1970 Texas lieutenant gubernatorial election

1970 Texas lieutenant gubernatorial election

← 1968 November 3, 1970 1972  →
Turnout	54.1% [a] [1]
Nominee Ben Barnes Byron Fullerton Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,497,515 750,445 Percentage 66.61% 33.38%
County results [2] Barnes:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     90-100%
Lieutenant Governor before election Ben Barnes Democratic Elected Lieutenant Governor Ben Barnes Democratic

The 1970 Texas lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1970, in order to elect the lieutenant governor of Texas. Incumbent Democrat Ben Barnes was re-elected over Republican nominee Byron Fullerton. ^[3] Barnes won the election with 66% of the vote to Fullerton's 33%, and was sworn in on January 19, 1971.

Primaries

The Democratic and Republican primary elections were held on May 2, 1970. Barnes and Fullerton both ran unopposed for their respective nominations, obviating any run-off elections.

Results

Democratic primary results ^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ben Barnes	1,045,878	100.0
Total votes			1,045,878	100.0

Republican primary results ^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Byron Fullerton	95,842	100.0
Total votes			95,842	100.0

General Election Results

On election day, November 3, 1970, Democratic nominee Ben Barnes won the election by a margin of 747,070 votes against Republican nominee Byron Fullerton. Barnes was sworn in for his second term on January 19, 1971. ^[2]

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ben Barnes	1,497,515	66.61
	Republican	Byron Fullerton	750,445	33.38
		Scattering	260	0.01
Total votes			2,248,220	100.0
	Democratic hold

References

1. "Turnout and Voter Registration Figures (1970-current)". Texas Secretary of State.
2. "1970 Lt. Gubernatorial General Election Results - Texas". uselectionatlas.org. April 28, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
3. "General election, 1970". texashistory.unt.edu. 1972–1973. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
4. "1970 Democratic primaries". texashistory.unt.edu. 1972–1973. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
5. "1970 Republican primaries". texashistory.unt.edu. 1972–1973. Retrieved January 17, 2026.

1. Of registered voters.