North Carolina — 1972 presidential election
Recent presidential results
Akashicstate1972 presidential electionNorth Carolina · PresidentNixonR+40.6
How it voted
Share of the 1972 vote
| Richard Nixon ✓Republican | 69.5% | 1,054,889 |
|---|---|---|
| George McGovernDemocratic | 28.9% | 438,705 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 1.6% | 25,018 |
1972presidential margin
D+60R+60
100 counties, each filled by 1972 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
North Carolina cast 13 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (100 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Alamance County, NC | Republican | R+51.5 |
| Alexander County, NC | Republican | R+39.9 |
| Alleghany County, NC | Republican | R+24.3 |
| Anson County, NC | Republican | R+23.4 |
| Ashe County, NC | Republican | R+26.9 |
| Avery County, NC | Republican | R+69.0 |
| Beaufort County, NC | Republican | R+40.4 |
| Bertie County, NC | Republican | R+22.2 |
| Bladen County, NC | Republican | R+30.8 |
| Brunswick County, NC | Republican | R+41.0 |
| Buncombe County, NC | Republican | R+42.7 |
| Burke County, NC | Republican | R+39.4 |
| Cabarrus County, NC | Republican | R+54.3 |
| Caldwell County, NC | Republican | R+44.5 |
| Camden County, NC | Republican | R+23.4 |
| Carteret County, NC | Republican | R+49.6 |
| Caswell County, NC | Republican | R+21.2 |
| Catawba County, NC | Republican | R+50.5 |
| Chatham County, NC | Republican | R+25.7 |
| Cherokee County, NC | Republican | R+25.8 |
| Chowan County, NC | Republican | R+33.8 |
| Clay County, NC | Republican | R+31.6 |
| Cleveland County, NC | Republican | R+45.8 |
| Columbus County, NC | Republican | R+43.1 |
| Craven County, NC | Republican | R+58.7 |
| Cumberland County, NC | Republican | R+42.0 |
| Currituck County, NC | Republican | R+36.3 |
| Dare County, NC | Republican | R+51.2 |
| Davidson County, NC | Republican | R+51.7 |
| Davie County, NC | Republican | R+54.4 |
| Duplin County, NC | Republican | R+42.4 |
| Durham County, NC | Republican | R+24.0 |
| Edgecombe County, NC | Republican | R+27.4 |
| Forsyth County, NC | Republican | R+37.2 |
| Franklin County, NC | Republican | R+38.9 |
| Gaston County, NC | Republican | R+52.8 |
| Gates County, NC | Republican | R+3.5 |
| Graham County, NC | Republican | R+23.1 |
| Granville County, NC | Republican | R+34.5 |
| Greene County, NC | Republican | R+52.7 |
| Guilford County, NC | Republican | R+40.3 |
| Halifax County, NC | Republican | R+34.9 |
| Harnett County, NC | Republican | R+50.3 |
| Haywood County, NC | Republican | R+32.0 |
| Henderson County, NC | Republican | R+62.3 |
| Hertford County, NC | Republican | R+18.1 |
| Hoke County, NC | Republican | R+13.5 |
| Hyde County, NC | Republican | R+45.9 |
| Iredell County, NC | Republican | R+51.4 |
| Jackson County, NC | Republican | R+19.3 |
| Johnston County, NC | Republican | R+59.9 |
