1992 Missouri gubernatorial election
November 3, 1992
 
Nominee Mel Carnahan William L. Webster
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 1,375,425 968,574
Percentage 58.7% 41.3%
County results
Carnahan:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Webster:      50-60%      60-70%
Tie:      50–50%
Governor before election

John Ashcroft
Republican

 Elected Governor

Mel Carnahan
Democratic

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.[1] 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.

Democratic Primary

Candidates

  • Mel Carnahan, Incumbent Lt. Governor, former State Treasurer, candidate for Governor in 1984
  • Anthony Cox
  • Elmer Dapron
  • Cedric Hawkins
  • Mary Johnson
  • Sharon Rogers
  • Vincent Shoemehl, Mayor of St. Louis since 1981

Since 1988, Carnahan and Schoemehl had been pegged as top contenders for the Governor's race.[2] The two each brought with them, a unique dynamic which shaped the race. Carnahan, the state's lone statewide elected Democrat, was seen as the older, more establishment friendly candidate.[3] However, he had also been perceived by many as dull, and a weak candidate.[4] In contrast Shoemehl was thought to be the younger and more charismatic candidate.[3] He was thought to be the frontrunner for a time, though was noted for a propensity for harsh outbursts.[5]

Schoemehl attacked Carnahan as an out of touch politician from the past, and Carnahan would respond with attacks of Schoemehl as a big city politician who would never garner statewide support.[3] These charges became relevant when Schoemehl referred to him as "some redneck from Rolla", attacks which Carnahan claimed reflected how his opponent truly viewed rural Missourians.[6] This incident would be used part of a larger attack on Schoemehl and his tendency for offensive outbursts.[7]

In terms of issues, education funding was central to the campaign. Carnahan favored a plan of a $200 million tax increase for education funding, but Schoemehl favored cutting back on state bureaucracy to raise funds.[8][9] On the issue of abortion, Schoemehl had been personally opposed to abortion, in contrast to Carnahan who was unequivocally pro-choice.[10]

Carnahan had led in most polls, but at the end, the race was close, and Schoemehl had an advantage in fundraising.[9][8] In the end, Carnahan won handily against Schoemehl and token opposition, sweeping all but one county.[11] Schoemehl would concede and offered his support to the Lt. Governor.[12]

Democratic Primary Results [13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Mel Carnahan 388,098 55.36%
Democratic Vince Schoemehl 235,652 33.62%
Democratic Sharon Rogers 35,104 5.01%
Democratic Mary Johnson 22,273 3.18%
Democratic Anthony Cox 11,514 1.64%
Democratic Elmer Dapron 4,328 0.62%
Democratic Cedric Hawkins 4,019 0.57%
Total votes 700,988 100.0%

Republican Primary

Candidates

At the start of the primary, the consensus among Republicans was that one of the major candidates would emerge to become the next governor. Webster was the leading candidate, but Blunt's base in conservative southwest Missouri and Bailey's personable nature meant they were all formidable candidates.[14] However, owing to this competitive nature, the primary was marred by the foibles of each candidate. For example, Bailey was detained by the FBI for carrying a pistol in an airport, an incident which was seen as derailing to his campaign.[15]

Among the frontrunners Blunt and Webster, word would soon emerge of Webster's involvement in a corruption scandal involving the Second Injury Fund, a state workers compensation program. The investigation, originally started in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, showed among other things, lawyers who contributed to Webster's campaign received larger settlements.[16] The investigation would eventually expand to an investigation by a federal grand jury. Webster would attack an opponent, possibly Blunt, for leaking the story to the press that he was being investigated by a grand jury.[17]

The scandal would become central to Blunt's campaign, who hired Roger Ailes to make an ad featuring wealthy businessmen on a merry go round, drawing attention to the scandal.[18][9] However, Webster responded with an attack on Blunt for supposedly printing the official state manual of Missouri in Indiana.[19]

The primary was not completely about personalities. One issue which became a focal point was abortion. Blunt was anti-abortion, as was Webster, who argued a case before the Supreme Court upholding Missouri's abortion restrictions. Bailey, however was pro-choice, distinguishing him from the rest of the field.[20]

In the end, Webster would win the primary by a narrow margin.

