1978 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

1978 Wisconsin gubernatorial election
November 7, 1978
 
Nominee Lee S. Dreyfus Martin J. Schreiber
Party Republican Democratic
Running mate Russell A. Olson Douglas J. La Follette
Popular vote 816,056 673,813
Percentage 54.37% 44.89%
County results

Dreyfus:      50–60%      60–70%

Schreiber:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Governor before election

Martin J. Schreiber
Democratic

Elected Governor

Lee S. Dreyfus
Republican

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The 1978 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1978. Republican Lee S. Dreyfus won the election with 54% of the vote, winning his first term as Governor of Wisconsin and defeating incumbent Democrat Martin J. Schreiber.[1] Bob Kasten unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination.

As of 2024, this is the most occasion that Florence County has voted Democratic in a gubernatorial election.

Primary election

The primary election was held on September 12, 1978. Nominees for Governor and Lieutenant Governor were selected in separate primaries before running on a joint ticket in the general election.

Democratic party

Governor

Candidates
  • David Carley, nominee for lieutenant governor in 1962
  • Edmond Hou-Seye, American party nominee for United States Senate in 1970
  • Martin J. Schreiber, incumbent governor
Results
Democratic gubernatorial primary results[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Martin J. Schreiber (incumbent) 217,572 60.44%
Democratic David Carley 132,901 36.92%
Democratic Edmond Hou-Seye 9,487 2.64%
Total votes 359,960 100.00%

Lieutenant Governor

Candidates
Results
Democratic lieutenant gubernatorial primary results[3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Douglas J. La Follette 151,366 44.78%
Democratic Dale T. McKenna 47,257 13.98%
Democratic Harout Sanasarian 40,268 11.91%
Democratic Paul Offner 40,008 11.84%
Democratic Robert A. Anderson 21,230 6.28%
Democratic Charles E. Smith 19,504 5.77%
Democratic Monroe Swan 18,392 5.44%
Total votes 338,025 100.00%

Republican party

Governor

Candidates
Results
Republican gubernatorial primary results[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Lee S. Dreyfus 197,279 57.91%
Republican Robert W. Kasten 143,361 42.09%
Total votes 340,640 100.00%

Lieutenant Governor

Candidates
Results
Republican lieutenant gubernatorial primary results[3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Russell A. Olson 185,332 100.00%
Republican La Verne Ausman 104,986 100.00%
Total votes 290,318 100.00%

Conservative party

Governor

Candidates
  • Eugene R. Zimmerman, American party nominee for Secretary of State in 1974
Results
Conservative gubernatorial primary results[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Eugene R. Zimmerman 1,213 100.00%
Total votes 1,213 100.00%

Lieutenant Governor

Candidates
  • George Reed, American party nominee for Secretary of State in 1970
Results
Conservative lieutenant gubernatorial primary results[3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative George Reed 964 100.00%
Total votes 964 100.00%

Independent nominations

Candidates

  • John C. Doherty & Marion A. Doherty
  • Adrienne Kaplan & William Breihan
  • Henry A. Ochsner & Robert E. Nordlander

Results

Independent primary results[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Independent Doherty & Doherty 683 51.78%
Independent Kaplan & Breihan 383 29.04%
Independent Ochser & Nordlander 253 19.18%
Total votes 1,319 100.00%

General election

Candidates

  • Martin J. Schreiber & Douglas J. La Follette, Democrat
  • Lee S. Dreyfus & Russell A. Olson, Republican
  • Eugene R. Zimmerman & George Reed, Conservative
  • John C. Doherty & Marion A. Doherty, Independent
  • Adrienne Kaplan & William Breihan, Independent
  • Henry A. Ochsner & Robert E. Nordlander, Independent

Results

1978 Wisconsin gubernatorial election[4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Lee S. Dreyfus 816,056 54.37% +12.30%
Democratic Martin J. Schreiber (incumbent) 673,813 44.89% −8.29%
Conservative Eugene R. Zimmerman 6,355 0.42%
Independent John C. Doherty 2,183 0.15%
Independent Adrienne Kaplan 1,548 0.10%
Independent Henry A. Ochsner 849 0.06%
Scattering 192 0.01%
Majority 142,243 9.48%
Total votes 1,500,996 100.00%
Republican gain from Democratic Swing +20.60%

Results by county

Dreyfus was the first Republican since Walter J. Kohler Jr. in 1952 to win Forest County, Portage County, and Rusk County. St. Croix County backed the losing candidate for the first time since 1892, breaking a bellwether streak of 40 consecutive gubernatorial elections. Barron County, Buffalo County, Pepin County, and Washburn County would not vote for the losing candidate again until 2018.

