1972 Indiana gubernatorial election

1972 Indiana gubernatorial election
	County results; Bowen: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% ; Welsh: 40–50% 50–60%
Governor before election; Edgar Whitcomb; Republican	Elected Governor ; Otis Bowen; Republican

The 1972 Indiana gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1972.

Although during the same election cycle Indiana voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing the governor to serve in office for eight out of 12 years, incumbent Republican Governor Edgar Whitcomb was term-limited due to having been elected under the prior version of the constitution.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Republican nominee, Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives Otis Bowen defeated Democratic nominee Former Governor (1961-1965) Matthew E. Welsh with 56.77% of the vote.

Nominations

Until 1976, all nominations for statewide office in Indiana were made by state conventions.^[4]^[5]

Democratic nomination

Results

Matthew E. Welsh, former Governor def. Larry A. Conrad, Secretary of State^[6]^[7]^[8]

Republican nomination

Results

Republican nomination results^[9]^[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Otis Bowen	1,243	59.70
	Republican	William Sharp	364	17.48
	Republican	Phil Gutman	354	17.00
	Republican	W.W. 'Dub' Hill	108	5.19
		N/A	13	0.62
Total votes			2,082	100.00

General election

Results

Governor

1972 Indiana gubernatorial election^[11]^[12]^[13]^[14]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Otis Bowen	1,203,903	56.77%
	Democratic	Matthew E. Welsh	900,489	42.46%
	American Independent	Berryman S. Hurley	8,525	0.40%
	Peace and Freedom	Finley C. Campbell	6,278	0.30%
	Socialist Labor	John M. Morris	1,652	0.08%
Majority			303,414	14.31%
Turnout			2,120,847	100.00%
	Republican hold		Swing

Lieutenant governor

1972 Indiana lieutenant gubernatorial election^[15]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Robert D. Orr	1,149,255	55.34%
	Democratic	Richard C. Bodine	914,000	44.01%
	American Independent	Raymond Lee Clark	6,816	0.33%
	Peace and Freedom	Elizabeth Toohy	4,737	0.23%
	Socialist Labor	Casimer Kanczuzewski	1,878	0.09%
Majority			235,255	11.33%
Turnout			2,076,686	100.00%
	Republican hold		Swing

References

^ "Indiana Governor Term Limits, Amendment 2 (1972)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
^ "World War II Hero, Former Indiana Governor Edgar Whitcomb Dead At 98". www.wfyi.org. WFYI: Indianapolis' Public Radio, TV & News Station. February 4, 2016. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
^ Cole, Ryan (February 6, 2016). "A Politician Who Was His Own Man: Edgar Whitcomb, R.I.P." www.nationalreview.com. National Review. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
^ America Votes 10, p. 123.
^ Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 112.
^ Bowen and Du Bois 2000, p. 164.
^ Blaemire, Robert (2019). Birch Bayh: Making a Difference. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. p. 221. ISBN 9780253039194.
^ "The 1972 Campaign". The New York Times. New York, NY. June 21, 1972. p. 28. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
^ Bowen and Du Bois 2000, pp. 103–104.
^ Dunn, Craig (May 9, 2013). "Gov. Doc Bowen, with 'Kindest personal regards'" (PDF). Howey Politics Indiana. Vol. 18, no. 35. Kokomo, Indiana. p. 9. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
^ "IN Governor, 1972". Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
^ "1972 Gubernatorial General Election Results – Indiana". US Election Atlas. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
^ Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 50.
^ America Votes 10, p. 116.
^ "1972 Lt. Gubernatorial General Election Results – Indiana". US Election Atlas. Retrieved May 9, 2020.

Bibliography

Gubernatorial Elections, 1787–1997. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998. ISBN 1-56802-396-0.
Scammon, Richard M., ed. (1973). America Votes 10: a handbook of contemporary American election statistics, 1972. Washington, D.C.: Governmental Affairs Institute.
Brown, Otis R.; Du Bois, William (2000). Doc: Memories from a Life in Public Service. Bloomington, Illinois: Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-33767-4.