Richard Nixon carried Iowa R+17.1.

George McGovern (D) vs Richard Nixon (R) in Iowa, 1972. The state ran 6.0 points more Democratic than the nation (R+23.2 nationally).

Nominees: George McGovern (D) · Richard Nixon (R)

akashic

Iowa result

1,225,944 votes counted

McGovern (D)

496,206

40.5%

Nixon (R)

706,207

57.6%

All others

23,531

1.9%

Margin

R+17.1

akashic

1972 presidential election

Iowa, 1972

NixonR+17.1

How it voted

Share of the 1972 vote

Richard Nixon ✓Republican	57.6%	706,207
George McGovernDemocratic	40.5%	496,206
OtherAll other candidates	1.9%	23,531

D+60

R+60

99 counties, each filled by 1972 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.

akashic

Iowa's presidential margins

1892–2024, the 1972 contest in context

Iowa's presidential margins

Year	Margin (D minus R)
1892	−5.3%
1896	−12.6%
1900	−18.6%
1904	−32.7%
1908	−15.0%
1912	+13.3%
1916	−11.4%
1920	−45.5%
1924	−38.6%
1928	−24.2%
1932	+17.7%
1936	+11.7%
1940	−4.4%
1944	−4.5%
1948	+2.7%
1952	−28.2%
1956	−18.4%
1960	−13.5%
1964	+24.0%
1968	−12.2%
1972	−17.1%
1976	−1.0%
1980	−12.7%
1984	−7.4%
1988	+10.2%
1992	+6.0%
1996	+10.3%
2000	+0.3%
2004	−0.7%
2008	+9.5%
2012	+5.8%
2016	−9.3%
2020	−8.2%
2024	−13.2%

akashic

County results — 1972

99 counties; every row links to the county's full page.

akashic

County	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
Adair County	R	−29.3%	1,642	3,041	4,782
Adams County	R	−21.4%	1,161	1,814	3,045
Allamakee County	R	−28.6%	2,271	4,150	6,562
Appanoose County	R	−30.2%	2,283	4,321	6,747
Audubon County	R	−24.1%	1,533	2,515	4,082
Benton County	R	−10.2%	4,282	5,273	9,749
Black Hawk County	R	−17.1%	21,721	30,929	53,782
Boone County	R	−10.5%	5,057	6,271	11,551
Bremer County	R	−33.4%	3,122	6,333	9,611
Buchanan County	R	−18.4%	3,609	5,277	9,048
Buena Vista County	R	−24.0%	3,460	5,685	9,281
Butler County	R	−45.6%	1,682	4,615	6,426
Calhoun County	R	−21.6%	2,446	3,821	6,368
Carroll County	D	+2.1%	4,608	4,415	9,285
Cass County	R	−45.6%	1,923	5,234	7,263
Cedar County	R	−28.3%	2,465	4,452	7,023
Cerro Gordo County	R	−11.0%	9,460	11,856	21,693
Cherokee County	R	−25.6%	2,780	4,726	7,594
Chickasaw County	R	−10.0%	3,134	3,836	7,030
Clarke County	R	−16.0%	1,590	2,214	3,901
Clay County	R	−21.8%	2,887	4,564	7,696
Clayton County	R	−23.0%	3,366	5,447	9,048
Clinton County	R	−12.5%	9,895	12,768	22,964
Crawford County	R	−19.2%	3,018	4,493	7,667
Dallas County	R	−9.3%	5,085	6,143	11,436
Davis County	R	−11.5%	1,806	2,287	4,188
Decatur County	R	−16.5%	1,880	2,638	4,593
Delaware County	R	−24.0%	2,944	4,848	7,920
Des Moines County	R	−7.0%	8,869	10,216	19,358
Dickinson County	R	−21.4%	2,373	3,739	6,381
Dubuque County	D	+3.1%	18,417	17,272	36,521
Emmet County	R	−26.8%	1,970	3,436	5,461
Fayette County	R	−23.9%	4,413	7,263	11,940
Floyd County	R	−16.9%	3,338	4,726	8,192
Franklin County	R	−28.6%	1,986	3,643	5,786
Fremont County	R	−36.7%	1,210	2,642	3,907
Greene County	R	−21.5%	2,152	3,371	5,680
Grundy County	R	−43.2%	1,844	4,706	6,625
Guthrie County	R	−23.2%	2,258	3,655	6,022
Hamilton County	R	−24.0%	2,913	4,803	7,890
Hancock County	R	−22.1%	2,349	3,706	6,129
Hardin County	R	−24.6%	3,516	5,869	9,556
Harrison County	R	−32.8%	2,369	4,721	7,171
Henry County	R	−29.7%	2,721	5,066	7,884
Howard County	R	−9.9%	2,439	2,980	5,481
Humboldt County	R	−26.9%	2,062	3,622	5,792
Ida County	R	−30.5%	1,490	2,819	4,359
Iowa County	R	−23.3%	2,578	4,202	6,964
Jackson County	R	−14.2%	3,704	4,975	8,924
Jasper County	R	−12.9%	7,007	9,133	16,513
Jefferson County	R	−31.7%	2,362	4,628	7,139
Johnson County	D	+16.8%	20,922	14,823	36,236
Jones County	R	−17.5%	3,468	4,962	8,521
Keokuk County	R	−18.5%	2,619	3,831	6,565
Kossuth County	R	−14.0%	4,393	5,841	10,358
Lee County	R	−12.7%	7,510	9,748	17,618
Linn County	R	−7.4%	31,370	36,503	69,160
Louisa County	R	−24.0%	1,707	2,806	4,577
Lucas County	R	−23.3%	1,759	2,851	4,690
Lyon County	R	−45.3%	1,407	3,788	5,252
Madison County	R	−21.2%	2,234	3,480	5,864
Mahaska County	R	−30.0%	3,382	6,374	9,988
Marion County	R	−16.8%	4,643	6,583	11,531
Marshall County	R	−23.6%	6,618	10,798	17,744
Mills County	R	−52.4%	1,060	3,531	4,712
Mitchell County	R	−16.0%	2,449	3,395	5,911
Monona County	R	−19.1%	2,189	3,237	5,495
Monroe County	R	−14.9%	1,736	2,357	4,155
Montgomery County	R	−46.9%	1,559	4,391	6,041
Muscatine County	R	−25.8%	4,917	8,436	13,642
O'Brien County	R	−39.2%	2,224	5,159	7,491
Osceola County	R	−26.1%	1,317	2,262	3,616
Page County	R	−54.4%	1,790	6,200	8,112
Palo Alto County	R	−4.9%	2,845	3,141	6,066
Plymouth County	R	−22.0%	4,033	6,339	10,466
Pocahontas County	R	−16.3%	2,241	3,138	5,487
Polk County	R	−8.3%	59,169	70,245	132,659
Pottawattamie County	R	−40.9%	8,074	19,722	28,450
Poweshiek County	R	−12.3%	3,718	4,785	8,648
Ringgold County	R	−38.2%	1,003	2,264	3,303
Sac County	R	−23.9%	2,452	4,017	6,541
Scott County	R	−17.4%	23,810	34,135	59,455
Shelby County	R	−27.8%	2,259	4,052	6,439
Sioux County	R	−57.3%	2,867	10,721	13,697
Story County	R	−8.5%	13,972	16,617	31,025
Tama County	R	−15.4%	3,693	5,058	8,880
Taylor County	R	−41.4%	1,247	3,042	4,336
Union County	R	−27.1%	2,112	3,734	5,977
Van Buren County	R	−27.9%	1,268	2,272	3,596
Wapello County	R	−5.2%	8,348	9,301	18,171
Warren County	R	−17.1%	5,143	7,332	12,804
Washington County	R	−29.7%	2,784	5,187	8,089
Wayne County	R	−25.6%	1,574	2,681	4,324
Webster County	R	−13.9%	8,358	11,133	19,893
Winnebago County	R	−29.6%	2,324	4,300	6,669
Winneshiek County	R	−14.1%	4,401	5,877	10,452
Woodbury County	R	−16.4%	16,974	23,757	41,430
Worth County	R	−11.4%	2,034	2,564	4,636
Wright County	R	−20.9%	2,780	4,278	7,162