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| Turnout | 38.9%[a][1] 9.4% | ||||||||||||||||
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The1978 Texas lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1978, to elect thelieutenant governor of Texas. The incumbent,William P. Hobby Jr. ran for re-election to his third term, he was elected against Republican, Gaylord Marshall, whom he had beaten four years earlier. Hobby won the election with 65% of the vote to Marshall's 34%, and was sworn in on January 16, 1979, alongside Texas' firstRepublican governor sinceReconstruction,Bill Clements who had won the concurrentgubernatorial election.
Primaries were held on May 6, 1978, and runoffs were held on June 3, 1978, for both parties.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | William P. Hobby Jr. | 1,071,359 | 69.6 | |
| Democratic | John Hill Westbrook | 277,679 | 18.0 | |
| Democratic | James L. "Jim" McNees, Jr. | 138,258 | 9.0 | |
| Democratic | Troy Skates | 51,963 | 3.4 | |
| Total votes | 1,539,259 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Gaylord Marshall | 127,661 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 127,661 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | William P. Hobby Jr. | 1,434,613 | 64.91 | |
| Republican | Gaylord Marshall | 760,642 | 34.42 | |
| Socialist Workers | Andrea Doorack | 14,855 | 0.67 | |
| Total votes | 2,210,110 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
