Alternate History 🇺🇸 November 2, 1976: President Nelson Rockefeller wins election to full 4-year term and the aftermath

[Sergeant Foley]

INTERNATIONAL VISITS BY PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN (SUMMER/FALL 1982)

*FRENCH REPUBLIC (PARIS): June 2-7, 1982: State Visit

​

Met with French Republic President Francois Mitterrand and French Republic Prime Minister Pierre Mauroy.

​

*FRENCH REPUBLIC (VERSAILLES): June 5-6, 1982: Attended the 8th G7 Summit at the Palace of Versailles.

​

Among the other participants of the 8th G7 Summit included the following:
*Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau
*French Republic President Francois Mitterrand
*West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt (he would be removed from office a few months later).
*Italian Prime Minister Giovanni Spadolini
*Japanese Prime Minister Zenko Suzuki
*British Prime Minister Geoffrey Howe (his first G7 Summit as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom)
*European Community Commission President Gaston Thorn.
*European Union Council President Wilfred Martens.

​

*ITALY (ROME): June 7, 1982

​

Met with Italian President Sandro Pertini and Italian Prime Minister Giovanni Spadolini.

​

*VATICAN CITY: June 7, 1982
Audience with Pope John Paul II at the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City.

*UNITED KINGDOM (LONDON; WINDSOR CASTLE): June 7-9, 1982

​

(State Visit) Met with Prince Charles and Princess Diana of Wales including British Prime Minister Geoffrey Howe; Addressed joint session of the British Parliament.

​

*WEST GERMANY (BONN): June 9-11, 1982

​

(State Visit) Met with West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt and West German President Karl Carstens; Addressed the Bundestag and attended the meeting of the North Atlantic Council.
*WEST GERMANY (WEST BERLIN): June 11, 1982
Met with West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt.

*TAIWAN (TAIPEI): July 12-15, 1982
(State Visit) Met with Taiwanese President Chiang Ching-kuo and Taiwanese Premier Sun Yun-suan; Addressed Joint Session of Legislative Yuan.

​

*UNITED KINGDOM (LONDON): September 27, 1982
Attended the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminister Abbey in London, United Kingdom.

*MEXICO (TIJUANA): October 8, 1982
Exchange of visits with Mexican President General Oscar Robles.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

Chapter 13: The Midterm Election Results of 1982!
Tuesday, November 2, 1982

​

*US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ELECTIONS:
283 Democrats (+37 seats won)
41,284,473 (55.29%)
153 Republicans
24,625,537 (43.73%)

Due to the unpopularity of President Ronald Reagan due to the ongoing 1982 economic recession, the Democrats expanded their majority in the US House of Representatives by picking up 37 House seats in the nationally-watched 1982 Midterm elections which are raising doubts about President Reagan's ability of protecting his economic agenda "Reaganomics" and other conservative policies and initiatives from being altered by a divided Congress coming up in January 1983.

According to US House Speaker Tip O'Neill (D-MA), "It was a disastrous defeat for the President," when asked to discuss the impact of the 1982 Midterm elections. "The American people have seen the impacts of Reaganomics and the President's economic programs and from what's happening across the country with the unemployment rate at 10 percent and rising, Americans came to the polls in all 51 States and have delivered their verdict: giving the Reagan administration a big NO!" Voters across the United States strongly expressed antipathy toward President Reagan's economic programs, who insisted "staying the course", yet the voters stopped short of repudiating Reaganomics altogether.

In the Midwest, the biggest signs of a revolt in the 1982 Midterms came in Illinois: where Democrats flipped two Republican-held House seats, which frightened several other Republican incumbents. Sagging domestic demands for agricultural machinery and other heavy equipment forced layoffs at several important Illinois employers inside the Land of Lincoln. What also didn't help was workers were grumbling that the Reagan administration's imposed trade sanctions against the Soviet Union on equipment sales robbed Americans of foreign contracts which would've helped preserving millions of jobs.

COMING UP IN CHAPTER 13 OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC: Highlights of the 1982 Midterms

 

[Sergeant Foley]

Highlights of the 1982 Midterm Elections (Part II)
Tuesday, November 2, 1982
​

*UNITED STATE SENATE ELECTION RESULTS:
55 Republicans
47 Democrats

*ARIZONA:
Incumbent United States Senator Dennis DeConcini (D-AZ) was easily reelected to a second six-year term defeating State Rep. Pete Dunn in a landslide victory.
Dennis DeConcini (D-Incumbent): 411,970 (56.91%)
Pete Dunn (R): 291,749 (40.37%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*CALIFORNIA (OPEN)
Over in the Golden State, the battle to replace outgoing United States Senator Sam Hayakawa (R-CA) announced his retirement after not seeking reelection due to disastrous approval ratings and polling numbers showing him losing reelection both in the primary and general election. It came down to outgoing California Governor Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown, Jr., and three-term San Diego Mayor Pete Wilson, which turned the open California US Senate race into a nationally-watched battle from both the DSCC and RSCC spending millions of dollars in advertising, commercials, etc., In the end, Wilson emerged victorious.
Pete Wilson (R): 4,022,565 (51.4%)
Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown, Jr., (D): 3,494,968 (44.8%)
REPUBLICAN HOLD

*CONNECTICUT:
Two-term incumbent United States Senator Lowell Weicker (R-CT) had faced a primary challenge from Prescott Bush, Jr., who drew controversy during the campaign while meeting with the Greenwich Republican Women's Club in Weicker's hometown when asked about illegal aliens in the Nutmeg State: "I'm sure these are people in Greenwich who are glad they're here, because they wouldn't have someone to help in the house without them." Weicker ultimately won renomination at the Connecticut Republican Party Convention Vote on July 24th, easily trouncing Bush (65% to 34%) and polling surveys suggested the two-term incumbent United States Senator would easily win reelection against US Rep. Toby Moffett (D-CT) in the November general election.

Weicker's moderate-to-liberal views including his slight distance of the Reagan administration managed to avoid the Blue Wave as he ultimately won reelection to a third six-year term very narrowly.
Lowell Weicker (R-incumbent): 545,987 (50.49%)
Toby Moffett (D): 499,156 (46.06%)
REPUBLICAN HOLD

*DELAWARE:
Two-term incumbent United States Senator William V. Roth (R-DE) won reelection to a third six-year term defeating David N. Levinson by double digits.
William V. Roth (R-incumbent): 105,357 (55.17%)
David N. Levinson (D): 84,413 (42.20%)
REPUBLICAN HOLD

*FLORIDA:
Two-term incumbent United States Senator Lawton M. Chiles (D-FL) handily defeated State Senator Van B. Poole (R-Fort Lauderdale) in a landslide securing his third six-year term, carrying 60 out of 67 counties.
Lawton M. Chiles (D-incumbent): 1,637,667 (61.72%)
Van B. Poole (R): 1,015,330 (38.26%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

 

[Sergeant Foley]

UNITED STATES SENATE ELECTION HIGHLIGHTS (II)

*HAWAII:
Incumbent United States Senator Spark Matsunaga (D-HI) handily and overwhelmingly won reelection trouncing Clarence Brown in securing another six more years in the United States Senate to representing the Aloha State.
Spark Matsunaga (D-incumbent): 245,386 (80.1%)
Clarence Brown (R): 52,071
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*INDIANA:
Incumbent United States Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) narrowly held on to defeat US Rep. Floyd Fithian (D-IN) by carrying 74 out of 93 counties in the Hoosier State.
Richard Lugar (R-incumbent): 978,301 (53.83%)
Floyd Fithian (D): 828,400 (45.58%)
REPUBLICAN HOLD

*MAINE:
Incumbent United States Senator George J. Mitchell (D-ME), who was appointed to his US Senate following the resignation of then-United States Senator Edmund Muskie (D-ME) in 1980, was easily elected to a full six-year term defeating US Rep. David F. Emery (R-ME) in a landslide victory.
George J. Mitchell (D-incumbent): 279,819 (60.87%)
David F. Emery (R): 179,882 (39.13%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*MARYLAND:
In the Old Line State, incumbent United States Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) handily defeated Prince Georges County Executive Lawrence Hogan, Jr., in a landslide carrying 20 out of 23 counties.
Paul Sarbanes (D-incumbent): 707,356 (63.5%)
Lawrence Hogan, Jr., (R): 407,334 (36.5%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*MASSACHUSETTS:
Inside the Bay State, incumbent United States Senator Edward Moore Kennedy (D-MA) overwhelmingly won reelection in a massive landslide victory defeating Ray Shamie winning fourth full six-year term.
Edward M. Kennedy (D-incumbent): 1,247,084 (60.8%)
Ray Shamie (R): 784,602 (38.3%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

​

 

[Sergeant Foley]

UNITED STATES SENATE HIGHLIGHTS (III)

*MICHIGAN:
Incumbent United States Senator Donald Riegle (D-MI) defeated former US Rep. Philip Ruppe (R-MI) securing another six more years to representing the Wolverine State in the United States Senate.
Donald Riegle (D-incumbent): 1,728,793 (57.74%)
Philip Ruppe (R): 1,223,288 (40.85%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*MINNESOTA:
Incumbent United States Senator David Durenberger (R-MN), who won a 1978 special election to finish up the term of the late legendary United States Senator and former Vice President Hubert Humphrey, was considered by many Minnesotans as a moderate Republican, but supported the Reagan Tax Cuts and many assumed he would have an easy time winning a full six-year term; However, Minnesota Democrats nominated Mark Dayton, who ran campaign television commercials by campaigning against Reaganomics, Dayton also campaigned tax breaks for the wealthy and even promised to closing loopholes for wealthy Americans like himself; It soon became one of the most expensive Senate campaigns in Minnesota history with over $8 million being spent between the two candidates: Durenberger, the incumbent spent over $2 million to win reelection while Dayton was spending $5 million respectively.
David Durenberger (R-incumbent): 949,207 (52.6%)
Mark Dayton (D): 840,401 (46.6%)
REPUBLICAN HOLD

*MISSISSIPPI:
Incumbent United States Senator Ray Mabus (D-MS), who was appointed to his US Senate seat by Mississippi Governor William F. Winter in 1980 following the resignation of then-United States Senator William Allain (D-MS), who was forced to resign following an arrest from a prostitution scandal. Mabus went on to win a special election in 1981 by a massive landslide with 73% of the statewide vote carrying all 82 counties; Mabus secured a full six-year term against political operative Haley Barbour, who campaigned for then-President Richard Nixon and was the statewide coordinating chairman of President Ronald Reagan's Mississippi Presidential campaign in 1980, carrying 80 out of 82 counties.
Ray Mabus (D-incumbent): 414,099 (64.29%)
Haley Barbour (R): 230,927 (35.8%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*MISSOURI:
Incumbent United States Senator John Danforth (R-MS) narrowly defeated State Senator Harriet Woods by less than a percentage point.
John Danforth (R-incumbent): 784,876 (50.8%)
Harriet Woods (D): 758,629 (49.2%)
REPUBLICAN HOLD

*MONTANA:
Incumbent United States Senator John Melcher (D-MT) won reelection to a second six-year term by double digits defeating Larry R. Williams, even though his margin of victory was significantly reduced from 1976.
John Melcher (D-incumbent): 174,861 (54.46%)
Larry R. Williams (R): 133,789 (41.67%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*NEBRASKA:
Over in the Cornhusker State, incumbent United States Senator Edward Zorinsky (D-NE) handily won reelection defeating Jim Kreck in a landslide victory for another six years to representing the Cornhusker State in the United States Senate.
Edward Zorinsky (D-incumbent): 363,350 (66.59%)
Jim Kreck (R): 155,760 (28.55%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*NEVADA:
State Senator Chic Hecht narrowly defeated four-term incumbent United States Senator Howard Cannon (D-NV), giving the Republicans their first pick-up of the night.
Chic Hecht (R): 120,377 (50.1%)
Howard Cannon (D-incumbent): 114,720 (47.7%)
REPUBLICAN GAIN

*NEW JERSEY (OPEN):
Over in the Garden State, New Jerseyans in all 21 counties came to the polls across New Jersey to voting for a new United States Senator. This US Senate seat came open when then-United States Senator Harrison Williams (D-NJ) resigned back in March from office due to corruption scandals and being convicted and sent to federal prison; appointed incumbent United States Senator Nicholas F. Brady (R-NJ), who was appointed to Williams' US Senate seat by New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean, Sr., chose not to seek a full six-year term. In what many viewed as a major upset, Frank Lautenberg overcame early double-digit deficits to defeat US Rep. Millicent Fenwick (R-NJ) carrying 11 out of 21 counties, making it the Democrats' first pick-up of the night.
Frank Lautenberg (D): 1,117,549 (50.94%)
Millicent Fenwick (R): 1,047,626 (47.75%)
DEMOCRATIC GAIN

*NEW MEXICO:
Over in the Land of Enchantment, New Mexico State Attorney General Jeff Bingaman defeated incumbent United States Senator Harrison Schmidt (R-NM) in what many New Mexicans viewed as a hotly-spirited contest. This was the Democrats' second pick-up of the night.
Jeff Bingaman (D): 217,682 (53.8%)
Harrison Schmidt (R-incumbent): 187,128 (46.2%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*NEW YORK STATE:
Incumbent United States Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY St) handily won reelection defeating State Assemblywoman Florence Sullivan in a massive landslide victory, securing a second six-year term in the United States Senate.
Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-incumbent): 3,232,146 (65.1%)
Florence Sullivan (R): 1,696,766 (34.2%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*NORTH DAKOTA:
Longtime incumbent United States Senator Quentin Burdick (D/NPL-ND) easily won reelection to a fifth six-year term defeating Gene Knorr, who made Burdick's age the issue of the campaign. For his part, Burdick's campaign was known among North Dakotans for employing more television advertisment commercial spending when compared to previous campaigns in the past.
Quentin Burdick (D/NPL-incumbent): 164,873 (62.8%)
Gene Knorr (R): 89,304 (34.03%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*OHIO:
Incumbent United States Senator Howard Metzenbaum (D-OH) won reelection defeating State Senator Paul Pfeifer by double digits.
Howard Metzenbaum (D-incumbent): 1,923,767 (56.7%)
Paul Pfeifer (R): 1,396,790 (41.1%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*PENNSYLVANIA:
Navigating the backlash against Reaganomics due to the Keystone State's unemployment rate being 11%, which was one of the highest in state history, as well as the declining health of Pennsylvania's coal mining, manufacturing and steel industries, incumbent United States Senator H. John Heinz, III (R-PA) ran a cautious reelection campaign despite not being seriously challenged by Pennsylvania Democrats with statewide name recognition, and easily defeated Allegheny County Commissioner Cyril Wecht by 20 percentage points, carrying 64 out of 67 counties.
H. John Heinz, III (R-incumbent): 2,136,418 (59.3%)
Cyril Wecht (D): 1,412,965 (39.2%)
REPUBLICAN HOLD

COMING UP IN CHAPTER 13 OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC: Part IV of United States Senate highlights from the 1982 Midterm elections.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

