United States gubernatorial elections, 1978

United States Gubernatorial elections, 1978

November 7, 1978
Governorships of AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IA, KS, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, WI, WY, GU, and VI
Majority party Minority party   Party Democratic Republican Last election 37 governorships 12 governorships Seats before 37 12 Seats after 32 18 Seat change -5 +6
324px   Democratic holds   Democratic pickups   Republican holds   Republican pickups

The United States gubernatorial elections of 1978 were held on November 7, 1978, in thirty-six states. 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.

Election results

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

State	Incumbent	Party	Status	Opposing Candidates
Alabama	George Wallace	Democratic	Term-limited, Democratic victory	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	Re-elected, 39.1%	Walter Joseph 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	Re-elected, 52.5%	Evan Mecham (Republican) 44.8% V. Gene Lewter (Liberatarian) 1.9% Jessica Sampson (Socialist Workers) 0.8%
Arkansas	David Pryor	Democratic	Retired, Democratic victory	Bill Clinton (Democratic) 63.4% Lynn Lowe (Republican) 36.6%
California	Jerry Brown	Democratic	Re-elected, 56.0%	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	Re-elected, 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 T. Grasso	Democratic	Re-elected, 59.1%	Ronald A. Sarasin (Republican) 40.7%
Florida	Reubin O'Donovan Askew	Democratic	Term-limited, Democratic victory	Bob Graham (Democratic) 55.6% Jack Eckerd (Republican) 44.4%
Georgia	George Busbee	Democratic	Re-elected, 80.7%	Rodney M. Cook (Republican) 19.3%
Hawaii	George Ariyoshi	Democratic	Re-elected, 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 V. Evans	Democratic	Re-elected, 58.8%	Allan Larsen (Republican) 39.6% Wayne Loveless (American) 1.7%
Illinois	James R. Thompson	Republican	Re-elected, 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	Re-elected, 58.3%	Jerome D. Fitzgerald (Democratic) 41.0% John Ball (Libertarian) 0.5% Joseph Grant (Socialist) 0.2%
Kansas	Robert F. Bennett	Republican	Defeated, 47.3%	John W. Carlin (Democratic) 49.4% Frank W. Shelton Jr. (American) 2.3% Berry Beets (Prohibition) 1.0%
Maine	James B. Longley	Independent	Retired, Democratic victory	Joseph E. Brennan (Democratic) 47.7% Linwood E. Palmer (Republican) 34.3% Herman Franklin (Independent) 17.8% James B. Longley (write-in) 0.2%
Maryland	Marvin Mandel (Blair Lee III, acting governor)	Democratic	Term-limited, Democratic victory (Lee defeated in primary)	Harry Hughes (Democratic) 70.6% John Glenn Beall, Jr. (Republican) 29.4%
Massachusetts	Michael Dukakis	Democratic	Defeated in primary, Democratic victory	Edward J. King (Democratic) 52.5% Francis W. Hatch, Jr. (Republican) 47.2%
Michigan	William Milliken	Republican	Re-elected, 56.8%	William B. Fitzgerald, Jr. (Democratic) 43.2%
Minnesota	Rudy Perpich	DFL	Defeated, 45.3%	Al Quie (Republican) 52.3% 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	Term-limited, Republican victory	Charles Thone (Republican) 56.0% Gerald T. Whelan (Democratic) 44.0%
Nevada	Mike O'Callaghan	Democratic	Term-limited, Republican victory	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	Defeated, 45.4%	Hugh Gallen (Democratic) 49.4% Wesley Powell (Independent) 4.6% Mabel Everett (Libertarian) 4.6% Ralph Brewster (Independent) 0.2%
New Mexico	Jerry Apodaca	Democratic	Term-limited, Democratic victory	Bruce King (Democratic) 50.5% Joe Skeen (Republican) 49.4%
New York	Hugh Carey	Democratic	Re-elected, 50.9%	Perry Duryea (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	Re-elected, 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 L. Boren	Democratic	Term-limited, Democratic victory	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	Defeated, 45.1%	Victor G. Atiyeh (Republican) 54.9%
Pennsylvania	Milton Shapp	Democratic	Term-limited, Republican victory	Dick Thornburgh (Republican) 52.5% Peter F. Flaherty (Democratic) 46.4% Mark Zola (Socialist Workers) 0.5% Lee Frissell (Consumer) 0.5%
Rhode Island	John Garrahy	Democratic	Re-elected, 62.8%	Lincoln Almond (Republican) 30.7% Joseph A. Doorley (Independent) 6.5%
South Carolina	James B. Edwards	Republican	Term-limited, Democratic victory	Richard Riley (Democratic) 61.9% Edward Lunn Young (Republican) 38.1%
South Dakota	Harvey L. Wollman	Democratic	Defeated in primary, Republican victory	Bill Janklow (Republican) 56.6% Roger D. McKellips (Democratic) 43.4%
Tennessee	Ray Blanton	Democratic	Retired, Republican victory	Lamar Alexander (Republican) 55.8% Jake Butcher (Democratic) 44.2%
Texas	Dolph Briscoe	Democratic	Defeated in primary, Republican victory	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	Re-elected, 62.8%	Edwin C. Granai (Democratic) 34.1% Earl S. Gardner (Liberty Union) 2.9%
Wisconsin	Martin J. Schreiber	Democratic	Defeated, 44.9%	Lee S. Dreyfus (Republican) 54.4% 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	Re-elected, 50.9%	John C. Ostlund (Republican) 49.1%

See also

• United States Senate elections, 1978
• United States House of Representatives elections, 1978