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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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| Elections in Montana |
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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.
- ^ "Montana Voter Turnout". Montana Secretary of State. February 22, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2022.