Election
American state election
The 1978 Michigan gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Republican William Milliken defeated Democrat William B. Fitzgerald to win a third full term as governor.
As of 2026, this is the most recent gubernatorial election in which Wayne County has voted Republican and one of only two such instances since 1928.
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Text from the Wikipedia article “1978 Michigan gubernatorial election”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
The 1978 Michigan gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Republican William Milliken defeated Democrat William B. Fitzgerald to win a third full term as governor.
As of 2026, this is the most recent gubernatorial election in which Wayne County has voted Republican and one of only two such instances since 1928.
Michigan held primary elections on August 8, 1978.
Incumbent governor William Milliken was unopposed for the Republican nomination.
State senator William B. Fitzgerald defeated three other candidates including law professor and perennial candidate Zolton Ferency.
Despite his defeat, Fitzgerald flipped several counties that had not voted Democratic in a very long time. Before this election, Alcona County had not voted Democratic since 1878, Oscoda County had not since 1888, and Missaukee County had not since 1890.
Text from the Wikipedia article “1978 Michigan gubernatorial election”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.