1972 United States Senate election in Montana

The 1972 United States Senate election in Montana took place on November 7, 1972. Incumbent United States Senator Lee Metcalf, who was first elected to the Senate in 1960 and was re-elected in 1966, ran for re-election. After winning the Democratic primary, he moved on to the general election, where he faced Hank Hibbard, a State Senator and the Republican nominee. Following a close campaign, Metcalf managed to narrowly win re-election to his third term in the Senate over Hibbard. Montana was one of fifteen states alongside Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Dakota and West Virginia that were won by Republican President Richard Nixon in 1972 that elected Democrats to the United States Senate.

1972 United States Senate election in Montana

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →
 
Nominee Lee Metcalf Hank Hibbard
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 163,609 151,316
Percentage 51.95% 48.05%

County results
Metcalf:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Hibbard:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election

Lee Metcalf
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Lee Metcalf
Democratic

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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Results

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Democratic Party primary results[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Lee Metcalf (incumbent) 106,491 86.42%
Democratic Jerome Peters 16,729 13.58%
Total votes 123,220 100.00%

Republican primary

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Candidates

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Results

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Republican Primary results[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Hank Hibbard 43,028 49.70%
Republican Harold E. Wallace 26,463 30.57%
Republican Norman C. Wheeler 13,826 15.97%
Republican Merrill K. Riddick 3,259 3.76%
Total votes 86,576 100.00%

General election

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Results

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United States Senate election in Montana, 1972[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Lee Metcalf (incumbent) 163,609 51.95% −1.22%
Republican Hank Hibbard 151,316 48.05% +1.22%
Majority 12,293 3.90% −2.43%
Turnout 314,925
Democratic hold Swing

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Report of the Official Canvass of the Vote Cast at the Primary Election Held in the State of Montana and of the Vote Cast at the Separate Election for Ratification or Rejection of the Proposed Constitution, June 6, 1972" (PDF). Montana Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 15, 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  2. ^ "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 7, 1972" (PDF). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved July 2, 2014.