Election 1972 Results
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1972 presidential election results by state and county
Richard Nixon won re-election in a 49-state landslide over George McGovern, who carried only Massachusetts and the District of Columbia.
Richard Nixon (Republican) beat George McGovern in 1972, winning 520 electoral votes to 17, with 1 going to other candidates. George McGovern carried 2 states and Richard Nixon 49. Across the states, the Democratic and Republican vote came to 29,173,222 and 47,168,710 (R+23.1 of all votes cast).
The closest states were Minnesota (R+5.5), Rhode Island (R+6.2) and South Dakota (R+8.6). 17 states changed party from 1968: Alabama to the Republicans, Arkansas to the Republicans, Connecticut to the Republicans, Georgia to the Republicans, Hawaii to the Republicans, Louisiana to the Republicans, Maine to the Republicans, Maryland to the Republicans, Michigan to the Republicans, Minnesota to the Republicans, Mississippi to the Republicans, New York to the Republicans, Pennsylvania to the Republicans, Rhode Island to the Republicans, Texas to the Republicans, Washington to the Republicans and West Virginia to the Republicans.
Early projection, based on early and incomplete polling: the likely matchups, each weighted by the betting markets' odds of both nominations, not a result. Each county is its 2024 presidential margin moved by its state's projected swing; set a national vote and every state, district and county moves by the same amount from our projection. Colours run in 100 steps from a safe Republican to a safe Democratic margin. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.
About the 1972 presidential election
Nixon ran on his opening to China, arms control talks with the Soviet Union and the gradual withdrawal of American troops from Vietnam. Democrats nominated George McGovern, a South Dakota senator and outspoken opponent of the war, after a primary season run under new rules that gave more power to activists. McGovern's campaign was damaged when his first running mate, Thomas Eagleton, left the ticket after disclosures about his past psychiatric treatment. It was the first presidential election since the voting age was lowered to 18. Nixon won about 61 percent of the popular vote and 520 electoral votes, carrying every state but Massachusetts. He took the Deep South states that had voted for Wallace in 1968, and flipped Democratic states including New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Texas. His narrowest wins were in Minnesota, by 5.5 points, and Rhode Island, by 6.2. McGovern carried Massachusetts by 9.0 points and the District of Columbia, for 17 electoral votes. A Virginia elector cast his vote for the Libertarian candidate, John Hospers. The June 1972 break-in at the Democratic headquarters in the Watergate building drew little attention during the campaign. The scandal that followed forced Nixon to resign in August 1974.
Every state
| State | Democrat | Votes | Republican | Votes | Others | Margin | EV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama flip | George McGovern | 256,923 (25.5%) | Richard Nixon | 728,701 (72.4%) | 20,469 | R+46.9 | 9 |
| Alaska | George McGovern | 32,967 (34.6%) | Richard Nixon | 55,349 (58.1%) | John G. Schmitz (American Independent) 6,903 (7.2%) |
R+23.5 | 3 |
| Arizona | George McGovern | 198,540 (30.4%) | Richard Nixon | 402,812 (61.6%) | 52,153 | R+31.3 | 6 |
| Arkansas flip | George McGovern | 198,899 (30.7%) | Richard Nixon | 445,751 (68.8%) | 3,016 | R+38.1 | 6 |
| California | George McGovern | 3,475,847 (41.5%) | Richard Nixon | 4,602,096 (55.0%) | 289,919 | R+13.5 | 45 |
| Colorado | George McGovern | 329,980 (34.6%) | Richard Nixon | 597,189 (62.6%) | 26,715 | R+28.0 | 7 |
| Connecticut flip | George McGovern | 555,498 (40.1%) | Richard Nixon | 810,763 (58.6%) | 18,016 | R+18.4 | 8 |
| Delaware | George McGovern | 92,283 (39.2%) | Richard Nixon | 140,357 (59.6%) | 2,876 | R+20.4 | 3 |
| District of Columbia | George McGovern | 127,627 (78.1%) | Richard Nixon | 35,226 (21.6%) | 568 | D+56.5 | 3 |
| Florida | George McGovern | 718,117 (27.8%) | Richard Nixon | 1,857,759 (71.9%) | 7,407 | R+44.1 | 17 |
| Georgia flip | George McGovern | 289,529 (24.6%) | Richard Nixon | 881,496 (75.0%) | 3,747 | R+50.4 | 12 |
| Hawaii flip | George McGovern | 101,409 (37.5%) | Richard Nixon | 168,865 (62.5%) | R+25.0 | 4 | |
| Idaho | George McGovern | 80,826 (26.0%) | Richard Nixon | 199,384 (64.2%) | John G. Schmitz (American Independent) 28,869 (9.3%) |
R+38.2 | 4 |
| Illinois | George McGovern | 1,913,472 (40.5%) | Richard Nixon | 2,788,179 (59.0%) | 21,585 | R+18.5 | 26 |
