1972 Illinois gubernatorial election

1972 Illinois gubernatorial election

← 1968 (Gov) 1968 (Lt. Gov) November 7, 1972 1976 →
Turnout	75.28% 4.11 pp
Nominee Dan Walker Richard B. Ogilvie Party Democratic Republican Running mate Neil Hartigan Jim Nowlan Popular vote 2,371,303 2,293,809 Percentage 50.68% 49.02%
County results Walker:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Ogilvie:      50–60%      60–70%
Governor before election Richard B. Ogilvie Republican Elected Governor Dan Walker Democratic

Elections in Illinois
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Ballot measures and referendums State capitol referendum (1834) Cutback Amendment (1980) Crime Victim Rights Amendment (1992) Illinois Governor Recall Amendment (2010) Public Pension Amendment (2012) Marsy's Law (2014) Right to Vote Amendment (2014) Transportation Taxes and Fees Lockbox Amendment (2016) Fair Tax (2020) Right to Collective Bargaining Amendment (2022)
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v t e

The 1972 Illinois gubernatorial election was held in Illinois on November 7, 1972.^[1] Incumbent first-term Republican governor Richard B. Ogilvie lost reelection in an upset to the Democratic nominee, Dan Walker.

This was the first election in which each party's nominee for lieutenant governor of Illinois ran on a ticket with the gubernatorial nominee for the general election. Previously, there had been two separate elections for the two offices. This would be the last election of the 20th century in which a Democrat won the governorship of Illinois, with all seven remaining elections of that century being won by Republican nominees.