1972Final results
1972 election for New York Senate District 38
New York State Senate · New York
Donald R. Ackerson (R) won with 43.7% of the vote, defeating Arthur E. Athens (D) by 4.6 points.
Donald R. AckersonRepublican · winner
43.7%56,927
Arthur E. AthensDemocrat
39.1%50,967
Estelle DirobertsConservative
14.5%18,935
Charles J. FentonLibertarian
2.7%3,509
130,338 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: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The candidates
Donald R. Ackerson (R)Arthur E. Athens (D)Estelle Diroberts (C)
Also on the ballot: Charles J. Fenton (Libertarian), 2.7%