| Indiana | George McGovern | 708,568 (33.3%) | Richard Nixon | 1,405,154 (66.1%) | 11,807 | R+32.8 | 13 |
| Iowa | George McGovern | 496,206 (40.5%) | Richard Nixon | 706,207 (57.6%) | 23,531 | R+17.1 | 8 |
| Kansas | George McGovern | 270,287 (29.5%) | Richard Nixon | 619,812 (67.7%) | 25,996 | R+38.2 | 7 |
| Kentucky | George McGovern | 371,159 (34.8%) | Richard Nixon | 676,446 (63.4%) | 19,894 | R+28.6 | 9 |
| Louisiana flip | George McGovern | 298,142 (28.4%) | Richard Nixon | 686,852 (65.3%) | 66,497 | R+37.0 | 10 |
| Maine flip | George McGovern | 160,584 (38.5%) | Richard Nixon | 256,458 (61.5%) | 229 | R+23.0 | 4 |
| Maryland flip | George McGovern | 505,781 (37.4%) | Richard Nixon | 829,305 (61.3%) | 18,726 | R+23.9 | 10 |
| Massachusetts | George McGovern | 1,332,540 (54.2%) | Richard Nixon | 1,112,078 (45.2%) | 14,138 | D+9.0 | 14 |
| Michigan flip | George McGovern | 1,459,435 (41.8%) | Richard Nixon | 1,961,721 (56.2%) | 69,169 | R+14.4 | 21 |
| Minnesota flip | George McGovern | 802,346 (46.1%) | Richard Nixon | 898,269 (51.6%) | 41,037 | R+5.5 | 10 |
| Mississippi flip | George McGovern | 126,782 (19.6%) | Richard Nixon | 505,125 (78.2%) | 14,056 | R+58.6 | 7 |
| Missouri | George McGovern | 698,531 (37.7%) | Richard Nixon | 1,154,058 (62.3%) | R+24.6 | 12 | |
| Montana | George McGovern | 120,197 (37.8%) | Richard Nixon | 183,976 (57.9%) | 13,430 | R+20.1 | 4 |
| Nebraska | George McGovern | 169,991 (29.5%) | Richard Nixon | 406,298 (70.5%) | R+41.0 | 5 | |
| Nevada | George McGovern | 66,016 (36.3%) | Richard Nixon | 115,750 (63.7%) | R+27.4 | 3 | |
| New Hampshire | George McGovern | 116,435 (34.9%) | Richard Nixon | 213,724 (64.0%) | 3,896 | R+29.1 | 4 |
| New Jersey | George McGovern | 1,102,211 (36.8%) | Richard Nixon | 1,845,502 (61.6%) | 49,516 | R+24.8 | 17 |
| New Mexico | George McGovern | 141,084 (36.6%) | Richard Nixon | 235,606 (61.0%) | 9,241 | R+24.5 | 4 |
| New York flip | George McGovern | 2,951,084 (41.2%) | Richard Nixon | 4,192,778 (58.5%) | 17,968 | R+17.3 | 41 |
| North Carolina | George McGovern | 438,705 (28.9%) | Richard Nixon | 1,054,889 (69.5%) | 25,018 | R+40.6 | 13 |
| North Dakota | George McGovern | 100,384 (35.8%) | Richard Nixon | 174,109 (62.1%) | 6,021 | R+26.3 | 3 |
| Ohio | George McGovern | 1,558,889 (38.1%) | Richard Nixon | 2,441,827 (59.6%) | 94,071 | R+21.6 | 25 |
| Oklahoma | George McGovern | 247,147 (24.0%) | Richard Nixon | 759,025 (73.7%) | 23,728 | R+49.7 | 8 |
| Oregon | George McGovern | 392,760 (42.3%) | Richard Nixon | 486,686 (52.4%) | 48,500 | R+10.1 | 6 |
| Pennsylvania flip | George McGovern | 1,796,951 (39.1%) | Richard Nixon | 2,714,521 (59.1%) | 80,633 | R+20.0 | 27 |
| Rhode Island flip | George McGovern | 194,645 (46.8%) | Richard Nixon | 220,383 (53.0%) | 780 | R+6.2 | 4 |
| South Carolina | George McGovern | 189,270 (27.9%) | Richard Nixon | 478,427 (70.6%) | 10,183 | R+42.7 | 8 |
| South Dakota | George McGovern | 139,945 (45.5%) | Richard Nixon | 166,476 (54.2%) | 994 | R+8.6 | 4 |
| Tennessee | George McGovern | 357,293 (29.7%) | Richard Nixon | 813,147 (67.7%) | 30,742 | R+38.0 | 10 |
| Texas flip | George McGovern | 1,154,291 (33.2%) | Richard Nixon | 2,298,896 (66.2%) | 19,527 | R+33.0 | 26 |
| Utah | George McGovern | 126,284 (26.4%) | Richard Nixon | 323,643 (67.6%) | John G. Schmitz (American Independent) 28,549 (6.0%) |
R+41.3 | 4 |
| Vermont | George McGovern | 68,174 (36.5%) | Richard Nixon | 117,149 (62.7%) | 1,624 | R+26.2 | 3 |
| Virginia | George McGovern | 438,887 (30.1%) | Richard Nixon | 988,493 (67.8%) | 29,639 | R+37.7 | 12 |
| Washington flip | George McGovern | 568,334 (38.6%) | Richard Nixon | 837,135 (56.9%) | 65,378 | R+18.3 | 9 |
| West Virginia flip | George McGovern | 277,435 (36.4%) | Richard Nixon | 484,964 (63.6%) | R+27.2 | 6 | |
| Wisconsin | George McGovern | 810,174 (43.7%) | Richard Nixon | 989,430 (53.4%) | 53,286 | R+9.7 | 11 |
| Wyoming | George McGovern | 44,358 (30.5%) | Richard Nixon | 100,464 (69.0%) | 748 | R+38.5 | 3 |
Margin: the Democrat's share of all votes minus the Republican's. Margins are Democrat minus Republican, of all votes. Certified results, from the states' own archives, the MIT Election Data and Science Lab, Heideman (2026) and Algara & Amlani (2021). Maine and Nebraska are shown whole, without their district votes. By county: "As they were" draws each county as it stood on election day; "Today's" shares the old votes among today's counties by area. County boundaries: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries (CC BY-NC-SA 2.5). How these results were checked.