Elections / 1972 · President · MN
Minnesota — 1972 presidential election
Recent presidential results
Akashicstate1972 presidential electionMinnesota · PresidentNixonR+5.5
How it voted
Share of the 1972 vote
| Richard Nixon ✓Republican | 51.6% | 898,269 |
|---|---|---|
| George McGovernDemocratic | 46.1% | 802,346 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 2.4% | 41,037 |
1972presidential margin
D+60R+60
87 counties, each filled by 1972 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
Minnesota cast 10 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (87 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Aitkin County, MN | Republican | R+9.2 |
| Anoka County, MN | Republican | R+2.6 |
| Becker County, MN | Republican | R+12.3 |
| Beltrami County, MN | Republican | R+6.6 |
| Benton County, MN | Republican | R+3.9 |
| Big Stone County, MN | Democratic | D+10.9 |
| Blue Earth County, MN | Republican | R+8.7 |
| Brown County, MN | Republican | R+27.1 |
| Carlton County, MN | Democratic | D+13.1 |
| Carver County, MN | Republican | R+26.6 |
| Cass County, MN | Republican | R+18.3 |
| Chippewa County, MN | Republican | R+2.1 |
| Chisago County, MN | Republican | R+5.9 |
| Clay County, MN | Republican | R+9.9 |
| Clearwater County, MN | Republican | R+1.8 |
| Cook County, MN | Republican | R+16.8 |
| Cottonwood County, MN | Republican | R+21.8 |
| Crow Wing County, MN | Republican | R+8.7 |
| Dakota County, MN | Republican | R+10.0 |
| Dodge County, MN | Republican | R+32.7 |
| Douglas County, MN | Republican | R+9.3 |
| Faribault County, MN | Republican | R+29.4 |
| Fillmore County, MN | Republican | R+37.8 |
| Freeborn County, MN | Republican | R+15.1 |
| Goodhue County, MN | Republican | R+28.1 |
| Grant County, MN | Democratic | D+4.6 |
| Hennepin County, MN | Republican | R+5.2 |
| Houston County, MN | Republican | R+34.9 |
| Hubbard County, MN | Republican | R+20.8 |
| Isanti County, MN | Republican | R+0.7 |
| Itasca County, MN | Democratic | D+6.8 |
| Jackson County, MN | Republican | R+4.2 |
| Kanabec County, MN | Republican | R+9.2 |
| Kandiyohi County, MN | Democratic | D+4.3 |
| Kittson County, MN | Republican | R+7.1 |
| Koochiching County, MN | Republican | R+3.9 |
| Lac qui Parle County, MN | Democratic | D+1.3 |
| Lake County, MN | Democratic | D+16.8 |
| Lake of the Woods County, MN | Republican | R+13.0 |
| Le Sueur County, MN | Republican | R+6.5 |
| Lincoln County, MN | Democratic | D+6.5 |
| Lyon County, MN | Republican | R+1.8 |
| Mahnomen County, MN | Democratic | D+5.6 |
| Marshall County, MN | Republican | R+7.7 |
| Martin County, MN | Republican | R+32.0 |
| McLeod County, MN | Republican | R+25.8 |
| Meeker County, MN | Republican | R+16.7 |
| Mille Lacs County, MN | Republican | R+13.9 |
| Morrison County, MN | Democratic | D+2.3 |
| Mower County, MN | Democratic | D+1.7 |
| Murray County, MN | Republican | R+1.1 |
| Nicollet County, MN | Republican | R+14.0 |
| Nobles County, MN | Democratic | D+4.9 |
| Norman County, MN | Republican | R+1.8 |
| Olmsted County, MN | Republican | R+40.5 |
| Otter Tail County, MN | Republican | R+25.9 |
| Pennington County, MN | Republican | R+9.9 |
| Pine County, MN | Republican | R+1.1 |
| Pipestone County, MN | Republican | R+12.3 |
