United States gubernatorial elections were held 7 November 1972 in 18 states and two territories, concurrent with the

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

, Senate elections and

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

. Gubernatorial elections were also held in

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

, and

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. In these states, they were the last elections on a two-year cycle, before switching to a four-year term for governors (see 1970 United States gubernatorial elections for more information).

Arkansas

In Arkansas,

Dale Bumpers Dale Leon Bumpers (August 12, 1925 – January 1, 2016) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 38th Governor of Arkansas (1971–1975) and in the United States Senate (1975–1999). He was a member of the Democratic Party. Prio ...

was re-elected to another two-year term in a landslide. Arkansas had two-year terms for governors until 1984, when the state switched to four-year terms for governors with Amendment 63.

Delaware and Illinois

In Delaware and Illinois, Republicans

Russell W. Peterson Russell Wilbur Peterson (October 3, 1916 – February 21, 2011) was an American scientist and politician from Wilmington, Delaware. He served as Governor of Delaware as a member of the Republican Party. An influential environmentalist, he serve ...

and

Richard B. Ogilvie Richard Buell Ogilvie (February 22, 1923 – May 10, 1988) was the 35th governor of Illinois and served from 1969 to 1973. A wounded combat veteran of World War II, he became known as the mafia-fighting sheriff of Cook County, Illinois, in t ...

were defeated by Democrats Sherman Willard Tribbitt and Dan Walker, respectively.

Indiana

Indiana changed the rules so that governors could serve two back-to-back four-year terms in 1972, but the amendment didn't take place until November 1972. This ruling in effect said that

Edgar Whitcomb Edgar Doud Whitcomb (November 6, 1917 – February 4, 2016) was an American attorney, writer and politician, who served as the 43rd governor of Indiana. His term as governor began a major rift in the Indiana Republican Party as urban Republica ...

was not eligible for another term.

Iowa

In Iowa, Republican incumbent governor

Robert D. Ray Robert Dolph Ray (September 26, 1928 – July 8, 2018) was an American lawyer and Republican politician. He served as the 38th governor of Iowa from January 16, 1969 to January 14, 1983. During his tenure as governor, Ray served as chair of t ...

won a third two-year term, defeating Democratic challenger Paul Franzenburg, whom Ray had defeated for governor four years earlier. This was the last gubernatorial election in Iowa where the winner served a two-year term; starting with the 1974 election, governors would serve a four-year term.

Kansas

In Kansas, incumbent governor

Robert Docking Robert Blackwell Docking (October 9, 1925October 8, 1983) was an American politician who served as the 38th governor of Kansas from 1967 until 1975. Early life Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Docking attended public school in Lawrence, K ...

won a fourth two-year term. Beginning with the 1974 election, governors in Kansas would serve a four-year term.

Missouri

In Missouri, during Governor

Warren Hearnes Warren Eastman Hearnes (July 24, 1923 – August 16, 2009) was an American politician who served as the 46th governor of Missouri from 1965 to 1973. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first officeholder eligible to serve two consecutiv ...

' term, the rules were changed so that governors were allowed two back-to-back four-year terms. By the 1972 race, Hearnes had served two terms and was term-limited.

Montana

In Montana, a new state constitution in 1972 allowed unlimited four-year terms for a governor. Anderson did not run for another term because of health issues, and this bad health was considered the motive behind his suicide in 1989.

North Carolina

In North Carolina, governors weren't allowed two consecutive terms in a row until 1977, thus term-limiting Scott.

Rhode Island

In Rhode Island, governors served two-year terms until 1994, when the state switched to four-year terms for governors.

Texas

In Texas, the defeat of Smith has been considered a casualty of the Sharpstown Scandal. Texas also had a system of governors serving two-year terms until 1974, when the state switched to four-year terms.

Results

References

{{U.S. gubernatorial elections November 1972 events in the United States