The 1978 Florida gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1978. Democratic nominee Bob Graham was elected, defeating Republican nominee Jack Eckerd with 55.59% of the vote.
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 County results Graham: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Eckerd: 50-60% 60-70% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Primary elections
editPrimary elections were held on September 12, 1978. The Democratic runoff was held on October 5, 1978.
Democratic primary
editCandidates
edit- Leroy Eden, bar owner
- Maria Kay
- Bob Graham, State Senator from Miami Lakes
- Claude R. Kirk Jr., former Republican Governor
- Mary L. Singleton, former director of the state Division of Elections and Jacksonville City Council member
- Robert L. Shevin, Florida Attorney General
- Jim Glisson, State Senator from Tavares
- Bruce A. Smathers, former Secretary of State of Florida
- Hans Tanzler, mayor of Jacksonville
- Manuel "Manolo" Arques, Miami real estate and insurance executive
- James H. Williams, Lieutenant Governor of Florida
- Betty Castor, State Senator from Tampa
Seven tickets ran for the Democratic nomination for governor of Florida.
Jim Williams, the lieutenant governor, ran for governor with former state Senator Betty Castor of Florida, as his running mate. Hans G. Tanzler, the mayor of Jacksonville, ran with Manuel "Manolo" Arques, a Cuban-American real estate and insurance executive from Miami. State Secretary of State Bruce Smathers (who resigned to run) ran with state Representative Charles W. Boyd.
Claude R. Kirk Jr. of Palm Beach, who was the Republican governor of Florida from 1967 to 1971, returned to the party he left 18 years prior, switching his party affiliation to Democratic on July 5, 1978 (the month prior re-registering as an independent and launching an abortive signature drive to get on the ballot as an independent. He chose as his running mate Mary L. Singleton, the former director of the state Division of Elections and the first black woman to sit on the Jacksonville City Council.[1]
Results
edit
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
- 20–30%
- 50–60%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert L. Shevin | 364,732 | 35.15 | |
| Democratic | Bob Graham | 261,972 | 25.25 | |
| Democratic | Hans Tanzler | 124,706 | 12.02 | |
| Democratic | James H. Williams | 124,427 | 11.99 | |
| Democratic | Bruce A. Smathers | 85,298 | 8.22 | |
| Democratic | Claude R. Kirk Jr. | 62,534 | 6.03 | |
| Democratic | Leroy Eden | 13,864 | 1.34 | |
| Total votes | 1,037,533 | 100.00 | ||
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bob Graham | 482,535 | 53.55 | |
| Democratic | Robert L. Shevin | 418,636 | 46.45 | |
| Total votes | 901,171 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary
editCandidates
edit- Jack Eckerd, businessman and administrator of the General Services Administration
- Louis Frey Jr., U.S. Representative from Orlando
Results
edit
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
- >90%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jack Eckerd | 244,394 | 63.84 | |
| Republican | Louis Frey Jr. | 138,437 | 36.16 | |
| Total votes | 382,831 | 100.00 | ||
General election
editCandidates
edit- Bob Graham, Democratic
- Jack Eckerd, Republican
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bob Graham/ Wayne Mixson | 1,406,580 | 55.59% | ||
| Republican | Jack Eckerd/ Paula Hawkins | 1,123,888 | 44.41% | ||
| Majority | 282,692 | 11.18% | |||
| Turnout | 2,530,468 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
References
edit- ^ Slaughter, Thomas E. "Shevin TV Ad Kills Truce." Associated Press, October 3, 1978.
- ^ "FL Governor, 1978 - D Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
- ^ a b Florida Handbook 1985-86, p. 604.
- ^ "FL Governor, 1978 - D Runoff". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
- ^ "FL Governor, 1978 - R Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
- ^ Florida Handbook 1985-86, p. 601.
- ^ Cook, Rhodes, ed. (2015). America Votes 31: 2013-2014, Election Returns by State. CQ Press. p. 81. ISBN 9781483383026. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
- ^ "FL Governor, 1978". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
- ^ Florida Handbook 1985-86, p. 600.
Bibliography
edit- Morris, Allen (1985). The Florida Handbook, 1985-86. Tallahassee, FL: The Peninsular Publishing Company.