Elections / 1972
The 1972 elections
George McGovern (D) faced Richard Nixon (R); Nixon won the presidency. National popular vote: R+23.2. Electoral college: Nixon 520 of 538.
1972 presidential election
NixonR+23.2
1972presidential margin
D+60R+60
Fifty states and DC, each filled by its 1972 result. Hover any state for the detail and its electoral votes.
Smaller states, enlarged
Blue and red show the Democratic-vs-Republican margin; gold marks a state an independent or third-party candidate carried.
All 51 results, 1972
| State | presidential margin | Electoral votes |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | D+56.5 | 3 |
| Massachusetts | D+9.0 | 14 |
| Minnesota | R+5.5 | 10 |
| Rhode Island | R+6.2 | 4 |
| South Dakota | R+8.6 | 4 |
| Wisconsin | R+9.7 | 11 |
| Oregon | R+10.1 | 6 |
| California | R+13.5 | 45 |
| Michigan | R+14.4 | 21 |
| Iowa | R+17.1 | 8 |
| New York | R+17.3 | 41 |
| Washington | R+18.3 | 9 |
| Connecticut | R+18.5 | 8 |
| Illinois | R+18.5 | 26 |
| Pennsylvania | R+20.0 | 27 |
| Montana | R+20.1 | 4 |
| Delaware | R+20.4 | 3 |
| Ohio | R+21.6 | 25 |
| Maine | R+23.0 | 4 |
| Alaska | R+23.5 | 3 |
| Maryland | R+23.9 | 10 |
| New Mexico | R+24.5 | 4 |
| Missouri | R+24.7 | 12 |
| New Jersey | R+24.8 | 17 |
| Hawaii | R+25.0 | 4 |
| Vermont | R+26.2 | 3 |
| North Dakota | R+26.3 | 3 |
| West Virginia | R+27.2 | 6 |
| Nevada | R+27.4 | 3 |
| Colorado | R+28.0 | 7 |
| Kentucky | R+28.6 | 9 |
| New Hampshire | R+29.1 | 4 |
| Arizona | R+31.3 | 6 |
| Indiana | R+32.8 | 13 |
| Texas | R+33.0 | 26 |
| Louisiana | R+37.0 | 10 |
| Virginia | R+37.7 | 12 |
| Tennessee | R+38.0 | 10 |
| Arkansas | R+38.1 | 6 |
| Kansas | R+38.2 | 7 |
| Idaho | R+38.2 | 4 |
| Wyoming | R+38.5 | 3 |
| North Carolina | R+40.6 | 13 |
| Nebraska | R+41.0 | 5 |
| Utah | R+41.2 | 4 |
| South Carolina | R+42.7 | 8 |
| Florida | R+44.1 | 17 |
| Alabama | R+46.9 | 9 |
| Oklahoma | R+49.7 | 8 |
| Georgia | R+50.6 | 12 |
| Mississippi | R+58.6 | 7 |
The 1972 cycle at a glance
National popular vote
R+23.2
Electoral college
Nixon 520
of 538
President — national popular vote
George McGovern (D) vs Richard Nixon (R)
McGovern (D)
29,174,918
37.5%
Nixon (R)
47,175,817
60.7%
All others
1,396,802
1.8%
Margin
R+23.2
Go deeper by office
Governor pages cover 2018–2025: even-year cycles with county-level precinct detail, the odd-year VA/NJ and KY/LA/MS races as certified statewide results. See the methodology for series notes.