# 1976 Washington gubernatorial election

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The 1976 Washington gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1976. This election was especially significant in that Washington elected its first female governor, Dixy Lee Ray. Wesley C. Uhlman and John Patric unsuccessfully ran in the blanket primary.

## Primary election
### Candidates

* Marvin Durning (D)
* Harley Hoppe (R), King County assessor
* John Patric (R), writer and perennial candidate
* Dixy Lee Ray (D), former chair of United States Atomic Energy Commission
* Carl D. Ricketts (R)
* John D. Spellman (R), King County executive
* Duke Stockton (D)
* Wesley C. Uhlman (D), mayor of Seattle
* Emmett Watson (R)

### Results

Blanket primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Dixy Lee Ray | 205,232 | 24.09% |
| | Democratic | Wesley C. Uhlman | 198,336 | 23.28% |
| | Republican | John D. Spellman | 185,439 | 21.77% |
| | Democratic | Marvin Durning | 136,290 | 16.00% |
| | Republican | Harley Hoppe | 111,957 | 13.14% |
| | Democratic | Duke Stockton | 5,588 | 0.66% |
| | Republican | Emmett Watson | 4,798 | 0.56% |
| | Republican | Carl D. Ricketts | 2,636 | 0.31% |
| | Republican | John Patric | 1,654 | 0.19% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 851,930 | 100.00% |

## General election
### Candidates
#### Major parties

* Dixy Lee Ray (D)
* John D. Spellman (R)

#### Minor parties

* Patricia A. Bethard, Socialist Workers
* Red Kelly, OWL
* Henry Killman, Socialist Labor
* Art Manning, American Independent
* Evelyn Olafson, US Labor
* Maurice Woodrow Willey, Jr., Libertarian

### Results

1976 Washington gubernatorial election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Dixy Lee Ray | 821,797 | 53.14% | +10.32% |
| | Republican | John D. Spellman | 687,039 | 44.43% | −6.36% |
| | American Independent | Art Manning | 12,406 | 0.80% | |
| | OWL | Red Kelly | 12,400 | 0.80% | |
| | Socialist Labor | Henry Killman | 4,137 | 0.27% | +0.08% |
| | Libertarian | Maurice Willey | 4,133 | 0.27% | |
| | Socialist Workers | Patricia A. Bethard | 3,106 | 0.20% | −0.11% |
| | U.S. Labor | Evelyn Olafson | 1,364 | 0.09% | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 134,758 | 8.71% | |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,546,382 | 100.00% | |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Swing | +16.67% | |

