1972 Utah gubernatorial election

The 1972 Utah gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1972. Democratic incumbent Cal Rampton defeated Republican nominee Nicholas L. Strike with 69.68% of the vote. Rampton's victory was despite incumbent Republican president Richard Nixon winning the state with over 67% of the vote in the concurrent presidential election. The election made Rampton the first governor to serve three terms. Rampton's vote share is the highest ever achieved by a Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Utah. It remained the highest share by a gubernatorial candidate from any party in the state until 1996. Rampton flipped Kane County, which had previously never voted Democratic for governor (though it had voted Democratic for president in 1916), but Strike managed to simultaneously flip Uintah County, preventing a statewide sweep by Rampton. == Primary election == Primary elections were held on September 12, 1972. === Democratic primary === Incumbent governor Cal Rampton was renominated without opposition. === Republican primary === Nicholas L. Strike, a former Navy officer and president of the Utah Manufacturer's Association from 1968 to 1969, was nominated without opposition. == Campaign == It was suggested that Rampton, as a moderate Democrat, was acceptable enough to Utah's Republican Party that in both the 1968 and 1972 elections, they put forward only token candidates. By October 1972, Rampton was seen as very likely to win, with his election appearing "assured" according to The New York Times. == General election == === Candidates === Cal Rampton, Democratic Nicholas L. Strike, Republican === Results === === Results by county === ==== Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic ==== Kane ==== Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican ==== Uintah == References ==