1968 Texas gubernatorial election

none January 2025 September 2023 1968 Texas gubernatorial election Texas presidential November 5, 1968 1966 Texas gubernatorial election 1966 1970 Texas gubernatorial election 1970 File:Smith-p01-1.jpg 150x150px Preston Smith Democratic Party (United States) 1,662,019 57.0% File:1970 Press Photo Laughing with friends - Paul Eggers, Texas politician (cropped).webp Paul Eggers Republican Party (United States) 1,254,333 43.0% Governor John Connally Democratic Party (United States) Preston Smith Democratic Party (United States) 1968 Texas gubernatorial election results map by county.svg 310px County resultsSmith: #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% #584cde 70–80% #3933e5 80–90% #0d056c >90%Eggers: #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #d72f30 70–80% The 1968 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1968, to elect the governor of Texas. Incumbent Democratic governor John Connally did not run for reelection to a fourth term, so the election pitted Democrat Preston Smith against Republican Paul Eggers. Smith was easily elected, winning 57% of the vote to Eggers' 43%. Democratic primary Candidates Dolph Briscoe, former state representative from Uvalde Waggoner Carr, former Texas attorney general and nominee for U.S. Senate in 1966 Johnnie Mae Hackwhorthe John Hill, Texas Secretary of State Eugene M. Locke, Dallas attorney and deputy U.S. Ambassador to South Vietnam Preston Smith, Lieutenant Governor Alfonso Veloz Edward L. Whittenburg Don Yarborough, Houston attorney and candidate for governor in 1962 and 1964 Results 1968 Democratic gubernatorial primary Don Yarborough Democratic Party (United States) 421,607 24.08% Preston Smith Democratic Party (United States) 386,875 22.10% Waggoner Carr Democratic Party (United States) 257,543 14.71% Dolph Briscoe Democratic Party (United States) 225,686 12.89% Eugene Locke Democratic Party (United States) 218,118 12.46% John Hill Democratic Party (United States) 154,908 8.85% Pat O'Daniel Democratic Party (United States) 47,912 2.74% Edward L. Whittenburg Democratic Party (United States) 22,957 1.31% Alfonso Veloz Democratic Party (United States) 9,562 0.55% Johnnie Mae Hackwhorthe Democratic Party (United States) 5,484 0.31% 1,750,652 100.00% Runoff 1968 Democratic gubernatorial runoff Preston Smith Democratic Party (United States) 767,490 55.27% Don Yarborough Democratic Party (United States) 621,226 44.73% 1,388,716 100.00% Republican primary Results 1968 Republican gubernatorial primaryhttp://texasalmanac.com/topics/elections/elections-texas-governors-1845%E2%80%932010 Texas Almanac 2015-08-06 2015-11-19 https://web.archive.org/web/20151119092417/http://texasalmanac.com/topics/elections/elections-texas-governors-1845%E2%80%932010 dead Paul Eggers Republican Party (United States) 65,501 62.52% John Trice Republican Party (United States) 28,849 27.54% Wallace Sisk Republican Party (United States) 10,415 9.94% 104,765 100.00% Results General election results Preston Smith Democratic Party (United States) 1,662,019 56.99% Paul Eggers Republican Party (United States) 1,254,333 43.01% 2,916,352 100.00% Democratic Party (United States) Republican Party (United States) References 1968 Texas Texas gubernatorial election Gubernatorial election