The 1980 Utah gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1980.
Democratic
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
incumbent
Scott M. Matheson
Scott Milne Matheson Jr. (January 8, 1929 – October 7, 1990) was an American politician who served as the 12th Governor of Utah from 1977 to 1985. He is the most recent Democrat to serve in that position.
Biography
Matheson was born on Janu ...
defeated
Republican nominee
Bob Wright
Robert Charles Wright (born April 23, 1943) is an American lawyer, businessman, right-wing lobbyist, and author. He is a former NBC executive, having served as president and CEO from 1986 to 2001, and chairman and CEO from 2001 until he retire ...
with 55.16% of the vote. , this is the last time a Democrat was elected Governor of Utah; since Matheson left office in 1985, all of Utah's governors have been Republican. Matheson's victory was despite Republican presidential candidate
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
and incumbent Republican Senator
Jake Garn both winning over 70% of the vote in their respective races on the same ballot.
General election
Candidates
*Scott M. Matheson, Democratic
*Bob Wright, Republican
*Lawrence Rey Topham, American Party
Results
References
{{1980 United States elections
1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC.
* January 9 – ...
Utah
Gubernatorial