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1976 Washington gubernatorial election

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1976 Washington gubernatorial election

← 1972 November 2, 1976 1980 →
 
Nominee Dixy Lee Ray John Spellman
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 821,797 687,039
Percentage 53.14% 44.43%

County results
Ray:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%
Spellman:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%

Governor before election

Daniel J. Evans
Republican

Elected Governor

Dixy Lee Ray
Democratic

The 1976 Washington gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1976. This election was especially significant in that Washington elected its first female governor, Dixy Lee Ray. Wesley C. Uhlman and John Patric unsuccessfully ran in the blanket primary.

Primary election

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Candidates

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Results

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Blanket primary results[1][2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dixy Lee Ray 205,232 24.09%
Democratic Wesley C. Uhlman 198,336 23.28%
Republican John D. Spellman 185,439 21.77%
Democratic Marvin Durning 136,290 16.00%
Republican Harley Hoppe 111,957 13.14%
Democratic Duke Stockton 5,588 0.66%
Republican Emmett Watson 4,798 0.56%
Republican Carl D. Ricketts 2,636 0.31%
Republican John Patric 1,654 0.19%
Total votes 851,930 100.00%

General election

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Candidates

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Major parties

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Minor parties

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  • Patricia A. Bethard, Socialist Workers
  • Red Kelly, OWL
  • Henry Killman, Socialist Labor
  • Art Manning, American Independent
  • Evelyn Olafson, US Labor
  • Maurice Woodrow Willey, Jr., Libertarian

Results

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1976 Washington gubernatorial election[3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Dixy Lee Ray 821,797 53.14% +10.32%
Republican John D. Spellman 687,039 44.43% −6.36%
American Independent Art Manning 12,406 0.80%
OWL Red Kelly 12,400 0.80%
Socialist Labor Henry Killman 4,137 0.27% +0.08%
Libertarian Maurice Willey 4,133 0.27%
Socialist Workers Patricia A. Bethard 3,106 0.20% −0.11%
U.S. Labor Evelyn Olafson 1,364 0.09%
Majority 134,758 8.71%
Total votes 1,546,382 100.00%
Democratic gain from Republican Swing +16.67%

Results by county

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Dixy Lee Ray was the first Democratic gubernatorial candidate to carry Island County and Klickitat County since Clarence D. Martin in 1936. This is the most recent gubernatorial election in which a Democrat has carried Benton County and Franklin County.