County[4][5] Lee S. Dreyfus
Republican 		Martin J. Schreiber
Democratic 		All Others
Various 		Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # %
Adams 2,567 56.50% 1,941 42.73% 35 0.77% 626 13.78% 4,543
Ashland 2,641 45.60% 3,108 53.66% 43 0.74% -467 -8.06% 5,792
Barron 4,868 49.57% 4,901 49.91% 51 0.52% -33 -0.34% 9,820
Bayfield 2,354 44.42% 2,889 54.52% 56 1.06% -535 -10.10% 5,299
Brown 31,610 57.19% 23,146 41.88% 514 0.93% 8,464 15.31% 55,270
Buffalo 1,980 45.65% 2,329 53.70% 28 0.65% -349 -8.05% 4,337
Burnett 1,931 41.33% 2,664 57.02% 77 1.65% -733 -15.69% 4,672
Calumet 5,593 57.51% 4,091 42.07% 41 0.42% 1,502 15.44% 9,725
Chippewa 7,624 55.97% 5,880 43.17% 118 0.87% 1,744 12.80% 13,622
Clark 6,123 56.80% 4,583 42.52% 73 0.68% 1,540 14.29% 10,779
Columbia 8,377 62.09% 5,063 37.53% 52 0.39% 3,314 24.56% 13,492
Crawford 2,332 52.63% 2,071 46.74% 28 0.63% 261 5.89% 4,431
Dane 56,631 50.24% 54,916 48.72% 1,166 1.03% 1,715 1.52% 112,713
Dodge 14,280 61.89% 8,656 37.51% 138 0.60% 5,624 24.37% 23,074
Door 5,226 59.50% 3,520 40.08% 37 0.42% 1,706 19.42% 8,783
Douglas 5,504 38.94% 8,494 60.10% 135 0.96% -2,990 -21.16% 14,133
Dunn 4,317 46.40% 4,824 51.85% 163 1.75% -507 -5.45% 9,304
Eau Claire 12,063 52.16% 10,898 47.13% 164 0.71% 1,165 5.04% 23,125
Florence 692 48.56% 722 50.67% 11 0.77% -30 -2.11% 1,425
Fond du Lac 16,305 57.31% 11,848 41.64% 300 1.05% 4,457 15.66% 28,453
Forest 1,653 52.08% 1,493 47.04% 28 0.88% 160 5.04% 3,174
Grant 8,963 59.00% 6,134 40.38% 94 0.62% 2,829 18.62% 15,191
Green 5,211 59.63% 3,493 39.97% 35 0.40% 1,718 19.66% 8,739
Green Lake 4,056 69.69% 1,737 29.85% 27 0.46% 2,319 39.85% 5,820
Iowa 3,269 56.13% 2,519 43.25% 36 0.62% 750 12.88% 5,824
Iron 1,296 47.81% 1,384 51.05% 31 1.14% -88 -3.25% 2,711
Jackson 3,118 58.71% 2,157 40.61% 36 0.68% 961 18.09% 5,311
Jefferson 12,255 58.59% 8,519 40.73% 141 0.67% 3,736 17.86% 20,915
Juneau 4,356 60.91% 2,743 38.36% 52 0.73% 1,613 22.56% 7,151
Kenosha 13,518 41.36% 18,976 58.06% 188 0.58% -5,458 -16.70% 32,682
Kewaunee 3,446 55.86% 2,690 43.61% 33 0.53% 756 12.25% 6,169
La Crosse 15,954 56.52% 12,053 42.70% 218 0.77% 3,901 13.82% 28,225
Lafayette 3,370 56.19% 2,596 43.29% 31 0.52% 774 12.91% 5,997
Langlade 5,213 66.01% 2,624 33.23% 60 0.76% 2,589 32.78% 7,897
Lincoln 5,838 65.77% 2,975 33.52% 63 0.71% 2,863 32.26% 8,876
Manitowoc 13,130 48.06% 13,898 50.87% 294 1.08% -768 -2.81% 27,322
Marathon 24,536 64.67% 12,973 34.19% 433 1.14% 11,563 30.48% 37,942
Marinette 7,376 54.62% 6,030 44.65% 98 0.73% 1,346 9.97% 13,504
Marquette 2,422 61.36% 1,495 37.88% 30 0.76% 927 23.49% 3,947
Menominee 201 27.99% 515 71.73% 2 0.28% -314 -43.73% 718
Milwaukee 145,363 45.94% 168,854 53.36% 2,222 0.70% -23,491 -7.42% 316,439
Monroe 5,868 65.35% 3,061 34.09% 50 0.56% 2,807 31.26% 8,979
Oconto 5,149 59.12% 3,497 40.15% 63 0.72% 1,652 18.97% 8,709
Oneida 7,818 67.98% 3,632 31.58% 50 0.43% 4,186 36.40% 11,500
Outagamie 23,544 58.89% 16,030 40.09% 409 1.02% 7,514 18.79% 39,983
