1972 North Carolina gubernatorial election
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The 1972 North Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1972. Republican nominee James Holshouser defeated Democratic nominee Skipper Bowles with 51% of the vote. Holshouser thus became the first Republican elected governor of the state since 1896.
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November 7, 1972
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 County results Holshouser: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Bowles: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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This election was also the first time in a century (since the 1872 election) that a Republican candidate won an outright majority of the vote.
Primary elections
Primary elections were held on May 6, 1972.[1]
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Skipper Bowles, State Senator
- Hoyt Patrick Taylor Jr., incumbent Lieutenant Governor
- Reginald A. Hawkins, civil rights activist and dentist
- Wilbur Hobby, labor union leader
- C. Eugene Leggett
- Zeb V.K. Dickson
22.8% of the voting age population participated in the Democratic primary.[2]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Skipper Bowles | 367,433 | 45.47 | |
| Democratic | Hoyt Patrick Taylor Jr. | 304,910 | 37.73 | |
| Democratic | Reginald A. Hawkins | 65,950 | 8.16 | |
| Democratic | Wilbur Hobby | 58,990 | 7.30 | |
| Democratic | C. Eugene Leggett | 6,352 | 0.79 | |
| Democratic | Zeb V.K. Dickson | 4,470 | 0.55 | |
| Total votes | 808,105 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Skipper Bowles | 336,034 | 54.34 | |
| Democratic | Hoyt Patrick Taylor Jr. | 282,345 | 45.66 | |
| Total votes | 618,379 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- James Holshouser, State Representative
- Jim Gardner, former U.S. Representative
- Leroy Gibson
- Thomas E. Chappell
4.9% of the voting age population participated in the Republican primary.[2]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jim Gardner | 84,906 | 49.77 | |
| Republican | James Holshouser | 83,637 | 49.03 | |
| Republican | Leroy Gibson | 1,083 | 0.64 | |
| Republican | Thomas E. Chappell | 957 | 0.56 | |
| Total votes | 170,583 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | James Holshouser | 69,916 | 50.65 | |
| Republican | Jim Gardner | 68,134 | 49.36 | |
| Total votes | 138,050 | 100.00 | ||
General election
Candidates
Major party candidates
- James Holshouser, Republican
- Skipper Bowles, Democratic
Other candidates
- Arlis F. Pettyjohn, American
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | James Holshouser | 767,470 | 51.00% | ||
| Democratic | Skipper Bowles | 729,104 | 48.45% | ||
| American | Arlis F. Pettyjohn | 8,211 | 0.55% | ||
| Majority | 38,366 | ||||
| Turnout | 1,504,785 | ||||
| Republican gain from Democratic | Swing | ||||