Richard Nixon defeated George McGovern.
George McGovern (D) vs Richard Nixon (R). Every state below links to its full contest page with county-level results.
Nominees: George McGovern (D) · Richard Nixon (R)
The 1972 cycle at a glance
The popular vote in the long run
National Democratic-minus-Republican margin, 1892–1972. Blue above the line is a Democratic margin, red below Republican.
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | +1.7% |
| 1896 | −6.1% |
| 1900 | −7.5% |
| 1904 | −19.7% |
| 1908 | −9.6% |
| 1912 | +19.5% |
| 1916 | +3.1% |
| 1920 | −26.2% |
| 1924 | −25.2% |
| 1928 | −17.5% |
| 1932 | +17.8% |
| 1936 | +24.3% |
| 1940 | +9.9% |
| 1944 | +7.5% |
| 1948 | +4.5% |
| 1952 | −10.8% |
| 1956 | −15.4% |
| 1960 | +0.2% |
| 1964 | +22.6% |
| 1968 | −0.7% |
| 1972 | −23.2% |
The path to 270
Nixon's states, safest to closest — the running electoral-vote total crosses 270 at the tipping-point state.
Electoral college
538 electors at stake · 270 to win
R Nixon won the presidency, clearing the 270-vote majority with 250 to spare.
Tipping-point stateOrdered from Nixon’s strongest states down, Ohio cast the electoral votes that crossed 270 — Nixon carried it R+21.6.
How the country moved
Every county that voted in both cycles, placed by how its margin swung and sized by its turnout. 2,996 of 3,137 moved toward the Republicans. The median county swung R+21.4; weighted by turnout — the average voter's county — the shift was R+21.8.
The sharpest county swings
Of the counties reporting in both cycles, the biggest shifts in presidential margin since 1968. Each links to the county's full record.
| County | State | Swing | 1968 margin | 1972 margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George County | MS | R+87.6 | D+1.0 | R+86.6 |
| Smith County | MS | R+83.8 | R+1.6 | R+85.5 |
| Holmes County | FL | R+83.8 | R+1.2 | R+85.0 |
| Newton County | MS | R+82.4 | D+3.7 | R+78.6 |
| Coryell County | TX | R+82.4 | D+22.0 | R+60.4 |
| Neshoba County | MS | R+82.0 | D+4.3 | R+77.7 |
Results by state
Every row links to the state's contest page with its county map. Electoral votes reflect the 1972 apportionment. The Swing column is the change in margin since 1968; the faint tick on each bar marks where the state stood then.
| State | Won | Electoral votes | Margin | Swing | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | R | 3 | R+21.4 | 32,966 | 55,351 | 95,218 | |
| Alabama | R | 9 | R+51.6 | 256,923 | 728,701 | 1,006,093 | |
| Arkansas | R | 6 | R+37.7 | 198,899 | 445,751 | 647,666 | |
| Arizona | R | 6 | R+11.5 | 198,540 | 402,812 | 653,505 | |
| California | R | 45 | R+10.4 | 3,475,847 | 4,602,096 | 8,367,862 | |
| Colorado | R | 7 | R+18.9 | 329,980 | 597,189 | 953,885 | |
| Connecticut | R | 8 | R+23.6 | 555,486 | 810,740 | 1,383,464 | |
| District of Columbia | D | 3 | R+7.1 | 127,627 | 35,226 | 163,421 | |
