1978 Wisconsin gubernatorial election
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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.
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November 7, 1978
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 County results Dreyfus: 50–60% 60–70% Schreiber: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 2024, this is the last occasion that Florence County has voted Democratic in a gubernatorial 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
Nominee
- Martin J. Schreiber, incumbent governor
Eliminated in primary
Results
| 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
Nominee
Eliminated in primary
- Robert A. Anderson
- Dale T. McKenna, State senator from the 13th district
- Paul Offner, State senator from the 32nd district
- Harout Sanasarian, former state representative
- Charles E. Smith
- Monroe Swan, State senator from the 6th district
Results
| 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
Nominee
- Lee S. Dreyfus, Chancellor of University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Eliminated in primary
- Robert W. Kasten, member of United States House of Representatives from the 9th district
Results
| 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
Nominee
- Russell A. Olson, member of Wisconsin State Assembly
Eliminated in primary
- La Verne Ausman, member of Wisconsin State Assembly
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Russell A. Olson | 185,332 | 63.84% | |
| Republican | La Verne Ausman | 104,986 | 36.16% | |
| Total votes | 290,318 | 100.00% | ||
Conservative party
Governor
Candidates
- Eugene R. Zimmerman, American party nominee for Secretary of State in 1974
Results
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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 |