The 1978 New Mexico gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 1978, in order to elect the Governor of New Mexico. Due to term limits, incumbent Democrat Jerry Apodaca was ineligible to seek a second term as governor. Bruce King, a member of the Democratic Party who had previously served as governor from 1971 to 1975, won the open seat. With a margin of victory of just 1.09% this was the second closest contest of the 1978 Gubernatorial Cycle, behind only the election in Texas.
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 County results King: 50–60% 60–70% Skeen: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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Primary election
editDemocratic primary
editThe Democratic primary was won by former Governor Bruce King.
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bruce King | 92,432 | 61.31% | |
| Democratic | Robert E. Ferguson | 58,334 | 38.69% | |
| Total votes | 150,766 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
editThe Republican primary was won by former state senator Joe Skeen.
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Joe Skeen | 38,638 | 81.17% | |
| Republican | Philip R. Grant | 8,966 | 18.84% | |
| Total votes | 47,604 | 100.00% | ||
General election
editResults
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bruce King | 174,631 | 50.55% | +0.61% | |
| Republican | Joseph R. Skeen | 170,848 | 49.45% | −0.65% | |
| Majority | 3,783 | 1.10% | |||
| Total votes | 345,479 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic hold | Swing | -0.04% | |||
Results by county
edit| County | Bruce King Democratic |
Joe Skeen Republican |
Margin | Total votes cast | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Bernalillo | 55,448 | 48.26% | 59,443 | 51.74% | -3,995 | -3.48% | 114,891 |
| Catron | 649 | 49.13% | 672 | 50.87% | -23 | -1.74% | 1,321 |
| Chaves | 5,134 | 33.94% | 9,991 | 66.06% | -4,857 | -32.11% | 15,125 |
| Colfax | 2,187 | 53.12% | 1,930 | 46.88% | 257 | 6.24% | 4,117 |
| Curry | 4,054 | 48.51% | 4,303 | 51.49% | -249 | -2.98% | 8,357 |
| De Baca | 521 | 52.31% | 475 | 47.69% | 46 | 4.62% | 996 |
| Doña Ana | 9,539 | 45.12% | 11,603 | 54.88% | -2,064 | -9.76% | 21,142 |
| Eddy | 7,419 | 54.02% | 6,314 | 45.98% | 1,105 | 8.05% | 13,733 |
| Grant | 4,624 | 59.74% | 3,116 | 40.26% | 1,508 | 19.48% | 7,740 |
| Guadalupe | 1,591 | 69.72% | 691 | 30.28% | 900 | 39.44% | 2,282 |
| Harding | 259 | 41.77% | 361 | 58.23% | -102 | -16.45% | 620 |
| Hidalgo | 766 | 54.36% | 643 | 45.64% | 123 | 8.73% | 1,409 |
| Lea | 4,665 | 44.48% | 5,824 | 55.52% | -1,159 | -11.05% | 10,489 |
| Lincoln | 1,009 | 29.46% | 2,416 | 70.54% | -1,407 | -41.08% | 3,425 |
| Los Alamos | 2,349 | 32.65% | 4,845 | 67.35% | -2,496 | -34.70% | 7,194 |
| Luna | 2,117 | 45.29% | 2,557 | 54.71% | -440 | -9.41% | 4,674 |
| McKinley | 5,244 | 59.29% | 3,600 | 40.71% | 1,644 | 18.59% | 8,844 |
| Mora | 1,494 | 62.07% | 913 | 37.93% | 581 | 24.14% | 2,407 |
| Otero | 4,140 | 44.43% | 5,178 | 55.57% | -1,038 | -11.14% | 9,318 |
| Quay | 1,632 | 47.65% | 1,793 | 52.35% | -161 | -4.70% | 3,425 |
| Rio Arriba | 7,106 | 68.78% | 3,226 | 31.22% | 3,880 | 37.55% | 10,332 |
| Roosevelt | 1,793 | 36.87% | 3,070 | 63.13% | -1,277 | -26.26% | 4,863 |
| San Juan | 6,866 | 44.31% | 8,631 | 55.69% | -1,765 | -11.39% | 15,497 |
| San Miguel | 4,729 | 62.29% | 2,863 | 37.71% | 1,866 | 24.58% | 7,592 |
| Sandoval | 5,303 | 59.77% | 3,570 | 40.23% | 1,733 | 19.53% | 8,873 |
| Santa Fe | 14,080 | 60.44% | 9,217 | 39.56% | 4,863 | 20.87% | 23,297 |
| Sierra | 1,486 | 47.66% | 1,632 | 52.34% | -146 | -4.68% | 3,118 |
| Socorro | 2,524 | 57.39% | 1,874 | 42.61% | 650 | 14.78% | 4,398 |
| Taos | 4,418 | 66.07% | 2,269 | 33.93% | 2,149 | 32.14% | 6,687 |
| Torrance | 1,858 | 62.06% | 1,136 | 37.94% | 722 | 24.11% | 2,994 |
| Union | 704 | 41.46% | 994 | 58.54% | -290 | -17.08% | 1,698 |
| Valencia | 8,923 | 61.03% | 5,698 | 38.97% | 3,225 | 22.06% | 14,621 |
| Total | 174,631 | 50.55% | 170,848 | 49.45% | 3,783 | 1.10% | 345,479 |
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
editCounties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
editReferences
edit- ^ "NM Governor D Primary 1978". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
- ^ "NM Governor R Primary 1978". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
- ^ New Mexico State Records Center & Archives, Canvass of Returns of General Election Held on November 7, 1978 - State of New Mexico
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