| Polk County, MN | Republican | R+4.9 |
| Pope County, MN | Democratic | D+5.3 |
| Ramsey County, MN | Democratic | D+6.0 |
| Red Lake County, MN | Democratic | D+14.0 |
| Redwood County, MN | Republican | R+28.1 |
| Renville County, MN | Republican | R+8.3 |
| Rice County, MN | Republican | R+6.5 |
| Rock County, MN | Republican | R+24.6 |
| Roseau County, MN | Republican | R+8.4 |
| Scott County, MN | Republican | R+3.9 |
| Sherburne County, MN | Republican | R+3.0 |
| Sibley County, MN | Republican | R+29.8 |
| St. Louis County, MN | Democratic | D+18.9 |
| Stearns County, MN | Democratic | D+0.9 |
| Steele County, MN | Republican | R+30.9 |
| Stevens County, MN | Democratic | D+0.7 |
| Swift County, MN | Democratic | D+17.4 |
| Todd County, MN | Republican | R+11.0 |
| Traverse County, MN | Democratic | D+15.3 |
| Wabasha County, MN | Republican | R+25.4 |
| Wadena County, MN | Republican | R+16.4 |
| Waseca County, MN | Republican | R+29.0 |
| Washington County, MN | Republican | R+8.4 |
| Watonwan County, MN | Republican | R+27.7 |
| Wilkin County, MN | Republican | R+13.5 |
| Winona County, MN | Republican | R+14.6 |
| Wright County, MN | Republican | R+6.7 |
| Yellow Medicine County, MN | Republican | R+3.0 |
Nominees: George McGovern (D) · Richard Nixon (R)
Minnesota's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 1972 contest in context
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | −8.3% |
| 1896 | −15.7% |
| 1900 | −24.5% |
| 1904 | −55.1% |
| 1908 | −26.2% |
| 1912 | +12.6% |
| 1916 | −0.1% |
| 1920 | −51.2% |
| 1924 | −44.4% |
| 1928 | −16.9% |
| 1932 | +23.6% |
| 1936 | +30.8% |
| 1940 | +3.8% |
| 1944 | +5.5% |
| 1948 | +17.3% |
| 1952 | −11.2% |
| 1956 | −7.6% |
| 1960 | +1.4% |
| 1964 | +27.8% |
| 1968 | +12.5% |
| 1972 | −5.5% |
| 1976 | +12.9% |
| 1980 | +3.9% |
| 1984 | +0.2% |
| 1988 | +7.0% |
| 1992 | +11.6% |
| 1996 | +16.1% |
| 2000 | +2.4% |
| 2004 | +3.5% |
| 2008 | +10.2% |
| 2012 | +7.7% |
| 2016 | +1.5% |
| 2020 | +7.1% |
| 2024 | +4.2% |
County-by-county results — 87 counties
| County | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aitkin County | R | 2,687 | 3,241 | 6,032 | |
| Anoka County | R | 28,031 | 29,546 | 59,360 | |
| Becker County | R | 4,695 | 6,033 | 10,884 | |
| Beltrami County | R | 5,194 | 5,947 | 11,393 | |
| Benton County | R | 4,282 | 4,652 | 9,426 | |
| Big Stone County | D | 2,185 | 1,748 | 4,017 | |
| Blue Earth County | R | 10,638 | 12,702 | 23,662 | |
| Brown County | R | 4,347 | 7,791 | 12,729 | |
| Carlton County | D | 7,116 | 5,445 | 12,730 | |
| Carver County | R | 4,852 | 8,546 | 13,905 | |
| Cass County | R | 3,347 | 4,906 | 8,503 | |
| Chippewa County | R | 3,630 | 3,787 | 7,547 | |
| Chisago County | R | 4,174 | 4,718 | 9,241 | |
| Clay County | R | 9,076 | 11,089 | 20,400 | |
| Clearwater County | R | 1,751 | 1,819 | 3,683 | |
| Cook County | R | 742 | 1,047 | 1,817 | |
| Cottonwood County | R | 2,802 | 4,396 | 7,303 | |
| Crow Wing County | R | 7,328 | 8,774 | 16,551 | |
| Dakota County | R | 28,479 | 34,967 | 64,796 | |
| Dodge County | R | 1,921 | 3,863 | 5,936 | |
| Douglas County | R | 5,501 | 6,678 | 12,606 | |
| Faribault County | R | 3,519 | 6,503 | 10,153 | |
| Fillmore County | R | 3,155 | 7,107 | 10,460 | |
