1972Final results
1972 Democratic primary for Missouri House District 97
Missouri House of Representatives · Missouri
William Otoole (D) won with 46.0% of the vote, defeating James A. Mertz (D) by 13.1 points.
William OtooleDemocrat · winner
46.0%2,917
James A. MertzDemocrat
32.8%2,083
James BoothDemocrat
17.9%1,133
James Patrick DonnellyDemocrat
3.3%211
6,344 votes
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The candidates
William Otoole (D)James A. Mertz (D)James Booth (D)
Also on the ballot: James Patrick Donnelly (Democrat), 3.3%