Dolph Briscoe - 1978 Campaign For Governor

1978 Campaign For Governor

See also Texas gubernatorial election, 1978

Briscoe announced his intentions to seek a third term in the upcoming 1978 gubernatorial elections in a bid to become the state's first governor to serve ten years in office. While he attracted a loyal group of admirers, he also made enemies inside the Texas Democratic Party, the majority of whom had remained unimpressed with his leadership over his six years in office. Briscoe had not won his first term by a wide margin. In the wake of a nationwide Republican sweep in 1972, Briscoe barely won election over a well-organized Republican opponent. Some results on election night alarmed the party faithful with results showing Briscoe trailing Grover, results that caused many to question Briscoe's effectiveness. Despite Briscoe's clear victory, critics continued to deride him as a "minority governor."

By 1977, Briscoe had come under fire by many Texans for this same understated style that won him many admirers. Much of the criticism had mounted for years. State Rep. Walt Parker of Denton echoed the sentiments of many in a 1973 interview about the lack of ethusiasm on Briscoe's performance. Many became disappointed with the lack of progress on many pressing issues. Liberal Democrats, teachers, ranchers, and Hispanics had all became increasingly agitated with the Briscoe administration. When a scandal broke out over the management of the Office of Migrant Affairs, an organization run by the governor's office through federal funds, many believed Briscoe's days as governor were numbered as a rebellion simmered within the Democratic ranks.

Things went from bad to politically damaging for Briscoe, as the appointments proved to be embarrassing for his administration. By 1978, Briscoe had named nearly every appointed person in state government. Relying heavily on an appointments secretary on securing the names of upstanding Texans to serve in these positions, Briscoe didn't notice a horrifying mistake the secretary made. Briscoe had appointed a dead man to the State Health Advisory Commission. His staunch critics howled at the embarrassing episode and the popular magazine, Texas Monthly awarded him the "Bum Steer Award" for the comic aspects of this appointment.

During his successful 1974 reelection campaign, Briscoe fought both aggressively and bitterly back against the Raza Unida Party to try to destroy the organization and prevent the movement from spreading beyond South Texas. He had countered RUP with legislative attempts to tighten requirements for political party recognition. Moreover, he denounced the party as a communist threat and blocked federal funds for Zavala County programs. The fallout from the fight over federal funds for RUP's Zavala County stronghold would affect the 1978 primary fight.

As a result of the political backlash against his policies over racial, educational and economic issues, Briscoe was defeated in the Democratic primary on May 6, 1978 by then-Texas Attorney General John Hill, who garnered 932,245 votes and (52.4 percent) to Briscoe's 753,309 votes and (42.4 percent) with former Governor Preston Smith receiving 92,202 votes and (5.2 percent). In the November general election, Hill was very narrowly defeated for the Texas governorship by Republican Bill Clements, who polled 1,183,828 votes (49.96 percent) to Hill's 1,166,919 votes (49.24 percent). Some say the bitterness of the nasty Democratic gubernatorial primary between Briscoe and Hill led to Texas Democrats losing their control of the Governor's Mansion after 105 years of Democratic dominance.

Briscoe left the Texas Governor's Mansion on January 16, 1979 after six years in office and returned to the ranching and banking business in his hometown of Uvalde.

Briscoe won many political and civic awards over the years, including the designation of "Mr. South Texas" in Laredo. He was the largest individual landowner in Texas.