Elections / 1972 · President · CA
California — 1972 presidential election
Recent presidential results
Akashicstate1972 presidential electionCalifornia · PresidentNixonR+13.5
How it voted
Share of the 1972 vote
| Richard Nixon ✓Republican | 55.0% | 4,602,096 |
|---|---|---|
| George McGovernDemocratic | 41.5% | 3,475,847 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 3.5% | 289,919 |
1972presidential margin
D+60R+60
58 counties, each filled by 1972 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
California cast 45 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (58 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Alameda County, CA | Democratic | D+12.2 |
| Alpine County, CA | Republican | R+29.7 |
| Amador County, CA | Republican | R+12.5 |
| Butte County, CA | Republican | R+20.8 |
| Calaveras County, CA | Republican | R+27.3 |
| Colusa County, CA | Republican | R+19.2 |
| Contra Costa County, CA | Republican | R+10.6 |
| Del Norte County, CA | Republican | R+13.7 |
| El Dorado County, CA | Republican | R+12.8 |
| Fresno County, CA | Republican | R+4.1 |
| Glenn County, CA | Republican | R+24.4 |
| Humboldt County, CA | Republican | R+2.7 |
| Imperial County, CA | Republican | R+27.1 |
| Inyo County, CA | Republican | R+40.0 |
| Kern County, CA | Republican | R+25.0 |
| Kings County, CA | Republican | R+17.4 |
| Lake County, CA | Republican | R+15.0 |
| Lassen County, CA | Republican | R+6.8 |
| Los Angeles County, CA | Republican | R+12.7 |
| Madera County, CA | Republican | R+8.4 |
| Marin County, CA | Republican | R+6.5 |
| Mariposa County, CA | Republican | R+16.8 |
| Mendocino County, CA | Republican | R+7.8 |
| Merced County, CA | Republican | R+11.7 |
| Modoc County, CA | Republican | R+22.8 |
| Mono County, CA | Republican | R+37.3 |
| Monterey County, CA | Republican | R+17.5 |
| Napa County, CA | Republican | R+22.6 |
| Nevada County, CA | Republican | R+15.8 |
| Orange County, CA | Republican | R+41.3 |
| Placer County, CA | Republican | R+4.6 |
| Plumas County, CA | Democratic | D+1.7 |
| Riverside County, CA | Republican | R+19.6 |
| Sacramento County, CA | Republican | R+1.4 |
| San Benito County, CA | Republican | R+20.0 |
| San Bernardino County, CA | Republican | R+24.2 |
| San Diego County, CA | Republican | R+27.5 |
| San Francisco County, CA | Democratic | D+14.2 |
| San Joaquin County, CA | Republican | R+15.8 |
| San Luis Obispo County, CA | Republican | R+15.3 |
| San Mateo County, CA | Republican | R+10.0 |
| Santa Barbara County, CA | Republican | R+13.5 |
| Santa Clara County, CA | Republican | R+6.3 |
| Santa Cruz County, CA | Republican | R+3.5 |
| Shasta County, CA | Democratic | D+1.7 |
| Sierra County, CA | Democratic | D+2.2 |
| Siskiyou County, CA | Republican | R+7.7 |
| Solano County, CA | Republican | R+11.3 |
| Sonoma County, CA | Republican | R+13.2 |
| Stanislaus County, CA | Republican | R+5.9 |
| Sutter County, CA | Republican | R+29.4 |
| Tehama County, CA | Republican | R+7.1 |
| Trinity County, CA | Republican | R+6.7 |
| Tulare County, CA | Republican | R+23.7 |
| Tuolumne County, CA | Republican | R+12.0 |
| Ventura County, CA | Republican | R+30.5 |
| Yolo County, CA | Democratic | D+13.4 |
| Yuba County, CA | Republican | R+18.8 |
Nominees: George McGovern (D) · Richard Nixon (R)
California's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 1972 contest in context
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | +1.2% |
| 1896 | −0.6% |
| 1900 | −13.1% |
| 1904 | −34.9% |
| 1908 | −22.5% |
| 1912 | +41.8% |
| 1916 | +0.4% |
| 1920 | −41.9% |
| 1924 | −49.0% |
| 1928 | −30.5% |
