1978 Texas gubernatorial election

1978 Texas gubernatorial election

← 1974 November 7, 1978 1982 →

Nominee Bill Clements John Luke Hill Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,183,828 1,166,919 Percentage 50.0% 49.2%

County results Clements:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Hill:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Compeán:      50–60%

Governor before election Dolph Briscoe Democratic Elected Governor Bill Clements Republican

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Government
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The 1978 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1978, to elect the Governor of Texas. In a surprising upset, Republican Bill Clements was narrowly elected over Democrat State Attorney General John Luke Hill, winning 50% of the vote to Hill's 49%. In doing so, Clements became the first Republican to be elected governor since Reconstruction.

Republican Party[]

Candidates[]

Declared[]

• Bill Clements, businessman and former Deputy Secretary of Defense
• Ray Hutchison, attorney, former State Representative and husband of Kay Bailey Hutchison
• Clarence Thompson

Withdrew[]

• James M. Collins, U.S. Representative (endorsed Clements)

Results[]

Democratic Party[]

Dolph Briscoe, who had first been elected in 1972 and was easily re-elected in 1974, had become increasingly unpopular within the Texas Democratic Party during his six years in office. John Luke Hill fielded a primary challenge against the Governor, as a liberal alternative to Briscoe, who represented the more conservative, rural faction of the party. Dissatisfaction with Briscoe prompted former Governor Preston Smith to enter the race, running as a populist alternative to the other two candidates. Briscoe had previously defeated Smith in the 1972 primary.

Candidates[]

Declared[]

• Dolph Briscoe, incumbent Governor
• John Luke Hill, Attorney General of Texas
• Preston Smith, former Governor

Results[]

Results[]

Further reading[]

• Bridges, Kenneth. Twilight of the Texas Democrats: The 1978 Governor’s Race (Texas A&M University Press, 2008), 219 pp.
• Cunningham, Sean P. Cowboy Conservatism: Texas and the Rise of the Modern Right. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2010.

Videos[]

(1) Bill Clements bio [1]

(2) Gubernatorial Debate on October 24, 1978 at KPRC-TV Studios in Houston [2]

(3) Republican Primary Gubernatorial Debate in 1978 [3]

(4) Gubernatorial Debate on October 27, 1978 at KERA-TV Studios in Dallas [4]

References[]