1979 United States elections

The 1979 United States elections were held on November 6, 1979. This off-year election primarily involved local, state, and congressional elections.

1979 United States elections

← 1977          1978          1979          1980          1981 → Off-year elections
Election day	November 6
Congressional special elections
Seats contested	2
Net seat change	Republican +1
Gubernatorial elections
Seats contested	3
Net seat change	Republican +1
1979 gubernatorial election results map
Legend
Democratic hold   Republican gain   No election

Background

The 1979 elections occurred in the final year of President Jimmy Carter's first and only term. Minor gains occurred for the Republican party as a result of increasing stagflation.

Congressional Elections

Two special elections were held to fill vacancies in the House of Representatives. The most notable race was that for California's eleventh district, whose previous representative had been shot and killed by members of the Peoples Temple in Jonestown, Guyana.^[1]

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
California 11	Leo Ryan	Democratic	1972	Incumbent member-elect was murdered November 18, 1978. New member elected April 3, 1979. Republican gain.	▌Y William Royer (Republican) 57.3% ▌G. W. Holsinger[2] (Democratic) 41.1% ▌Nicholas Waeil Kudrovzeff (American Independent) 0.8% ▌Wilson Branch (Peace & Freedom) 0.8%
Wisconsin 6	William A. Steiger	Republican	1966	Incumbent member-elect died December 4, 1978. New member elected April 3, 1979. Republican hold.[3]	▌Y Tom Petri (Republican) 50.4% ▌Gary Goyke (Democratic) 49.6%

Gubernatorial Elections

Three states held gubernatorial elections in 1979.

State	Incumbent	First elected	Result	Candidates
Kentucky[4]	Julian Carroll (Democratic)	1974[a]	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic hold.	Y John Y. Brown Jr. (Democratic) 59.41% Louie Nunn (Republican) 40.59%
Louisiana	Edwin Edwards (Democratic)	1972	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Republican gain.	Y Dave Treen (Republican) 21.79% (50.35% in Runoff) Louis Lambert (Democratic) 20.74% (49.65% in Runoff) Jimmy Fitzmorris (Democratic) 20.56% Paul Hardy (Democratic) 16.62% E. L. Henry (Democratic) 9.94 Edgar G. "Sonny" Mouton Jr. (Democratic) 9.103% L. D. Knox (Democratic) 0.46%
Mississippi	Cliff Finch (Democratic)	1975	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic hold.	Y William Winter (Democratic) 61.07% Gil Carmichael (Republican) 38.93%

State Legislative Elections

State legislative elections were also held in various states across the country. These elections determined the control of state legislatures, which would play a crucial role in the redistricting process following the 1980 census.

Local Elections

In addition to state and congressional races, numerous local elections were held. These elections included mayoral races, city council elections, and referenda on key issues such as taxation and public services.

• San Francisco: Incumbent mayor Dianne Feinstein was reëlected with 53.96 percent of the second round vote.^[5]
• Boston: Incumbent mayor Kevin White was reëlected to a fourth term in a rematch, receiving 54.82% of the vote.^[6]

Notes

1. Carroll took office after his predecessor (Wendell Ford) resigned.

References

1. United States Congress. "Ryan, Leo Joseph, (1925–1978)". United States Congress. Retrieved January 24, 2007.
2. • "Galen Holsinger (2004) Obituary". Legacy.com. Sacramento, CA: The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
   • "Holsinger, Galen Wright "Joe"". Alternative Considerations of Jonestown & Peoples Temple. jonestown.sdsu.edu. Retrieved April 30, 2023. Published in The Sacramento Bee on 9/15/2004.
   • Remmé, Richard. "Galen Wright Holsinger (1921-2004)". Genealogie Online (in Dutch). The Hague, Netherlands. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
3. Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V., eds. (1979). "Elections in Wisconsin". The state of Wisconsin 1979-1980 Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 901, 919. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 21, 2010. Retrieved May 23, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
5. "Mayor Feinstein Apparent Winner In San Francisco Runoff Election". The New York Times. December 12, 1979. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
6. Annual Report of the Election Department. Boston [Election Dept.] 1980. p. 82.