1968 Texas gubernatorial election
American election
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 County results Smith: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Eggers: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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The 1968 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1968, to elect the governor of Texas. Incumbent Democratic Governor John Connally did not run for reelection to a fourth term, so the election pitted Democrat Preston Smith against Republican Paul Eggers. Smith was easily elected, winning 57% of the vote to Eggers' 43%.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Dolph Briscoe, former state representative from Uvalde
- Waggoner Carr, former Texas attorney general and nominee for U.S. Senate in 1966
- Johnnie Mae Hackwhorthe
- John Hill, Texas Secretary of State
- Eugene M. Locke, Dallas attorney and deputy U.S. Ambassador to South Vietnam
- Preston Smith, Lieutenant Governor
- Alfonso Veloz
- Edward L. Whittenburg
- Don Yarborough, Houston attorney and candidate for governor in 1962 and 1964
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Don Yarborough | 421,607 | 24.08% | |
| Democratic | Preston Smith | 386,875 | 22.10% | |
| Democratic | Waggoner Carr | 257,543 | 14.71% | |
| Democratic | Dolph Briscoe | 225,686 | 12.89% | |
| Democratic | Eugene Locke | 218,118 | 12.46% | |
| Democratic | John Hill | 154,908 | 8.85% | |
| Democratic | Pat O'Daniel | 47,912 | 2.74% | |
| Democratic | Edward L. Whittenburg | 22,957 | 1.31% | |
| Democratic | Alfonso Veloz | 9,562 | 0.55% | |
| Democratic | Johnnie Mae Hackwhorthe | 5,484 | 0.31% | |
| Total votes | 1,750,652 | 100.00% | ||
Runoff
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Preston Smith | 767,490 | 55.27% | |
| Democratic | Don Yarborough | 621,226 | 44.73% | |
| Total votes | 1,388,716 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Paul Eggers | 65,501 | 62.52% | |
| Republican | John Trice | 28,849 | 27.54% | |
| Republican | Wallace Sisk | 10,415 | 9.94% | |
| Total votes | 104,765 | 100.00% | ||
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Preston Smith | 1,662,019 | 56.99% | |
| Republican | Paul Eggers | 1,254,333 | 43.01% | |
| Total votes | 2,916,352 | 100.00% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
References
- ^ "Texas Almanac". Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
