1978 Tennessee gubernatorial election

none related races 1978 United States gubernatorial elections January 2019January 2019 1978 Tennessee gubernatorial election Tennessee Presidential no 1974 Tennessee gubernatorial election 1974 1982 Tennessee gubernatorial election 1982 November 7, 1978 File:Lamar Alexander (TN) (cropped).png 150x150px Lamar Alexander Republican Party (United States) 661,959 55.84% File:Jake Butcher.jpg Jake Butcher Democratic Party (United States) 523,495 44.16% 1978 Tennessee gubernatorial election results map by county.svg 300px County results Alexander: #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #d72f30 70–80%Butcher: #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% Governor Ray Blanton Democratic Party (United States) Lamar Alexander Republican Party (United States) The 1978 Tennessee gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1978, to elect the next governor of Tennessee. Although the Tennessee State Constitution had been amended in early 1978 to allow a governor to succeed himself, Incumbent Democratic governor Ray Blanton chose not to seek re-election amid several scandals. Republican Lamar Alexander once again ran for governor. In the general election, Alexander defeated Democratic nominee Jake Butcher with 55.8% of the vote.Phillip Langsdon, Tennessee: A Political History (Franklin, Tenn.: Hillsboro Press, 2000), pp. 370–381, 370–393. Blanton Scandals Ray Blanton's administration faced accusations of excessive spending, patronage, and corruption. His aides billed the state for personal expenses, his family’s company received a state contract, and officials in his administration were implicated in a surplus car scandal.Bill Rose, "The 'Hillbilly Nixon'", St. Petersburg Evening Independent, January 23, 1979. Retrieved: January 2, 2013. In 1977, he dismissed parole board chair Marie Ragghianti after she resisted pressured releases; the FBI later raided the capitol and made arrests. Near the end of his term in January 1979, Blanton issued 52 controversial pardons, including for convicted murderers, prompting legislative leaders to swear in Governor-elect Lamar Alexander early to stop further damage.Fred Rolater, "Leonard Ray Blanton", Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, 2009. Retrieved: December 31, 2012. Blanton was later convicted of mail fraud, conspiracy, and extortion for selling liquor licenses, serving 22 months in federal prison. Decades later, investigators linked his administration to the 1979 murder of businessman Samuel Pettyjohn, who had been cooperating with the FBI.Cracked cold case links corrupt ex-governor to the murder of a witness who 'knew too much,' officials say https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/06/10/tennessee-ray-blanton-samuel-pettyjohn-murder/ June 11, 2021 Washington PostFred Rolater, "Leonard Ray Blanton", Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, 2009. Retrieved: December 31, 2012. In June 2021, Tennessee officials linked the 1979 murder of Chattanooga businessman Samuel Pettyjohn, who was working with the FBI, to the Blanton administration.Cracked cold case links corrupt ex-governor to the murder of a witness who 'knew too much,' officials say https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/06/10/tennessee-ray-blanton-samuel-pettyjohn-murder/ June 11, 2021 Washington Post en-US 0190-8286 Background Republican Lamar Alexander once again ran for governor, and made a name for himself by walking from Mountain City in the far northeast of the state to Memphis in the far southwest, a distance of 1,022 mi km, wearing a red and black flannel shirt that would become something of a trademark for him.Finding Aid for Governor Lamar Alexander Papers https://web.archive.org/web/20130616142500/http://www.tn.gov/tsla/history/govpapers/findingaids/gp53.pdf June 16, 2013, 1991. Retrieved: January 3, 2013.Sciolino Elaine Gerth Jeff February 26, 1996 Politics: Lamar Alexander; Behind the Flannel Shirt, Deep Washington Roots https://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/26/us/politics-lamar-alexander-behind-the-flannel-shirt-deep-washington-roots.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20150512014316/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/26/us/politics-lamar-alexander-behind-the-flannel-shirt-deep-washington-roots.html May 12, 2015 January 24, 2014 The New York TimesKhan Huma May 19, 2010 Sen. Lamar Alexander's Office Tour — With Framed Flannel https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2010/05/sen-lamar-alexanders-office-tour-with-framed-flannel/ dead https://web.archive.org/web/20140203010101/https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2010/05/sen%2Dlamar%2Dalexanders%2Doffice%2Dtour%2Dwith%2Dframed%2Dflannel/ February 3, 2014 January 24, 2014 ABC News, archived Investigative news reports, disclosed late during the campaign, revealed that Alexander once transferred the non-profit charter of a Christian church to his Ruby Tuesday restaurant chain that he served as a director in order to sell liquor-by-the-drink in the once "dry town" of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. October 26, 1978 Spicy Ingredients in Tennessee Race