UNITED STATES SENATE HIGHLIGHTS (IV)

*PUERTO RICO:
Meanwhile in the Free Association State, incumbent United States Senator Juan H. Cinton Garcia (D-PR), who won a 1977 special election following the admittance of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico as the 51st State, easily won reelection to his first full six-year term defeating Miguel Hernandez Agosto (PPD) in a three-way race.
Juan H. Cinton Garcia (D-incumbent): 873,773 (57.73%)
Miguel Hernandez Agosoto (PPD): 283,473 (29.61%)
Jorge Velasquez (R): 84,888 (13.25%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*RHODE ISLAND:
Incumbent United States Senator John Chafee (R-RI) won reelection defeating former Rhode Island State Attorney General Julius C. Michaelson, securing a second term representing the Ocean State in the United States Senate.
John Chafee (R-incumbent): 175,495 (51.2%)
Julius C. Michaelson (D): 167,283 (48.8%)
REPUBLICAN HOLD

*TENNESSEE:
Incumbent United States Senator Jim Sasser (D-TN) handily defeated five-term US Rep. Robin Beard (R-TN) in a resounding landslide, securing a second six-year term representing the Volunteer State in the United States Senate.
Jim Sasser (D-incumbent): 780,113 (61.93%)
Robin Beard (R): 479,642 (38.07%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*TEXAS:
Over in the Lone Star State, two-term incumbent United States Senator Lloyd Millard Bentsen, Jr., (D-TX) led the massive GOTV machine for the Texas Democratic Party which resulted in a massive Blue Wave across Texas, where the Texas Democratic Party swept all of the statewide offices from United States Senator all the way to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Bentsen defeated six-term US Rep. James M. Collins (R-TX) by double digits, securing his third six-year term representing Texans in the United States Senate.
Lloyd Bentsen (D-incumbent): 1,818,223 (58.59%)
James M. Collins (R): 1,256,759 (40.50%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

COMING UP IN CHAPTER 13 OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC: Part V of the 1982 Midterm election highlights on the United States Senate.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

UNITED STATES SENATE HIGHLIGHTS (V)

*UTAH:
Incumbent United States Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) easily dispatched Salt Lake City Mayor Ted Wilson in the Beehive State, securing a second six-year term representing Utahans in the United States Senate.
Orrin Hatch (R-incumbent): 309,332 (58.3%)
Ted Wilson (D): 219,482 (41.3%)
REPUBLICAN HOLD

*VERMONT:
Incumbent United States Senator Robert Stafford (R-VT) won reelection to a second full six-year term defeating James A. Guest in the Green Mountain State.
Robert Stafford (R-incumbent): 84,450 (50.3%)
James A. Guest (D): 79,340 (47.2%)
REPUBLICAN HOLD

*VIRGINIA (OPEN):
US Rep. Paul Trible (R-VA) defeated Virginia Lieutenant Governor Dick Davis in a hard-fought contest for the open US Senate seat, which was opened when incumbent United States Senator L. Douglas Wilder (D-VA) shocked Virginians by announcing last year that he wasn't going to be seeking reelection in 1982. Trible's victory makes it the first time that the Old Dominion will be represented by two Republican United States Senators coming up in January 1983.
Paul Trible (R): 724,571 (51.2%)
Dick Davis (D): 690,839 (48.8%)
REPUBLICAN GAIN

*WASHINGTON:
Incumbent United States Senator Daniel Jackson Evans (R-WA St), who was appointed to his current US Senate seat by Washington Governor John Spellman in 1981 following the resignation of then-United States Senator Henry Marion Jackson, who became US Secretary of Defense under President Ronald Reagan, easily won a special election later that year sweeping all 39 counties with 83% of the statewide vote. Seeking reelection to a full six-year term in 1982, Evans defeated State Senator King Lysen in a three-way contest in a massive landslide victory, once again sweeping all 39 counties.
Daniel J. Evans (R-incumbent): 943,655 (69.0%)
King Lysen (I): 332,273 (24.36%)
REPUBLICAN HOLD

*WEST VIRGINIA:
Four-term incumbent United States Senator and Senate Minority Leader Robert Byrd (D-WV) overwhelmingly won reelection to a fifth six-year term defeating US Rep. Clive Benedict (R-WV) in a landslide victory carrying 54 out of 55 counties.
Robert Byrd (D-incumbent): 387,170 (68.5%)
Clive Benedict (R): 173,910 (30.8%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*WISCONSIN:
Four-term incumbent United States Senator William Proxmire (D-WI) trounced State Rep (later future Wisconsin Governor) Scott McCallum in a landslide victory securing his fifth and likely final term representing Wisconsinites in the United States Senate.
William Proxmire (D-incumbent): 983,311 (63.65%)
Scott McCallum (R): 527,355 (34.14%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*WYOMING:
Incumbent United States Senator Malcolm Wallop (R-WY) easily defeated State Senator Roger McDaniel to securing his second six-year term in the United States Senate.
Malcolm Wallop (R-incumbent): 94,725 (56.66%)
Roger McDaniel (D): 72,466 (43.34%)
REPUBLICAN HOLD

COMING UP IN CHAPTER 13 OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC: Highlights on the 1982 Midterm elections on the US State/Territory Governorships.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

US STATE/TERRITORY GOVENRORSHIP HIGHLIGHTS (I)

*ALABAMA (OPEN):
Outgoing Alabama Governor Forrest H. "Fob" James announced late last year that he wasn't going to be seeking reelection to a second term, which opened the door for former three-term Alabama Governor George Wallace, the 1976 Democratic Party presidential nominee, in his quest of a historic fourth term at the Alabama Governor's Mansion. Despite surviving a hard-fought runoff in the Democratic primary, Wallace managed to easily dispatch the controversial Montgomery Mayor Emory Folmar in a landslide victory in securing his fourth term and he'll be taking office on 17 January 1983.
George Wallace (D): 650,538 (57.6%)
Emory Folmar (R): 440,815 (39.1%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*ALASKA (OPEN):
In the Last Frontier, outgoing Alaska Governor Jay Hammond was term limited from succeeding himself for a third consecutive term and the battle to replace him turned out to be an entertaining four-way contest: Bill Sheffield emerged victorious in winning the Alaska Governor's Mansion for the Democrats, making this the first pick-up of the night on the Governorships.
Bill Sheffield (D): 89,918 (46.1%)
Tom Fink (R): 72,291 (37.1%)
Dick Randolph (LIB): 29,067 (14.9%)
DEMOCRATIC GAIN

*ARIZONA:
Incumbent Arizona Governor Bruce Babbitt defeated State Senator Leo Corbet in a landslide victory securing a second full four-year term. There's speculation whether Babbitt might launch a campaign for the Presidency in 1984; nobody knows for certain but Babbitt is one of the rising stars of the Democratic Party going forward.
Bruce Babbitt (D-incumbent): 453,795 (62.5%)
Leo Corbet (R): 235,877 (32.5%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*ARKANSAS:
The Boy Governor is back in the Arkansas Governor's Mansion ladies and gentlemen: former Arkansas Governor William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton, who was defeated in his reelection bid back in 1980 due to the Reagan Revolution wave which put Arkansas Governor Frank D. White in office; Clinton managed to learn from his mistakes of his first term and gained the people's trust in voting to put him back in the Governorship. Many view Clinton as among the rising stars of the Democratic Party and keep an eye on him because he's a future Presidential contender in the future.
William J. Clinton (D): 431,855 (54.71%)
Frank D. White (R-incumbent): 357,496 (45.29%)
DEMOCRATIC GAIN

