map by county.svg 300px County resultsCuomo: #a5b0ff 40–50% #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% #584cde 70–80%Lehrman: #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #d72f30 70–80% Governor Hugh Carey Democratic Party (United States) Mario Cuomo Democratic Party (United States) The 1982 New York gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982, to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of New York. Incumbent Democratic Governor Hugh Carey chose not to run for a third term, which resulted in an open race. Democratic lieutenant governor Mario Cuomo narrowly defeated Republican banker Lewis Lehrman, who ran as a conservative. Both candidates had been considered unlikely victors of their respective parties' primaries. Cuomo had unexpectedly defeated New York City mayor Ed Koch, in a rematch of the 1977 mayoral election, to win the Democratic nomination. Cuomo was considered a political liberal who worked to revitalize the New Deal coalition.What Money Can't Buy News The Harvard Crimson https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1982/11/2/what-money-cant-buy-pbibf-lewis/ 2021-10-11 www.thecrimson.com Entering the race as a political novice, Lehrman reportedly spent $7 million to boost his profile through advertising, beginning as early as January 1981. Lehrman ran a law and order campaign, referring to criminals as "savages" and pledging cuts to the state income tax. Cuomo ultimately won a race described as "a classic left vs. right battle" by a 50.9 to 47.5 percent margin, buoyed by voters in New York City.Schram Martin November 1, 1982 A Classic Left vs. Right Battle https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1982/11/01/a-classic-left-vs-right-battle/522f7730-da32-48ce-9105-671314438812/ The Washington Post Cuomo would go on to serve three terms in office before ultimately losing reelection in 1994. Democratic primary Candidates Mario Cuomo, lieutenant governor and former New York secretary of state Ed Koch, mayor of New York City since 1978 Declined Robert Abrams, New York attorney generalCUOMO BEATS KOCH IN DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY 24 Sep 1982 The New York Times Lynn Frank 1 https://www.nytimes.com/1982/09/24/nyregion/cuomo-beats-koch-in-democratic-primary-leherman-moynihan-and-mrs-sullivan-win.html 8 Aug 2021 Carol Bellamy, president of the New York City Council Hugh Carey, incumbent governor since 1975 The Democratic primary shaped up as a rematch of the 1977 New York City mayoral election between Mario Cuomo and Ed Koch. In 1977, Koch narrowly won a Democratic primary runoff over Cuomo and then defeated Cuomo, who ran on the Liberal Party ticket, again in the general election. Since that race, Cuomo had been elected lieutenant governor in 1978 and Koch had been re-elected to a second term as mayor in 1981. On January 15, Hugh Carey announced he would not stand for re-election to a third term amid low approval ratings and nascent challenges from within his own party, including by Cuomo. After Carey announced he would not run, Koch entered the race. Koch's decision discouraged Robert Abrams and Carol Bellamy from joining the race. Campaign Koch's status as the early front-runner was derailed by the publication of a 1981 interview he had given to Playboy, in which he exalted life in New York City and denigrated suburban and rural lifestyles by comparison. On a trip to Albany following its publication, Koch was booed loudly. He described the interview as "foolish" and apologized to upstate voters.August 2021 Both candidates emphasized their respective records. Cuomo differentiated himself by his opposition to capital punishment and attempted to link Koch to Republican politicians, including Ronald Reagan. Nevertheless, at the June party convention in Albany, Koch received the party's endorsement with 61 percent of the delegate vote. Despite an early pledge of neutrality, Governor Carey endorsed Koch late in the campaign. Cuomo criticized Carey's decision and called Carey "a good governor and a lousy politician.'' Results thumb|Results by county #678cd7 Cuomo #8da9e2 50–60% #678cd7 60–70% #4170cd 70–80% #63a61f Koch #87be51 50–60% #63a61f 60–70% #dc63dc Tie #e68ce6 50% |center1982 Democratic gubernatorial primary Democratic Party (United States) Mario Cuomo 678,900 52.34% Democratic Party (United States) Ed Koch 618,247 47.66% 1,297,147 100.00% The New York Times called Cuomo's victory a "stunning upset" which relied on "an unusual coalition of liberal Democrats, labor, minorities and upstaters." Koch ran strongly in Jewish communities, but Cuomo won black, liberal, Irish and Italian voters by a similar margin. One key to Cuomo's victory was his strong showing in New York City itself. Although Koch won the city and its four suburban counties (Rockland, Westchester, Suffolk, and Nassau) as expected, Cuomo kept the margin close by winning half of the city's New York State Assembly districts and carrying Staten Island. Combined with large victories in nearly every upstate county, Cuomo won a solid majority. Koch endorsed Cuomo immediately after the results were announced, declaring, "What's important to all of us is that we keep a Democrat in Albany." Republican primary Candidates Paul J. Curran, former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New YorkCarroll Maurice https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10617F73A5D0C738EDDAD0894DA484D81 EX-U.S. ATTORNEY CURRAN IN RACE FOR GOVERNOR AS REPUBLICAN The New York Times 20 Apr 1982 8 Aug 2021 Lewis Lehrman, investment banker and former president of Rite Aid Withdrew James