| Freeborn County | R | 7,163 | 9,747 | 17,130 | |
| Goodhue County | R | 6,147 | 11,107 | 17,631 | |
| Grant County | D | 2,085 | 1,899 | 4,054 | |
| Hennepin County | R | 205,943 | 228,951 | 443,358 | |
| Houston County | R | 2,467 | 5,186 | 7,790 | |
| Hubbard County | R | 2,136 | 3,294 | 5,554 | |
| Isanti County | R | 3,660 | 3,715 | 7,634 | |
| Itasca County | D | 8,683 | 7,558 | 16,583 | |
| Jackson County | R | 3,304 | 3,599 | 6,989 | |
| Kanabec County | R | 1,969 | 2,395 | 4,632 | |
| Kandiyohi County | D | 7,241 | 6,624 | 14,481 | |
| Kittson County | R | 1,584 | 1,832 | 3,479 | |
| Koochiching County | R | 3,396 | 3,681 | 7,230 | |
| Lac qui Parle County | D | 2,845 | 2,773 | 5,726 | |
| Lake County | D | 3,640 | 2,575 | 6,327 | |
| Lake of the Woods County | R | 672 | 877 | 1,582 | |
| Le Sueur County | R | 4,725 | 5,388 | 10,262 | |
| Lincoln County | D | 2,148 | 1,881 | 4,095 | |
| Lyon County | R | 5,614 | 5,820 | 11,630 | |
| Mahnomen County | D | 1,397 | 1,246 | 2,691 | |
| Marshall County | R | 2,790 | 3,264 | 6,190 | |
| Martin County | R | 3,816 | 7,569 | 11,718 | |
| McLeod County | R | 4,538 | 7,820 | 12,733 | |
| Meeker County | R | 3,601 | 5,097 | 8,933 | |
| Mille Lacs County | R | 3,221 | 4,291 | 7,686 | |
| Morrison County | D | 5,993 | 5,714 | 12,329 | |
| Mower County | D | 10,286 | 9,929 | 20,530 | |
| Murray County | R | 2,893 | 2,959 | 5,927 | |
| Nicollet County | R | 4,680 | 6,230 | 11,069 | |
| Nobles County | D | 5,464 | 4,951 | 10,525 | |
| Norman County | R | 2,444 | 2,536 | 5,021 | |
| Olmsted County | R | 9,817 | 23,806 | 34,521 | |
| Otter Tail County | R | 7,881 | 13,519 | 21,731 | |
| Pennington County | R | 2,892 | 3,548 | 6,600 | |
| Pine County | R | 3,794 | 3,881 | 8,017 | |
| Pipestone County | R | 2,758 | 3,543 | 6,376 | |
| Polk County | R | 7,366 | 8,139 | 15,885 | |
| Pope County | D | 2,910 | 2,610 | 5,681 | |
| Ramsey County | D | 108,392 | 95,716 | 209,951 | |
| Red Lake County | D | 1,409 | 1,052 | 2,541 | |
| Redwood County | R | 3,177 | 5,776 | 9,252 | |
| Renville County | R | 4,499 | 5,329 | 10,044 | |
| Rice County | R | 8,065 | 9,195 | 17,475 | |
| Rock County | R | 2,089 | 3,470 | 5,612 | |
| Roseau County | R | 2,396 | 2,844 | 5,344 | |
| Scott County | R | 6,745 | 7,310 | 14,376 | |
| Sherburne County | R | 4,070 | 4,332 | 8,658 | |
| Sibley County | R | 2,433 | 4,543 | 7,080 | |
| St. Louis County | D | 61,103 | 41,435 | 104,180 | |
| Stearns County | D | 19,315 | 18,951 | 41,400 | |
| Steele County | R | 4,010 | 7,678 | 11,868 | |
| Stevens County | D | 2,870 | 2,830 | 5,811 | |
| Swift County | D | 3,823 | 2,673 | 6,617 | |
| Todd County | R | 4,270 | 5,387 | 10,137 | |
| Traverse County | D | 1,744 | 1,276 | 3,055 | |
| Wabasha County | R | 3,017 | 5,158 | 8,413 | |
| Wadena County | R | 2,430 | 3,408 | 5,974 | |
| Waseca County | R | 2,767 | 5,064 | 7,926 | |
| Washington County | R | 16,102 | 19,142 | 36,098 | |
| Watonwan County | R | 2,229 | 3,960 | 6,251 | |
| Wilkin County | R | 1,739 | 2,292 | 4,093 | |
| Winona County | R | 8,080 | 10,910 | 19,327 | |
| Wright County | R | 8,695 | 9,996 | 19,386 | |
| Yellow Medicine County | R | 3,462 | 3,683 | 7,319 |
Source. Compiled historical county records — 1972 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.