Election 1972 Results
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1972 presidential election in South Carolina
Richard Nixon (Republican) beat George McGovern (Democrat) in South Carolina in 1972, 70.6% to 27.9%, a margin of 42.7 points and 289,157 votes.
South Carolina voted 19.5 points more Republican than the country as a whole, where the margin was R+23.1.
The Republican hold continued from 1968, when Richard Nixon also won.
Republicans led in 46 of the 46 counties as they stood then. The largest, Richland, cast 61,995 votes and went to the Republican by 29.5 points. The closest was Fairfield, where 116 votes separated the two parties.
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.
Result
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Nixon won | Republican | 478,427 | 70.6% |
| George McGovern | Democratic | 189,270 | 27.9% |
| All other candidates | 10,183 | 1.5% | |
| Total | 677,880 |
Every county
| County | Democrat | Republican | Others | Total | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richland | 21,462 34.6% | 39,746 64.1% | 787 | 61,995 | R+29.5 |
| Greenville | 10,143 17.4% | 46,360 79.6% | 1,726 | 58,229 | R+62.2 |
| Charleston | 16,855 29.1% | 39,863 68.8% | 1,229 | 57,947 | R+39.7 |
| Spartanburg | 9,586 23.1% | 31,308 75.3% | 662 | 41,556 | R+52.3 |
| Lexington | 4,069 13.6% | 25,327 84.7% | 490 | 29,886 | R+71.1 |
| Florence | 9,455 34.1% | 18,106 65.3% | 165 | 27,726 | R+31.2 |
| Aiken | 5,745 21.0% | 21,117 77.0% | 545 | 27,407 | R+56.1 |
| Anderson | 5,241 22.5% | 17,514 75.2% | 537 | 23,292 | R+52.7 |
| York | 6,374 30.3% | 14,441 68.7% | 211 | 21,026 | R+38.4 |
| Horry | 4,437 22.2% | 15,324 76.8% | 183 | 19,944 | R+54.6 |
| Orangeburg | 7,652 38.8% | 11,711 59.3% | 382 | 19,745 | R+20.6 |
| Sumter | 5,801 34.5% | 10,892 64.8% | 107 | 16,800 | R+30.3 |
| Darlington | 4,414 27.0% | 11,756 72.0% | 149 | 16,319 | R+45.0 |
| Pickens | 2,255 15.8% | 11,776 82.4% | 265 | 14,296 | R+66.6 |
| Berkeley | 4,497 32.1% | 9,345 66.7% | 177 | 14,019 | R+34.6 |
| Greenwood | 3,400 26.2% | 9,370 72.2% | 205 | 12,975 | R+46.0 |
| Dorchester | 3,606 30.3% | 8,095 68.1% | 185 | 11,886 | R+37.8 |
| Lancaster | 2,461 21.3% | 9,016 77.9% | 103 | 11,580 | R+56.6 |
| Union | 2,676 24.2% | 8,337 75.3% | 52 | 11,065 | R+51.2 |
| Williamsburg | 5,213 47.3% | 5,729 52.0% | 73 | 11,015 | R+4.7 |
| Laurens | 2,650 24.2% | 8,141 74.5% | 142 | 10,933 | R+50.2 |
| Kershaw | 2,531 23.6% | 8,035 74.8% | 178 | 10,744 | R+51.2 |
| Georgetown | 4,446 41.6% | 6,114 57.3% | 116 | 10,676 | R+15.6 |
| Cherokee | 2,107 21.5% | 7,570 77.2% | 123 | 9,800 | R+55.7 |
| Newberry | 2,035 21.4% | 7,325 76.9% | 161 | 9,521 | R+55.6 |
| Beaufort | 3,237 35.0% | 5,929 64.1% | 81 | 9,247 | R+29.1 |
| Oconee | 1,740 19.9% | 6,824 78.2% | 164 | 8,728 | R+58.2 |
| Colleton | 2,376 28.9% | 5,723 69.5% | 134 | 8,233 | R+40.7 |
| Chesterfield | 2,938 35.7% | 5,230 63.6% | 61 | 8,229 | R+27.9 |
| Marion | 2,545 34.9% | 4,719 64.7% | 34 | 7,298 | R+29.8 |
