1972 Iowa gubernatorial election

The 1972 Iowa gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1972. Incumbent Republican Robert D. Ray defeated Democratic nominee Paul Franzenburg with 58.43% of the vote.

1972 Iowa gubernatorial election

← 1970 November 7, 1972 1974 →
 
Nominee Robert D. Ray Paul Franzenburg
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 707,177 487,282
Percentage 58.4% 40.3%

County results
Ray:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%

Governor before election

Robert D. Ray
Republican

Elected Governor

Robert D. Ray
Republican

This was the last gubernatorial election in Iowa in which either party won every county. It was also the last election for a two-year term, with Iowa (alongside Arkansas, Kansas, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas and, as of date, Vermont and New Hampshire) being one of the last states to maintain two-year, as opposed to four-year gubernatorial terms.

General election

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Candidates

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Major party candidates

  • Robert D. Ray, Republican
  • Paul Franzenburg, Democratic

Other candidates

  • Robert Dilley, American Independent

Results

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1972 Iowa gubernatorial election[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Robert D. Ray (incumbent) 707,177 58.43% +7.45%
Democratic Paul Franzenburg 487,282 40.26% −6.36%
American Independent Robert Dilley 15,715 1.30% −1.09%
Write-ins 48 0.00%
Majority 219,895 18.17%
Turnout 1,210,222
Republican hold Swing

References

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  1. ^ "Summary of Official Canvass of Votes Cast in Iowa General Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of Iowa. 1972. Retrieved March 5, 2019.