WASHINGTON, Nov. 9, 1988 (UPI) -- Republicans expressed deep relief Wednesday over close gubernatorial triumphs in Rhode Island, Utah and Montana that allowed them to escape the elections with a net governorship loss of one.
''We feel real, real good,'' said Michele Davis, executive director of the Republican Governors Association. ''Losing only one after the Democrats were shouting about picking up four is a big, big win for us.''
Democrats also were happy after extending to 28-22 their nationwide edge in governorships despite George Bush's overwhelming presidential victory.
''A victory is a victory is a victory,'' said Charles Dolan, executive director of the Democratic Governors' Association. ''Historically, the party that wins the presidential elections has picked up governorships. They didn't this year. ... And they had some real squeakers. I think the Pepto Bismol consumption was up last night over at the Republican National Committee.''
While Republicans prevailed in seven of 12 races, the Democrats captured two GOP-held governor's mansions and lost only one of their own.
Evan Bayh, 32, became the first Democrat to win Indiana's governorship in 20 years in what was touted as an ''embarrassment'' for the GOP presidential ticket in Dan Quayle's home state. In West Virginia, multimillionaire Gaston Caperton's media blitz paid off with a surprisingly easy 18-percentage point victory over Republican Gov. Arch Moore.
But Republicans claimed the Montana governorship held by Democrats the last two decades, with former Republican state Sen. Stan Stephens scoring a 21,000-vote triumph over former governor Thomas Judge.
And GOP Govs. Edward DiPrete of Rhode Island and Norman Bangerter of Utah each won another term by staving off strong challenges. DiPrete, hurt in the polls by scandals including revelations about a family real estate deal, rallied to score a 6,299-vote victory over multimillionaire communications executive Bruce Sundlun and win a third term. Sundlun said he would await the counting of absentee ballots, and a possible recount, before conceding defeat.
Bangerter survived a record tax increase last year and won a tense, seesaw race by less than 12,000 votes over former Democratic Mayor Ted Wilson of Salt Lake City although third-party candidate Merrill Cook took 21 percent of the ballots.
Republicans held onto governorships in Delaware, Missouri, New Hampshire and North Carolina. The Democrats retained control of chief executive's posts in North Dakota, Vermont and Washington.
The day's brightest star appeared to be Bayh, whose father, Birch Bayh, was swept out of the Senate by Quayle eight years ago in the tide of Ronald Reagan's landslide re-election victory.
This time national coattails were all but absent in the conservative cornbelt state. Despite a resounding 22-point victory in Indiana by the Bush-Quayle ticket, the young Bayh beat Republican Lt. Gov. John Mutz by more than 100,000 votes to succeed retiring GOP Gov. Robert Orr and become the nation's youngest governor. Mutz, however, may not wind up a complete loser if Orr appoints him to fill Quayle's soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat.
''It's a political embarrassment in Indiana, if not a disgrace, (for the GOP) not to carry the governor's race,'' Dolan said. ''I think it's an indication how weak the ticket is.''
But the GOP's Davis said she felt Bayh benefited from ticket-splitting conservative Democrats who found ''the only way to appease their Democratic red blood cells was to vote Democratic in the governor's race.''
In other races:
--Republican Gov. James Martin of North Carolina became the state's first GOP governor since Reconstruction to win re-election, capturing 56 percent of the vote in beating Democratic Lt. Gov. Robert Jordan.
--Republican Gov. John Ashcroft of Missouri handily won a second four-year term with a landslide victory over Betty Hearnes, whose husband, Warren, was governor from 1965 to 1972.
--Republican Gov. Michael Castle of Delaware overcame retired lawyer Jacob Kreshtool, 71 percent to 29 percent, to earn a second four-year term.
--Republican Congressman Judd Gregg won a two-year term as New Hampshire governor, garnering 61 percent of the vote to defeat Democrat Paul McEachern and succeed retiring GOP Gov. John Sununu.
--Democratic Gov. Madeleine Kunin of Vermont won a third two-year term with 55 percent of the vote, her best showing yet, against state House minority leader Michael Bernhardt.
--Democratic Gov. George Sinner of North Dakota won a second four-year term with 60 percent of the vote against Republican businessman Leon Mallberg.
--Democratic Gov. Booth Gardner of Washington received 61 percent of the vote to win a second four-year term over state Sen. Bob Williams.
