1986 California Gubernatorial Election

California · 2 candidates · See every 1986 Governor race

Who won the 1986 California Gubernatorial Election?

George Deukmejian won the 1986 California Gubernatorial Election. George Deukmejian received 4,505,601 popular votes (60.54%). The main challenger was Tom Bradley (37.38%).

See the full head-to-head between Deukmejian and Bradley

Deukmejian +23.2 pts · won by 1,723,887 votes

George Deukmejian RepublicanWINNER60.54%

4,505,601 votes

Tom Bradley Democratic37.38%

2,781,714 votes

Other candidates received the remaining 2.1% of the popular vote; only the leading candidates are individually recorded for this election.

Popular-vote totals for governor elections are compiled from official state results (via Wikipedia); Louisiana shows the decisive round of its jungle primary.

Data last verified July 28, 2026.