United States gubernatorial elections were held in the fall of 1979, in three states and one territory. Republicans gained one gubernatorial seat in this year with

Dave Treen David Conner Treen Sr. (July 16, 1928 – October 29, 2009) was an American politician and attorney from Louisiana. A member of the Republican Party, Treen served as U.S. Representative for Louisiana's 3rd congressional district from 1973 to ...

's victory in

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, who as a result became the first Republican Governor of that state since the Reconstruction era (1865-1877). Treen led a field of six major candidates in the October 27 primary, and narrowly edged state senator Louis Lambert in the December 8 general election (or "runoff"). Democrats held control of the governor's mansions in Kentucky and Mississippi in the November 6 general elections.

Election results

A bolded state name features an article about the specific election.

Notes

References

{{USGovElections October 1979 events in the United States November 1979 events in the United States December 1979 events in the United States