| Jones County, NC | Republican | R+19.9 |
| Lee County, NC | Republican | R+47.5 |
| Lenoir County, NC | Republican | R+49.4 |
| Lincoln County, NC | Republican | R+25.2 |
| Macon County, NC | Republican | R+39.9 |
| Madison County, NC | Republican | R+23.1 |
| Martin County, NC | Republican | R+38.5 |
| McDowell County, NC | Republican | R+46.3 |
| Mecklenburg County, NC | Republican | R+38.7 |
| Mitchell County, NC | Republican | R+67.7 |
| Montgomery County, NC | Republican | R+33.3 |
| Moore County, NC | Republican | R+43.4 |
| Nash County, NC | Republican | R+46.0 |
| New Hanover County, NC | Republican | R+51.4 |
| Northampton County, NC | Democratic | D+3.8 |
| Onslow County, NC | Republican | R+61.3 |
| Orange County, NC | Democratic | D+4.1 |
| Pamlico County, NC | Republican | R+33.2 |
| Pasquotank County, NC | Republican | R+28.9 |
| Pender County, NC | Republican | R+39.6 |
| Perquimans County, NC | Republican | R+27.7 |
| Person County, NC | Republican | R+44.7 |
| Pitt County, NC | Republican | R+41.8 |
| Polk County, NC | Republican | R+36.8 |
| Randolph County, NC | Republican | R+54.3 |
| Richmond County, NC | Republican | R+23.3 |
| Robeson County, NC | Republican | R+21.0 |
| Rockingham County, NC | Republican | R+44.0 |
| Rowan County, NC | Republican | R+49.2 |
| Rutherford County, NC | Republican | R+38.8 |
| Sampson County, NC | Republican | R+32.6 |
| Scotland County, NC | Republican | R+28.3 |
| Stanly County, NC | Republican | R+40.3 |
| Stokes County, NC | Republican | R+36.3 |
| Surry County, NC | Republican | R+37.4 |
| Swain County, NC | Republican | R+29.9 |
| Transylvania County, NC | Republican | R+42.1 |
| Tyrrell County, NC | Republican | R+19.0 |
| Union County, NC | Republican | R+44.5 |
| Vance County, NC | Republican | R+34.7 |
| Wake County, NC | Republican | R+42.1 |
| Warren County, NC | Republican | R+20.7 |
| Washington County, NC | Republican | R+24.4 |
| Watauga County, NC | Republican | R+26.8 |
| Wayne County, NC | Republican | R+46.0 |
| Wilkes County, NC | Republican | R+47.1 |
| Wilson County, NC | Republican | R+47.8 |
| Yadkin County, NC | Republican | R+60.7 |
| Yancey County, NC | Republican | R+15.2 |
North Carolina results by county
100 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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alamance County | Richard Nixon+15,213 | 22,04674.6% | 6,83323.1% | 6702.3% | 29,549 |
| Alexander County | Richard Nixon+3,397 | 5,86569.0% | 2,46829.0% | 1732.0% | 8,506 |
| Alleghany County | Richard Nixon+854 | 2,15861.3% | 1,30437.0% | 591.7% | 3,521 |
| Anson County | Richard Nixon+1,363 | 3,55160.9% | 2,18837.5% | 941.6% | 5,833 |
| Ashe County | Richard Nixon+2,471 | 5,78463.0% | 3,31336.1% | 911.0% | 9,188 |
| Avery County | Richard Nixon+2,883 | 3,51084.0% | 62715.0% | 421.0% | 4,179 |
| Beaufort County | Richard Nixon+4,014 | 6,91569.7% | 2,90129.2% | 1121.1% | 9,928 |
