| Election Name: | 1972 Montana gubernatorial election |
| Country: | Montana |
| Flag Year: | 1905 |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1968 Montana gubernatorial election |
| Previous Year: | 1968 |
| Next Election: | 1976 Montana gubernatorial election |
| Next Year: | 1976 |
| Election Date: | November 7, 1972 |
| Nominee1: | Thomas Lee Judge |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 172,523 |
| Percentage1: | 54.12% |
| Nominee2: | Ed Smith |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 146,231 |
| Percentage2: | 45.88% |
| Map Size: | 300px |
| Governor | |
| Before Election: | Forrest H. Anderson |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Thomas Lee Judge |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Turnout: | 84.60%1.80[1] |
The 1972 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 1972. Incumbent Governor of Montana Forrest H. Anderson, who was first elected in 1968, declined to seek re-election. Thomas Lee Judge, the Lieutenant Governor of Montana, won a competitive Democratic primary, and moved on to the general election, where he faced Ed Smith, a rancher and the Republican nominee. Although then-President Richard Nixon won the state in a landslide in that year's presidential election, Judge managed to handily defeat Smith, winning his first of two terms as governor.