1970 Tennessee gubernatorial election
November 3, 1970
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
Winfield: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Hooker: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| Elections in Tennessee |
|---|
| Government |
The 1970 Tennessee gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1970, to elect the next governor of Tennessee. Incumbent Democratic governor Buford Ellington was term-limited and was prohibited by the Constitution of Tennessee from seeking another term. Republican nominee Winfield Dunn, defeated Democratic opponent John Jay Hooker with 52.0% of the vote.
Winfield Dunn became the first Republican to win a Tennessee gubernatorial election in fifty years, marking a significant political shift in the state. While Democrats gained 13 Republican-held governorships in the 1970 elections, Republicans made only two gains, only winning in Tennessee and Connecticut.