The 1990 Michigan gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1990, to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of the state of Michigan. State Senate Majority Leader John Engler, a member of the Republican Party, was elected over incumbent Democratic Governor James Blanchard, who was seeking his third term.

In what turned out to be one of the closest elections in recent Michigan history, Engler defeated Blanchard by less than 18,000 votes and a 0.7% margin. Engler's victory was considered a major upset and became infamous among pollsters. The final Detroit News poll showed Engler trailing by 14 points, and the final Detroit Free Press poll showed Engler behind by 4 points. A retrospective of the polling suggests the News poll may have had questions that favored Blanchard and too heavily incorporated the opinions of registered voters rather than likely voters, and thus failed to correctly gauge turnout.

The voter turnout was 38.6%. This was the first time since 1974 and the last time until 2022 that the state elected a governor of the same party as the sitting president. As of , this is the last Michigan gubernatorial election in which the incumbent was defeated.

Democratic primary Candidates James J. Blanchard, incumbent governor Campaign James Blanchard, a two-term incumbent, won the Democratic primary unopposed. He created controversy in the summer 1990 with speculation that he might drop lieutenant governor Martha Griffiths from the Democratic ticket. There was speculation that Blanchard was positioning to appoint himself to replace Donald W. Riegle Jr. in the United States Senate should Riegle have to resign due to his involvement in the Keating Five scandal and being under investigation by the Senate Ethics Committee and wanted a younger running mate to take over as governor. After weeks of speculation, Griffiths, 78, offered to remove herself from the ticket and not formally seek the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor at the Michigan Democratic Convention. Olivia P. Maynard, who was the Director of the Michigan Office of Services to the Aging, was ultimately chosen as Blanchard's running mate.

Ultimately, Riegle survived the scandal but the scandal along with the unpopularity of Bill Clinton, led to Riegle announcing that he would not seek re-election and he left the Senate at the end of his term on January 3, 1995. Results

Republican primary Candidates John Engler, majority leader of Michigan Senate John Lauve, retired General Motors engineer and perennial candidate

Campaign State Senate Majority Leader John Engler faced nominal opposition in the primary, easily defeating retired General Motors engineer and perennial political candidate John Lauve. Engler then chose state Sen. Connie Binsfeld as his running mate.

Results

General election Candidates Major party candidates James J. Blanchard & Olivia P. Maynard, Democratic John Engler & Connie Binsfeld, Republican

Other candidates William Roundtree & Brenda Kirby, Workers World

Results

Results by county County John EnglerRepublican James J. BlanchardDemocratic William RoundtreeWorkers World ScatteringWrite-in Margin Total votes cast # % # % # % # % # %Alcona2,03160.48%1,31339.10%140.42%00.00%71821.38%3,358Alger1,70048.15%1,82151.57%100.28%00.00%-121-3.43%3,531Allegan16,34266.65%7,93432.36%2050.84%390.16%8,40834.29%24,520Alpena4,33349.75%4,31949.59%580.67%00.00%140.16%8,710Antrim3,57256.42%2,71142.82%480.76%00.00%86113.60%6,331Arenac1,93745.37%2,30553.99%250.59%20.05%-368-8.62%4,269Baraga1,29852.11%1,18147.41%120.48%00.00%1174.70%2,491Barry8,78560.41%5,56738.28%1661.14%250.17%3,21822.13%14,543Bay14,88642.82%19,64656.51%2140.62%200.06%-4,760-13.69%34,766Benzie2,30554.22%1,91745.10%270.64%20.05%3889.13%4,251Berrien24,01963.47%13,48035.62%3440.91%20.01%10,53927.85%37,845Branch5,94660.74%3,77838.59%620.63%30.03%2,16822.15%9,789Calhoun18,81951.99%16,82346.48%5391.49%150.04%1,9965.51%36,196Cass6,14958.53%4,30841.01%480.46%00.00%1,84117.52%10,505Charlevoix3,86354.31%3,10943.71%1411.98%00.00%75410.60%7,113Cheboygan3,46154.15%2,89545.29%360.56%00.00%5668.85%6,392Chippewa4,44249.50%4,49350.07%390.43%00.00%-51-0.57%8,974Clare3,74148.95%3,76549.27%1301.70%60.08%-24-0.31%7,642Clinton11,02356.04%8,41242.77%2161.10%180.09%2,61113.27%19,669Crawford1,96160.90%1,19737.17%601.86%20.06%76423.73%3,220Delta5,15543.42%6,67556.22%410.35%10.01%-1,520-12.80%11,872Dickinson4,19046.52%4,80353.33%140.16%00.00%-613-6.81%9,007Eaton16,26453.15%13,81845.16%5161.69%00.00%2,4467.99%30,598Emmet4,33855.52%3,34342.78%1281.64%50.06%99512.73%7,814Genesee45,45639.80%67,05758.71%1,6761.47%340.03%-21,601-18.91%114,223Gladwin3,09748.56%3,17049.70%1091.71%20.03%-73-1.14%6,378Gogebic2,08934.26%3,98965.41%200.33%00.00%-1,900-31.16%6,098Grand Traverse12,34458.77%8,51940.56%1420.68%00.00%3,82518.21%21,005Gratiot5,28351.94%4,79947.18%870.86%20.02%4844.76%10,171Hillsdale6,77963.46%3,82335.79%720.67%90.08%2,95627.67%10,683Houghton5,69654.56%4,68644.89%570.55%10.01%1,0109.67%10,440Huron6,36556.96%4,76942.68%390.35%10.01%1,59614.28%11,174Ingham34,87841.90%46,14355.44%2,0682.48%1450.17%-11,265-13.53%83,234Ionia8,72156.18%6,65842.89%1220.79%230.15%2,06313.29%15,524Iosco4,25851.34%3,90447.08%1301.57%10.01%3544.27%8,293Iron2,39748.62%2,51250.95%200.41%10.02%-115-2.33%4,930Isabella6,91350.60%6,54147.87%2021.48%70.05%3722.72%13,663Jackson22,05156.28%16,70242.63%4301.10%00.00%5,34913.65%39,183Kalamazoo30,43150.44%29,08648.21%8121.35%00.00%1,3452.23%60,329Kalkaska2,28960.80%1,45038.51%260.69%00.00%83922.28%3,765Kent95,25464.47%50,06033.88%2,2371.51%1960.13%45,19430.59%147,747Keweenaw44950.34%44249.55%10.11%00.00%70.78%892Lake1,38548.17%1,42349.50%662.30%10.03%-38-1.32%2,875Lapeer11,79259.32%7,63938.43%4222.12%250.13%4,15320.89%19,878Leelanau3,75758.53%2,62040.82%290.45%130.20%1,13717.71%6,419Lenawee13,75354.79%11,23944.77%1030.41%70.03%2,51410.02%25,102Livingston21,10262.40%12,16235.96%5351.58%210.06%8,94026.43%33,820Luce1,05351.29%99448.42%60.29%00.00%592.87%2,053Mackinac2,20653.39%1,90146.01%250.61%00.00%3057.38%4,132Macomb110,38752.75%96,08845.91%2,6681.27%1410.07%14,2996.83%209,284Manistee4,28955.55%3,38643.85%460.60%00.00%90311.70%7,721Marquette7,30540.35%10,67658.97%1220.67%00.00%-3,371-18.62%18,103Mason5,13855.82%3,96443.07%991.08%30.03%1,17412.76%9,204Mecosta5,17055.86%4,01943.43%610.66%50.05%1,15112.44%9,255Menominee2,97945.44%3,55954.29%180.27%00.00%-580-8.85%6,556Midland13,08749.94%12,78348.78%3171.21%190.07%3041.16%26,206Missaukee2,58565.28%1,30632.98%691.74%00.00%1,27932.30%3,960Monroe16,86552.91%14,81146.47%1990.62%00.00%2,0546.44%31,875Montcalm8,03657.29%5,86341.79%1140.81%150.11%2,17315.49%14,028Montmorency1,55660.69%99738.88%110.43%00.00%55921.80%2,564Muskegon21,51949.16%21,94850.14%2880.66%150.03%-429-0.98%43,770Newaygo6,90262.12%4,12037.08%890.80%00.00%2,78225.04%11,111Oakland172,46252.40%153,42946.62%2,8480.87%3730.11%19,0335.78%329,112Oceana3,93357.94%2,79441.16%600.88%10.01%1,13916.78%6,788Ogemaw2,82447.92%2,98150.59%861.46%20.03%-157-2.66%5,893Ontonagon1,69949.90%1,68749.54%190.56%00.00%120.35%3,405Osceola3,43659.51%2,29939.82%390.68%00.00%1,13719.69%5,774Oscoda1,36160.84%83937.51%371.65%00.00%52223.33%2,237Otsego3,24156.83%2,40042.08%621.09%00.00%84114.75%5,703Ottawa43,99372.90%15,88826.33%3380.56%1250.21%28,10546.57%60,344Presque Isle2,32851.20%2,16847.68%501.10%10.02%1603.52%4,547Roscommon3,89152.43%3,47846.86%530.71%00.00%4135.56%7,422Saginaw29,13044.22%36,03654.70%6811.03%310.05%-6,906-10.48%65,878Sanilac7,77861.90%4,73237.66%550.44%10.01%3,04624.24%12,566Schoolcraft1,33242.58%1,78657.10%100.32%00.00%-454-14.51%3,128Shiawassee10,47348.88%10,75150.17%1740.81%300.14%-278-1.30%21,428St. Clair22,85858.33%15,75740.21%5581.42%130.03%7,10118.12%39,186St. Joseph8,66161.19%5,40438.18%870.61%30.02%3,25723.01%14,155Tuscola8,11853.17%7,04646.15%1040.68%00.00%1,0727.02%15,268Van Buren9,82757.10%7,23042.01%1430.83%100.06%2,59715.09%17,210Washtenaw32,94242.29%43,93456.40%9131.17%1040.13%-10,992-14.11%77,893Wayne175,34435.81%308,90263.09%5,0981.04%2730.06%-133,558-27.28%489,617Wexford4,32754.39%3,57744.97%460.58%50.06%7509.43%7,955Total1,276,13449.76%1,258,53949.07%28,0911.10%1,7990.07%17,5950.69%2,564,563

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican Alcona Allegan Alpena Antrim Baraga Barry Benzie Berrien Branch Calhoun Cass Charlevoix Cheboygan Clinton Crawford Eaton Emmet Grand Traverse Gratiot Hillsdale Houghton Huron Ionia Iosco Isabella Jackson Kalamazoo Kalkaska Kent Keweenaw Lapeer Leelanau Lenawee Livingston Luce Mackinac Macomb Manistee Mason Mecosta Midland Missaukee Monroe Montcalm Montmorency Newaygo Oakland Oceana Ontonagon Osceola Oscoda Otsego Presque Isle Roscommon Sanilac St. Clair St. Joseph Tuscola Van Buren Wexford

References