1978 United States gubernatorial elections

← 1977

November 7, 1978

1979 →

38 governorships
36 states; 2 territories

	Majority party	Minority party

Party	Democratic	Republican
Seats before	37	12
Seats after	32	18
Seat change	5	6
Seats up	26	9
Seats won	21	15

	Third party

Party	Independent
Seats before	1
Seats after	0
Seat change	1
Seats up	1
Seats won	0

Republican hold Republican gain Democratic hold Democratic gain

United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 7, 1978, in 36 states and two territories. The Republicans had a net gain of six seats, Democrats sustained a net loss of five seats, and there would be no governors of any other parties following these elections.

This was the first year in which Illinois held a gubernatorial election in a midterm election year since 1846. The state of Illinois moved its gubernatorial election date from presidential election years to midterm congressional election years. This election coincided with the Senate and the House elections.

Election results

A bolded state name features an article about the specific election.

States

State	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
Alabama	George Wallace	Democratic	1962 1966 (term-limited) 1970	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic hold.	Y Fob James (Democratic) 72.6% H. Guy Hunt (Republican) 25.9% Jim Partain (Prohibition) 1.1% Richard Dare (Independent) 0.5%
Alaska	Jay Hammond	Republican	1974	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Jay Hammond (Republican) 39.1% Wally Hickel (write-in) 26.4% Chancy Croft (Democratic) 20.2% Tom Kelly (Independent) 12.3% Don R. Wright (Alaskan Ind.) 1.9%
Arizona	Bruce Babbitt	Democratic	1978	Incumbent elected to full term.	Y Bruce Babbitt (Democratic) 52.5% Evan Mecham (Republican) 44.8% V. Gene Lewter (Libertarian) 1.9% Jessica Sampson (Socialist Workers) 0.8%
Arkansas	David Pryor	Democratic	1974	Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Democratic hold.	Y Bill Clinton (Democratic) 63.4% Lynn Lowe (Republican) 36.6%
California	Jerry Brown	Democratic	1974	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Jerry Brown (Democratic) 56.1% Evelle J. Younger (Republican) 36.5% Ed Clark (Independent) 5.5% Marilyn Seals (PF) 1.0% Theresa F. Dietrich (AI) 1.0%
Colorado	Richard Lamm	Democratic	1974	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Richard Lamm (Democratic) 58.8% Ted L. Strickland (Republican) 38.5% Roy Peister (Tea) 1.7% Elsa Blum (Socialist Workers) 0.4% Sal Mandor (Independent) 0.3% Earl Dodge (Prohibition) 0.3%
Connecticut	Ella Grasso	Democratic	1974	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Ella Grasso (Democratic) 59.1% Ronald A. Sarasin (Republican) 40.7%
Florida	Reubin Askew	Democratic	1970	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic hold.	Y Bob Graham (Democratic) 55.6% Jack Eckerd (Republican) 44.4%
Georgia	George Busbee	Democratic	1974	Incumbent re-elected.	Y George Busbee (Democratic) 80.7% Rodney M. Cook (Republican) 19.3%
Hawaii	George Ariyoshi	Democratic	1974	Incumbent re-elected.	Y George Ariyoshi (Democratic) 54.5% John R. Leopold (Republican) 44.3% Alema Leota (non-partisan) 0.7% Gregory Reeser (Libertarian) 0.4% John Moore (Aloha Democratic) 0.2%
Idaho	John Evans	Democratic	1978	Incumbent elected to full term.	Y John Evans (Democratic) 58.8% Allan Larsen (Republican) 39.6% Wayne Loveless (American) 1.7%
Illinois	James R. Thompson	Republican	1976	Incumbent re-elected.	Y James R. Thompson (Republican) 59.0% Michael Bakalis (Democratic) 40.1% Georgia Shields (Libertarian) 0.4% Cecil Lampkin (Socialist Workers) 0.4% Melvin Klenetsky (U.S. Labor) 0.2%
Iowa	Robert D. Ray	Republican	1968	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Robert D. Ray (Republican) 58.3% Jerome D. Fitzgerald (Democratic) 41.0% John Ball (Libertarian) 0.5% Joseph Grant (Socialist) 0.2%
Kansas	Robert F. Bennett	Republican	1974	Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y John W. Carlin (Democratic) 49.4% Robert Frederick Bennett (Republican) 47.3% Frank W. Shelton Jr. (American) 2.3% Berry Beets (Prohibition) 1.0%
Maine	James B. Longley	Independent	1974	Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y Joseph E. Brennan (Democratic) 47.7% Linwood E. Palmer Jr. (Republican) 34.3% Herman Franklin (Independent) 17.8% James B. Longley (write-in) 0.2%
Maryland	Marvin Mandel (Blair Lee III, acting governor)	Democratic	1969 (special)	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic hold.	Y Harry Hughes (Democratic) 70.6% J. Glenn Beall Jr. (Republican) 29.4%
