1978 Arizona gubernatorial election
The 1978 Arizona gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 1978, for the post of Governor of Arizona. Democrat Bruce Babbitt defeated Republican nominee Evan Mecham. Babbitt was the former Attorney General of Arizona, but after the death of Governor Wesley Bolin, Babbit became governor. Bolin himself ascended to office from the position of Secretary of State, meaning his replacement, Rose Mofford was not eligible to the office as she was not elected. This drama of exchanging office would continue after Babbitt's term came to an end, as Mofford would become governor and succeeded Evan Mecham, Babbitt's challenger, in 1988.
 | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
 County results Babbitt: 50–60% 60–70% Mecham: 40–50% 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
.jpg.webp)
| Elections in Arizona |
|---|
 |
Until 2022, this was the last gubernatorial election where a Democratic governor was elected during the tenure of a Democratic president.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Bruce Babbitt, incumbent Governor
- Dave Moss, perennial candidate
Withdrew
- Bill Schulz, businessman (endorsed Babbitt)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bruce Babbitt (incumbent) | 108,548 | 76.80 | |
| Democratic | Dave Moss | 32,785 | 23.20 | |
| Total votes | 141,333 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Charles King
- Jack Londen, businessman
- Evan Mecham, perennial candidate
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Evan Mecham | 50,713 | 44.07 | |
| Republican | Jack Londen | 40,116 | 34.86 | |
| Republican | Charles King | 24,253 | 21.08 | |
| Total votes | 115,082 | 100.00 | ||
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bruce Babbitt (incumbent) | 282,605 | 52.47% | +2.06% | |
| Republican | Evan Mecham | 241,093 | 44.77% | -4.79% | |
| Libertarian | V. Gene Lewter | 10,421 | 1.93% | +1.93% | |
| Socialist Workers | Jessica Sampson | 4,437 | 0.82% | +0.82% | |
| Majority | 41,512 | 7.71% | +6.86% | ||
| Turnout | 538,556 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
References
- Our Campaigns - AZ Governor - D Primary Race - Sep 12, 1978
- Our Campaigns - AZ Governor - R Primary Race - Sep 12, 1978
- "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 20, 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)