1978 New Mexico gubernatorial election


The 1978 New Mexico gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 1978, in order to elect the Governor of New Mexico. Due to term limits, incumbent Democrat Jerry Apodaca was ineligible to seek a second term as governor. Bruce King, a member of the Democratic Party who had previously served as governor from 1971 to 1975, won the open seat. With a margin of victory of just 1.09%, this was the second closest contest of the 1978 cycle, behind only the election in Texas.

Primary election

Democratic primary

The Democratic primary was won by former Governor Bruce King.

Republican primary

The Republican primary was won by former state senator Joe Skeen.

General election

Results by county

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican