The runoff election was won by State Auditor Ray Mabus, who defeated cotton farmer and businessman Mike Sturdivant.

Businessman and State Board of Education member Jack Reed won the Republican primary, defeating Doug Lemon.

National Republicans considered Mississippi's 1987 gubernatorial contest a major target for them, and they devoted significant financial resources to Jack Reed's campaign.

[4] At 39 years of age, Ray Mabus defeated Tupelo businessman Reed in the 1987 gubernatorial election by 53% to 47%, becoming the youngest governor in the United States.

Mabus was featured in a 1988 New York Times Magazine cover story titled "The Yuppies of Mississippi; How They Took Over the Statehouse".