The 1972 Arkansas gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1972.
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 County results Bumpers: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Democratic Governor Dale Bumpers defeated Republican nominee Len E. Blaylock with 75.44% of the vote, despite Democratic nominee George McGovern losing the state in a landslide in the concurrent presidential election.
Primary elections
editPrimary elections were held on May 30, 1972.
Democratic primary
editCandidates
edit- Dale Bumpers, incumbent Governor
- George W. Davis, State Representative
- Les Gibbs, Former Labor Union official
- Mack Harbour, Hospital administrator
- Q. Byrum Hurst, State Senator[1]
Results
editBumpers avoided a run-off (which would have been held 13 June) by winning with more than 50% of the vote.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dale Bumpers (incumbent) | 330,088 | 66.71 | |
| Democratic | Q. Byrum Hurst | 81,239 | 16.42 | |
| Democratic | Mack Harbour | 55,172 | 11.15 | |
| Democratic | George W. Davis | 22,284 | 4.50 | |
| Democratic | Les Gibbs | 6,068 | 1.23 | |
| Total votes | 494,851 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary
editCandidates
edit- Len E. Blaylock, former staffer and Welfare Commissioner under Winthrop Rockefeller[5]
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Len E. Blaylock | unopposed | ||
General election
editCandidates
edit- Dale Bumpers, Democratic
- Len E. Blaylock, Republican
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dale Bumpers (incumbent) | 488,892 | 75.44% | +13.78% | |
| Republican | Len E. Blaylock | 159,177 | 24.56% | −7.85% | |
| Majority | 329,715 | 50.88% | |||
| Turnout | 648,069 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
References
edit- ^ Dumas, Ernest. "Quincy Byrum Hurst (1918–2006)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
- ^ "AR Governor, 1972 - D Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
- ^ Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 101.
- ^ a b America Votes 10, p. 48.
- ^ "Obituary for Len Evette Blaylock, Perryville, AR".
- ^ Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 100.
- ^ "AR Governor, 1972". Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
- ^ Glashan 1979, pp. 22–23.
- ^ Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 42.
- ^ America Votes 10, p. 39.
Bibliography
edit- Glashan, Roy R. (1979). American Governors and Gubernatorial Elections, 1775-1978. Meckler Books. ISBN 0-930466-17-9.
- Gubernatorial Elections, 1787-1997. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998. ISBN 1-56802-396-0.
- Scammon, Richard M., ed. (1973). America Votes 10: a handbook of contemporary American election statistics, 1972. Washington, D.C.: Governmental Affairs Institute.
