Texas gubernatorial election, 1978
Encyclopedia
The 1978 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1978 to select the governor of the state of Texas. Former Deputy Secretary of Defense Bill Clements
was elected over the Democratic candidate, state Attorney General
John Luke Hill,who many experts had predicted to win the governorship. The election marked the first time since Reconstruction that Texas elected a Republican governor.
Collins ultimately abandoned his bid and endorsed Clements, who faced Hutchison in the March primary. Clements won the primary with 73% of the vote to Hutchison's 27%.
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 defeated Smith in the 1972 primary.
Bill Clements
William Perry "Bill" Clements, Jr. was the 42nd and 44th Governor of Texas, serving from 1979 to 1983 and 1987 to 1991. Clements was the first Republican to have served as governor of the U.S. state of Texas since Reconstruction...
was elected over the Democratic candidate, state Attorney General
Texas Attorney General
The Texas Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Texas.The department has offices at the William P. Clements State Office Building at 300 West 15th Street in Austin.-History:...
John Luke Hill,who many experts had predicted to win the governorship. The election marked the first time since Reconstruction that Texas elected a Republican governor.
Republican Party
Candidates in the Republican Party who pursued gubernatorial bids in 1978 included:- Bill Clements, Dallas oil executive and onetime Deputy Secretary of Defense to Presidents NixonRichard NixonRichard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
and FordGerald FordGerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974... - James M. CollinsJames M. CollinsJames Mitchell Collins, often known as Jim Collins , was a Republican who represented the Third Congressional District of Texas from 1968-1983. The district was based at the time about Irving in Dallas County....
, U.S. Congressman from Texas's 3rd congressional districtTexas's 3rd congressional districtTexas District 3 of the United States House of Representatives is a Congressional district that serves a suburban area north and northeast of Dallas. It encompasses a large portion of Collin County including McKinney, Plano, and Frisco, and the northeast corner of Dallas County including parts of... - Ray HutchisonRay HutchisonElton Ray Hutchison, known as Ray Hutchison , is a prominent Dallas, Texas, attorney, who served in the Texas House of Representatives in the 1970s and is married to the state's senior Republican senator, Kay Bailey Hutchison. In 1957, Hutchison graduated from Southern Methodist University in...
, former State Representative, attorney, and husband of Kay Bailey HutchisonKay Bailey HutchisonKathryn Ann Bailey Hutchison, known as Kay Bailey Hutchison , is the senior United States Senator from Texas.She is a member of the Republican Party. In 2001, she was named one of the thirty most powerful women in America by Ladies Home Journal. The first woman to represent Texas in the U.S....
Collins ultimately abandoned his bid and endorsed Clements, who faced Hutchison in the March primary. Clements won the primary with 73% of the vote to Hutchison's 27%.
Democratic Party
Candidates in the Democratic Party who pursued gubernatorial bids in 1978 included:- Dolph BriscoeDolph BriscoeDolph Briscoe, Jr. was a Uvalde, Texas rancher and businessman who was the 41st Governor of Texas between 1973 and 1979....
, incumbent Governor, businessman and rancher - John Luke Hill, state Attorney General
- Preston Smith, former Governor
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 defeated Smith in the 1972 primary.
Results
Further reading
- Bridges, Kenneth William. "The twilight of the Texas democrats: The 1978 governor's race," Ph.D. dissertation, University of North Texas, 2003, 281 pages; AAT 3117260 in ProquestProQuestProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based electronic publisher and microfilm publisher.It provides archives of sources such as newspapers, periodicals, dissertations, and aggregated databases of many types. Its content is estimated at 125 billion digital pages...