PolitiFinder

1986 Maryland Gubernatorial Election

Maryland · 2 candidates · See every 1986 Governor race

Who won the 1986 Maryland Gubernatorial Election?

William Donald Schaefer won the 1986 Maryland Gubernatorial Election. William Donald Schaefer received 907,291 popular votes (82.37%). The main challenger was Thomas J. Mooney (17.63%).

See the full head-to-head between Schaefer and Mooney

Schaefer +64.7 pts · won by 713,106 votes
William Donald SchaeferDemocraticWINNER82.37%
907,291 votes
Thomas J. MooneyRepublican17.63%
194,185 votes
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.