*CALIFORNIA (OPEN):
Over in the Golden State, California State Attorney General George Deukmejian narrowly held off Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley in the open Gubernatorial election by 50,000 votes due to large absentee votes especially overwhelming support from the Armenian American community across the Golden State. There's also allegations of voters lying to pollsters about voting for Bradley in public opinion polls when in reality, they voted for Deukmejian in the privacy of the voting booths. There will be lots of debate as to why Bradley lost this election considering he had to contend with an unpopular outgoing Governor in Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown, Jr., whose deep unpopularity might've played a role in dooming Bradley's chances of winning the Governor's Mansion. Yet in spite of Republicans winning the US Senate election and flipping the Governorship, California Democrats swept the remaining down-ballot statewide offices tonight and keep their majorities in both chambers of the California State Legislature.
George Deukmejian (R): 3,881,014 (49.3%)
Tom Bradley (D): 3,787,669 (48.1%)
REPUBLICAN GAIN

COMING UP IN CHAPTER 13 OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC: Part II 1982 Midterm Highlights of US State/Territory Governorships.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

US STATE/TERRITORY GOVERNORSHIPS HIGHLIGHTS (II)

*COLORADO:
Two-term incumbent Colorado Governor Dick Lamm easily trounced former Colorado House of Representatives Speaker John Fuhr in a landslide victory carrying 59 out of 64 counties, securing third term in the Colorado Governor's Mansion, which will make Lamm the longest-serving Colorado Governor with 12 years by 13 January 1987.
Dick Lamm (D-incumbent): 627,960 (65.69%)✔
John Fuhr (R): 302,740 (31.67%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*CONNECTICUT:
Ascending to the Governorship following the death of then-Connecticut Governor Ellen Grasaoin June 1980, incumbent Connecticut Governor William O'Neill served out the remainder of Grasso's second term and won his first full four-year term in his own right defeating former State Senator Lewis Rome.
William O'Neill (D-incumbent): 578,264 (53.35%)✔
Lewis Rome (R): 497,773 (45.93%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*FLORIDA:
Popular incumbent Florida Governor Bob Graham easily defeated US Rep. Skip Bafalis (R-FL) in a massive landslide becoming the second Florida Governor to win back-to-back four-year terms. Speculation has been swirling around Graham's political future as national Democrats view him as a future contender for the United States Senate in 1986 or maybe the Presidency down the road.
Bob Graham (D-incumbent): 1,739,553 (64.70%)✔
Skip Bafalis (R): 949,013 (35.30%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*GEORGIA (OPEN):
Outgoing Georgia Governor George Busbee was term limited from succeeding himself. Former United States Senator Jimmy Carter (D-GA) turned down offers to seek the Governorship again despite pleas from many of his supporters to do so; Instead, State Rep. Joe Frank Harris became the standard bearer for the Georgia Democratic Party and led the party to an easy landslide victory by over 20+ percentage points.
Joe Frank Harris (D): 734,090 (62 79%)✔
Robert H. Bell (R): 434,496 (37.17%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*HAWAII:
Two-term incumbent Hawaii Governor George Ariyoshi won reelection to a third term defeating former Honolulu Mayor Frank Fasi Frank Fasi and State Senator DG Anderson in a three-way contest keeping Washington Place (Residence of the Hawaii Governor) in Democratic control and making Ariyoshi the Aloha State's second longest-serving Hawaii Governor with 12 years by 1 December 1986.
George Ariyoshi (D-incumbent): 141,043 (45.23%)✔
Frank Fasi (IND): 89,303 (28.64%)
DG Anderson (R): 81,507 (26.14%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*IDAHO:
Despite a week-long delay about who won the Idaho Governorship between incumbent Idaho Governor John V. Evans versus Idaho Lieutenant Governor Phil Batt, where some local news station inaccurately declared Batt the winner on election night. In the end, Evans won reelection to a second full four-year term very narrowly and kept control of the Idaho Governorship in Democratic hands.
John V. Evans (D-incumbent): 165,365 (50.64%)✔
Phil Batt (R): 161,157 (49.36%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD


COMING UP IN CHAPTER 13 OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC: Part III of the US State/Territory Governorships in the 1982 Midterms.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

US STATE/TERRITORY GOVERNORSHIPS HIGHLIGHTS (IV)

BREAKING NEWS ALERT: ILLINOIS GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION UNDERGOING FULL STATEWIDE RECOUNT
*ILLINOIS:
Over in the Land of Lincoln, the conventional wisdom was based on the assumption that two-term incumbent Illinois Governor James Robert "Big Jim" Thompson would easily coast toward reelection to a third term in 1982. Having won back-to-back massive landslide victories in 1976 (due to the Rockefeller Wave of 76 that year) and again in 1978, many Illinoisans were impressed with Thompson's job performance overall and things were looking up.

During 1980, many had thought Thompson would be a future contender for the Vice Presidency on the Republican ticket for current President Ronald Reagan: which ultimately went to current Vice President George HW Bush.

Many people viewed Thompson as a future contender for the Presidency as well going forward in the future. Yet, there was something brewing underneath the surface: backlash against Reaganomics was escalating during the 1982 campaign and former United States Senator Adlai Stevenson, III (D-IL) was hammering the economic recession including tying Thompson to an unpopular President Reagan throughout the campaign. Stevenson was also aggressively gaining momentum during the closing weeks and months of the campaign, as national Democrats including the Democratic Governors Association spent $13 million on their bid to flipping back the Illinois Executive Mansion to the Democrats, who last won the Governorship in 1972.

Illinoisans waited and waited for the final outcome of what became a very competitive gubernatorial election campaign between Thompson and Stevenson. On November 3rd, it was announced by the Illinois Secretary of State's office that a full-scale statewide recount and audits were going to be conducted in all 102 counties with an official determination to be announced at a later date.
James R. "Big Jim" Thompson (R-incumbent): 1,573,083 (47.19%)
Adlai Stevenson, III (D): 1,523,773 (47.00%)


COMING UP IN CHAPTER 13 OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC: Part V of US State/Territory Governorships from the coverage of 1982 Midterm election results.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

US STATE/TERRITORY GOVERNORSHIPS HIGHLIGHTS (V)

*IOWA (OPEN):
Over in the Hawkeye State, Iowa Lieutenant Governor Terry Branstad held off a strong aggressive campaign from former US Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa Roxanne Conlin in a very hard-fought contest: keeping Terrace Hill (Residence of the Iowa Governor) in Republican hands.
Terry Branstad (R): 548,313 (52.81%)✔
Roxanne Conlin (D): 483,291 (46.55%)
REPUBLICAN HOLD

*KANSAS:
Incumbent Kansas Governor John W. Carlin has defeated Sam Hardage to win reelection in the Sunflower State.
John W. Carlin (D-incumbent): 405,772 (53.16%)✔
Sam Hardage (R): 339,356 (44.46%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD 

