The 1979 Mississippi gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1979, in order to elect the Governor of Mississippi. Incumbent Democrat Cliff Finch was term-limited, and could not run for reelection to a second term. As of 2020, this was the most recent election in which a Democrat won over 60 percent of the statewide vote in a gubernatorial election in the state.
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
County results Winter: 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-90% Carmichael: 50-60% | |||||||||||||||||
|
Democratic primary
editNo candidate received a majority in the Democratic primary, which featured 6 contenders, so a runoff was held between the top two candidates. The runoff election was won by former Lieutenant Governor William Winter, who defeated Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Gandy.
Results
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Evelyn Gandy | 224,746 | 30.49 | |
Democratic | William Winter | 183,944 | 24.25 | |
Democratic | John Arthur Eaves | 143,411 | 19.45 | |
Democratic | Jim Herring | 135,812 | 18.42 | |
Democratic | Charles M. Deaton | 34,700 | 4.71 | |
Democratic | Richard Barrett | 14,550 | 1.97 | |
Total votes | 737,163 | 100.00 |
Runoff
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | William Winter | 386,174 | 56.62 | |
Democratic | Evelyn Gandy | 295,835 | 43.38 | |
Total votes | 682,009 | 100.00 |
Republican primary
editIn the Republican primary, businessman and 1975 nominee Gil Carmichael defeated farmer and businessman Leon Bramlett.
Results
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Gil Carmichael | 17,216 | 53.05 | |
Republican | Leon Bramlett | 15,236 | 46.95 | |
Total votes | 32,452 | 100.00 |
General election
editResults
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | William Winter | 413,620 | 61.07 | |
Republican | Gil Carmichael | 263,702 | 38.93 | |
Total votes | 677,322 | 100.00 | ||
Democratic hold |
References
edit- ^ "MS Governor D Primary 1979". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
- ^ "MS Governor D Primary Runoff 1979". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
- ^ "MS Governor R Primary 1979". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
- ^ "MS Governor 1979". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 4, 2016.