1980 Utah gubernatorial election

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1980 Utah gubernatorial election
Flag of Utah (1922-2011).svg
  1976 November 4, 1980 1984  
  Scott Matheson speaking at the commissioning ceremony of the USS Salt Lake City, May 12, 1984 (cropped).JPEG 3x4.svg
Nominee Scott M. Matheson Bob Wright
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote330,974266,578
Percentage55.16%44.43%

1980 Utah gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
County results
Matheson:      40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%
Wright:      50–60%

Governor before election

Scott M. Matheson
Democratic

Elected Governor

Scott M. Matheson
Democratic

The 1980 Utah gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1980. Democratic incumbent Scott M. Matheson defeated Republican nominee Bob Wright with 55.16% of the vote. As of 2025, this is the last time a Democrat was elected Governor of Utah; since Matheson left office in 1985, all of Utah's governors have been Republican. [1] Matheson's victory was despite Republican presidential candidate Ronald Reagan and incumbent Republican Senator Jake Garn both winning over 72% of the vote in their respective races on the same ballot. [2] [3]

Contents

General election

Candidates

Results

1980 Utah gubernatorial election [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Democratic Scott M. Matheson (incumbent) 330,974 55.16% +3.14%
Republican Bob Wright 266,57844.43%−1.53%
American Lawrence Rey Topham2,4670.41%−0.92%
Majority 64,39610.73%+4.67%
Turnout 600,019
Democratic hold Swing

References

  1. Benjamin Wood (July 19, 2019). "Zachary Moses, a Democratic candidate for governor, wants to break up Republican control of Utah and build a space port". Salt Lake Tribune . Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  2. "1980 Presidential Election Statistics". US Election Atlas. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "1980 General Election Abstract" (PDF). Utah Secretary of State . Archived from the original (PDF) on January 30, 2025. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  4. "UT Governor". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 5, 2020.