The 1978 Nebraska gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1978, and featured

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

Charles Thone Charles Thone (January 4, 1924 – March 7, 2018) was an American Republican politician. He was the 34th Governor of Nebraska, serving from 1979 to 1983. He previously served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, representi ...

, a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, defeating Democratic nominee,

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Gerald T. Whelan. Incumbent Governor

J. James Exon John James "Jim" Exon (August 9, 1921June 10, 2005) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 33rd Governor of Nebraska from 1971 to 1979, and as a U.S. Senator from Nebraska from 1979 to 1997. A member of the Democratic Par ...

, a Democrat, was barred from seeking a third term.

Democratic primary

Governor

Candidates

*Robert V. Hansen * Gerald T. Whelan, Lieutenant Governor

Results

Lieutenant governor

Candidates

Orval Keyes ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor. He was a member of the

Nebraska Legislature The Nebraska Legislature (also called the Unicameral) is the legislature of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln. With 49 members, known as "senators", the Nebraska Legislature is the small ...

District 3 District 3 can refer to: *III District, Turku, in Finland * District 3, Düsseldorf, in Germany *District 3, Grand Bassa County, in Liberia * District 3, Malta, an electoral district of Malta *District 3, a police district of Malta *Wiedikon, also ...

since 1969 from

Springfield, Nebraska Springfield is a city in Sarpy County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,529 at the 2010 census. History Springfield was platted in 1873 by a U.S. Civil War veteran named J. D. Spearman. This was done in anticipation of the coming o ...

Results

Republican primary

Governor

Candidates

*Richard Hedrick *Stan Juelfs *Robert A. Phares, former Mayor of

North Platte North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

*Vance D. Rogers *

, U.S. Representative

Results

Lieutenant governor

Candidates

*Herbert J. Duis, member of the

District 39 A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

since 1969 and previously from 1951 to 1955 from

Gothenburg, Nebraska Gothenburg is a city in Dawson County, Nebraska, Dawson County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Lexington, Nebraska Lexington micropolitan area, Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,574 at the 2010 United States Census, 20 ...

. *

Roland A. Luedtke Roland Alfred Luedtke (January 4, 1924 – July 22, 2005) was an American politician who served as the 31st lieutenant governor of Nebraska from 1979 to 1983. Luedtke was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, on January 4, 1924, to Alfred C. and Carolina (S ...

, Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature since 1977 and member of the

District 28 A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

since 1967 from

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

. *Dennis L. Rasmussen, member of the

in District 41 since 1973 from Scotia, Nebraska. *Rosemary M. Skrupa, member of the Omaha Public Power District board from

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

Don Stenberg Don Stenberg (born September 30, 1948) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 31st Attorney General of Nebraska from 1991 to 2003 and 43rd Treasurer of Nebraska from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he previously w ...

, lawyer from

Results

General election

Results

References

Gubernatorial A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political_regions, political region, ranking under the Head of State, head of state and in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of ...

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

November 1978 events November 1978 events in North America November 1978 events in the United States 1978 in Nebraska 1970s in Nebraska 1970s Nebraska elections 1978 elections in the United States 1978 elections 1978 elections in North America Government of Nebraska {{Nebraska-election-stub