*MAINE:
Incumbent Maine Governor Joseph Brennan handily defeated Charles Cragin in a massive landslide victory and swept every county in the State and getting four more years in Blaine House.
Joseph Brennan (D-incumbent): 281,066 (61.91%)✔
Charles Cragin (R): 172,949 (38.09%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*MARYLAND:
Incumbent Maryland Governor Harry Roe Hughes has won reelection to a second term defeating Anne Arundel County Executive Robert Pascal in a landslide victory extending the Democrats' control of Government House for the fourth consecutive term in a row.
Harry R. Hughes (D-incumbent): 705,910 (61.97%)✔
Robert Pascal (R): 432,826 (38.00%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*MASSACHUSETTS (OPEN):
Former Massachusetts Governor Michael Stanley Dukakis regained his old job by first defeating incumbent Massachusetts Governor Edward J. King in the Democratic primary and later trounced former Suffolk County Sheriff John W. Sears in the November general election in a resounding landslide victory winning a second non-consecutive term, keeping the Massachusetts Governorship in Democratic hands.
Michael Dukakis (D): 1,219,109 (59.48%)✔
John W. Sears (R): 749,679 (36.57%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*MICHIGAN:
Three-term incumbent Michigan Governor William Grawn Milliken once agaim defeated former State Senator Sander Levin, the brother of United States Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) in a rematch from their 1970 and 1974 matchups. This time, Milliken won very resoundingly without any difficulty nor breaking a sweat; Milliken also carried all 83 counties in the Wolverine State securing a fourth full four-year term and keeping the Michigan Governor's Residence in Republican control for a seventh consecutive term in a row which will make him the nation's second longest-serving Governor with 18 years by 1 January 1987.
William G. Milliken (R-incumbent): 1,773,683 (65.83%)✔
Sander Levin (D): 683,257 (31.73%)
REPUBLICAN HOLD

*MINNESOTA (OPEN):
Incumbent Minnesota Governor Al Quie announced last year that he wasn't seeking reelection due to backlash over Reaganomics and controversial budget cuts he made during his four years in office which alienated a majority of Minnesotans. Former Minnesota Governor Rudy Perpich reclaimed the Governorship he held from 28 December 1976 to 4 January 1979 before losing reelection in 1978 to Quie. Perpich's landslide victory makes it the third pick-up for the Democrats tonight.
Rudy Perpich (D/DFL): 1,049,104 (58.76%)✔
Wheelock Whitlock (R): 711,796 (39.86%)
DEMOCRATIC GAIN

*NEBRASKA:
Vietnam War veteran and businessman Bob Kerrey pulled off a major upset in the Cornhusker State defeating incumbent Nebraska Governor Charles Thone, who was seeking reelection: making it the fourth pick-up for the Democrats tonight.
Bob Kerrey (D): 277,436 (50.64%)✔
Charles Thone (R-incumbent): 270,203 (49.32%)
DEMOCRATIC GAIN

*NEVADA:
Nevada State Attorney General Richard Bryan defeated incumbent Nevada Governor Robert List in the Silver State: giving Democrats their fifth pick-up on the US State/Territory Governorships.
Richard Bryan (D): 128,132 (53 30%)✔
Robert List (R-incumbent): 100,104 (41.65%)
DEMOCRATIC GAIN

*NEW HAMPSHIRE:
Former State Rep. John H. Sununu has defeated two-term incumbent New Hampshire Governor Hugh Gallen, who was seeking reelection to a third two-year term in the Granite State, making it the second pick-up for Republicans.
John H. Sununu (R): 145,389 (51.47%)✔
Hugh Gallen (D-incumbent): 132,317 (46.84%)
REPUBLICAN GAIN

*NEW MEXICO (OPEN):
Over in the Land of Enchantment, two-term incumbent New Mexico Governor Bruce Stanley King , who held the Governorship from 1 January 23rd 1971 to 1 January 1975 and again since 1 January 1979, was term limited from succeeding himself due to the one-term rule for New Mexico Governors. Former New Mexico State Attorney General Toney Anaya emerged victorious and keeping the Governor's Mansion in Democratic hands for the fourth consecutive term in a row.
Toney Anaya (D): 215,840 (52.97%)✔
John B. Irick (R): 191,626 (47.03%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

COMING UP IN CHAPTER 13 OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC: Part VI of US State/Territory Governorships in the 1982 Midterms.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

US STATE/TERRITORY GOVERNORSHIPS HIGHLIGHTS (VI)

*NEW YORK STATE (OPEN):
New York State Lieutenant Governor Mario Matthew Cuomo narrowly held off a very aggressive challenge from multimillionaire businessman Lewis Lehrman in the battle for the Enpire State Governorship thanks to strong support from New York City and the Burroughs, keeping the New York State Executive Mansion in Democratic hands. Cuomo will take office as the 52nd Governor on 1 January 1983 succeeding outgoing New York State Governor Hugh Leo Carey, who is not seeking reelection.
Mario Cuomo (D): 2,675,213 (50.91%)✔
Lewis Lehrman (R): 2,494,827 (47.48%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*OHIO (OPEN):
With four-term incumbent Ohio Governor Jim Rhodes term limited from succeeding himself for a fifth term after 16 years in the Governor's Residence, former Ohio Lieutenant Governor Dick Celeste handily defeated US Rep. Clarence "Bud" Brown, Jr., (R-OH) in a massive landslide victory, giving the Democrats their sixth pick-up for the evening.
Dick Celeste (D): 1,981,882 (59.04%)✔
Clarence "Bud" Brown, Jr., (R): 1,303,962 (38.85%)
DEMOCRATIC GAIN

*OKLAHOMA:
Incumbent Oklahoma Governor George Patterson Nigh became the first Oklahoma Governor to win reelection in state history by easily defeating Oklahoma State Auditor Tom Daxon by sweeping all 77 counties in the Sooner State for the fourth consecutive term in a row.
George Nigh (D-incumbent): 548,159 (62.0%)✔
Tom Daxon (R): 332,207 (37.6%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*OREGON:
Incumbent Oregon Governor Victor Atiyeh trounced State Senator Ted Kulongoski in a resounding landslide victory sweeping all counties in the Beaver State. It's unknown what Atiyeh's political future will be looking like going forward but it'll be quite interesting.
Victor Atiyeh (R-incumbent]: 639,841 (61.41%)✔
Ted Kulonogski (D): 374,316 (35.92%)
REPUBLICAN HOLD

*PENNSYLVANIA:
Overcoming strong backlash against Reaganomics including controversial budget cuts he made and unemployment rising inside the Keystone State as well as significant losses of crossover support from 1978, incumbent Pennsylvania Governor Richard Thornburgh narrowly won reelection defeating US Rep. Allen Ertel (D-PA) in a wild competitive gubernatorial election campaign that nobody anticipate being competitive nor saw coming. Thornburgh won 21% of African Americans, down from the 58% he had four years earlier.
Richard Thornburgh (R-incumbent): 1,872,784 (50.84%) ✔
Allen Ertel (D): 1,772,353 (48.11%)
REPUBLICAN HOLD

*RHODE ISLAND:
Meanwhile in the Ocean State, three-term incumbent Rhode Island Governor J. Joseph Garrahy swept all five counties in winning reelection to a fourth two-year term. Speculation is swirling around Garrahy potentially seeking a fifth term in 1984 and possibly beyond considering many Rhode Islanders viewed him as the most popular Rhode Island Governor in state history.
J. Joseph Garrahy (D-incumbent): 247,208 (73.30%)✔
Vincent Marzullo (R): 79,602 (23.60%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*SOUTH CAROLINA:
Incumbent South Carolina Governor Richard Riley makes history becoming the first South Carolina Governor to win reelection since the 1920s by sweeping all counties in the Palmetto State.
Richard Riley (D-incumbent): 468,787 (69.8%)✔
WD Workman (R): 202,806 (30.2%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

*SOUTH DAKOTA:
Incumbent South Dakota Governor William Janklow has defeated State Senator Mike O'Connor in a resounding landslide victory.
William Janklow (R-incumbent): 197,429 (70.87%)✔
Mike O'Connor (D): 81,136 (29.13%)
REPUBLICAN HOLD

