Massachusetts — 1972 presidential election
Recent presidential results
Akashicstate1972 presidential electionMassachusetts · PresidentMcGovernD+9.0
How it voted
Share of the 1972 vote
| George McGovern ✓Democratic | 54.2% | 1,332,540 |
|---|---|---|
| Richard NixonRepublican | 45.2% | 1,112,078 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 0.6% | 14,138 |
1972presidential margin
D+60R+60
14 counties, each filled by 1972 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
Massachusetts cast 14 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (14 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Barnstable County, MA | Republican | R+23.1 |
| Berkshire County, MA | Democratic | D+7.6 |
| Bristol County, MA | Democratic | D+9.9 |
| Dukes County, MA | Republican | R+7.2 |
| Essex County, MA | Democratic | D+6.5 |
| Franklin County, MA | Republican | R+14.6 |
| Hampden County, MA | Democratic | D+4.8 |
| Hampshire County, MA | Democratic | D+7.5 |
| Middlesex County, MA | Democratic | D+12.3 |
| Nantucket County, MA | Republican | R+19.6 |
| Norfolk County, MA | Democratic | D+5.7 |
| Plymouth County, MA | Republican | R+4.7 |
| Suffolk County, MA | Democratic | D+32.0 |
| Worcester County, MA | Democratic | D+6.1 |
Massachusetts results by county
14 counties. Third-party and independent votes are reported by the county source as one combined figure; every named candidate is listed in the complete result below.
| Led by | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnstable County | Richard Nixon+13,704 | 22,63638.1% | 36,34061.1% | 4660.8% | 59,442 |
| Berkshire County | George McGovern+5,011 | 35,39153.4% | 30,38045.8% | 5130.8% | 66,284 |
| Bristol County | George McGovern+18,773 | 103,16354.7% | 84,39044.7% | 1,2150.6% | 188,768 |
| Dukes County | Richard Nixon+311 | 2,00146.1% | 2,31253.3% | 230.5% | 4,336 |
| Essex County | George McGovern+19,284 | 157,32453.0% | 138,04046.5% | 1,7200.6% | 297,084 |
| Franklin County | Richard Nixon+4,120 | 11,96842.3% | 16,08856.9% | 2070.7% | 28,263 |
| Hampden County | George McGovern+8,781 | 94,94552.1% | 86,16447.3% | 1,0240.6% | 182,133 |
| Hampshire County | George McGovern+4,043 | 28,57253.3% | 24,52945.7% | 5531.0% | 53,654 |
| Middlesex County | George McGovern+76,279 | 345,34355.9% | 269,06443.6% | 3,2440.5% | 617,651 |
| Nantucket County | Richard Nixon+466 | 95240.0% | 1,41859.6% | 100.4% | 2,380 |
| Norfolk County | George McGovern+16,273 | 150,73252.6% | 134,45946.9% | 1,5580.5% | 286,749 |
| Plymouth County | Richard Nixon+6,938 | 69,12447.3% | 76,06252.1% | 8780.6% | 146,064 |
| Suffolk County | George McGovern+80,978 | 166,25065.8% | 85,27233.7% | 1,2990.5% | 252,821 |
| Worcester County | George McGovern+16,579 | 144,13952.8% | 127,56046.7% | 1,4280.5% | 273,127 |
Nominees: George McGovern (D) · Richard Nixon (R)
Massachusetts's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 1972 contest in context
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | −6.6% |
| 1896 | −43.1% |
| 1900 | −19.7% |
| 1904 | −20.7% |
| 1908 | −24.2% |
| 1912 | +3.6% |
| 1916 | −3.9% |
| 1920 | −40.7% |
| 1924 | −37.3% |
| 1928 | +1.1% |
| 1932 | +4.0% |
| 1936 | +9.5% |
| 1940 | +6.7% |
| 1944 | +5.8% |
| 1948 | +11.5% |
| 1952 | −8.8% |
| 1956 | −18.9% |
| 1960 | +20.7% |
| 1964 | +52.7% |
| 1968 | +30.1% |
| 1972 | +9.0% |
| 1976 | +15.7% |
| 1980 | −0.2% |
| 1984 | −2.8% |
| 1988 | +7.9% |
| 1992 | +18.5% |
| 1996 | +33.4% |
| 2000 | +27.3% |
| 2004 | +25.2% |
| 2008 | +25.8% |
| 2012 | +23.1% |
| 2016 | +26.8% |
| 2020 | +33.2% |
| 2024 | +25.2% |
Source. Compiled historical county records — 1972 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.