| Clarendon | 3,276 45.0% | 3,958 54.3% | 50 | 7,284 | R+9.4 |
| Chester | 2,352 33.0% | 4,724 66.2% | 60 | 7,136 | R+33.2 |
| Dillon | 1,604 26.6% | 4,364 72.3% | 66 | 6,034 | R+45.7 |
| Marlboro | 1,999 34.2% | 3,838 65.6% | 15 | 5,852 | R+31.4 |
| Barnwell | 1,560 28.3% | 3,955 71.7% | 5,515 | R+43.4 | |
| Fairfield | 2,492 48.4% | 2,608 50.7% | 46 | 5,146 | R+2.3 |
| Lee | 1,996 39.1% | 3,076 60.3% | 28 | 5,100 | R+21.2 |
| Hampton | 2,086 41.5% | 2,891 57.6% | 46 | 5,023 | R+16.0 |
| Abbeville | 1,349 28.5% | 3,266 68.9% | 122 | 4,737 | R+40.5 |
| Bamberg | 1,680 39.5% | 2,537 59.7% | 36 | 4,253 | R+20.2 |
| Edgefield | 1,326 31.4% | 2,812 66.7% | 80 | 4,218 | R+35.2 |
| Saluda | 1,022 24.4% | 3,095 73.8% | 74 | 4,191 | R+49.5 |
| Allendale | 1,386 44.1% | 1,741 55.3% | 19 | 3,146 | R+11.3 |
| Calhoun | 1,148 37.5% | 1,867 60.9% | 50 | 3,065 | R+23.5 |
| Jasper | 1,203 41.7% | 1,650 57.2% | 31 | 2,884 | R+15.5 |
| McCormick | 844 39.0% | 1,302 60.2% | 16 | 2,162 | R+21.2 |
Counties as they stood in 1972; some have since been split, merged or renamed. Margin: the Democrat's share of all votes minus the Republican's. Sources and how the results were checked.
South Carolina in every presidential election we hold
| Year | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Donald Trump (R) | R+17.9 |
| 2020 | Donald Trump (R) | R+11.7 |
| 2016 | Donald Trump (R) | R+14.3 |
| 2012 | Mitt Romney (R) | R+10.5 |
| 2008 | John McCain (R) | R+9.0 |
| 2004 | George W. Bush (R) | R+17.1 |
| 2000 | George W. Bush (R) | R+16.0 |
| 1996 | Bob Dole (R) | R+5.8 |
| 1992 | George H. W. Bush (R) | R+8.1 |
| 1988 | George H. W. Bush (R) | R+23.9 |
| 1984 | Ronald Reagan (R) | R+28.0 |
| 1980 | Ronald Reagan (R) | R+1.2 |
| 1976 | Jimmy Carter (D) | D+13.0 |
| 1972 | Richard Nixon (R) | R+42.7 |
| 1968 | Richard Nixon (R) | R+8.5 |
| 1964 | Barry Goldwater (R) | R+17.8 |
| 1960 | John F. Kennedy (D) | D+2.5 |
| 1956 | Adlai Stevenson II (D) | D+20.2 |
| 1952 | Adlai Stevenson II (D) | D+1.4 |
| 1948 | Strom Thurmond (other) | |
| 1944 | Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) | D+83.2 |
| 1940 | Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) | D+91.3 |
| 1936 | Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) | D+97.1 |
| 1932 | Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) | D+96.1 |
| 1928 | Al Smith (D) | D+82.9 |
| 1924 | John W. Davis (D) | D+94.4 |
| 1920 | James M. Cox (D) | D+92.1 |
| 1916 | Woodrow Wilson (D) | D+94.3 |
| 1912 | Woodrow Wilson (D) | D+94.8 |
| 1908 | William Jennings Bryan (D) | D+87.9 |
| 1904 | Alton B. Parker (D) | D+90.7 |
| 1900 | William Jennings Bryan (D) | D+86.1 |
| 1896 | William Jennings Bryan (D) | D+71.8 |
| 1892 | Grover Cleveland (D) | D+58.6 |
| 1888 | Grover Cleveland (D) | D+65.1 |
| 1884 | Grover Cleveland (D) | D+51.8 |
| 1880 | Winfield Scott Hancock (D) | D+31.7 |
| 1876 | Rutherford B. Hayes (R) | R+0.5 |
| 1872 | Ulysses S. Grant (R) | R+52.0 |
| 1868 | Ulysses S. Grant (R) | R+15.9 |