1982 Texas State Treasurer election

1982 Texas State Treasurer election

← 1978 November 2, 1982 1986 →

Nominee Ann Richards Allen Clark Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,883,781 1,159,823 Percentage 61.39% 37.80%

County results Richards:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90% Clark:     50–60%     60–70%

Treasurer before election Warren Harding Democratic Elected Treasurer Ann Richards Democratic

The 1982 Texas State Treasurer election was held on November 2, 1982, to elect the Texas State Treasurer. Primary elections were held on May 1, 1982. Democratic incumbent Warren Harding originally ran for a second term despite facing corruption charges but eventually dropped out in the primaries, leading to Travis County Commissioner Ann Richards to win the Democratic nomination. Millard Neptune won the Republican nomination unopposed but withdrew and was replaced with businessman Allen Clark. Richards won the election in a landslide, defeating Clark by over 20 percentage points.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• John R. Cutwright
• Lane Denton, former Texas State House Representative (1971–1977)
• Warren Harding, incumbent Texas State Treasurer (1977–1983)
• Ann Richards, Travis County Commissioner (1977–1983)

Campaign

Warren Harding ran for re-election whilst facing a corruption scandal, his vulnerability led to several primary challengers entering the race. Harding placed second in the initial primary against Ann Richards but dropped out before the run-off election, leading to Ann Richards being declared the Democratic nominee.

Results

Democratic primary results ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ann Richards	570,526	47.07%
	Democratic	Warren Harding	411,623	33.96%
	Democratic	Lane Denton	161,181	13.30%
	Democratic	John R. Cutright	68,835	5.68%
Total votes			1,212,165	100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates

• Millard K. Neptune, attorney

Campaign

Neptune won the Republican nomination unopposed but withdrew later on, leading to him being replaced on the ballot with businessman Allen Clark.

Results

Republican primary results ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Millard K. Neptune	181,427	100.00%
Total votes			181,427	100.00%

General election

Candidates

• Ann Richards, Travis County Commissioner (1977–1983) (Democratic)
• Allen Clark, businessman (Republican)
• Alma Kucymbala (Libertarian)

Results

1982 Texas State Treasurer election results ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Ann Richards	1,883,781	61.39%	−34.64
	Republican	Allen Clark	1,159,823	37.80%	N/A
	Libertarian	Alma Kucymbala	24,994	0.81%	N/A
Total votes			3,068,598	100.00%
	Democratic hold

References

1. "Texas Almanac 1982 Democratic Primaries". Portal to Texas History. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
2. "Texas Almanac 1982 Republican Primaries". Portal to Texas History. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
3. "Texas Almanac General Election, 1982". Portal to Texas History. Retrieved December 7, 2025.