1972 Texas gubernatorial election

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%.

1972 Texas gubernatorial election

November 7, 1972

Nominee Dolph Briscoe Henry Grover Ramsey Muñiz Party Democratic Republican Raza Unida Popular vote 1,633,493 1,533,986 214,118 Percentage 47.9% 45.0% 6.3%

County results Briscoe:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Grover:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Muñiz:      40–50%      50–60%

Governor before election Preston Smith Democratic Elected Governor Dolph Briscoe Democratic

As of 2022, this is the last time Jim Hogg and Brooks counties did not vote for the Democratic candidate, instead voting for the Raza Unida party.

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.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Ben Barnes, lieutenant governor and former speaker of the Texas House of Representatives
• Dolph Briscoe, former state representative from Uvalde and candidate for governor in 1968
• Frances Farenthold, state representative from Corpus Christi
• Robert E. Looney
• William H. Posey
• Preston Smith, incumbent governor
• Gordon F. Wills

Results

Democratic primary results

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%

Runoff

Democratic runoff results

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%

Republican primary

Candidates

• Albert B. Fay, Houston oilman
• Henry Grover, former state representative from Harris County
• John A. Hall Sr.
• J. A. Jenkins
• Tom McElroy
• David Reagan

Results

Republican primary results

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%

Runoff

Republican runoff results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Henry Grover	37,842	66.38%
	Republican	Albert B. Fay	19,166	33.62%
Total votes			57,008	100.00%

Results

Results for Raza Unida by county:

Muñiz

•      0–5%
•      5–10%
•      10–15%
•      15–20%
•      20–25%
•      25–30%
•      >30%

General election results

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