PolitiFinder

1972 Montana Gubernatorial Election

Montana · 2 candidates · See every 1972 Governor race

Who won the 1972 Montana Gubernatorial Election?

Thomas Lee Judge won the 1972 Montana Gubernatorial Election. Thomas Lee Judge received 172,523 popular votes (54.12%). The main challenger was Ed Smith (45.88%).

See the full head-to-head between Judge and Smith

Judge +8.2 pts · won by 26,292 votes
Thomas Lee JudgeDemocraticWINNER54.12%
172,523 votes
Ed SmithRepublican45.88%
146,231 votes
Popular-vote totals for governor elections are compiled from official state results (via Wikipedia); Louisiana shows the decisive round of its jungle primary.

Data last verified July 28, 2026.