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3 governorships | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() Democratic hold Democratic gain |
United States gubernatorial elections were held in three states.
In Mississippi and Kentucky, general elections took place on 2 November 1971. In Louisiana, their general election took place on 1 February 1972 after the party primaries on 6 November 1971 and a Democratic primary runoff on 18 December 1971. In Mississippi and Louisiana, there were no party changes (in both cases, from Democrat to Democrat). In Kentucky, there was a Democratic gain.
In Kentucky, Louie B. Nunn was not allowed to run for a second term under the term limits rule at the time, a rule that was changed in 1992. [1]
In Mississippi, John Bell Williams was also barred from a second term under the term limits rule at the time, a rule that was changed in the mid-1980s. [2]
In Louisiana, John McKeithen had been allowed a second term due to a new rule enacted that allowed governors two consecutive terms, and thus was allowed to run for a second term (see Louisiana gubernatorial election, 1967). [3] Thus, he too was term-limited.
State | Incumbent | Party | First elected | Result | Candidates |
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Kentucky | Louie Nunn | Republican | 1967 | Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic gain. |
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Louisiana | John McKeithen | Democratic | 1964 | Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic hold. |
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Mississippi | John Bell Williams | Democratic | 1967 | Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic hold. |
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States where the margin of victory was under 10%: