The 1982 Georgia gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982. Joe Frank Harris was elected as the 78th Governor of Georgia.
Democratic nomination
Candidates
Nominee
Joe Frank Harris, state representative
Eliminated in runoff
Bo Ginn, U.S. representative from Georgia's 1st congressional district (1973–1983)
Eliminated in primary
Buck Melton, Mayor of Macon, Georgia (1975–1979) Billy Lovett, member of the Georgia Public Service Commission (1979–1990) Henry Jackson Jack Watson, White House Chief of Staff (1980–1981) Mildred Glover, state representative (1975–1983) Mac McNease Norman Underwood, Judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals (1979) Thomas J. Irwin
Democratic primary election results
Democratic runoff results
Republican nomination Robert H. Bell won the primary with 36,347 votes (59.19%) over Benjamin B. Blackburn and his 25,063 votes (40.81%).
General election results Though the Democrats once again won the election, Bell did win five counties (Cobb, Gwinnett, DeKalb, Fayette, Bulloch) and the GOP gained their most votes in an election since Howard Callaway in 1966. As of 2022, this is the last time that DeKalb County voted for the Republican candidate for governor.
References