| 1932 | +21.0% |
| 1936 | +35.3% |
| 1940 | +16.1% |
| 1944 | +13.5% |
| 1948 | +0.4% |
| 1952 | −13.6% |
| 1956 | −11.1% |
| 1960 | −0.5% |
| 1964 | +18.3% |
| 1968 | −3.1% |
| 1972 | −13.5% |
| 1976 | −1.8% |
| 1980 | −16.8% |
| 1984 | −16.2% |
| 1988 | −3.6% |
| 1992 | +13.4% |
| 1996 | +12.9% |
| 2000 | +11.8% |
| 2004 | +9.9% |
| 2008 | +24.0% |
| 2012 | +23.1% |
| 2016 | +30.0% |
| 2020 | +29.1% |
| 2024 | +20.1% |
County-by-county results — 58 counties
| County | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alameda County | D | 259,254 | 201,862 | 471,195 | |
| Alpine County | R | 195 | 366 | 576 | |
| Amador County | R | 2,705 | 3,533 | 6,616 | |
| Butte County | R | 18,401 | 28,819 | 50,028 | |
| Calaveras County | R | 2,268 | 4,119 | 6,779 | |
| Colusa County | R | 1,810 | 2,715 | 4,717 | |
| Contra Costa County | R | 111,718 | 139,044 | 256,884 | |
| Del Norte County | R | 2,156 | 2,927 | 5,648 | |
| El Dorado County | R | 8,654 | 11,330 | 20,905 | |
| Fresno County | R | 72,682 | 79,051 | 156,719 | |
| Glenn County | R | 2,681 | 4,569 | 7,743 | |
| Humboldt County | R | 21,132 | 22,345 | 45,763 | |
| Imperial County | R | 7,982 | 14,178 | 22,849 | |
| Inyo County | R | 2,006 | 4,873 | 7,159 | |
| Kern County | R | 41,937 | 71,686 | 119,193 | |
| Kings County | R | 7,274 | 10,509 | 18,595 | |
| Lake County | R | 4,715 | 6,477 | 11,750 | |
| Lassen County | R | 3,134 | 3,618 | 7,122 | |
| Los Angeles County | R | 1,189,977 | 1,549,717 | 2,830,370 | |
| Madera County | R | 6,580 | 7,835 | 14,892 | |
| Marin County | R | 47,414 | 54,123 | 103,883 | |
| Mariposa County | R | 1,487 | 2,122 | 3,779 | |
| Mendocino County | R | 9,435 | 11,128 | 21,814 | |
| Merced County | R | 13,914 | 17,737 | 32,648 | |
| Modoc County | R | 1,271 | 2,085 | 3,565 | |
| Mono County | R | 828 | 1,872 | 2,799 | |
| Monterey County | R | 32,545 | 47,004 | 82,408 | |
| Napa County | R | 14,529 | 23,403 | 39,261 | |
| Nevada County | R | 5,693 | 8,004 | 14,638 | |
| Orange County | R | 176,847 | 448,291 | 656,653 | |
| Placer County | R | 16,911 | 18,597 | 36,945 | |
| Plumas County | D | 3,057 | 2,952 | 6,360 | |
| Riverside County | R | 71,591 | 108,120 | 186,404 | |
| Sacramento County | R | 137,287 | 141,218 | 288,221 | |
| San Benito County | R | 2,582 | 3,961 | 6,881 | |
| San Bernardino County | R | 85,986 | 144,689 | 242,256 | |
| San Diego County | R | 206,455 | 371,627 | 601,137 | |
| San Francisco County | D | 170,882 | 127,461 | 304,770 | |
| San Joaquin County | R | 44,062 | 61,646 | 111,469 | |
| San Luis Obispo County | R | 20,779 | 28,566 | 51,033 | |
| San Mateo County | R | 109,745 | 135,377 | 256,297 | |
| Santa Barbara County | R | 50,609 | 67,075 | 121,541 | |
| Santa Clara County | R | 208,506 | 237,334 | 457,293 | |
| Santa Cruz County | R | 32,336 | 34,799 | 69,759 | |
| Shasta County | D | 17,214 | 16,618 | 35,603 | |
| Sierra County | D | 658 | 629 | 1,324 | |
| Siskiyou County | R | 6,434 | 7,563 | 14,696 | |
| Solano County | R | 24,766 | 31,314 | 57,965 | |
| Sonoma County | R | 43,746 | 57,697 | 105,434 | |
| Stanislaus County | R | 35,005 | 39,521 | 76,867 | |
| Sutter County | R | 5,409 | 10,224 | 16,372 | |
| Tehama County | R | 5,175 | 6,054 | 12,424 | |
| Trinity County | R | 1,621 | 1,868 | 3,681 | |
| Tulare County | R | 21,775 | 36,048 | 60,150 | |
| Tuolumne County | R | 4,596 | 5,894 | 10,856 | |
| Ventura County | R | 49,307 | 95,310 | 150,805 | |
| Yolo County | D | 23,694 | 17,969 | 42,738 | |
| Yuba County | R | 4,435 | 6,623 | 11,630 |
Source. Compiled historical county records — 1972 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.