Massachusetts	Michael Dukakis	Democratic	1974	Incumbent lost re-nomination. New governor elected. Democratic hold.	Y Edward J. King (Democratic) 52.5% Francis W. Hatch Jr. (Republican) 47.2%
Michigan	William Milliken	Republican	1969	Incumbent re-elected.	Y William Milliken (Republican) 56.8% William B. Fitzgerald Jr. (Democratic) 43.2%
Minnesota	Rudy Perpich	Democratic	1976	Incumbent lost election to full term. New governor elected. Republican hold.	Y Al Quie (Republican) 52.3% Rudy Perpich (Democratic) 45.3% Richard Pedersen (American) 1.3% Jill Lakowske (Socialist Workers) 0.4% Tom McDonald (Honest Government) 0.3% Robin E. Miller (Libertarian) 0.2% Edwin C. Pommerening (Savings Account) 0.1%
Nebraska	J. James Exon	Democratic	1970	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Republican gain.	Y Charles Thone (Republican) 56.0% Gerald T. Whelan (Democratic) 44.0%
Nevada	Mike O'Callaghan	Democratic	1970	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Republican gain.	Y Robert List (Republican) 56.2% Robert E. Rose (Democratic) 39.7% Thomas F. Jefferson (Ind. American) 1.7% None of These Candidates1.7% John W. Grayson Jr. (Libertarian) 0.8%
New Hampshire	Meldrim Thomson Jr.	Republican	1972	Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y Hugh Gallen (Democratic) 49.4% Meldrim Thomson Jr. (Republican) 45.4% Wesley Powell (Independent) 4.6% Mabel Everett (Libertarian) 0.4% Ralph Brewster (Independent) 0.2%
New Mexico	Jerry Apodaca	Democratic	1974	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic hold.	Y Bruce King (Democratic) 50.5% Joe Skeen (Republican) 49.4%
New York	Hugh Carey	Democratic	1974	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Hugh Carey (Democratic) 50.9% Perry B. Duryea Jr. (Republican) 45.2% Mary Jane Tobin (Right to Life) 2.7% Gary Greenberg (Libertarian) 0.4% Dianne M. Feeley (Socialist Workers) 0.3% Jarvis Tyner (Communist) 0.2% Paul Gallagher (U.S. Labor) 0.2%
Ohio	Jim Rhodes	Republican	1962 1970 (term-limited) 1974	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Jim Rhodes (Republican) 49.3% Dick Celeste (Democratic) 47.6% Patricia H. Wright (Independent) 1.2% John O'Neill (Independent) 1.0% Allan Friedman (Independent) 0.8%
Oklahoma	David Boren	Democratic	1970	Incumbent retired. New governor elected. Democratic hold.	Y George Nigh (Democratic) 51.7% Ron Shotts (Republican) 47.2% Billy Joe Clegg (Independent) 0.5% Floyd Sheally (Independent) 0.3% Jim McCuiston (Independent) 0.2%
Oregon	Robert W. Straub	Democratic	1974	Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Republican gain.	Y Victor Atiyeh (Republican) 54.9% Robert W. Straub (Democratic) 45.1%
Pennsylvania	Milton Shapp	Democratic	1970	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Republican gain.	Y Dick Thornburgh (Republican) 52.5% Peter F. Flaherty (Democratic) 46.4% Mark Zola (Socialist Workers) 0.5% Lee Frissell (Consumer) 0.5%
Rhode Island	J. Joseph Garrahy	Democratic	1976	Incumbent re-elected.	Y J. Joseph Garrahy (Democratic) 62.8% Lincoln Almond (Republican) 30.7% Joseph A. Doorley Jr. (Independent) 6.5%
South Carolina	James B. Edwards	Republican	1974	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y Richard Riley (Democratic) 61.9% Edward Lunn Young (Republican) 38.1%
South Dakota	Harvey L. Wollman	Democratic	1978	Incumbent lost nomination. New governor elected. Republican gain.	Y Bill Janklow (Republican) 56.6% Roger D. McKellips (Democratic) 43.4%
Tennessee	Ray Blanton	Democratic	1974	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Republican gain.	Y Lamar Alexander (Republican) 55.8% Jake Butcher (Democratic) 44.2%
Texas	Dolph Briscoe	Democratic	1972	Incumbent lost re-nomination. New governor elected. Republican gain.	Y Bill Clements (Republican) 50.0% John Hill (Democratic) 49.2% Mario Compean (La Raza Unida) 0.6% Sara Jean Johnston (Socialist Workers) 0.2%
Vermont	Richard A. Snelling	Republican	1972	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Richard A. Snelling (Republican) 62.8% Edwin C. Granai (Democratic) 34.1% Earl S. Gardner (Liberty Union) 2.9%
Wisconsin	Martin J. Schreiber	Democratic	1977	Incumbent lost election to full term. New governor elected. Republican gain.	Y Lee S. Dreyfus (Republican) 54.4% Martin J. Schreiber (Democratic) 44.9% Eugene R. Zimmerman (Constitution) 0.4% John C. Doherty (Independent) 0.1% Adrienne Kaplan (Socialist Workers) 0.1% Henry A. Ochsner (Socialist Labor) 0.1%
Wyoming	Edgar Herschler	Democratic	1974	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Edgar Herschler (Democratic) 50.9% John C. Ostlund (Republican) 49.1%

