# 1972 United States Senate election in Michigan

Elections in Michigan :
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2026 :
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vte :
The 1972 United States Senate election in Michigan was held on November 7, 1972. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator and Senate Minority Whip Robert P. Griffin ran for re-election to a second term. Griffin won reelection, defeating the Democratic nominee and Michigan Attorney General Frank J. Kelley by 6%. Despite President Richard Nixon’s landslide victory in Michigan and the rest of the country, Griffin’s margin of victory decreased from the previous election.
As of 2025, this was the last time that the Republicans have won Michigan’s Class 2 Senate seat, as well as the last time that a Republican won re-election to either Senate seat in Michigan.

## General election
### Candidates

* Thomas D. Dennis Jr. (Communist)
* Patrick V. Dillinger (American Independent)
* Robert P. Griffin, incumbent U.S. Senator since 1967 (Republican)
* Barbara Halpert (Human Rights)
* Frank J. Kelley, Michigan Attorney General (Democratic)
* Linda Norquist (Socialist Workers)
* James Sim (Socialist Labor)

### Results

General election results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | Robert P. Griffin (incumbent) | 1,781,065 | 52.28% | 3.62 |
| | Democratic | Frank J. Kelley | 1,577,178 | 46.29% | 2.44 |
| | American Independent | Patrick V. Dillinger | 23,121 | 0.68% | N/A |
| | Human Rights | Barbara Halpert | 19,118 | 0.56% | N/A |
| | Socialist Workers | Linda Norquist | 2,389 | 0.07% | N/A |
| | Socialist Labor | James Sim | 2,127 | 0.06% | 0.19 |
| | Communist | Thomas D. Dennis Jr. | 1,908 | 0.06% | N/A |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 3,406,906 | 100.00% |