### Results by county

Dixy Lee Ray was the first Democratic gubernatorial candidate to carry Island County and Klickitat County since Clarence D. Martin in 1936. This is the most recent gubernatorial election in which a Democrat has carried Benton County and Franklin County.
| County | Dixy Lee Ray Democratic | Dixy Lee Ray Democratic | John D. Spellman Republican | John D. Spellman Republican | Art Manning AIP | Art Manning AIP | Red Kelly OWL | Red Kelly OWL | All Others Various | All Others Various | Margin | Margin | Total votes cast |
| County | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | Total votes cast |
| Adams | 2,112 | 44.01% | 2,524 | 52.59% | 110 | 2.29% | 28 | 0.58% | 25 | 0.52% | -412 | -8.59% | 4,799 |
| Asotin | 2,493 | 42.63% | 3,231 | 55.25% | 66 | 1.13% | 24 | 0.41% | 34 | 0.58% | -738 | -12.62% | 5,848 |
| Benton | 23,006 | 65.98% | 11,367 | 32.60% | 220 | 0.63% | 133 | 0.38% | 141 | 0.40% | 11,639 | 33.38% | 34,867 |
| Chelan | 8,278 | 44.70% | 9,926 | 53.60% | 118 | 0.64% | 111 | 0.60% | 84 | 0.45% | -1,648 | -8.90% | 18,517 |
| Clallam | 10,234 | 55.58% | 7,514 | 40.81% | 294 | 1.60% | 201 | 1.09% | 171 | 0.93% | 2,720 | 14.77% | 18,414 |
| Clark | 32,038 | 52.64% | 27,222 | 44.73% | 678 | 1.11% | 507 | 0.83% | 418 | 0.69% | 4,816 | 7.91% | 60,863 |
| Columbia | 965 | 47.68% | 1,027 | 50.74% | 24 | 1.19% | 7 | 0.35% | 1 | 0.05% | -62 | -3.06% | 2,024 |
| Cowlitz | 14,930 | 54.70% | 11.504 | 42.14% | 534 | 1.96% | 154 | 0.56% | 176 | 0.64% | 3,429 | 12.56% | 27,295 |
| Douglas | 4,263 | 50.13% | 4,134 | 48.61% | 61 | 0.72% | 28 | 0.33% | 18 | 0.21% | 129 | 1.52% | 8,504 |
| Ferry | 805 | 48.85% | 773 | 46.91% | 43 | 2.61% | 11 | 0.67% | 16 | 0.97% | 32 | 1.94% | 1,648 |
| Franklin | 6,187 | 60.81% | 3,826 | 37.61% | 65 | 0.64% | 30 | 0.29% | 66 | 0.65% | 2,361 | 23.21% | 10,174 |
| Garfield | 579 | 37.43% | 951 | 61.47% | 13 | 0.84% | 1 | 0.06% | 3 | 0.19% | -372 | -24.05% | 1,547 |
| Grant | 8,148 | 47.37% | 8,589 | 49.93% | 201 | 1.17% | 92 | 0.53% | 171 | 0.99% | -441 | -2.56% | 17,201 |
| Grays Harbor | 13,567 | 55.60% | 10,072 | 41.28% | 240 | 0.98% | 301 | 1.23% | 220 | 0.90% | 3,495 | 14.32% | 24,400 |
| Island | 7,408 | 53.12% | 6,358 | 45.59% | 66 | 0.47% | 53 | 0.38% | 62 | 0.44% | 1,050 | 7.53% | 13,947 |
| Jefferson | 3,121 | 52.28% | 2,644 | 44.29% | 65 | 1.09% | 67 | 1.12% | 73 | 1.22% | 477 | 7.99% | 5,970 |
| King | 277,502 | 50.87% | 254,945 | 46.73% | 3,117 | 0.57% | 4,813 | 0.88% | 5,141 | 0.94% | 22,557 | 4.13% | 545,518 |
| Kitsap | 30,399 | 59.31% | 19,626 | 38.29% | 401 | 0.78% | 312 | 0.61% | 513 | 1.00% | 10,773 | 21.02% | 51,251 |
| Kittitas | 4,878 | 49.83% | 4,733 | 48.35% | 47 | 0.48% | 70 | 0.72% | 62 | 0.63% | 145 | 1.48% | 9,790 |
| Klickitat | 3,016 | 54.03% | 2,411 | 43.19% | 86 | 1.54% | 37 | 0.66% | 32 | 0.57% | 605 | 10.84% | 5,582 |
| Lewis | 13,109 | 61.43% | 7,633 | 35.77% | 352 | 1.65% | 138 | 0.65% | 107 | 0.50% | 5,476 | 25.66% | 21,339 |
| Lincoln | 2,153 | 41.73% | 2,907 | 56.35% | 49 | 0.95% | 29 | 0.56% | 21 | 0.41% | -754 | -14.62% | 5,159 |
| Mason | 6,984 | 61.57% | 4,052 | 35.72% | 126 | 1.11% | 104 | 0.92% | 77 | 0.68% | 2,932 | 25.85% | 11,343 |
| Okanogan | 5,543 | 48.67% | 5,462 | 47.96% | 212 | 1.86% | 93 | 0.82% | 79 | 0.69% | 81 | 0.71% | 11,389 |
| Pacific | 4,474 | 60.52% | 2,656 | 35.93% | 77 | 1.04% | 99 | 1.34% | 86 | 1.16% | 1,818 | 24.59% | 7,392 |
| Pend Oreille | 1,641 | 52.03% | 1,438 | 45.59% | 32 | 1.01% | 24 | 0.76% | 19 | 0.60% | 203 | 6.44% | 3,154 |
| Pierce | 99,527 | 63.27% | 54,543 | 34.67% | 884 | 0.56% | 835 | 0.53% | 1,523 | 0.97% | 44,984 | 28.60% | 157,312 |
| San Juan | 1,658 | 45.21% | 1,907 | 52.00% | 27 | 0.74% | 42 | 1.15% | 33 | 0.90% | -249 | -6.79% | 3,667 |
| Skagit | 14,750 | 54.74% | 11,486 | 42.62% | 286 | 1.06% | 224 | 0.83% | 201 | 0.75% | 3,264 | 12.11% | 26,947 |
| Skamania | 1,403 | 54.34% | 1,126 | 43.61% | 18 | 0.70% | 21 | 0.81% | 14 | 0.54% | 277 | 10.73% | 2,582 |
| Snohomish | 66,369 | 57.26% | 46,946 | 40.50% | 1,072 | 0.92% | 812 | 0.70% | 715 | 0.62% | 19,423 | 16.76% | 115,914 |
| Spokane | 61,494 | 47.67% | 64,044 | 49.65% | 1,374 | 1.07% | 1,336 | 1.04% | 750 | 0.58% | -2,550 | -1.98% | 128,998 |
| Stevens | 4,177 | 45.50% | 4,556 | 49.62% | 276 | 3.01% | 91 | 0.99% | 81 | 0.88% | -379 | -4.13% | 9,181 |
| Thurston | 23,957 | 54.11% | 18,984 | 42.88% | 297 | 0.67% | 686 | 1.55% | 348 | 0.79% | 4,973 | 11.23% | 44,272 |
| Wahkiakum | 938 | 56.13% | 692 | 41.41% | 23 | 1.38% | 9 | 0.54% | 9 | 0.54% | 246 | 14.72% | 1,671 |
| Walla Walla | 7,562 | 41.93% | 10,177 | 56.43% | 66 | 0.37% | 92 | 0.51% | 139 | 0.77% | -2,615 | -14.50% | 18,036 |
| Whatcom | 21,599 | 53.32% | 17,688 | 43.67% | 272 | 0.67% | 408 | 1.01% | 539 | 1.33% | 3,911 | 9.66% | 40,506 |
| Whitman | 5,875 | 38.99% | 8,679 | 57.60% | 163 | 1.08% | 202 | 1.34% | 150 | 1.00% | -2,804 | -18.61% | 15,069 |
| Yakima | 24,655 | 45.41% | 28,689 | 52.84% | 351 | 0.65% | 175 | 0.32% | 422 | 0.78% | -4,034 | -7.43% | 54,292 |
| Totals | 821,797 | 53.14% | 687,039 | 44.43% | 12,406 | 0.80% | 12,400 | 0.80% | 12,740 | 0.82% | 134,758 | 8.71% | 1,546,382 |

#### Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

* Benton
* Clallam
* Clark
* Cowlitz
* Douglas
* Island
* King
* Kittitas
* Klickitat
* Snohomish
* Thurston
* Whatcom

#### Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

* Stevens