L. Emery, New York Assembly minority leader (ran for lieutenant governor)Lynn Frank 1982-05-19 CURRAN INITIATES HIS FORMAL BID TO BE GOVERNOR https://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/19/nyregion/curran-initiates-his-formal-bid-to-be-governor.html 2026-07-31 The New York Times en-US 0362-4331 Edward Regan, New York state comptroller (ran for re-election) Richard Rosenbaum, former chair of the New York Republican Party Campaign Lehrman spent heavily to raise his profile as a political novice. He spent over a year campaigning before the primary and spent a record $7 million (approximately $US-GDP 7000000 1982 -3 c in US-GDP), more than half of which was his own money. He began running television advertisements in January 1981. Curran spent less than $500,000 (approximately $US-GDP 500000 1982 -3 c in US-GDP). The Harvard Crimson summarized Lehrman's unexpected rise to victory:"Lehrman saturated the airwaves and took the Republican primary in a romp, reportedly spending more than $6 million of his own money for that initial race alone."Lehrman was also boosted by the co-endorsement of the Conservative Party, which was said to "strongly influence" the primary as it had in 1978 by giving Lehrman a "head start" against the field. After he received the Conservative endorsement and it became evident the party would stick by Lehrman, Edward Regan dropped out of the race despite consensus that he was the leading candidate for the Republican nomination. Regan's decision may also have also been influenced by his reliance on Wall Street funding, which was largely devoted to Koch. Lehrman utilized harsh rhetoric on the issue of crime, referring to criminals as "savages" and criticizing the Court of Appeals for deference to defendants. He pledged "systematic" cuts to the state income tax and raised the possibility of a sales tax reduction. Results 1982 Republican gubernatorial primaryhttps://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=111815 Our Campaigns - NY Governor - R Primary Race - Sep 23, 1982 Republican Party (United States) Lewis Lehrman 464,231 80.59% Republican Party (United States) Paul J. Curran 111,814 19.41% 576,045 100.00% General election Candidates Jane Benedict, tenants' rights activisthttps://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/24/nyregion/jane-benedict-93-unionist-and-public-housing-advocate-dies.html Jane Benedict, 93, Unionist and Public Housing Advocate, Dies June 24, 2005 New York TimesSmothers Ronald 1982-10-25 4 MINOR PARTIES FIELDING CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR https://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/25/nyregion/4-minor-parties-fielding-candidates-for-governor.html 2026-10-01 The New York Times en-US 0362-4331 (Unity) Running mate: Angela Gilliam, political anthropology professor Robert J. Bohner, Garden City attorneyLynn Frank 1982-10-17 RIGHT TO LIFE PARTY OFFERING FULL TICKET FOR STATE OFFICES https://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/17/nyregion/right-to-life-party-offering-full-ticket-for-state-offices.html 2026-10-01 The New York Times en-US 0362-4331 (Right to Life) Running mate: Paul F. Callahan, Garden City attorney Mario Cuomo, lieutenant governor of New York (Democratic, Liberal) Running mate: Alfred DelBello, Westchester County Executive Lewis Lehrman, New York City investment banker (Conservative, Republican, Statewide Independent) Running mate: James L. Emery, New York Assembly minority leader John H. Northrup, Syracuse accountant (Free Libertarian) Running mate: David Hoesly, Rochester research engineer Nancy Ross, former member of New York City's third community school boardBennetts Leslie 3 in a Race for Council Stress Different Issues https://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/27/nyregion/3-in-a-race-for-council-stress-different-issues.html March 28, 2024 New York Times August 27, 1981Moore Keith Skimpy 7% Turnout in School Board Election https://www.newspapers.com/image/482809597 March 28, 2024 New York Daily News May 17, 1977From the 1970s until the early 2000s, all of New York City's public schools were partially decentralized under the control of dozens of community school boards.New York City's Affinity District (Part 3): Decentralization and the governance context of NYC schools https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/news/new-york-citys-affinity-district-part-3-decentralization-and-governance-context-nyc-schools nyu.edu April 30, 2020 New York University April 30, 2020 (New Alliance) Running mate: Lenora Fulani, Brooklyn psychologist Diane Wang, garment-center worker (Socialist Workers) Running mate: Peter Thierjung, sheet-metal fabricator Results 1982 New York gubernatorial election Democratic Party (United States) Mario Cuomo 2,559,607 48.71% N/A Liberal Party of New York Mario Cuomo 115,606 2.20% N/A Total Mario Cuomo 2,675,213 50.91% -0.04% Republican Party (United States) Lewis Lehrman 2,248,741 42.80% N/A Conservative Party of New York State Conservative Lewis Lehrman 230,153 4.38% N/A Statewide Ind. Lewis Lehrman 15,933 0.30% N/A Total Lewis Lehrman 2,494,827 47.48% +2.26% New York State Right to Life Party Robert J. Bohner 52,356 1.00% -2.73% Libertarian Party (United States) John H. Northrup 16,913 0.32% -0.08% Unity Jane Benedict 6,353 0.12% N/A New Alliance Party Nancy Ross 5,277 0.10% N/A Socialist Workers Party (United States) Diane Wang 3,766 0.07% -0.20% 5,254,705 100.00% N/A Democratic Party (United States) Republican Party (United States) Notes References 1982 Gubernatorial New York Category:Mario Cuomo Category:November 1982 in the United States