Kansas gubernatorial election, 1990
Encyclopedia
The Kansas gubernatorial election of 1990 included incumbent Republican Governor Mike Hayden
Mike Hayden
John Michael Hayden, was the 41st Governor of Kansas. He subsequently served as Secretary of the Kansas Wildlife and Parks Department under governors Kathleen Sebelius and Mark Parkinson.-Early life:...

 lost re-election to Democratic nominee Joan Finney
Joan Finney
Joan Finney , served as the 42nd Governor of Kansas from 1991 to 1995.She was born Joan Marie McInroy in Topeka, Kansas, the daughter of Leonard and Mary Sands McInroy. She graduated from high school in Manhattan, Kansas in 1942. In 1957, she married Spencer Finney, Jr...

.

Background

Hayden was chosen as chair of the Republican Governors Association
Republican Governors Association
The Republican Governors Association is a Washington, D.C.-based 527 organization founded in 1963, consisting of U.S. state and territorial governors affiliated with the Republican Party.Its Democratic Party counterpart is the Democratic Governors Association...

. Hayden's term saw tax cuts and programs to combat substance abuse
Substance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...

. Unfortunately for the governor, a split in the Kansas Republican Party between moderates and conservatives considerably reduced other accomplishments. Hayden himself was perceived as a moderate; on abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...

, for instance, he took a pro-choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....

 position. Because of the legislative gridlock, Hayden was not able to reinstate the death penalty. Hayden lost his re-election bid primarily because of voter passage of a property reclassification amendment in Kansas which resulted in property reappraisals - the first in some cases in 20 years - and the resulting property tax increases when market values were applied to properties for tax purposes.

Results

Governor candidate Running Mate
Running mate
A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position but can also properly be used when referring to both candidates, such as "Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen were...

Party Popular Vote
Joan Finney
Joan Finney
Joan Finney , served as the 42nd Governor of Kansas from 1991 to 1995.She was born Joan Marie McInroy in Topeka, Kansas, the daughter of Leonard and Mary Sands McInroy. She graduated from high school in Manhattan, Kansas in 1942. In 1957, she married Spencer Finney, Jr...

James Francisco Democratic 380,609 48.6%
Mike Hayden
Mike Hayden
John Michael Hayden, was the 41st Governor of Kansas. He subsequently served as Secretary of the Kansas Wildlife and Parks Department under governors Kathleen Sebelius and Mark Parkinson.-Early life:...

Harland Priddle Republican 333,589 42.6%
Christina Campbell-Cline Benton Independent 69,127 8.8%

Distinctions

State Treasurer
State Treasurer
In the state governments of the United States, 49 of the 50 states have the executive position of treasurer. Texas abolished the position of Texas State Treasurer in 1996....

 Finney was elected governor over Hayden in 1990, giving Hayden the distinction of being the first incumbent governor of any state to lose to a woman. In addition to being Kansas's first female governor, she was Kansas' oldest governor (65), Kansas' first Roman Catholic Governor, and one of the few pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...

Democratic Governors at the time http://www.euthanasia.com/feminist.html.
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