Texas gubernatorial election, 1982

The 1982 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982 to select the governor of the state of Texas. State Attorney General Mark Wells White pulled off an upset in the general election over the incumbent Governor Bill Clements, who was the first Republican since Reconstruction elected to the governorship four years earlier. Clements had faced difficulties during his re-election campaign due to poor economic numbers and weak support among minority voters, especially African Americans and Hispanics, who both strongly disapproved Clement's job performance. The election also was considered a referendum on Clements' conservative policies due to confrontations with the Democratic-controlled Texas Legislature during his first term.

Campaign

Incumbent Governor Bill Clements announced his candidacy for re-election in 1982, but faced strong difficulties that year following a disastrous and controversial first term in office. The Democrats nominated one-term State Attorney General Mark White of Houston to face the outspoken and controversial Republican incumbent from Dallas for the general election. The heated contest was not a referendum on U.S. President Ronald Reagan's performance in Texas, but on Clements, whose blunt-speaking style and pro-business positions had antagonized many low-income voters. White, the underfunded underdog, began to edge up in the polls after three televised debates gave him an opportunity to put Clements on the defensive. White attacked Clements's mudslinging leak of a driving-under-the-influence charge when White was a law student, and accused, the Governor of anti-consumer appointments to the public utility commission Clements had countered with charges that White was an incompetent attorney general. Clements said, "He was a mediocre attorney general. That's why he can't raise money." [1]

Primaries

Democratic Party

Candidates in the Democratic Party who pursued gubernatorial bids in 1982 included:

• Mark Wells White, one-term Texas State Attorney General and former Texas Secretary of State under then-Governor Dolph Briscoe
• Bob Armstrong, four-term Commissioner of the Texas General Land Office
• Buddy Temple, Member of the Texas Railroad Commission

Temple declined to participate in the runoff on the May 1, 1982 Democratic primary election, and White was declared the winner of the race.

Republican Party

Candidates in the Republican Party who pursued gubernatorial bids in 1982 included:

• Bill Clements, incumbent Governor, Dallas oil executive and former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense under Presidents Nixon and Ford
• Duke Embs, political novice from San Antonio

References