1978 Florida gubernatorial election

1978 Florida gubernatorial election

← 1974 November 7, 1978 1982 →

Nominee Bob Graham Jack Eckerd Party Democratic Republican Running mate Wayne Mixson Paula Hawkins Popular vote 1,406,580 1,123,888 Percentage 55.59% 44.41%

County results Graham:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Eckerd:      50-60%      60-70%

Governor before election Reubin Askew Democratic Elected Governor Bob Graham Democratic

Elections in Florida
Federal government Presidential elections 1848 1852 1856 1860 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 Presidential primaries Democratic 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 Republican 2008 2012 2016 2020 U.S. Senate elections 1845 1848 1851 1855 1857 1868 1875 1879 1881 1885 1887 1890 1891 1897 1899 1903 1908 1911 1914 1916 1920 1922 1926 1928 1932 1934 1938 1940 1944 1946 1950 1952 1956 1958 1962 1964 1968 1970 1974 1976 1980 1982 1986 1988 1992 1994 1998 2000 2004 2006 2010 2012 2016 2018 2022 2024 U.S. House elections 1845 1846 1848 1850 1852 1854 1856 1858 1860 1865 1868 1870 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 Special elections Senate 1893 1899 1905 1909 1936 House At-large, 1845 6th, 1955 18th, 1989 1st, 2001 19th, 2010 13th, 2014 19th, 2014 20th, 2022 C.S. House elections 1861 1863 1st sp
State government General elections 2006 2010 2014 2018 2020 Gubernatorial elections 1845 1848 1852 1856 1865 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1954 1956 1960 1964 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 Attorney General elections 1970 1986 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 Chief Financial Officer elections 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 Agriculture Commissioner elections 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 Senate elections 2018 2020 House of Representatives elections 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 Ballot measures 2008 Florida Amendment 2 2014 Florida Amendment 2 2016 Florida Amendment 1 2016 Florida Amendment 2 2018 Florida Amendment 4 2020 Florida Amendment 4
Fort Lauderdale Mayoral elections 1994 2000 2003 2006 2009 2012 2015 2018
Gainesville Mayoral elections 2016 2019
Hialeah Mayoral elections 2011
Jacksonville Mayoral elections 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019
Miami Mayoral elections 2001 2009 2013 2017 2021
Miami Beach Mayoral elections 2011 2013 2015
Miami-Dade County Mayoral elections 1996 2011 (recall) 2011 (sp) 2012 2016 2020
North Miami Mayoral elections 2013 2014 (sp) 2017 2021
Orange County Mayoral elections 2010
Orlando Mayoral elections 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2003 (sp) 2004 2008 2012 2015 2019
St. Petersburg Mayoral elections 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021
Tallahassee Mayoral elections 1997 2003 (sp) 2006 2010 2014 2018
Tampa Mayoral elections 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019
West Palm Beach Mayoral elections 1991 2015
Government
v t

The 1978 Florida gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1978. Democratic nominee Bob Graham was elected, defeating Republican nominee Jack Eckerd with 55.59% of the vote.

Primary elections[]

Primary elections were held on September 12, 1978. The Democratic runoff was held on October 5, 1978.

Democratic primary[]

Candidates[]

• Leroy Eden, bar owner
  • Maria Kay
• Bob Graham, State Senator
  • Wayne Mixson, State Representative
• Claude R. Kirk Jr., former Republican Governor
  • Mary L. Singleton, the former director of the state Division of Elections, Jacksonville City Council
• Robert L. Shevin, Florida Attorney General
  • Jim Glisson, State Senator
• Bruce A. Smathers, former Secretary of State of Florida
  • , State Representative
• Hans Tanzler, Mayor of Jacksonville
  • , real estate and insurance executive from Miami.
• James H. Williams, Lieutenant Governor of Florida
  • Betty Castor, State Senate

Seven tickets ran for the Democratic nomination for governor of Florida.

Jim Williams, the lieutenant governor, ran for governor with former state Senator Betty Castor of Florida, as his running mate. Hans G. Tanzler, the mayor of Jacksonville, ran with Manuel "Manolo" Arques, a Cuban-American real estate and insurance executive from Miami. State Secretary of State Bruce Smathers (who resigned to run) ran with state Representative .

Claude R. Kirk Jr. of Palm Beach, who was the Republican governor of Florida from 1967 to 1971, returned to the party he left 28 years prior, switching his party affiliation to Democratic on July 5, 1978 (the month prior re-registering as an independent and launching an abortive signature drive to get on the ballot as an independent. He chose as his running mate Mary L. Singleton, the former director of the state Division of Elections and the first black woman to sit on the Jacksonville City Council.^[1]

Results[]

Republican primary[]

Candidates[]

• Jack Eckerd, businessman and administrator of the General Services Administration
• Louis Frey Jr., U.S. Representative for the 9th district

Results[]

General election[]

Candidates[]

• Bob Graham, Democratic
• Jack Eckerd, Republican

Results[]

References[]

Bibliography[]

• Morris, Allen (1985). The Florida Handbook, 1985-86. Tallahassee, FL: The Peninsular Publishing Company.