Territories and federal district

Territory	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
District of Columbia	Walter Washington	Democratic	1974	Incumbent lost renomination. New mayor elected. Democratic hold.	Y Marion Barry (Democratic) 70.2% Arthur Fletcher (Republican) 28.1% Susan Pennington (U.S. Labor) 1.1%
Guam	Ricardo Bordallo	Democratic	1974	Incumbent lost re-election. New governor elected. Republican gain.	Y Paul M. Calvo (Republican) 52.1% Ricardo Bordallo (Democratic) 47.9%
U.S. Virgin Island	Juan Francisco Luis	ICM	1978	Incumbent elected to full term.	Y Juan Francisco Luis (ICM) 59.19% Ron de Lugo (Democratic) 40.81%

References

Flowers, Steve. "How Fob James pulled off an amazing upset in the 1978 governor's race - INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE". eu.tuscaloosanews.com. Retrieved 11 February 2024.

Notes

Babbitt took office after his predecessor (Wesley Bolin) died.
Evans took office after his predecessor (Cecil Andrus) resigned.
Milliken took office after his predecessor (George W. Romney) resigned.
Perpich took office after his predecessor (Wendell R. Anderson) resigned.
Wollman took office after his predecessor (Richard F. Kneip) resigned.
Schreiber took office after his predecessor (Patrick Lucey) resigned.
Luis took office after his predecessor (Cyril E. King) died.

v t e (1977 ←) 1978 United States elections (→ 1979)
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