PolitiFinder

1979 Mississippi Gubernatorial Election

Mississippi · 2 candidates · See every 1979 Governor race

Who won the 1979 Mississippi Gubernatorial Election?

William F. Winter won the 1979 Mississippi Gubernatorial Election. William F. Winter received 413,620 popular votes (61.1%). The main challenger was Gil Carmichael (38.9%).

See the full head-to-head between Winter and Carmichael

Winter +22.2 pts · won by 149,918 votes
William F. WinterDemocraticWINNER61.1%
413,620 votes
Gil CarmichaelRepublican38.9%
263,702 votes
Popular-vote totals for governor elections are compiled from official state results (via Wikipedia); Louisiana shows the decisive round of its jungle primary.

Data last verified July 28, 2026.