The 1972 United States Senate election in Montana took place on November 7, 1972. Incumbent United States Senator
Lee Metcalf, who was first elected to the Senate in
1960 and was re-elected in
1966, ran for re-election. After winning the
Democratic primary, he moved on to the general election, where he faced Hank Hibbard, a
State Senator and the
Republican nominee. Following a close campaign, Metcalf managed to narrowly win re-election to his third term in the Senate over Hibbard.
Montana was one of fifteen states alongside
Alabama,
Arkansas,
Colorado,
Delaware,
Georgia,
Iowa,
Louisiana,
Maine,
Minnesota,
Mississippi,
New Hampshire,
Rhode Island,
South Dakota and
West Virginia that were won by Republican President
Richard Nixon in 1972 that elected Democrats to the United States Senate.