Texas gubernatorial election, 1986

The 1986 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1986 to select the Governor of the State of Texas. Republican Bill Clements, who previously served one term as governor: having been elected in 1978, reclaimed the governorship and was elected to a second nonconsecutive term over the Democratic incumbent, Governor Mark Wells White in their rematch; as White had defeated Clements four years earlier in 1982. White, who had been elected governor in the Texas gubernatorial election, 1982, faced several controversies during his administration--most notably the "No Pass/No Play" controversy, which was originally pushed by H. Ross Perot and fellow Democratic Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby. Besides, White's defeat in the 1986 election, the rest of the fellow Texas Democrats were re-elected in their down-ballot statewide posts.

Primaries

Republican Party

Candidates in the Republican Partyw who pursued gubernatorial bids in 1986 included:

• Bill Clements, Former Governor who was elected in 1978 and lost re-election in 1982; former Deputy Secretary of Defense under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald R. Ford and Dallas oil executive.
• Tom Loeffler, Four-term U.S. Congressman from the 21st Congressional District of Texas.
• Kent Hance, Former Democratic U.S. Congressman from the 19th Congressional District of Texas from 1979–1985, who unsuccessfully ran for the United States Senate in the 1984 Democratic primary and switched his party affiliation to the Republican Party.