1976 Delaware gubernatorial election

← 1972 November 2, 1976 1980 →

Nominee Pete du Pont Sherman W. Tribbitt Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 130,531 97,480 Percentage 56.86% 42.46%

County results House district results du Pont:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Tribbitt:      50–60%      60–70%

Governor before election Sherman W. Tribbitt Democratic Elected Governor Pete du Pont Republican

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v t e

The 1976 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1976. Pitting incumbent Democratic Governor Sherman W. Tribbitt Against U.S. Representative Pete du Pont. Largely due to the state's unresolved financial problems, du Pont defeated Governor Tribbitt by a landslide margin of 57% to 42%. This is the last time that an incumbent governor of Delaware lost re-election.

From 1972 to 1992 Delaware used a system of “challenge” primaries, in which a candidate for statewide office who received at least 35 percent of the convention vote could challenge the endorsed candidate in a primary. No such primaries were held in 1976.^[1][2]

• Sherman W. Tribbitt, Democratic, incumbent Governor
• Pete du Pont, Republican, U.S. Representative for Delaware's at-large congressional district
• George W. Cripps, American, former Delaware Auditor of Accounts^[3]
• Harry Conner, Prohibition

• Lewis C. Wrightson, Commissioner of Elections (1977). Official Results of General Election, 1976 (PDF). State of Delaware.
• Glashan, Roy R. (1979). American Governors and Gubernatorial Elections, 1775-1978. Meckler Books. ISBN 0-930466-17-9.
• Gubernatorial Elections, 1787-1997. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998. ISBN 1-56802-396-0.
• Scammon, Richard M.; McGillivray, Alice V. (1977). America Votes 12: a handbook of contemporary American election statistics, 1976. Washington, D.C.: Elections Research Center.