Biggest governor landslides in Maryland
The biggest landslide in a Maryland governor’s race was in 1986, a margin of 64.7 points. William Donald Schaefer beat Thomas J. Mooney, 907,291 to 194,185. Next widest are 1867 (48.6 points) and 1978 (41.2 points).
Every state is ranked together on Biggest governor landslides. For every gubernatorial race Maryland has held, special elections included, see the Maryland governor hub.
What is the biggest landslide in a Maryland governor’s race?
The widest margin in a Maryland gubernatorial general election came in 1986, 64.7 points. William Donald Schaefer beat Thomas J. Mooney, 907,291 to 194,185. Next are 1867 (48.6 points) and 1978 (41.2 points).
Why do some huge wins not appear?
A blowout only counts here when somebody real finished second, which means at least 5% of the vote. Without that rule the list fills with uncontested races and with contests where the record is simply missing the major opponent, both of which show the winner near 100%.
Does this include recalls and special elections?
No, only regular general elections for governor. The Maryland governor hub lists every race including specials and recalls.
| # | Election | Result | Votes | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1986 | William Donald Schaefer D def. Thomas J. Mooney R | 907,291 – 194,185 | +64.7 points |
| 2 | 1867 | Oden Bowie D def. Hugh Lennox Bond R | 63,694 – 22,050 | +48.6 points |
| 3 | 1978 | Harry Hughes D def. John Glenn Beall Jr. R | 705,910 – 293,635 | +41.2 points |
| 4 | 1861 | Augustus Bradford U def. Benjamin Chew Howard D | 57,472 – 26,045 | +37.6 points |
| 5 | 1970 | Marvin Mandel D def. Charles Stanley Blair R | 639,579 – 314,336 | +33.4 points |
| 6 | 2022 | Wes Moore D def. Dan Cox R | 1,293,944 – 644,000 | +32.4 points |
| 7 | 1958 | J. Millard Tawes D def. James Devereux R | 485,061 – 278,173 | +27.1 points |
| 8 | 1974 | Marvin Mandel D def. Louise Gore R | 602,648 – 346,449 | +27.0 points |
| 9 | 1982 | Harry Hughes D def. Robert A. Pascal R | 705,910 – 432,826 | +24.0 points |
| 10 | 1990 | William Donald Schaefer D def. William S. Shepard R | 664,015 – 446,980 | +19.5 points |
| 11 | 1926 | Albert Ritchie D def. Addison E. Mullikin R | 207,435 – 148,145 | +16.6 points |
| 12 | 1891 | Frank Brown D def. William J. Vannort R | 108,539 – 78,388 | +15.7 points |
| 13 | 1950 | Theodore McKeldin R def. William Preston Lane Jr. D | 369,807 – 275,824 | +14.6 points |
| 14 | 2010 | Martin O'Malley D def. Bob Ehrlich R | 1,044,961 – 776,319 | +14.5 points |
| 15 | 1879 | William Thomas Hamilton D def. James Albert Gary R | 90,771 – 68,609 | +13.9 points |
| 16 | 1930 | Albert Ritchie D def. William Frederick Broening R | 283,639 – 216,864 | +13.2 points |
| 17 | 1923 | Albert Ritchie D def. Alexander Armstrong R | 177,871 – 137,471 | +12.7 points |
| 18 | 2018 | Larry Hogan R def. Ben Jealous D | 1,275,644 – 1,002,639 | +11.8 points |
| 19 | 1938 | Herbert O'Conor D def. Harry Nice R | 308,372 – 242,095 | +11.7 points |
| 20 | 1864 | Thomas Swann U def. Ezekiel F. Chambers D | 40,579 – 32,068 | +11.7 points |
| 21 | 1871 | William Pinkney Whyte D def. Jacob Tome R | 73,958 – 58,838 | +11.4 points |
| 22 | 1962 | J. Millard Tawes D def. Frank Small Jr. R | 428,071 – 341,271 | +11.3 points |
| 23 | 1998 | Parris Glendening D def. Ellen Sauerbrey R | 846,972 – 688,357 | +10.3 points |
| 24 | 1857 | Thomas Holliday Hicks K def. John Charles Groome D | 47,141 – 38,681 | +9.9 points |
| 25 | 1946 | William Preston Lane Jr. D def. Theodore McKeldin R | 268,084 – 221,752 | +9.5 points |