| Bertie County | Richard Nixon+1,055 | 2,87460.5% | 1,81938.3% | 541.1% | 4,747 |
| Bladen County | Richard Nixon+2,004 | 4,20564.7% | 2,20133.9% | 911.4% | 6,497 |
| Brunswick County | Richard Nixon+3,653 | 6,15369.1% | 2,50028.1% | 2562.9% | 8,909 |
| Buncombe County | Richard Nixon+19,465 | 32,09170.4% | 12,62627.7% | 8771.9% | 45,594 |
| Burke County | Richard Nixon+8,250 | 14,44769.0% | 6,19729.6% | 3061.5% | 20,950 |
| Cabarrus County | Richard Nixon+13,048 | 18,38476.4% | 5,33622.2% | 3281.4% | 24,048 |
| Caldwell County | Richard Nixon+8,090 | 12,97671.4% | 4,88626.9% | 3091.7% | 18,171 |
| Camden County | Richard Nixon+353 | 90960.2% | 55636.8% | 453.0% | 1,510 |
| Carteret County | Richard Nixon+5,658 | 8,46374.1% | 2,80524.6% | 1471.3% | 11,415 |
| Caswell County | Richard Nixon+1,061 | 2,98359.6% | 1,92238.4% | 961.9% | 5,001 |
| Catawba County | Richard Nixon+16,362 | 24,10674.5% | 7,74423.9% | 5251.6% | 32,375 |
| Chatham County | Richard Nixon+2,551 | 6,17562.1% | 3,62436.5% | 1421.4% | 9,941 |
| Cherokee County | Richard Nixon+1,702 | 4,11362.3% | 2,41136.5% | 801.2% | 6,604 |
| Chowan County | Richard Nixon+970 | 1,90666.4% | 93632.6% | 291.0% | 2,871 |
| Clay County | Richard Nixon+748 | 1,54565.2% | 79733.6% | 281.2% | 2,370 |
| Cleveland County | Richard Nixon+8,732 | 13,72672.1% | 4,99426.2% | 3281.7% | 19,048 |
| Columbus County | Richard Nixon+5,163 | 8,46870.6% | 3,30527.6% | 2141.8% | 11,987 |
| Craven County | Richard Nixon+6,988 | 9,37278.7% | 2,38420.0% | 1471.2% | 11,903 |
| Cumberland County | Richard Nixon+14,523 | 24,37670.5% | 9,85328.5% | 3661.1% | 34,595 |
| Currituck County | Richard Nixon+860 | 1,57866.7% | 71830.3% | 713.0% | 2,367 |
| Dare County | Richard Nixon+1,352 | 1,98675.2% | 63424.0% | 210.8% | 2,641 |
| Davidson County | Richard Nixon+17,184 | 24,87574.8% | 7,69123.1% | 6962.1% | 33,262 |
| Davie County | Richard Nixon+4,035 | 5,61375.7% | 1,57821.3% | 2253.0% | 7,416 |
| Duplin County | Richard Nixon+4,296 | 7,15370.6% | 2,85728.2% | 1201.2% | 10,130 |
| Durham County | Richard Nixon+10,010 | 25,57661.4% | 15,56637.4% | 5251.3% | 41,667 |
| Edgecombe County | Richard Nixon+3,609 | 8,24462.5% | 4,63535.2% | 3052.3% | 13,184 |
| Forsyth County | Richard Nixon+25,487 | 46,41567.7% | 20,92830.5% | 1,2261.8% | 68,569 |
| Franklin County | Richard Nixon+3,090 | 5,43168.4% | 2,34129.5% | 1722.2% | 7,944 |
| Gaston County | Richard Nixon+19,494 | 27,95675.8% | 8,46222.9% | 4831.3% | 36,901 |
| Gates County | Richard Nixon+87 | 1,26451.0% | 1,17747.5% | 371.5% | 2,478 |
| Graham County | Richard Nixon+642 | 1,69961.0% | 1,05738.0% | 271.0% | 2,783 |
| Granville County | Richard Nixon+3,119 | 6,03766.8% | 2,91832.3% | 800.9% | 9,035 |
| Greene County | Richard Nixon+1,941 | 2,78875.7% | 84723.0% | 491.3% | 3,684 |
| Guilford County | Richard Nixon+35,581 | 61,38169.5% | 25,80029.2% | 1,1851.3% | 88,366 |
| Halifax County | Richard Nixon+4,667 | 8,90866.6% | 4,24131.7% | 2261.7% | 13,375 |
