1994 Rhode Island gubernatorial election

1994 Rhode Island gubernatorial election
← 1992 November 8, 1994 1998 →
	Almond: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%; York: 40–50% 50–60%; Healey: 30–40%
Governor before election; Bruce Sundlun; Democratic	Elected Governor ; Lincoln Almond; Republican

The 1994 Rhode Island gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 1994. Republican Lincoln Almond defeated Democrat Myrth York and independent candidate Robert J. Healey. Incumbent Democrat Bruce Sundlun was defeated by York in the Democratic primary.^[1]^[2]

Almond was the first governor elected to a four-year term, as opposed to two years.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Myrth York, former Rhode Island state senator
Bruce Sundlun, incumbent governor of Rhode Island
Louise Durfee, former director of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, former Tiverton city councilwoman
Donald Gill

Results

Democratic primary results^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Myrth York	56,719	57.22
	Democratic	Bruce Sundlun (incumbent)	27,432	27.67
	Democratic	Louise Durfee	11,914	12.02
	Democratic	Donald Gill	3,067	3.09
Total votes			99,132	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

Lincoln Almond, former U.S. attorney for the District of Rhode Island
Ronald Machtley, U.S. representative

Results

Republican primary results^[4]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Lincoln Almond	26,873	59.69
	Republican	Ronald Machtley	18,150	40.31
Total votes			45,023	100.00

Independents

Robert J. Healey, businessman

General election

Polling

Source	Date	Almond (R)	York (D)
Brown University	Oct. 2, 1994	38%	37%

Results

Rhode Island gubernatorial election, 1994^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Lincoln Almond	171,194	47.37%	+13.10%
	Democratic	Myrth York	157,361	43.54%	−18.01%
	Independent	Robert J. Healey	32,822	9.08%
Majority			13,833	3.83%	−23.45%
Turnout			362,377
	Republican gain from Democratic		Swing

By county

	Lincoln Almond Republican		Myrth York Democratic		Robert J. Healey Independent
County	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%
Bristol	8,320	43.1%	7,164	37.1%	3,815	19.8%
Kent	33,511	49.5%	27,546	40.7%	6,600	9.8%
Newport	13,082	43.9%	13,772	46.2%	2,939	9.9%
Providence	95,425	47.2%	90,722	44.9%	15,852	7.8%
Washington	20,856	48.9%	18,157	42.6%	3,616	8.5%

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

References

↑ "Governors Rarely Lose Primaries. Two Could This Year". National Journal. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
↑ Berke, Richard L. (September 14, 1994). "THE 1994 CAMPAIGN: THE NATION; Barry Wins in Washington 4 Years After Drug Violation". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
↑ "Summary of Federal & State Offices". Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
↑ "Republican Primary". Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
↑ "General Election Vote for Governor". Board of Elections. Archived from the original on November 21, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2020.

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[1] "Governors Rarely Lose Primaries. Two Could This Year". National Journal. Retrieved March 19, 2026.

[2] Berke, Richard L. (September 14, 1994). "THE 1994 CAMPAIGN: THE NATION; Barry Wins in Washington 4 Years After Drug Violation". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 19, 2026.

[3] "Summary of Federal & State Offices". Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2020.

[4] "Republican Primary". Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2020.

[5] "General Election Vote for Governor". Board of Elections. Archived from the original on November 21, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2020.

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