Election Name: | 1978 Georgia gubernatorial election |
Country: | Georgia (U.S. state) |
Type: | presidential |
Ongoing: | no |
Previous Election: | 1974 Georgia gubernatorial election |
Previous Year: | 1974 |
Next Election: | 1982 Georgia gubernatorial election |
Next Year: | 1982 |
Election Date: | November 7, 1978 |
Flag Year: | 1956 |
Image1: | File:George Busbee (cropped).jpg |
Nominee1: | George Busbee |
Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
Popular Vote1: | 534,572 |
Percentage1: | 80.7% |
Nominee2: | Rodney Mims Cook Sr. |
Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
Popular Vote2: | 128,139 |
Percentage2: | 19.3% |
Map Size: | 250px |
Governor | |
Before Election: | George Busbee |
Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
After Election: | George Busbee |
After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
The 1978 Georgia gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1978. George Busbee was re-elected, the first time a Governor of Georgia was re-elected for a second four-year term under the amendment made to the constitution in 1976 and the first time overall after serving a complete first four-year term.
Governor Busbee won the primary with 503,875 votes (72.41%), defeating Roscoe Dean, Jr and his 111,901 votes (16.08%). Notable segregationist J. B. Stoner finished 3rd with 37,654 votes (5.41%).
Rodney Cook, who had served in the Georgia House of Representatives defeated Bud Herrin with 23,231 votes (87.32%) to his 3,374 votes (12.68%).
This election was a contest between the Democratic Governor Busbee and civil rights icon Rodney Cook who ran on the Republican ticket. Despite fewer votes from the previous election four years earlier, Busbee defeated Cook in every single county and by over 400,000 votes.