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The 1972 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1972, to elect the governor of Texas. Incumbent Democratic Governor Preston Smith ran for reelection, but lost renomination to businessman Dolph Briscoe. Smith was overwhelmingly rejected in the Democratic primary, taking fourth place with only 8% of the vote amid the fallout from the Sharpstown scandal. Briscoe went on to win the general election by a relatively small margin, winning 48% of the vote to Republican Henry Grover's 45%. Raza Unida candidate Ramsey Muniz won 6%.
As of 2022, this is the last time Jim Hogg and Brooks counties did not vote for the Democratic candidate, instead voting for Raza Unida
The 1972 election marked the last time that a gubernatorial election was held concurrently with a presidential election and the last time that a governor was elected for a two-year term.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dolph Briscoe | 963,397 | 43.93% | |
| Democratic | Frances Farenthold | 612,051 | 27.91% | |
| Democratic | Ben Barnes | 392,356 | 17.89% | |
| Democratic | Preston Smith (incumbent) | 190,709 | 8.70% | |
| Democratic | William H. Posey | 13,727 | 0.62% | |
| Democratic | Gordon F. Wills | 10,438 | 0.48% | |
| Democratic | Robert E. Looney | 10,225 | 0.47% | |
| Total votes | 2,192,903 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dolph Briscoe | 1,095,168 | 55.32% | |
| Democratic | Frances Farenthold | 884,594 | 44.68% | |
| Total votes | 1,979,762 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Henry Grover | 37,118 | 32.56% | |
| Republican | Albert B. Fay | 24,329 | 21.34% | |
| Republican | David Reagan | 20,119 | 17.65% | |
| Republican | Tom McElroy | 19,559 | 17.16% | |
| Republican | John A. Hall Sr. | 8,018 | 7.03% | |
| Republican | J. A. Jenkins | 4,864 | 4.27% | |
| Total votes | 114,007 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Henry Grover | 37,842 | 66.38% | |
| Republican | Albert B. Fay | 19,166 | 33.62% | |
| Total votes | 57,008 | 100.00% | ||
Muñiz
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dolph Briscoe | 1,633,493 | 47.91% | |
| Republican | Henry Grover | 1,533,986 | 44.99% | |
| Raza Unida | Ramsey Muniz | 214,118 | 6.28% | |
| Socialist Workers | Deborah Leonard | 24,103 | 0.71% | |
| Others | 3,891 | 0.11% | ||
| Total votes | 3,409,501 | 100.00% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
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