Ozaukee 17,145 67.50% 8,160 32.12% 96 0.38% 8,985 35.37% 25,401
Pepin 1,016 37.81% 1,647 61.30% 24 0.89% -631 -23.48% 2,687
Pierce 3,460 44.25% 4,295 54.92% 65 0.83% -835 -10.68% 7,820
Polk 3,950 43.66% 5,027 55.57% 70 0.77% -1,077 -11.90% 9,047
Portage 12,722 60.18% 8,272 39.13% 146 0.69% 4,450 21.05% 21,140
Price 3,740 64.41% 2,027 34.91% 40 0.69% 1,713 29.50% 5,807
Racine 26,744 51.62% 24,734 47.74% 334 0.64% 2,010 3.88% 51,812
Richland 3,712 60.97% 2,340 38.44% 36 0.59% 1,372 22.54% 6,088
Rock 18,834 51.24% 17,647 48.01% 273 0.74% 1,187 3.23% 36,754
Rusk 2,517 52.13% 2,269 47.00% 42 0.87% 248 5.14% 4,828
Sauk 7,867 60.46% 5,063 38.91% 82 0.63% 2,804 21.55% 13,012
Sawyer 2,442 62.76% 1,434 36.85% 15 0.39% 1,008 25.91% 3,891
Shawano 7,145 63.31% 4,097 36.30% 44 0.39% 3,048 27.01% 11,286
Sheboygan 18,936 53.30% 16,355 46.04% 235 0.66% 2,581 7.27% 35,526
St. Croix 4,602 45.19% 5,515 54.16% 66 0.65% -913 -8.97% 10,183
Taylor 3,391 58.62% 2,338 40.41% 56 0.97% 1,053 18.20% 5,785
Trempealeau 4,108 53.14% 3,595 46.51% 27 0.35% 513 6.64% 7,730
Vernon 4,538 59.53% 3,048 39.98% 37 0.49% 1,490 19.55% 7,623
Vilas 4,619 67.54% 2,190 32.02% 30 0.44% 2,429 35.52% 6,839
Walworth 12,808 63.12% 7,386 36.40% 98 0.48% 5,422 26.72% 20,292
Washburn 2,306 48.06% 2,447 51.00% 45 0.94% -141 -2.94% 4,798
Washington 15,645 60.82% 9,951 38.69% 127 0.49% 5,694 22.14% 25,723
Waukesha 62,062 65.53% 32,138 33.93% 509 0.54% 29,924 31.60% 94,709
Waupaca 9,096 67.75% 4,273 31.83% 57 0.42% 4,823 35.92% 13,426
Waushara 3,791 68.39% 1,729 31.19% 23 0.41% 2,062 37.20% 5,543
Winnebago 24,874 57.24% 18,137 41.74% 441 1.01% 6,737 15.50% 43,452
Wood 14,045 60.34% 9,077 39.00% 155 0.67% 4,968 21.34% 23,277
Total 816,056 54.37% 673,813 44.89% 11,127 0.74% 142,243 9.48% 1,500,996

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

References

  1. ^ Joint Committee on Legislative Organization, Wisconsin Legislature (2015). Wisconsin Blue Book 2015-2016. Madison, Wisconsin: Wisconsin Department of Administration. pp. 699–701. ISBN 978-0-9752820-7-6.
  2. ^ a b c d Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (1979). "Vote For State Officers. By County". The State of Wisconsin Blue Book 1979-1980. Madison, Wisconsin. p. 893.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ^ a b c Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (1979). "Vote For State Officers, By County". The State of Wisconsin Blue Book 1979-1980. Madison, Wisconsin. pp. 894–895.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ a b Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (1979). "Vote For State Officers By County". The State of Wisconsin Blue Book 1979-1980. Madison, Wisconsin. p. 914.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. ^ a b Richard M. Scammon; Alice V. McGillivray, eds. (1979). America Votes 13, A Handbook of Contemporary American Election Statistics. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly. p. 372.
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