| Harnett County | Richard Nixon+6,912 | 10,25974.6% | 3,34724.4% | 1381.0% | 13,744 |
| Haywood County | Richard Nixon+4,388 | 8,90364.8% | 4,51532.9% | 3132.3% | 13,731 |
| Henderson County | Richard Nixon+9,433 | 12,13480.2% | 2,70117.8% | 3002.0% | 15,135 |
| Hertford County | Richard Nixon+866 | 2,79458.3% | 1,92840.3% | 671.4% | 4,789 |
| Hoke County | Richard Nixon+461 | 1,92756.2% | 1,46642.8% | 331.0% | 3,426 |
| Hyde County | Richard Nixon+709 | 1,11272.0% | 40326.1% | 301.9% | 1,545 |
| Iredell County | Richard Nixon+11,648 | 16,73673.8% | 5,08822.4% | 8583.8% | 22,682 |
| Jackson County | Richard Nixon+1,540 | 4,70959.1% | 3,16939.8% | 891.1% | 7,967 |
| Johnston County | Richard Nixon+10,784 | 14,27279.2% | 3,48819.4% | 2511.4% | 18,011 |
| Jones County | Richard Nixon+557 | 1,65058.9% | 1,09339.0% | 572.0% | 2,800 |
| Lee County | Richard Nixon+3,812 | 5,83672.7% | 2,02425.2% | 1662.1% | 8,026 |
| Lenoir County | Richard Nixon+7,393 | 11,06573.9% | 3,67224.5% | 2381.6% | 14,975 |
| Lincoln County | Richard Nixon+3,497 | 8,59761.9% | 5,10036.7% | 1951.4% | 13,892 |
| Macon County | Richard Nixon+2,385 | 4,13469.2% | 1,74929.3% | 911.5% | 5,974 |
| Madison County | Richard Nixon+1,234 | 3,27361.2% | 2,03938.1% | 380.7% | 5,350 |
| Martin County | Richard Nixon+2,348 | 4,18868.8% | 1,84030.2% | 631.0% | 6,091 |
| McDowell County | Richard Nixon+4,222 | 6,57072.1% | 2,34825.8% | 1962.2% | 9,114 |
| Mecklenburg County | Richard Nixon+43,816 | 77,54668.5% | 33,73029.8% | 1,9001.7% | 113,176 |
| Mitchell County | Richard Nixon+3,440 | 4,24083.4% | 80015.7% | 410.8% | 5,081 |
| Montgomery County | Richard Nixon+2,242 | 4,41765.7% | 2,17532.3% | 1342.0% | 6,726 |
| Moore County | Richard Nixon+5,779 | 9,40670.7% | 3,62727.3% | 2752.1% | 13,308 |
| Nash County | Richard Nixon+8,176 | 12,67971.4% | 4,50325.4% | 5793.3% | 17,761 |
| New Hanover County | Richard Nixon+13,166 | 19,06074.4% | 5,89423.0% | 6612.6% | 25,615 |
| Northampton County | George McGovern+236 | 2,99747.7% | 3,23351.5% | 520.8% | 6,282 |
| Onslow County | Richard Nixon+7,919 | 10,34380.0% | 2,42418.8% | 1541.2% | 12,921 |
| Orange County | George McGovern+1,002 | 11,63247.7% | 12,63451.8% | 1420.6% | 24,408 |
| Pamlico County | Richard Nixon+928 | 1,84766.1% | 91932.9% | 281.0% | 2,794 |
| Pasquotank County | Richard Nixon+1,791 | 3,90663.1% | 2,11534.2% | 1722.8% | 6,193 |
| Pender County | Richard Nixon+1,912 | 3,32768.9% | 1,41529.3% | 871.8% | 4,829 |
| Perquimans County | Richard Nixon+576 | 1,29962.6% | 72334.8% | 542.6% | 2,076 |
| Person County | Richard Nixon+3,695 | 5,94171.9% | 2,24627.2% | 770.9% | 8,264 |
| Pitt County | Richard Nixon+8,548 | 14,40670.4% | 5,85828.6% | 1951.0% | 20,459 |
| Polk County | Richard Nixon+1,705 | 3,12167.3% | 1,41630.5% | 1002.2% | 4,637 |
| Randolph County | Richard Nixon+13,378 | 18,72476.0% | 5,34621.7% | 5592.3% | 24,629 |
