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.
Democratic primary 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. This marks the most recent time in Texas that the incumbent governor has failed to receive the nomination of their party while running for reelection.
Candidates Declared Dolph Briscoe, incumbent Governor John Hill, Attorney General of Texas Preston Smith, former Governor
Results
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
General election 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
(2) Gubernatorial Debate on October 24, 1978 at KPRC-TV Studios in Houston
(3) Republican Primary Gubernatorial Debate in 1978
(4) Gubernatorial Debate on October 27, 1978 at KERA-TV Studios in Dallas
References