Republican Primary Results [21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican William L. Webster 183,968 43.79%
Republican Roy Blunt 163,719 38.97%
Republican Wendell Bailey 63,481 15.11%
Republican Dwight Watts 5,019 1.19%
Republican Fred Salmon 3,958 0.94%
Total votes 420,145 100.0%

Results

Despite the fact that Webster had wide recognition serving as the Attorney General of Missouri, he was handily defeated in a 17% margin of victory for Carnahan. Carnahan won the typically Democratic strongholds such as St. Louis and Kansas City, but also performed surprisingly well in most of rural Missouri. A factor in this was the issue of abortion, an issue which Webster found himself at a disadvantage owing to shifting support for pro-choice policies.[22] Carnahan's victory was likely aided in Bill Clinton's concurrent win in Missouri in the 1992 presidential election. Webster conceded defeat soon after the polls closed. This was a Democratic flip in the 1992 election cycle. Webster would be tried and convicted for his role in the Second Injury Fund scandal.[23]

1992 gubernatorial election, Missouri [24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Mel Carnahan 1,375,425 58.68 +23.93
Republican William L. Webster 968,574 41.32 -22.90
Libertarian Joan Dow (write-in) 66 0.00 -1.03
Majority 406,851 17.36 -12.10
Turnout 2,344,065 45.81 +3.38
Democratic gain from Republican Swing

References

  1. ↑ "Libertarian Party - Election Results". Archived from the original on August 28, 2001.
  2. ↑ Wolfe, James (November 27, 1988). "Politicians takes view of 1992". The Southeast Missourian. pp. 13A. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Grebing, Jim (August 31, 1990). "1990 campaign a formality for gubernatorial hopefuls". The Southeast Missourian. pp. 12A. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  4. ↑ Mannies, Jo (October 30, 1992). "Carnahan's Public Image Transformed". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 1. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  5. ↑ Viets, Elaine (October 30, 1990). "On The Campaign Trail With Mayor Vince". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 35. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  6. ↑ Grebing, Jim (April 19, 1992). "Carnahan takes issue with Schoemehl calling him "redneck"". The Southeast Missourian. pp. 2A. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  7. ↑ Charton, Scott (August 3, 1992). "Dreams will die for some in the gubernatorial primary". The Southeast Missourian. pp. 5A. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  8. 1 2 Grebing, Jim (August 2, 1992). "Democratic governor hopefuls stay upbeat as primary nears". The Southeast Missourian. pp. 8A. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 Grebing, Jim (July 26, 1992). "Governor race nears first cut". The Southeast Missourian. pp. 4A. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Abortion question an issue in race". The Nevada Daily Mail. Associated Press. March 26, 1990. p. 1. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Governor Primary Results". mdh.contentdm.oclc.org. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  12. ↑ Charton, Scott (August 5, 1992). "Webster, Carnahan triumph". The Southeast Missourian. p. 1. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Page 733". Missouri Secretary of State. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  14. ↑ "GOP governor candidates hope to avoid repeating 1992 Missouri debacle | The Kansas City Star". March 12, 2016. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Bailey says he may quit race". The Southeast Missourian. Associated Press. November 20, 1991. pp. 8A. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  16. ↑ "How Post reporter uncovered Second Injury Fund scandal. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  17. ↑ Charton, Scott (October 30, 1991). "Allegations rampant on Webster probe". The Southeast Missourian. pp. 7A. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  18. ↑ "It won't be a kinder gentler campaign". Daily News. August 20, 1992. p. 4. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Webster, Blunt swap charges over TV ads". The Southeast Missourian. Associated Press. July 23, 1992. pp. 6A. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Abortion issue divides GOP". The Nevada Daily Mail. Associated Press. February 12, 1990. p. 1. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Page 735". Missouri of Secretary of State. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  22. ↑ Edsall, Thomas B. (October 15, 1992). "Politics of Abortion Shift in Missouri". Washington Post. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  23. ↑ "Webster sentenced for conspiracy and embezzlement of state resources". STLtoday.com. June 2, 2022. Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  24. ↑ "MO Governor Race - Nov 03, 1992". Our Campaigns. Archived from the original on September 29, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
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