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1986 Tennessee Gubernatorial Election

Tennessee · 2 candidates · See every 1986 Governor race

Who won the 1986 Tennessee Gubernatorial Election?

Ned McWherter won the 1986 Tennessee Gubernatorial Election. Ned McWherter received 656,602 popular votes (54.26%). The main challenger was Winfield Dunn (45.74%).

See the full head-to-head between McWherter and Dunn

McWherter +8.5 pts · won by 103,153 votes
Ned McWherterDemocraticWINNER54.26%
656,602 votes
Winfield DunnRepublican45.74%
553,449 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.