1980 Utah gubernatorial election

Summary

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 2024, 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 70% of the vote in their respective races on the same ballot.[2][3]

1980 Utah gubernatorial election

← 1976 November 4, 1980 1984 →
 
Nominee Scott M. Matheson Bob Wright
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 330,974 266,578
Percentage 55.16% 44.43%

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

General election edit

Candidates edit

  • Scott M. Matheson, Democratic
  • Bob Wright, Republican
  • Lawrence Rey Topham, American Party

Results edit

1980 Utah gubernatorial election[3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Scott M. Matheson (incumbent) 330,974 55.16% +3.14%
Republican Bob Wright 266,578 44.43% -1.53%
American Lawrence Rey Topham 2,467 0.41% -0.92%
Majority 64,396 10.73% +4.67%
Turnout 600,019
Democratic hold Swing

References edit

  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. ^ a b "1980 General Election Abstract" (PDF). Utah Secretary of State. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  4. ^ "UT Governor". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 5, 2020.