1978Final results
1978 election for Iowa Governor
Governor · Iowa
Robert E. Ray (R) won with 58.7% of the vote, defeating Jerome D. Fitzgerald (D) by 17.5 points.
Robert E. RayRepublican · winner
58.7%491,713
Jerome D. FitzgeraldDemocrat
41.3%345,519
837,232 votes
Source: Algara, Carlos; Amlani, Sharif (Harvard Dataverse)Updated Oct 5, 2026, 12:23 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1978
Races before and after
Source: Algara, Carlos; Amlani, Sharif (Harvard Dataverse)Updated Oct 5, 2026, 12:23 AM ET