1978 Texas gubernatorial election
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November 7, 1978
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 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% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Texas |
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 Government |
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 Democratic State Attorney General John Hill, winning about 50% of the vote to Hill's 49.2%. In doing so, Clements became the first Republican to be elected governor since Reconstruction in 1869.
Besides Clements' upset victory in the gubernatorial election, Republican Senator John Tower was re-elected to a third full six-year term in the Texas U.S. Senate race. However, the majority of the down-ballot statewide offices remained with the Democratic Party. With a margin of victory of just 0.72%, this was the closest race of the 1978 gubernatorial cycle.
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
- Bill Clements, businessman and former Deputy U.S. Secretary of Defense
- Ray Hutchison, attorney, former State Representative and husband of Kay Bailey Hutchison
- Clarence Thompson
Withdrew
- James M. Collins, U.S. Representative from Dallas (endorsed Clements)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bill Clements | 115,345 | 72.82 | |
| Republican | Ray Hutchison | 38,268 | 24.16 | |
| Republican | Clarence Thompson | 4,790 | 3.02 | |
| Total votes | 158,403 | 100.00 | ||
Democratic primary
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 80–90%
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.
Hill defeated Briscoe outright by a margin of 10.1 percentage points, with Smith earning just 5% of the vote.[2]
Candidates
Declared
- Dolph Briscoe, incumbent Governor
- John Hill, Attorney General of Texas
- Preston Smith, former Governor
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Hill | 932,245 | 52.44% | |
| Democratic | Dolph Briscoe (incumbent) | 753,309 | 42.37% | |
| Democratic | Preston Smith | 92,202 | 5.19% | |
| Total votes | 1,777,756 | 100 | ||
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bill Clements | 1,183,828 | 49.96% | ||
| Democratic | John Hill | 1,166,919 | 49.24% | ||
| Raza Unida | Mario C. Compeán | 14,213 | 0.59% | ||
| Socialist Workers | Sara Johnston | 4,624 | 0.19% | ||
| Total votes | 2,369,999 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican gain from Democratic | |||||
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
- ^ Texas Almanac
- ^ News, The Dallas Morning (1979). "Texas Almanac, 1980-1981". The Portal to Texas History. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
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