https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19781026&id=EE4aAAAAIBAJ&pg=6747%2C4152834 December 5, 2015 The Milwaukee Journal Google NewsSeptember 2020 During the campaign, Alexander, then a Nashville attorney, vowed to place his $62,676 interest in the Ruby Tuesday restaurant chain into an untouchable trust.October 3, 1978 Alexander Pledges To Divest Self Of Stock Nashville Banner Aftermath In early 1979, a furor ensued over pardons made by Governor Blanton, whose administration was already under investigation in a cash-for-clemency scandal.Fred Rolater, Leonard Ray Blanton https://web.archive.org/web/20180129225252/http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=97 January 29, 2018, Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, 2009. Retrieved: February 12, 2013.Keel Hunt, Coup: The Day the Democrats Ousted Their Governor, Put Republican Lamar Alexander in Office Early, and Stopped a Pardon Scandal (Vanderbilt University Press, 2013) Since the state constitution is somewhat vague on when a governor must be sworn in, several political leaders from both parties, including Lieutenant Governor John S. Wilder and State House Speaker Ned McWherter, arranged for Lamar Alexander to be sworn in on January 17, 1979, three days earlier than the traditional inauguration day, to prevent Blanton from signing more pardons. Wilder later called the move "impeachment Tennessee-style." In February 1979, shortly after his inauguration, Alexander created an Office of Ombudsman, which was charged with cutting government red tape.Finding Aid for Governor Lamar Alexander Papers https://web.archive.org/web/20130616142500/http://www.tn.gov/tsla/history/govpapers/findingaids/gp53.pdf June 16, 2013, 1991. Retrieved: January 3, 2013. He also gave state employees a 7% raise,Phillip Langsdon, Tennessee: A Political History (Franklin, Tenn.: Hillsboro Press, 2000), pp. 370–381, 370–393. and replaced state prisoners working at the Governor's Mansion with a paid staff.Lamar Alexander, Six Months Off (New York: Morrow, 1988), pp. 24–38. One of Alexander's biggest accomplishments as governor was the relationship he cultivated with the Japanese corporate community, which resulted in the construction of a $660 million Nissan assembly plant in Smyrna in 1980, the largest single investment in the state's history up to the time.Billy Stair, The Life and Career of Ned McWherter (State Public Affairs Office, 2011), pp. 67–79. Alexander was also instrumental in the location of General Motors' Saturn Manufacturing Facility in Spring Hill, which began operations in 1990.Flessner Dave May 24, 2011 Lamar Alexander touts Tennessee https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/business/aroundregion/story/2011/may/24/lamar-alexander-touts-tennessee/50370/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20190328194944/https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/business/aroundregion/story/2011/may/24/lamar-alexander-touts-tennessee/50370/ March 28, 2019 March 28, 2019 Chattanooga Times Free Press Chattanooga, Tennessee Primary elections Primary elections were held on August 3, 1978.https://books.google.com/books?id=nqAaAQAAMAAJ Guide to U.S. elections - CQ Press, Congressional Quarterly, inc 2005 CQ Press 9781568029818 2019-01-03 Democratic primary Candidates Jake Butcher, businessman Bob Clement, Public Service Commissioner Richard Fulton, Mayor of Nashville Roger Murray Shelley Stiles Bill Jacox William K. Jackson Ben Miller Results Democratic primary results Jake Butcher Democratic Party (United States) 320,329 40.91 Bob Clement Democratic Party (United States) 288,577 36.86 Richard Fulton Democratic Party (United States) 122,101 15.60 Roger Murray Democratic Party (United States) 40,871 5.22 Shelley Stiles Democratic Party (United States) 6,325 0.81 Bill Jacox Democratic Party (United States) 2,010 0.26 William K. Jackson Democratic Party (United States) 1,365 0.17 Ben Miller Democratic Party (United States) 1,317 0.17 782,895 100.00 Republican primary Candidates Lamar Alexander, attorney and nominee for governor in 1974 Harold Sterling, State Representative John H. Harper Hubert David Patty, perennial candidate Results Republican primary results Lamar Alexander Republican Party (United States) 230,922 85.97 Harold Sterling Republican Party (United States) 34,037 12.67 John H. Harper Republican Party (United States) 2,527 0.94 Hubert David Patty Republican Party (United States) 1,132 0.42 268,618 100.00 General election Candidates Lamar Alexander, Republican Jake Butcher, Democratic Results 1978 Tennessee gubernatorial electionhttps://books.google.com/books?id=46A7DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA421 America Votes 32: 2015-2016, Election Returns by State - Rhodes Cook 26 October 2017 9781506368993 2019-01-03 Cook Rhodes Republican Party (United States) Lamar Alexander 661,959 55.84% +12.07% Democratic Party (United States) Jake Butcher 523,495 44.16% -11.28% 138,464 1,189,695 Republican Party (United States) Democratic Party (United States) See also 1978 United States Senate election in Tennessee 1978 Tennessee Proposal 1 References 1978 Tennessee Gubernatorial Category:November 1978 in the United States