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 County results Holshouser: 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-90% Contents
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| Elections in North Carolina |
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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.
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 were held on May 6, 1972. [1]
| 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 | ||
| 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 | ||
Major party candidates
Other candidates
| 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 | ||||
James Eubert Holshouser Jr. was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 68th Governor of North Carolina from 1973 to 1977. He was the first Republican candidate to be elected as governor of the state since 1896. Born in Boone, North Carolina, Holshouser initially sought to become a sports journalist before deciding to pursue a law degree. While in law school he developed an interest in politics and in 1962 he was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives where he focused on restructuring government and higher education institutions, and drug abuse legislation. Made chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party in March 1966, he established the organization's first permanent staff and gained prominence by opposing a cigarette tax.
Hargrove "Skipper" Bowles Jr. was an American Democratic politician and businessman, based in Greensboro, North Carolina.
James Carson Gardner is an American businessman and politician who served as a U.S. Representative (1967–1969) and as the 30th Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina (1989–1993).
The North Carolina Republican Party (NCGOP) is the affiliate of the Republican Party in North Carolina. Michael Whatley has been the chair since 2019. It is currently the state's favored party, controlling half of North Carolina's U.S. House seats, both U.S. Senate seats, and a 3/5 supermajority control of both chambers of the state legislature, as well as a majority on the state supreme court.
The 2012 North Carolina gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2012, concurrently with the 2012 United States presidential election, U.S. House election, statewide judicial election, Council of State election and various local elections.
The 2008 North Carolina lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 2008, as part of the elections to the Council of State. North Carolina also held a gubernatorial election on the same day, but the offices of governor and lieutenant governor are elected independently.
The 1976 North Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1976. Democratic nominee Jim Hunt defeated Republican nominee David T. Flaherty with 64.99% of the vote.
The 1978 Kansas gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1978. Democratic nominee John W. Carlin defeated incumbent Republican Robert Frederick Bennett with 49.4% of the vote.
The 1974 Tennessee gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1974. Democratic nominee Ray Blanton defeated Republican nominee Lamar Alexander with 55.4% of the vote.
The 1970 Tennessee gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1970. Republican Winfield Dunn, defeated Democratic nominee John Jay Hooker with 52.0% of the vote. Dunn became the first Republican Governor of Tennessee in fifty years.
The 1968 North Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1968. Democratic nominee Robert W. Scott defeated Republican nominee Jim Gardner with 52.70% of the vote.
The 1972 Kansas gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1972. Incumbent Democrat Robert Docking defeated Republican nominee Morris Kay with 62.0% of the vote.
The 1959 Kentucky gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1959. Democratic nominee Bert Combs defeated Republican nominee John M. Robsion Jr. with 60.56% of the vote.
The 1964 Kansas gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1964. Republican nominee William H. Avery defeated Democratic nominee Harry G. Wiles with 50.9% of the vote.
The 1962 Kansas gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1962. Incumbent Republican John Anderson Jr. defeated Democratic nominee Dale E. Saffels with 53.4% of the vote.
The 1948 North Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1948. Democratic nominee W. Kerr Scott defeated Republican nominee George M. Pritchard with 73.16% of the vote. This was the first gubernatorial election in North Carolina where a female appeared on the ballot.
The 1952 Florida gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1952. Democratic nominee Daniel T. McCarty defeated Republican nominee Harry S. Swan with 74.83% of the vote.
The 1950 Connecticut gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1950. Republican nominee John Davis Lodge defeated Democratic incumbent Chester Bowles with 49.66% of the vote.
The 1900 North Carolina gubernatorial election was held on August 2, 1900. Democratic nominee Charles Brantley Aycock defeated Republican nominee Spencer B. Adams with 59.57% of the vote. The election started a string of 18 consecutive elections in which the Democratic nominee won the Governor's office. The state would not elect another Republican as governor until James E. Holshouser, Jr. won in 1972.
The 1896 North Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1896. Republican nominee Daniel Lindsay Russell defeated Democratic nominee Cyrus B. Watson with 46.52% of the vote. This was the only election in North Carolina between 1872 and 1972 in which the Republican nominee won the governor's office.