| Richmond County | Richard Nixon+2,184 | 5,69260.8% | 3,50837.5% | 1561.7% | 9,356 |
| Robeson County | Richard Nixon+3,971 | 11,36260.0% | 7,39139.0% | 1881.0% | 18,941 |
| Rockingham County | Richard Nixon+8,989 | 14,51971.1% | 5,53027.1% | 3581.8% | 20,407 |
| Rowan County | Richard Nixon+13,901 | 20,73573.3% | 6,83424.2% | 7052.5% | 28,274 |
| Rutherford County | Richard Nixon+5,366 | 9,50668.8% | 4,14030.0% | 1701.2% | 13,816 |
| Sampson County | Richard Nixon+4,796 | 9,68465.8% | 4,88833.2% | 1541.0% | 14,726 |
| Scotland County | Richard Nixon+1,547 | 3,48563.7% | 1,93835.4% | 490.9% | 5,472 |
| Stanly County | Richard Nixon+7,241 | 12,45969.3% | 5,21829.0% | 2951.6% | 17,972 |
| Stokes County | Richard Nixon+3,864 | 7,11866.9% | 3,25430.6% | 2742.6% | 10,646 |
| Surry County | Richard Nixon+5,791 | 10,49767.8% | 4,70630.4% | 2841.8% | 15,487 |
| Swain County | Richard Nixon+951 | 2,05264.4% | 1,10134.6% | 311.0% | 3,184 |
| Transylvania County | Richard Nixon+3,539 | 5,86069.7% | 2,32127.6% | 2232.7% | 8,404 |
| Tyrrell County | Richard Nixon+217 | 67659.3% | 45940.3% | 50.4% | 1,140 |
| Union County | Richard Nixon+6,378 | 10,26471.6% | 3,88627.1% | 1861.3% | 14,336 |
| Vance County | Richard Nixon+3,374 | 6,49166.8% | 3,11732.1% | 1021.1% | 9,710 |
| Wake County | Richard Nixon+34,001 | 56,80870.3% | 22,80728.2% | 1,1741.5% | 80,789 |
| Warren County | Richard Nixon+905 | 2,60359.6% | 1,69838.9% | 651.5% | 4,366 |
| Washington County | Richard Nixon+1,013 | 2,55961.6% | 1,54637.2% | 461.1% | 4,151 |
| Watauga County | Richard Nixon+2,566 | 6,01762.9% | 3,45136.0% | 1051.1% | 9,573 |
| Wayne County | Richard Nixon+9,118 | 14,35272.3% | 5,23426.4% | 2561.3% | 19,842 |
| Wilkes County | Richard Nixon+8,471 | 13,10572.8% | 4,63425.8% | 2551.4% | 17,994 |
| Wilson County | Richard Nixon+7,894 | 12,06073.0% | 4,16625.2% | 2861.7% | 16,512 |
| Yadkin County | Richard Nixon+5,232 | 6,82479.2% | 1,59218.5% | 2052.4% | 8,621 |
| Yancey County | Richard Nixon+828 | 3,10657.1% | 2,27841.9% | 561.0% | 5,440 |
Nominees: George McGovern (D) · Richard Nixon (R)
North Carolina's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 1972 contest in context
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | +11.6% |
| 1896 | +5.8% |
| 1900 | +8.5% |
| 1904 | +20.1% |
| 1908 | +8.7% |
| 1912 | +47.3% |
| 1916 | +16.4% |
| 1920 | +13.5% |
| 1924 | +19.4% |
| 1928 | −9.9% |
| 1932 | +40.6% |
| 1936 | +46.8% |
| 1940 | +48.1% |
| 1944 | +33.4% |
| 1948 | +25.3% |
| 1952 | +7.8% |
| 1956 | +1.3% |
| 1960 | +4.2% |
| 1964 | +12.3% |
| 1968 | −10.3% |
| 1972 | −40.6% |
| 1976 | +11.0% |
| 1980 | −2.1% |
| 1984 | −24.0% |
| 1988 | −16.3% |
| 1992 | −0.8% |
| 1996 | −4.7% |
| 2000 | −12.8% |
| 2004 | −12.4% |
| 2008 | +0.3% |
| 2012 | −2.0% |
| 2016 | −3.7% |
| 2020 | −1.3% |
| 2024 | −3.2% |
Source. Compiled historical county records — 1972 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.