1978 Arkansas gubernatorial election

For related races, see 1978 United States gubernatorial elections.

1978 Arkansas gubernatorial election

* * *

| <- 1976 | November 7, 1978 | 1980 ->

|
|

|  |  |

|
|

Nominee  | Bill Clinton | Lynn Lowe |
Party  | Democratic | Republican
Popular vote  | 335,101 | 193,746
Percentage  | 63.36% | 36.64%

* * *

County results
Clinton: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%
Lowe: 50–60% 60–70%

* * *

| Governor before election

David Pryor
Democratic

| Elected Governor

Bill Clinton
Democratic

|

Elections in Arkansas

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Little Rock

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|  |

This article is part of
a series about

Bill Clinton

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* * *

40th and 42nd Governor of Arkansas

* Governorships
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* * *

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* * *

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* * *

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* e

The 1978 Arkansas gubernatorial election, held on November 7, was the first time that future president Bill Clinton was elected Governor of Arkansas.

## Democratic primary

[edit]

Further information: Electoral history of Bill Clinton § 1978 Arkansas gubernatorial election

At this time, one gubernatorial term was two years. Incumbent two-term Democratic governor David Pryor decided to not seek re-election in order to run for the United States Senate, as his predecessor and future Senate colleague Dale Bumpers did.[1]

### Candidates

[edit]

* Bill Clinton, Attorney General
* Frank Lady II, former state representative and candidate for governor in 1976
* Randall Mathis, Clark County Judge
* Monroe Schwarzlose, turkey farmer[citation needed]
* Joe Woodward, Seventh Circuit Prosecuting Attorney

### Results

[edit]

Clinton, a former assistant to U.S. senator J. William Fulbright and since 1977 the state attorney general, won the nomination easily.

Democratic primary results  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Democratic | Bill Clinton | 341,118  | 59.55
| Democratic | Joe Woodward  | 123,674  | 21.59
| Democratic | Frank Lady II  | 76,026  | 13.27
| Democratic | Randall Mathis  | 26,096  | 4.56
| Democratic | Monroe Schwarzlose  | 5,898  | 1.03
Total votes  | 572,809  | 100.00

## Republican nomination

[edit]

A. Lynn Lowe, a Texarkana farmer, who served as state Republican Party chairman from 1974 to 1980, was unopposed for the 1978 gubernatorial nomination. He had also been the Republican nominee for Arkansas's 4th congressional district seat in 1966.

## Election result

[edit]

Clinton easily won the general election.[2]

Arkansas gubernatorial election, 1978  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Democratic | Bill Clinton | 335,101  | 63.36
| Republican | Lynn Lowe | 193,746  | 36.64
Total votes  | 528,847  | 100.00
| Democratic hold

Clinton also led in fundraising. His campaign budget was a combined $709,234.00 while Lynn's was $171,382.[2]

Clinton, at the age of thirty-two, became the youngest man to be elected Arkansas governor, the youngest governor in the United States since Harold E. Stassen won in Minnesota in 1938 at the age of thirty-one, and the youngest governor in the nation at this time. In 1992 he was elected as the third-youngest U.S. president in history.

Lowe's total was the highest for a Republican nominee in Arkansas since Winthrop Rockefeller's third term bid in 1970. He carried fourteen out of seventy-five counties, including Miller, Columbia, and Union counties in South Arkansas.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Our Campaigns - AR. Governor - D Primary Race - May 30, 1978
2. ^ a b Our Campaigns - AR Governor Race - Nov 07, 1978

* v
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Elections in Arkansas

General|

* 1844
* 1846
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* 1848
* 1849
* 1850
* 1851
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* 1853
* 1854
* 1855
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* 1914
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* 1918
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* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1926
* 1927
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* 1932
* 1933
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* 1939
* 1940
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* 1943
* 1944
* 1946
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* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
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Governor|

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* 1876
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* 1914
* 1916
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* 1920
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U.S. President|

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U.S. Senate|

* Class 2: 1833
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Class 3:
* 1837
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U.S. House|

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'S,' denotes special election; 'U,' denotes election under Federal (Union) military occupation

See also: Political party strength in Arkansas

* v
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(1977 <-)  1978 United States elections (-> 1979)

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Bill Clinton

* 42nd President of the United States (1993–2001)
* 40th and 42nd Governor of Arkansas (1979–1981, 1983–1992)

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Elections|

| U.S. House|

* 1974

|

Gubernatorial|

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Books|

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* The President's Daughter (2021)
* Citizen: My Life After the White House (2024)

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Popular
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Family|

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* ← George H. W. Bush
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