*TENNESSEE:
Incumbent Tennessee Governor Lamar Alexander has won reelection defeating Knoxville Mayor Randy Tyree in a landslide victory making him the first Tennessee Governor to win back-to-back four-year terms in the Volunteer State.
Lamar Alexander (R-incumbent): 737,693 (59.56%)✔
Randy Tyree (D): 500,937 (40.44%)
REPUBLICAN HOLD


*GUAM:
Former Guam Governor Ricardo Bordallo defeated incumbent Guam Governor Paul McDonald Calvo in the US Territory's gubernatorial election, making it the seventh pick-up for the Democrats tonight.
Ricardo Bordallo (D): 15,199 (52.42%)✔
Paul McDonald Calvo (R-incumbent): 13,797 (47.58%)
DEMOCRATIC GAIN

*US VIRGIN ISLANDS:
Incumbent US Virgin Islands Governor Juan Francisco Luis was overwhelmingly reelected to a second full four-year term unopposed.
Juan Francisco Luis (ICM-incumbent): 13,373 (100.00%)✔

COMING UP IN CHAPTER 13 OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC: Part VII of the US State/Territory Governorships in the 1982 Midterms.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

BREAKING NEWS ALERT: UNITED STATES SENATOR MARK W. WHITE, JR., (D-TX) DEFEATS INCUMBENT TEXAS GOVERNOR WILLIAM P. CLEMENTS, JR., BY WIDE DOUBLE-DIGIT MARGIN AS BLUE WAVE OCCURS ACROSS THE LONE STAR STATE
*Texas Democratic Party sweep all of the statewide offices from United States Senator to Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
*Expanding supermajorities in both chambers of the Texas State Legislature.
*Backlash against Reaganomics key factor among voters in the Lone Star State despite personal popularity of President Ronald Reagan.

United States Senator and Governor-elect Mark W. White, Jr., (D-TX) and his wife, incoming Texas First Lady Linda Gale White celebrating inside the Driskill Hotel in downtown Austin, Texas.
​

Meanwhile inside the Lone Star State, backlash against Reaganomics especially the ongoing Economic Recession of 1982 nationwide gave millions of Texans a chance to delivering their voices at the ballot box and in one of the major upsets in political history: United States Senator Mark Wells White, Jr., (D-TX) handily defeated incumbent Texas Governor William P. Clements, Jr., by a shocking wide double-digit margin of somewhere between 16-17 percentage points. And according to the exit polls, Senator White carried 229 out of 254 counties.

According to the Houston Chronicle, they reported that Senator White rode the massive and huge crest of statewide turnout and a surprisingly strong showing in his hometown of Houston (Harris County) on his way of easily kicking Governor Clements out of the Texas Governor's Mansion following just one term in office. Carried along the large Blue Wave with a massive full-scale statewide GOTV machine led by United States Senator Lloyd Bentsen (D-TX) and Texas Lieutenant Governor William Pettus "Bill" Hobby, Jr., easily scored easy reelection victories (Bentsen winning a third term in the US Senate contest while Hobby won a fourth term as Lieutenant Governor) respectively over their Republican opponents, which caused one of the largest Democratic sweeps of all statewide offices in the Lone Star State.

When 73% of the statewide precincts was reporting in all 254 counties, Senator White was leading by double digits with 57% of the statewide vote in such a commanding fashion, that the Associated Press and other national news networks such as CBS, NBC and ABC including CNN all projected Senator White the winner in the 1982 Texas Gubernatorial election.

Based on anonymous sources, Governor Clements refused to concede defeat and remained holed up inside his 11th floor hotel suite at the Sheraton Crest Hotel in Austin, where several hundred of his supporters gathered earlier in the evening before reality had sunk in. Clements, for his part, was in no hurry of conceding the election to White whatsoever until all of the votes are counted.

Over at the Driskill Hotel in Austin, Senator White and his family appeared before jubilant excited crowd of supporters inside the hotel ballroom shortly before midnight to officially declare victory: "If things continue as they have throughout the evening, Texas is going to have a new Democratic governor," he said during his victory speech. White was pleased with by the support and backing he received from Texas Railroad Commissioner Buddy Temple and outgoing four-term Texas Commissioner of the General Land Office Bob Armstrong, the two Democrats he defeated in the May 1, 1982 Democratic gubernatorial primary including getting the backing of former Texas Governor Dolph Briscoe and former Texas State Attorney General John L. Hill, Jr.,

Senator White repeated his well-known contention that if he's elected to the Governorship, the governorship will "be a watchdog, not a lapdog for the people of Texas." He also asserted by sending a strong and loud message before his happy crowd of supporters by bringing up the apparent and overwhelming Democratic landslide across the Lone Star State and including other parts of the country, tonight's victory sends a message to the Republican administration will not have any problems hearing.

"I think we can say to Ronnie (Reagan) and the rest of the country that the Democratic Party is alive and well in Texas," Senator and Governor-elect White told the jammed-packed crowd of jubilant, beer-sipping supporters (some of whom were drunk and wasted during the party).

Among those being carried into some of the down-ballot statewide offices in the Blue Wave:
*US Rep. Jim Mattox (D-TX) soundly crushed State Senator Bill Meier becoming the Lone Star State's Chief Law Enforcement Officer by as many as 29 percentage points. Mattox will replace outgoing Texas State Attorney General Joe Robert Greenhill, who was appointed to the position in 1981 by Governor Clements following the shocking shooting death of then-Texas State Attorney General Price Daniel, Jr.,

*Incumbent Texas State Comptroller of Public Accounts Bob Bullock destroyed Mike Richards in a resounding landslide reelection victory by 18 percentage points according to the latest returns.

*Travis County Commissioner Dorothy Ann Willis Richards made history as the first female to win statewide office since the late former Texas Governor Miriam Ferguson by being elected as the next Texas State Treasurer defeating Allen Clark by 22 percentage points.

*In the open contest for the Commissioner of the General Land Office, Garry Mauro handily defeated Woodrow Glascock by over 20+ percentage points. He will succeed outgoing four-term Texas Commissioner of the General Land Office Bob Armstrong who will be leaving office in January 1983 after 12 years in office.

*In the open contest for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture, Jim Hightower trounced Fred Thornberry in a landslide victory of 24 percentage points, becoming the Lone Star State's next Commissioner of Agriculture and will take office in January 1983 succeeding outgoing incumbent Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Reagan V. Brown, who had an infamous and controversial tenure such as calling Booker T. Washington a racially-charged epithet and also putting his hand into a fire ant mound when working to halt the spread of imported fire ants.

*Incumbent Texas Railroad Commissioner Jim Nugent handily won reelection defeating John T. Henderson by 25+ percentage points.

*Democrats also swept the remaining down-ballot statewide offices on the Texas Supreme Court and Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.

