1972Final resultsSpecial election
1972 special election for West Virginia Senate District 2
West Virginia State Senate · West Virginia
William Gilligan (R) won with 40.7% of the vote, defeating Harry Lantz (D) by 9.5 points.
William GilliganRepublican · winner
40.7%7,845
Harry LantzDemocrat
31.2%6,014
George Vance McMechenDemocrat
28.0%5,398
19,257 votes
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1972
Races before and after
Source: Past results: 99chambers results archive (MEDSL, Klarner, state election offices)