1972 Iowa Senate election

← 1970 November 7, 1972 1974 →
50 out of 50 seats in theIowa State Senate 26 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Clifton C. Lamborn Lee H. Gaudineer Party Republican Democratic Leader's seat 12th 32nd (retired) Last election 38 12 Seats before 37 13[a] Seats after 28 22 Seat change 9 9
Majority Leader before election Clifton C. Lamborn Republican ElectedMajority Leader Clifton C. Lamborn Republican

The1972 Iowa State Senate elections took place as part of thebiennial 1972United States elections.Iowa voters elected state senators inall of the state senate's 50 districts—the 25 even-numbered seats were up for regularly scheduled four-year terms and, due to the oddities of redistricting following the1970 Census, the 25 odd-numbered seats were up for shortened two-year terms. State senatorstypically serve four-year terms in theIowa State Senate, with half of the seatstraditionally up for election each cycle. Thedecennial census and redistricting process disrupts one cycle each decade.

TheIowa General Assembly provides statewide maps of each district. To compare the effect of the 1971 redistricting process on the location of each district, contrast theprevious map with themap used for the 1972 elections.

The primary election on June 6, 1972 determined which candidates appeared on the November 7, 1972 general election ballot. TheIowa Secretary of State only provides the names of candidates who ran in the 1972 primaries anddoes not report vote tallies. The primary candidates' names can be obtained here.^[2] General election results can be obtained here.^[3]

Following the previous election,Republicans had control of the Iowa state Senate, with 38 seats, andDemocrats had12 seats. In March 1971, a special election indistrict 11 resulted in G. William "Bill" Gross flipping a seat in favor of theDemocrats. Therefore, on election day in November 1972,Republicans controlled 37 seats andDemocrats had 13.

To claim control of the chamber fromRepublicans, theDemocrats needed to net 13 Senate seats.

Republicans maintained control of theIowa State Senate following the 1972 general election with the balance of power shifting toRepublicans holding 28 seats andDemocrats having 22 seats (a net gain of 9 seats for the Democrats).

• NOTE: The 25 even-numbered districts were up for four-year terms and the 25 odd-numbered districts were up for two-year terms due to the 1971 redistricting process.
• Also note, an asterisk (*) after a Senator's name indicates they were an incumbent re-elected, but to a new district number due to redistricting.

Source:^[4]

• Reminder: All even-numberedIowa Senate seats were up for four-year terms and all odd-numbered seats were up for two-year terms in 1972 due to the oddities caused by redistricting.

• Note: TheIowa Secretary of State only lists the names of 1972 primary candidates, instead of actual election results. Only general election vote tallies are provided.

• James Turner died and this necessitated a special election.

• United States elections, 1972
• United States House of Representatives elections in Iowa, 1972
• Elections in Iowa

• 1972 Iowa elections
• Iowa Senate elections
• 1972 state legislature elections in the United States

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