1972 United States Senate election in Montana
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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.
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November 7, 1972
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 County results Metcalf: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Hibbard: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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Democratic primary
Candidates
- Lee Metcalf, incumbent United States Senator
- Jerome Peters
Results
| 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
Candidates
- Hank Hibbard
- Harold E. Wallace, 1970 Republican nominee for the Senate
- Norman C. Wheeler
- Merrill K. Riddick
Results
| 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
Results
| 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 | ||||