Richard Nixon carried Kentucky R+28.6.

George McGovern (D) vs Richard Nixon (R) in Kentucky, 1972. The state ran 5.4 points more Republican than the nation (R+23.2 nationally).

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

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Kentucky result

1,067,499 votes counted

McGovern (D)

371,159

34.8%

Nixon (R)

676,446

63.4%

All others

19,894

1.9%

Margin

R+28.6

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1972 presidential election

Kentucky, 1972

NixonR+28.6

How it voted

Share of the 1972 vote

Richard Nixon ✓Republican	63.4%	676,446
George McGovernDemocratic	34.8%	371,159
OtherAll other candidates	1.9%	19,894

D+60

R+60

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

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Kentucky's presidential margins

1892–2024, the 1972 contest in context

Kentucky's presidential margins

Year	Margin (D minus R)
1892	+11.7%
1896	−0.1%
1900	+1.7%
1904	+2.7%
1908	+1.7%
1912	+23.2%
1916	+5.4%
1920	+0.4%
1924	−2.9%
1928	−18.9%
1932	+18.9%
1936	+18.6%
1940	+15.1%
1944	+9.2%
1948	+15.3%
1952	+0.1%
1956	−9.1%
1960	−7.2%
1964	+28.4%
1968	−6.1%
1972	−28.6%
1976	+7.2%
1980	−1.5%
1984	−20.7%
1988	−11.6%
1992	+3.2%
1996	+1.0%
2000	−15.1%
2004	−19.9%
2008	−16.2%
2012	−22.7%
2016	−29.8%
2020	−25.9%
2024	−30.5%

