1980 Utah gubernatorial election

For related races, see 1980 United States gubernatorial elections.

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^[update], 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]

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

Candidates

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

Results

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