1978 Kansas gubernatorial election

The 1978 Kansas gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1978. Democratic nominee John W. Carlin defeated incumbent Republican Robert Frederick Bennett with 49.4% of the vote.

1978 Kansas gubernatorial election

← 1974 November 7, 1978 1982 →

Nominee John W. Carlin Robert F. Bennett Party Democratic Republican Running mate Paul Dugan Larry Montgomery Popular vote 363,835 348,015 Percentage 49.4% 47.3%

County results Carlin:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Bennett:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

Governor before election Robert Frederick Bennett Republican Elected Governor John W. Carlin Democratic

Primary elections

Primary elections were held on August 1, 1978.^[1]

Democratic primary

Candidates

• John W. Carlin, Speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives
• Bert Chaney
• Harry G. Wiles

Results

Democratic primary results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John W. Carlin	71,366	55.21
	Democratic	Bert Chaney	34,132	26.41
	Democratic	Harry G. Wiles	23,762	18.38
Total votes			129,260	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

• Robert Frederick Bennett, incumbent Governor
• Robert R. "Bob" Sanders
• Harold Knight

Results

Republican primary results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Robert Frederick Bennett (incumbent)	142,239	69.23
	Republican	Robert R. "Bob" Sanders	40,542	19.73
	Republican	Harold Knight	22,671	11.04
Total votes			205,452	100.00

General election

Candidates

Major party candidates

• John W. Carlin, Democratic
• Robert Frederick Bennett, Republican

Other candidates

• Frank W. Shelton Jr., American
• Berry Beets, Prohibition

Results

1978 Kansas gubernatorial election^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	John W. Carlin	363,835	49.42%
	Republican	Robert Frederick Bennett (incumbent)	348,015	47.27%
	American	Frank W. Shelton Jr.	17,053	2.32%
	Prohibition	Berry Beets	7,343	1.00%
Majority			15,820
Turnout			736,246
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing