The 1972 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 1972. Incumbent Governor of Montana Forrest H. Anderson, who was first elected in 1968, declined to seek re-election. Thomas Lee Judge, the Lieutenant Governor of Montana, won a competitive Democratic primary, and moved on to the general election, where he faced Ed Smith, a rancher and the Republican nominee. Although then-President Richard Nixon won the state in a landslide in that year's presidential election, Judge managed to handily defeat Smith, winning his first of two terms as governor.
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| Turnout | 84.60% 1.80[1] | ||||||||||||||||
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 County results Anderson: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Smith: 50-60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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Democratic primary
editCandidates
edit- Thomas Lee Judge, Lieutenant Governor of Montana
- Dick Dzivi, Majority Leader of the Montana Senate
- Eva Levengood Shunkwiler
- Dallas E. Howard
- David E. Burnham
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Thomas Lee Judge | 75,917 | 59.87 | |
| Democratic | Dick Dzivi | 38,639 | 30.47 | |
| Democratic | Eva Levengood Shunkwiler | 5,707 | 4.50 | |
| Democratic | Dallas E. Howard | 4,255 | 3.36 | |
| Democratic | David E. Burnham | 2,276 | 1.80 | |
| Total votes | 126,794 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary
editCandidates
edit- Ed Smith, rancher
- Frank Dunkle, former Director of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, former State Senator
- Tom A. Selstad, businessman
- Warren McMillan
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ed Smith | 39,552 | 40.65 | |
| Republican | Frank Dunkle | 37,375 | 38.41 | |
| Republican | Tom A. Selstad | 18,046 | 18.55 | |
| Republican | Warren McMillan | 2,331 | 2.40 | |
| Total votes | 97,304 | 100.00 | ||
General election
editResults
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Thomas Lee Judge | 172,523 | 54.12% | +7.58% | |
| Republican | Ed Smith | 146,231 | 45.88% | +4.01% | |
| Majority | 26,292 | 8.25% | −3.99% | ||
| Turnout | 318,754 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
References
edit- ^ "Montana Voter Turnout". Montana Secretary of State. February 22, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
- ^ a b "Report of the Official Canvass of the Vote Cast at the Primary Election Held in the State of Montana and of the Vote Cast at the Separate Election for Ratification or Rejection of the Proposed Constitution, June 6, 1972" (PDF). Montana Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 15, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
- ^ "Report of the Official Canvass of the Votes Cast at the General Election Held in the State of Montana, November 7, 1972". Montana Secretary of State. 1970. Retrieved July 5, 2014.