Arizona gubernatorial election, 1978

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Arizona gubernatorial election, 1978
Flag of Arizona.svg
  1974 November 7, 1978 1982  

  Bruce babbitt.jpg No image.svg
Nominee Bruce Babbitt Evan Mecham
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote282,605241,093
Percentage52.5%44.8%

Arizona gubernatorial election 1978.svg
Election results by county

Governor before election

Bruce Babbitt
Democratic

Elected Governor

Bruce Babbitt
Democratic

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.

Democratic Party (United States) political party in the United States

The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. Tracing its heritage back to Thomas Jefferson and James Madison's Democratic-Republican Party, the modern-day Democratic Party was founded around 1828 by supporters of Andrew Jackson, making it the world's oldest active political party. The Democrats' dominant worldview was once social conservatism and economic liberalism while populism was its leading characteristic in the rural South. In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt ran as a third-party candidate in the Progressive Party, beginning a switch of political platforms between the Democratic and Republican Party over the coming decades, and leading to Woodrow Wilson being elected as the first fiscally progressive Democrat. Since Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Deal coalition in the 1930s, the Democratic Party has also promoted a social liberal platform, supporting social justice.

Bruce Babbitt American lawyer and politician

Bruce Edward Babbitt is an American attorney and politician from the state of Arizona. A member of the Democratic Party, Babbitt served as the 16th governor of Arizona from 1978 to 1987, and as the United States Secretary of the Interior from 1993 through 2001.

Republican Party (United States) political party in the United States

The Republican Party, also referred to as the GOP, is one of the two major political parties in the United States; the other is its historic rival, the Democratic Party.

Contents

Democratic primary

Candidates

A perennial candidate is a political candidate who frequently runs for an elected office but seldom wins. The term is not generally extended to incumbent politicians who successfully defend their seats repeatedly.

Withdrew

Results

Democratic primary results [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Bruce Edward Babbitt108,54876.80
Democratic Dave Moss32,78523.20
Total votes141,333100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

Evan Mecham American politician and businessman

Evan Mecham was an American businessman and the 17th governor of Arizona, serving from January 5, 1987, until his impeachment conviction on April 4, 1988. A decorated veteran of World War II, Mecham was a successful automotive dealership owner and occasional newspaper publisher. Periodic runs for political office earned him a reputation as a perennial candidate along with the nickname of "The Harold Stassen of Arizona" before he was elected governor, under the Republican banner. As governor, Mecham was plagued by controversy and became the first U.S. governor to simultaneously face removal from office through impeachment, a scheduled recall election, and a felony indictment. He was the first Arizona governor to be impeached.

Results

Republican primary results [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Evan Mecham50,71344.07
Republican Jack Londen40,11634.86
Republican Charles King24,25321.08
Total votes115,082100.00

General election

Results

Arizona gubernatorial election, 1978 [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Democratic Bruce Babbitt 282,605 52.47% +2.06%
Republican Evan Mecham 241,09344.77%-4.79%
Libertarian V. Gene Lewter10,4211.93%+1.93%
Socialist Workers Jessica Sampson4,4370.82%+0.82%
Majority41,5127.71%+6.86%
Turnout 538,556
Democratic hold Swing

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References

  1. Our Campaigns - AZ Governor - D Primary Race - Sep 12, 1978
  2. Our Campaigns - AZ Governor - R Primary Race - Sep 12, 1978
  3. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-09-20. Retrieved 2014-12-31.