County[4] Dixy Lee Ray
Democratic
John D. Spellman
Republican
Art Manning
AIP
Red Kelly
OWL
All Others
Various
Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # % # % # %
Adams 2,112 44.01% 2,524 52.59% 110 2.29% 28 0.58% 25 0.52% -412 -8.59% 4,799
Asotin 2,493 42.63% 3,231 55.25% 66 1.13% 24 0.41% 34 0.58% -738 -12.62% 5,848
Benton 23,006 65.98% 11,367 32.60% 220 0.63% 133 0.38% 141 0.40% 11,639 33.38% 34,867
Chelan 8,278 44.70% 9,926 53.60% 118 0.64% 111 0.60% 84 0.45% -1,648 -8.90% 18,517
Clallam 10,234 55.58% 7,514 40.81% 294 1.60% 201 1.09% 171 0.93% 2,720 14.77% 18,414
Clark 32,038 52.64% 27,222 44.73% 678 1.11% 507 0.83% 418 0.69% 4,816 7.91% 60,863
Columbia 965 47.68% 1,027 50.74% 24 1.19% 7 0.35% 1 0.05% -62 -3.06% 2,024
Cowlitz 14,930 54.70% 11.504 42.14% 534 1.96% 154 0.56% 176 0.64% 3,429 12.56% 27,295
Douglas 4,263 50.13% 4,134 48.61% 61 0.72% 28 0.33% 18 0.21% 129 1.52% 8,504
Ferry 805 48.85% 773 46.91% 43 2.61% 11 0.67% 16 0.97% 32 1.94% 1,648
Franklin 6,187 60.81% 3,826 37.61% 65 0.64% 30 0.29% 66 0.65% 2,361 23.21% 10,174
Garfield 579 37.43% 951 61.47% 13 0.84% 1 0.06% 3 0.19% -372 -24.05% 1,547
Grant 8,148 47.37% 8,589 49.93% 201 1.17% 92 0.53% 171 0.99% -441 -2.56% 17,201
Grays Harbor 13,567 55.60% 10,072 41.28% 240 0.98% 301 1.23% 220 0.90% 3,495 14.32% 24,400
Island 7,408 53.12% 6,358 45.59% 66 0.47% 53 0.38% 62 0.44% 1,050 7.53% 13,947
Jefferson 3,121 52.28% 2,644 44.29% 65 1.09% 67 1.12% 73 1.22% 477 7.99% 5,970
King 277,502 50.87% 254,945 46.73% 3,117 0.57% 4,813 0.88% 5,141 0.94% 22,557 4.13% 545,518
Kitsap 30,399 59.31% 19,626 38.29% 401 0.78% 312 0.61% 513 1.00% 10,773 21.02% 51,251
Kittitas 4,878 49.83% 4,733 48.35% 47 0.48% 70 0.72% 62 0.63% 145 1.48% 9,790
Klickitat 3,016 54.03% 2,411 43.19% 86 1.54% 37 0.66% 32 0.57% 605 10.84% 5,582
Lewis 13,109 61.43% 7,633 35.77% 352 1.65% 138 0.65% 107 0.50% 5,476 25.66% 21,339
Lincoln 2,153 41.73% 2,907 56.35% 49 0.95% 29 0.56% 21 0.41% -754 -14.62% 5,159
Mason 6,984 61.57% 4,052 35.72% 126 1.11% 104 0.92% 77 0.68% 2,932 25.85% 11,343
Okanogan 5,543 48.67% 5,462 47.96% 212 1.86% 93 0.82% 79 0.69% 81 0.71% 11,389
Pacific 4,474 60.52% 2,656 35.93% 77 1.04% 99 1.34% 86 1.16% 1,818 24.59% 7,392
Pend Oreille 1,641 52.03% 1,438 45.59% 32 1.01% 24 0.76% 19 0.60% 203 6.44% 3,154
Pierce 99,527 63.27% 54,543 34.67% 884 0.56% 835 0.53% 1,523 0.97% 44,984 28.60% 157,312
San Juan 1,658 45.21% 1,907 52.00% 27 0.74% 42 1.15% 33 0.90% -249 -6.79% 3,667
Skagit 14,750 54.74% 11,486 42.62% 286 1.06% 224 0.83% 201 0.75% 3,264 12.11% 26,947
Skamania 1,403 54.34% 1,126 43.61% 18 0.70% 21 0.81% 14 0.54% 277 10.73% 2,582
Snohomish 66,369 57.26% 46,946 40.50% 1,072 0.92% 812 0.70% 715 0.62% 19,423 16.76% 115,914
Spokane 61,494 47.67% 64,044 49.65% 1,374 1.07% 1,336 1.04% 750 0.58% -2,550 -1.98% 128,998
Stevens 4,177 45.50% 4,556 49.62% 276 3.01% 91 0.99% 81 0.88% -379 -4.13% 9,181
Thurston 23,957 54.11% 18,984 42.88% 297 0.67% 686 1.55% 348 0.79% 4,973 11.23% 44,272
Wahkiakum 938 56.13% 692 41.41% 23 1.38% 9 0.54% 9 0.54% 246 14.72% 1,671
Walla Walla 7,562 41.93% 10,177 56.43% 66 0.37% 92 0.51% 139 0.77% -2,615 -14.50% 18,036
Whatcom 21,599 53.32% 17,688 43.67% 272 0.67% 408 1.01% 539 1.33% 3,911 9.66% 40,506
Whitman 5,875 38.99% 8,679 57.60% 163 1.08% 202 1.34% 150 1.00% -2,804 -18.61% 15,069
Yakima 24,655 45.41% 28,689 52.84% 351 0.65% 175 0.32% 422 0.78% -4,034 -7.43% 54,292
Totals 821,797 53.14% 687,039 44.43% 12,406 0.80% 12,400 0.80% 12,740 0.82% 134,758 8.71% 1,546,382

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

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Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

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References

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  1. ^ "Elections Search Results September 1976 Primary". Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  2. ^ Washington Secretary of State. "Governor". Abstract of Votes Primary and General Elections Held on September 21, 1976 and November 2, 1976. Olympia, Washington. p. 4.
  3. ^ "Elections Search Results November 1976 General". Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Washington Secretary of State. "Governor". Abstract of Votes Primary and General Elections Held on September 21, 1976 and November 2, 1976. Olympia, Washington. p. 18.