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County results — 1972

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

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County	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
Adair County	R	−40.7%	1,610	3,859	5,531
Allen County	R	−40.8%	1,259	3,025	4,332
Anderson County	R	−27.1%	1,302	2,298	3,670
Ballard County	R	−4.2%	1,411	1,542	3,089
Barren County	R	−27.7%	3,384	6,070	9,696
Bath County	R	−17.4%	1,347	1,919	3,282
Bell County	R	−33.4%	3,219	6,518	9,867
Boone County	R	−46.3%	2,595	7,355	10,280
Bourbon County	R	−25.7%	1,860	3,180	5,127
Boyd County	R	−32.8%	6,434	12,812	19,437
Boyle County	R	−28.3%	2,395	4,317	6,781
Bracken County	R	−29.8%	873	1,628	2,532
Breathitt County	D	+18.3%	2,677	1,846	4,541
Breckinridge County	R	−29.7%	1,921	3,574	5,563
Bullitt County	R	−22.4%	2,827	4,517	7,553
Butler County	R	−55.2%	835	2,941	3,818
Caldwell County	R	−36.1%	1,345	2,952	4,451
Calloway County	R	−19.5%	3,468	5,167	8,732
Campbell County	R	−38.9%	8,585	20,025	29,445
Carlisle County	R	−14.2%	872	1,169	2,097
Carroll County	D	+3.1%	1,308	1,228	2,574
Carter County	R	−22.2%	2,591	4,082	6,727
Casey County	R	−59.5%	913	3,727	4,728
Christian County	R	−28.6%	4,063	7,414	11,705
Clark County	R	−37.8%	2,020	4,506	6,585
Clay County	R	−40.4%	1,709	4,046	5,781
Clinton County	R	−59.7%	659	2,632	3,307
Crittenden County	R	−44.2%	859	2,248	3,143
Cumberland County	R	−53.6%	686	2,294	3,002
Daviess County	R	−34.5%	8,168	17,234	26,256
Edmonson County	R	−52.2%	722	2,327	3,074
Elliott County	D	+31.2%	1,499	782	2,297
Estill County	R	−39.4%	1,322	3,054	4,399
Fayette County	R	−35.4%	19,828	42,362	63,666
Fleming County	R	−25.8%	1,455	2,484	3,982
Floyd County	D	+10.5%	7,544	6,099	13,800
Franklin County	R	−15.9%	5,601	7,781	13,679
Fulton County	R	−26.6%	1,024	1,807	2,947
Gallatin County	R	−7.9%	612	719	1,347
Garrard County	R	−36.5%	1,441	3,143	4,657
Grant County	R	−31.7%	1,054	2,086	3,258
Graves County	R	−23.7%	3,701	6,098	10,100
Grayson County	R	−37.9%	1,839	4,155	6,111
Green County	R	−38.6%	1,209	2,755	4,003
Greenup County	R	−20.4%	4,491	6,828	11,437
Hancock County	R	−32.3%	791	1,583	2,450
Hardin County	R	−35.3%	4,060	8,740	13,256
Harlan County	R	−19.8%	4,349	6,527	10,985
Harrison County	R	−20.8%	1,780	2,732	4,576
Hart County	R	−21.5%	2,307	3,582	5,939
Henderson County	R	−22.8%	3,889	6,231	10,269
Henry County	R	−6.3%	1,688	1,919	3,656
Hickman County	R	−18.0%	976	1,430	2,524
Hopkins County	R	−38.5%	3,129	7,133	10,388
Jackson County	R	−84.6%	436	5,303	5,753
Jefferson County	R	−23.0%	88,143	142,436	235,764
Jessamine County	R	−48.7%	1,269	3,819	5,238
Johnson County	R	−45.2%	1,840	4,907	6,792
Kenton County	R	−36.1%	12,872	28,076	42,121
Knott County	D	+30.2%	2,774	1,479	4,287
Knox County	R	−46.7%	1,805	5,017	6,879
Larue County	R	−24.3%	1,483	2,449	3,980
Laurel County	R	−52.0%	2,274	7,276	9,620
Lawrence County	R	−21.8%	1,529	2,392	3,955
Lee County	R	−37.1%	744	1,629	2,388
Leslie County	R	−56.3%	913	3,299	4,236
Letcher County	R	−18.1%	2,908	4,213	7,197
Lewis County	R	−44.1%	1,200	3,124	4,365
Lincoln County	R	−31.3%	1,882	3,623	5,571
Livingston County	R	−21.8%	1,065	1,673	2,790
Logan County	R	−18.0%	2,459	3,573	6,175
Lyon County	R	−19.5%	687	1,030	1,760
Madison County	R	−32.8%	4,328	8,659	13,199
Magoffin County	R	−5.1%	2,024	2,243	4,281
Marion County	R	−0.4%	2,351	2,370	4,765
Marshall County	R	−20.5%	2,806	4,290	7,252
Martin County	R	−57.2%	661	2,495	3,204
Mason County	R	−17.7%	2,459	3,529	6,037
McCracken County	R	−18.9%	7,567	11,260	19,518
McCreary County	R	−63.4%	684	3,203	3,976
McLean County	R	−31.4%	1,191	2,298	3,530
Meade County	R	−23.3%	1,541	2,492	4,090
Menifee County	D	+10.0%	732	596	1,358
Mercer County	R	−34.5%	1,707	3,575	5,410
Metcalfe County	R	−18.2%	1,308	1,896	3,238
Monroe County	R	−65.7%	768	3,770	4,566
Montgomery County	R	−26.4%	1,657	2,868	4,579
Morgan County	D	+8.3%	1,815	1,535	3,369
Muhlenberg County	R	−26.2%	3,246	5,596	8,978
Nelson County	R	−10.2%	2,828	3,495	6,528
Nicholas County	R	−14.2%	804	1,076	1,914
Ohio County	R	−44.6%	906	2,392	3,334
Oldham County	R	−38.7%	1,311	3,041	4,472
Owen County	R	−11.1%	1,161	1,456	2,651
Owsley County	R	−67.9%	251	1,328	1,587
Pendleton County	R	−36.2%	909	1,966	2,922
Perry County	R	−19.6%	3,601	5,373	9,050
Pike County	R	−13.6%	9,513	12,535	22,200
Powell County	R	−17.7%	1,230	1,766	3,024
Pulaski County	R	−54.6%	3,080	10,602	13,770
Robertson County	R	−3.9%	421	456	894
Rockcastle County	R	−55.5%	968	3,437	4,446
Rowan County	R	−19.7%	2,169	3,245	5,458
Russell County	R	−54.1%	1,169	3,992	5,220
Scott County	R	−32.1%	1,642	3,255	5,026
Shelby County	R	−30.0%	2,074	3,893	6,065
Simpson County	R	−26.3%	1,325	2,285	3,652
Spencer County	R	−39.2%	481	1,120	1,629
Taylor County	R	−36.6%	1,859	4,035	5,952
Todd County	R	−22.4%	1,222	1,964	3,315
Trigg County	R	−7.6%	1,514	1,767	3,337
Trimble County	R	−10.4%	757	935	1,712
Union County	R	−18.4%	1,855	2,701	4,604
Warren County	R	−35.0%	5,934	12,481	18,691
Washington County	R	−20.4%	1,552	2,378	4,051
Wayne County	R	−30.6%	1,853	3,514	5,420
Webster County	R	−16.4%	1,712	2,396	4,162
Whitley County	R	−50.6%	2,199	6,788	9,062
Wolfe County	D	+1.1%	957	936	1,917
Woodford County	R	−43.8%	1,268	3,363	4,781