| Delaware | R | 3 | R+16.9 | 92,283 | 140,357 | 235,516 | |
| Florida | R | 17 | R+34.5 | 718,117 | 1,857,759 | 2,583,283 | |
| Georgia | R | 12 | R+46.9 | 289,529 | 881,496 | 1,171,025 | |
| Hawaii | R | 4 | R+46.1 | 101,409 | 168,865 | 270,274 | |
| Iowa | R | 8 | R+4.9 | 496,206 | 706,207 | 1,225,944 | |
| Idaho | R | 4 | R+12.1 | 80,826 | 199,384 | 310,379 | |
| Illinois | R | 26 | R+15.6 | 1,913,472 | 2,788,179 | 4,723,236 | |
| Indiana | R | 13 | R+20.5 | 708,568 | 1,405,154 | 2,125,529 | |
| Kansas | R | 7 | R+18.0 | 270,287 | 619,812 | 916,095 | |
| Kentucky | R | 9 | R+22.5 | 371,159 | 676,446 | 1,067,499 | |
| Louisiana | R | 10 | R+41.7 | 298,142 | 686,852 | 1,051,491 | |
| Massachusetts | D | 14 | R+21.2 | 1,332,540 | 1,112,078 | 2,458,756 | |
| Maryland | R | 10 | R+25.5 | 505,781 | 829,305 | 1,353,812 | |
| Maine | R | 4 | R+35.2 | 160,584 | 256,458 | 417,271 | |
| Michigan | R | 21 | R+21.1 | 1,459,435 | 1,961,721 | 3,490,325 | |
| Minnesota | R | 10 | R+18.0 | 802,346 | 898,269 | 1,741,652 | |
| Missouri | R | 12 | R+23.5 | 697,147 | 1,153,852 | 1,850,999 | |
| Mississippi | R | 7 | R+68.1 | 126,782 | 505,125 | 645,963 | |
| Montana | R | 4 | R+11.1 | 120,197 | 183,976 | 317,603 | |
| North Carolina | R | 13 | R+30.3 | 438,705 | 1,054,889 | 1,518,612 | |
| North Dakota | R | 3 | R+8.6 | 100,384 | 174,109 | 280,514 | |
| Nebraska | R | 5 | R+13.0 | 169,991 | 406,298 | 576,289 | |
| New Hampshire | R | 4 | R+20.9 | 116,435 | 213,724 | 334,059 | |
| New Jersey | R | 17 | R+22.7 | 1,102,211 | 1,845,502 | 2,997,229 | |
| New Mexico | R | 4 | R+12.4 | 141,084 | 235,606 | 385,931 | |
| Nevada | R | 3 | R+19.2 | 66,016 | 115,750 | 181,766 | |
| New York | R | 41 | R+22.8 | 2,951,084 | 4,192,778 | 7,161,830 | |
| Ohio | R | 25 | R+19.3 | 1,558,889 | 2,441,827 | 4,094,787 | |
| Oklahoma | R | 8 | R+34.0 | 247,147 | 759,025 | 1,029,900 | |
| Oregon | R | 6 | R+4.1 | 392,760 | 486,686 | 927,946 | |
| Pennsylvania | R | 27 | R+23.5 | 1,796,951 | 2,714,521 | 4,592,106 | |
| Rhode Island | R | 4 | R+38.4 | 194,645 | 220,383 | 415,808 | |
| South Carolina | R | 8 | R+34.2 | 189,270 | 478,427 | 677,863 | |
| South Dakota | R | 4 | D+2.7 | 139,945 | 166,476 | 307,415 | |
| Tennessee | R | 10 | R+28.2 | 357,293 | 813,147 | 1,201,182 | |
| Texas | R | 26 | R+34.2 | 1,154,291 | 2,298,896 | 3,472,714 | |
| Utah | R | 4 | R+21.8 | 126,284 | 323,643 | 478,476 | |
| Virginia | R | 12 | R+26.9 | 441,980 | 995,827 | 1,467,583 | |
| Vermont | R | 3 | R+17.0 | 68,174 | 117,149 | 186,946 | |
| Washington | R | 9 | R+20.4 | 568,334 | 837,135 | 1,470,847 | |
| Wisconsin | R | 11 | R+6.1 | 810,174 | 989,430 | 1,851,997 | |
| West Virginia | R | 6 | R+36.0 | 277,435 | 484,964 | 762,399 | |
| Wyoming | R | 3 | R+18.3 | 44,358 | 100,464 | 145,570 |
Source. Compiled historical county records — 1972 presidential returns · official state + county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.