1978 California gubernatorial election

1978 California gubernatorial election

November 7, 1978
 
Nominee Jerry Brown Evelle Younger Ed Clark
Party Democratic Republican Independent
Popular vote 3,878,812 2,526,534 377,960
Percentage 56.05% 36.50% 5.46%

Brown:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Younger:      40–50%      50–60%

Governor before election

Jerry Brown
Democratic

Elected Governor

Jerry Brown
Democratic

The 1978 California gubernatorial election occurred on November 7, 1978. The Democratic incumbent, Jerry Brown, defeated the Republican nominee Attorney General Evelle J. Younger and independent candidate Ed Clark in a landslide.

Primary elections were held on June 6. The party primaries were overshadowed by the results of Proposition 13, an initiative to alter the state property tax formula, which was approved on the same day. Brown had only minor opposition in the Democratic primary, and Younger defeated LAPD chief Edward M. Davis and Ken Maddy in the Republican primary. San Diego mayor Pete Wilson and John Briggs, the sponsor of Proposition 6 on the November ballot, also ran.