*TEXAS:
Mark W. White, Jr., (D): 1,973,683 (57.37%)✔
William P. Clements, Jr., (R-incumbent): 1,261,937 (41.25%)
DEMOCRATIC GAIN

COMING UP IN CHAPTER 13 OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC: Part VIII of the US State/Territory Governorships of the 1982 Midterms.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

US STATE/TERRITORY GOVERNORSHIPS HIGHLIGHTS (VIII)

*VERMONT:
Three-term incumbent Vermont Governor Richard Snelling defeated Vermont Lieutenant Governor Madeleine Kunin by double digits to win reelection to a fourth two-year term in the Green Mountain State.
Richard Snelling (R-incumbent): 93,111 (55.0%)✔
Madeleine Kunin (D): 74,394 (44.0%)
REPUBLICAN HOLD

*WISCONSIN (OPEN):
Over in the Badger State, incumbent Wisconsin Governor Lee S. Dreyfus announced he wasn't seeking reelection which made the gubernatorial election a hotly contested battle. In the end, former Wisconsin Department of Administration Tony Earl handily defeated Terry Kohler in a landslide victory and carried critical counties such as Jefferson and Fond Du Lac, making this the ninth pick-up for the Democrats this evening.
Tony Earl (D): 896,872 (56.76%)✔
Terry Kohler (R): 662,738 (41.94%)
DEMOCRATIC GAIN

*WYOMING:
Two-term incumbent Wyoming Governor Edgar Herschler remained personally popular and benefited from the national environment of the 1982 Midterms which boosted Democrats nationwide. Herschler defeated former State House Speaker Warren A. Morton to win reelection to a third term and keeping the Governor's Residence in Democratic hands inside the Equality State.
Edgar Herschler (D): 106,427 (63.1%)✔
Warren A. Morton (R): 62,128 (36.9%)
DEMOCRATIC HOLD

COMING UP IN THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC: Illinoisans wait and wonder who is the winner of the Illinois Governorship as the Land of Lincoln undergoes a full-scale statewide recount in all 102 counties.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

BREAKING NEWS ALERT: ILLINOIS SUPREME COURT SIDES WITH THOMPSON CAMPAIGN; ILLINOIS SECRETARY OF STATE JIM EDGAR TO CERTIFY THE RESULTS: TWO-TERM INCUMBENT ILLINOIS GOVERNOR JAMES R. THOMPSON WINS REELECTION TO THIRD TERM BY JUST 683 VOTES

*Saturday, December 4, 1982: Huge bombshell coming out of the Land of Lincoln: In a 6-1 decision, the Illinois Supreme Court sided with the reelection campaign of two-term incumbent Illinois Governor James Robert "Big Jim" Thompson and Republican officials that provisional and absentee ballots cast in the Collar counties. The 5,000 ballots in question give Thompson a final 683 vote margin in one of the state's closest gubernatorial elections in Illinois history. In its written ruling, the Illinois Supreme Court argued that circumstances leading to the late voting beyond the polling closing deadline were valid. "Not permitting the votes in question for this particular reason would be an unlawful infringement of voting rights. Therefore, an exclusion of named ballots is unconstitutional," the statement read.

Illinois Secretary of State Jim Edgar confirmed during a press conference that he will certify the election results. In doing so, Governor Thompson has officially been reelected to a third term and will be taking office on January 10, 1983.

BREAKING NEWS ALERT: FORMER UNITED STATES SENATOR ADLAI STEVENSON, III (D-IL) NOT CHALLENGING RULING FROM ILLINOIS SUPREME COURT; CONCEDES 1982 ILLINOIS GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION

Former United States Senator Adlai Stevenson, III (D-IL) addressed his supporters in the lobby of the Hilton Hotel in downtown Chicago at 4:00 PM CST to deliver his concession speech.

Former United States Senator Adlai Stevenson, III (D-IL): "Thank you very much friends and family including many of our supporters. Thank you for coming. My fellow Illinoisans: just about 37 minutes ago, I called Governor Thompson and offered him my concession. I congratulated him on a very hard-fought victory and wished him the best of luck in the next four years in his third term as Governor of the State of Illinois. I told him and his entire team are in my prayers and the prayers of my family. That we all wish him to be a successful governor in these upcoming four years. Because only when he, takes the oath of office on January 10, 1983 for his third term in office, all Illinoisans want him to be very, very successful as our governor in all 102 counties. Governor Thompson thanked me and pledged his unbending commitment to be a governor of all Illinoisans , including the millions of Illinoisans who put their trust in me. Let me say once again on how thankful I am of all their support. It truly means quite a lot."

 

[Sergeant Foley]

LUBBERS IS NEW DUTCH PRIME MINISTER
*Thursday, November 4, 1982: Rudd Lubbers becomes the new Prime Minister of the Netherlands; succeeding Andreas Van Agt, who resigned from the Prime Ministership following four years in office.

BIYA SWORN IN AS CAMEROONIAN PRESIDENT
*Saturday, November 6, 1982: Paul Biya was sworn into office as the 2nd President of Cameroon succeeding Ahmadou Ahidjo, who held the Presidency since Cameroon became an independent country in 1960.

BREAKING NEWS ALERT: SOVIET PRESIDENT LEONID BREZHNEV DEAD AT THE AGE OF 75
*Wednesday, November 10, 1982: Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev, who has held office since 1964 died of natural causes at the age of 75.

ANDROPOV TAPPED TO SUCCEED BREZHNEV AS SOVIET PRESIDENT
*Friday, November 12, 1982: KGB Director Yuri Andropov was chosen to succeed the late Leonid Brezhnev as the new Soviet President.

WALESA RELEASED FROM CONFINEMENT
*Sunday, November 14, 1982: The Polish government released Lech Walesa following 11 months of confinement. Walesa had been the leader of Solidarity, Poland's independent labor union at the time he was taken into custody. On October 8th, the Polish government outlawed Solidarity but the independent labor union continued operating as an underground organization.

SPACE: FIVE-DAY NASA MISSION, SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA ENDS
*Tuesday, November 16, 1982: Astronauts Vance Brand, Robert Overmeyer, William Lenoir and Joseph Allen ended their five day mission aboard space shuttle Columbia. The first four flights of the reuseable spacecraft had been test flights; Columbia performed their main priority task designed on doing: delivering satellites into space. It launched two communications satellites into orbit for commercial customers.

HURRICANE IWA STRIKES THE ALOHA STATE
*Tuesday, November 23, 1982: Hurricane Iwa hits Hawaii which resulted in the death of 1 person; causing an estimated damage worth of $200,000,000; the first hurricane hitting the islands since 1959.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

JAPANESE NATIONAL DIET TAPPING NAKASONE AS THE NEW PRIME MINISTER
*Friday, November 26, 1982: Following the resignation of Zenko Suzuki, the Japanese National Diet named Yasuhiro Nakasone as the new Japanese Prime Minister.

FANFANI NAMED AS THE NEW ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER
*December 1, 1982: Amintore Fanfani becomes the new Prime Minister of Italy for the fifth time succeeding Giovanni Spandolini.

EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS HIT SOUTH AND WESTERN UNITED STATES
*December 1-9,1982: Full week of storms battered areas from California to the South. The Mississippi Valley was especially hammered by heavy rains, which resulted in causing record flooding. The floods had forced more than 35,000 to leave their homes and caused at least an estimate worth of damages totaling $500,000,000. Parts of the Northeastern United States recorded the warmest December temperatures ever in the region.

US PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN RETURNS FROM FIVE-DAY LATIN AMERICAN TRIP

​

*November 30-December 4, 1982: US President Ronald Reagan returned to the United States following a five-day trip to Latin America where he visited Brazil (November 30th-December 3rd); Colombia (December 3rd); Costa Rica (December 3rd-4th) and Honduras (December 4th). President Reagan met with Brazilian President Joao Figueiredo; Colombian President Lieutenant General Seymour Quintero; Costa Rican President Luis Alberto Monge; Salvadoran President Alvaro Magana, Honduran President Roberto Suazo Cordova and Guatemalan President General Efrain Rios Montt.

HODEL BECOMES THE NEW US SECRETARY OF ENERGY
*December 8, 1982: US Undersecretary of the Interior Donald P. Hodel was confirmed by the Republican-controlled United States Senate after the resignation of then-US Energy Secretary James Burrows Edwards, who stepped down to become President of the Medical University of South Carolina.

US TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY DREW LEWIS ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION EFFECTIVE 1 FEBRUARY 1983
*December 28, 1982: US Transportation Secretary Drew Lewis announced his resignation as the 7th US Secretary of Transportation which will become effective on 1 February 1983 upon Senate confirmation of his likely successor, Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison Elizabeth Dole, the wife of United States Senator Bob Dole (R-KS).

 

[Sergeant Foley]

ARIZONA GOVERNOR BRUCE BABBITT FOCUSING ON SECOND FULL TERM; RULES OUT PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN

​

*Monday, November 29, 1982: Following his landslide reelection campaign as the Grand Canyon State's 16th Governor, Arizona Governor Bruce Babbitt announced his intention to stay in his current position by pretty much ruling out a potential campaign for the 1984 Democratic Party presidential nomination. In an official statement from his office, Babbitt said wrote that he "wants to continue bringing in his strong leadership leading Arizona into the next four years with strong, specific energetic focus beginning with the upcoming 1983 legislative session." The statement also says he wants to put more effort into maintaining the Democrats' advantage in the US State/Territory Governorships following the Democrats' surprising nine pick-ups of Governorships in the 1982 Midterm elections.

In the meantime, Babbitt has ruled out a presidential campaign. "It's not possible to focus on another exhausting political campaign for the Presidency of the United States and running the State of Arizona as your Governor at the same time," he told reporters. "Therefore, I am not going to run for President in 1984." Babbitt did leave open the door for a potential White House bid in the future, but he didn't elaborate as to when.

LATE NOVEMBER 1982
REPORTS: JOCKEYING FOR POSITION IN GETTING THE US SENATE SEAT OF GOVERNOR-ELECT MARK W. WHITE, JR.,
Ever since his shocking landslide victory in the 1982 Texas Gubernatorial election, United States Senator and Governor-elect Mark W. White, Jr., (D-TX) has been busy putting together his incoming administration ranging from appointments of department agency heads, boards, commissions among the like. There was also the situation as to who will succeed White in the United States Senate. Names have been bounded about as to whom will be appointed to the US Senate seat (as Governor-elect White announced before the Thanksgiving holiday break, he would resign his US Senate seat on the day of his inauguration as Texas' 43rd Governor).

Among the names being tossed around: Former US Ambassador to Mexico Bob Krueger; Houston Mayor Kathy Whitmire; San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros; US Reps. Charlie Wilson (D-TX) and US House Majority Leader Jim Wright (D-TX) and former Texas Governor Dolph Briscoe. Sources state that White won't announce an appointee to his US Senate seat until the day he will be inaugurated as Governor on 18 January 1983.

GALLUP POLLING SURVEY:
30 NOVEMBER 1982
JOB APPROVAL RATING OF PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN
41% Approve
57% Disapprove

 

[Sergeant Foley]

PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN HOSTS PAKISTANI PRESIDENT MOHAMMED ZIA UL-HAQ AT THE WHITE HOUSE

​

*December 7, 1982: US President Ronald Reagan hosted Pakistani President Mohammed Zia Ul-Haq at the White House's South Lawn Grounds and then held bilateral talks for about an hour inside the Oval Office of the White House which included exchanges on the issue of nuclear weapons development.

Among the obvious tenuous issues clouding the US/Pakistan diplomatic relationship is the continuing pursuit of the Pakistani government in acquiring advanced nuclear technologies that are designed to give it nuclear weapons capabilities. American officials involved in the talks anonymously mentioned that Zia and his aides were forcefully reminded of "America's commitment against nuclear proliferation and our belief that Pakistani security will not be assisted" by the development of nuclear weapons.

For his part, Zia stressed that Pakistan has no intention of developing nuclear weapons but forcefully argued the right of developing nations to have nuclear energy. The nuclear weapons issue came up on Capitol Hill when Zia was meeting with the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations committees. According to United States Senator Charles Mathias, Jr., (R-MD), "President Zia stressed very emphatically that it is not the intention of Pakistan to develop nuclear weapons and that it's not doing so."

During the Welcoming Honors Ceremony at the White House, both Presidents Reagan and Zia stressed the mutual security concerns for both Pakistan and the United States. "Pakistan today stands at the front-rank of the nations shouldering a great responsibility," Reagan said, referencing to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the nearly 3 million Afghan refugees who sought refuge in Pakistan.

​

 

[Sergeant Foley]

Mubarak's Most Deadliest Crackdown of all forms of opposition
Fall 1982

​

Since ascending to the Presidency upon the shocking assassination of then-Egyptian President Anwar Sadat on 6 October 1981, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was determined to get rid of the Muslim Brotherhood and their supporters. In his point of view, there was NO MERCY!

During a press briefing at the Presidential Palace in the suburbs of Cairo, Mubarak stood up before large nest of microphones, and declared "Allah forgive me, but I cannot and must not be gracious towards those who attempted to destroy Egypt!" What soon followed during the Fall of 1981 and throughout all of 1982 stunned the Arab Republic of Egypt and also across the Arab World, as Mubarak carried out one of the most aggressive and ruthless purges of virtually all political opponents in any country that would make the late Soviet President Josef Stalin or the late Spanish dictator General Francisc Franco blush.

After violently torturing as much information out of the assassins led by Islambouli as possible, the captured cell of soldiers involved in the Sadat assassination were publicly executed by hanging. Some figures attached to three groups of the perpetrators like Egyptian Islamic Jihad and the Islamic Group, were next on Mubarak's hit-list. Those who were already serving time in prison, soon found themselves in firing squads in the prison courtyards; others were assassinated by death squads of the Egyptian Intelligence Service Agency or simply disappeared. Islamic polemicists Aywan al-Zawahiri and Tala'at Qasim were violently killed in their homes including members of their families also faced deadly violent ends.

Among those who joined the massive body count of Operation Cleansing: Omer Adbel-Rahman, was publicly executed in sending a message. Pretty much all of the members of the Muslim Brotherhood were being given life sentences, sadistically tortured and violently murdered in gruesome orgies of death that continued non-stop all the way until Summer 1983 and basically, all forms of opposition to the Mubarak regime pretty much vanished, never to be heard from again.

Islamists involved in the Sadat assassination weren't the only ones on the hit-list.

Many of the military opponents of Sadat, who launched a failed coup attempt against him in June 1981 and many of whom involved in the latter's assassination in the 10.06.81 Incident, were declared traitors, tortured and shot like dogs and animals. It didn't stop there: majority of the Nasserists critics and opponents were arrested, tried in courtroom trials and executed as well. By the end of the controversial Operation Cleansing, this left Mubarak aggressively stronger than ever before, and ironically, continuing Sadat's policies including staying in the Pro-West camp. The aggressive nature, speed and ferocity of his controversial purge had left many observers in other countries, some of whom kicking themselves that they didn't pull off similar moves themselves.

In fact, Egyptian military and intelligence "special advisers" and "special envoys" in other parts of the world were becoming a common occurrence throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

Crucially, Mubarak was seen as a ruthless and evil bastard, but according to foreign policy analysts and Middle East foreign affairs experts, Mubarak was the most ruthless son of a bitch and conniving bastard that the United States, United Kingdom, Israel, Iran and other countries needed and majority of whom were openly supportive of the Mubarak regime, which remained in power until his retirement in 2014 after nearly 33 years in office, making him the longest-serving President of the Arab Republic of Egypt. Mubarak would live a private life until his passing on 25 February 2020.

Mubarak was given a full State Funeral at the Tantawi Mosque in eastern Cairo that included many foreign dignitaries and members of the Diplomatic Corps. Following the State Funeral festivities, Mubarak was laid to rest at the Helipolis War Cemetery with full military honors.