Richard Nixon carried North Carolina R+40.6.

George McGovern (D) vs Richard Nixon (R) in North Carolina, 1972. The state ran 17.4 points more Republican than the nation (R+23.2 nationally).

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

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North Carolina result

1,518,612 votes counted

McGovern (D)

438,705

28.9%

Nixon (R)

1,054,889

69.5%

All others

25,018

1.6%

Margin

R+40.6

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1972 presidential election

North Carolina, 1972

NixonR+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

D+60

R+60

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

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North Carolina's presidential margins

1892–2024, the 1972 contest in context

North Carolina's presidential margins

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%

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County results — 1972

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

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County	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
Alamance County	R	−51.5%	6,833	22,046	29,549
Alexander County	R	−39.9%	2,468	5,865	8,506
Alleghany County	R	−24.3%	1,304	2,158	3,521
Anson County	R	−23.4%	2,188	3,551	5,833
Ashe County	R	−26.9%	3,313	5,784	9,188
Avery County	R	−69.0%	627	3,510	4,179
Beaufort County	R	−40.4%	2,901	6,915	9,928
Bertie County	R	−22.2%	1,819	2,874	4,747
Bladen County	R	−30.8%	2,201	4,205	6,497
Brunswick County	R	−41.0%	2,500	6,153	8,909
Buncombe County	R	−42.7%	12,626	32,091	45,594
Burke County	R	−39.4%	6,197	14,447	20,950
Cabarrus County	R	−54.3%	5,336	18,384	24,048
Caldwell County	R	−44.5%	4,886	12,976	18,171
Camden County	R	−23.4%	556	909	1,510
Carteret County	R	−49.6%	2,805	8,463	11,415
Caswell County	R	−21.2%	1,922	2,983	5,001
Catawba County	R	−50.5%	7,744	24,106	32,375
Chatham County	R	−25.7%	3,624	6,175	9,941
Cherokee County	R	−25.8%	2,411	4,113	6,604
Chowan County	R	−33.8%	936	1,906	2,871
Clay County	R	−31.6%	797	1,545	2,370
Cleveland County	R	−45.8%	4,994	13,726	19,048
Columbus County	R	−43.1%	3,305	8,468	11,987
Craven County	R	−58.7%	2,384	9,372	11,903
Cumberland County	R	−42.0%	9,853	24,376	34,595
Currituck County	R	−36.3%	718	1,578	2,367
Dare County	R	−51.2%	634	1,986	2,641
Davidson County	R	−51.7%	7,691	24,875	33,262
Davie County	R	−54.4%	1,578	5,613	7,416
Duplin County	R	−42.4%	2,857	7,153	10,130
Durham County	R	−24.0%	15,566	25,576	41,667
Edgecombe County	R	−27.4%	4,635	8,244	13,184
Forsyth County	R	−37.2%	20,928	46,415	68,569
Franklin County	R	−38.9%	2,341	5,431	7,944
Gaston County	R	−52.8%	8,462	27,956	36,901
Gates County	R	−3.5%	1,177	1,264	2,478
Graham County	R	−23.1%	1,057	1,699	2,783
Granville County	R	−34.5%	2,918	6,037	9,035
Greene County	R	−52.7%	847	2,788	3,684
Guilford County	R	−40.3%	25,800	61,381	88,366
Halifax County	R	−34.9%	4,241	8,908	13,375
Harnett County	R	−50.3%	3,347	10,259	13,744
Haywood County	R	−32.0%	4,515	8,903	13,731
Henderson County	R	−62.3%	2,701	12,134	15,135
Hertford County	R	−18.1%	1,928	2,794	4,789
Hoke County	R	−13.5%	1,466	1,927	3,426
Hyde County	R	−45.9%	403	1,112	1,545
Iredell County	R	−51.4%	5,088	16,736	22,682
Jackson County	R	−19.3%	3,169	4,709	7,967
Johnston County	R	−59.9%	3,488	14,272	18,011
Jones County	R	−19.9%	1,093	1,650	2,800
Lee County	R	−47.5%	2,024	5,836	8,026
Lenoir County	R	−49.4%	3,672	11,065	14,975
Lincoln County	R	−25.2%	5,100	8,597	13,892
Macon County	R	−39.9%	1,749	4,134	5,974
Madison County	R	−23.1%	2,039	3,273	5,350
Martin County	R	−38.5%	1,840	4,188	6,091
McDowell County	R	−46.3%	2,348	6,570	9,114
Mecklenburg County	R	−38.7%	33,730	77,546	113,176
Mitchell County	R	−67.7%	800	4,240	5,081
Montgomery County	R	−33.3%	2,175	4,417	6,726
Moore County	R	−43.4%	3,627	9,406	13,308
Nash County	R	−46.0%	4,503	12,679	17,761
New Hanover County	R	−51.4%	5,894	19,060	25,615
Northampton County	D	+3.8%	3,233	2,997	6,282
Onslow County	R	−61.3%	2,424	10,343	12,921
Orange County	D	+4.1%	12,634	11,632	24,408
Pamlico County	R	−33.2%	919	1,847	2,794
Pasquotank County	R	−28.9%	2,115	3,906	6,193
Pender County	R	−39.6%	1,415	3,327	4,829
Perquimans County	R	−27.7%	723	1,299	2,076
Person County	R	−44.7%	2,246	5,941	8,264
Pitt County	R	−41.8%	5,858	14,406	20,459
Polk County	R	−36.8%	1,416	3,121	4,637
Randolph County	R	−54.3%	5,346	18,724	24,629
Richmond County	R	−23.3%	3,508	5,692	9,356
Robeson County	R	−21.0%	7,391	11,362	18,941
Rockingham County	R	−44.0%	5,530	14,519	20,407
Rowan County	R	−49.2%	6,834	20,735	28,274
Rutherford County	R	−38.8%	4,140	9,506	13,816
Sampson County	R	−32.6%	4,888	9,684	14,726
Scotland County	R	−28.3%	1,938	3,485	5,472
Stanly County	R	−40.3%	5,218	12,459	17,972
Stokes County	R	−36.3%	3,254	7,118	10,646
Surry County	R	−37.4%	4,706	10,497	15,487
Swain County	R	−29.9%	1,101	2,052	3,184
Transylvania County	R	−42.1%	2,321	5,860	8,404
Tyrrell County	R	−19.0%	459	676	1,140
Union County	R	−44.5%	3,886	10,264	14,336
Vance County	R	−34.7%	3,117	6,491	9,710
Wake County	R	−42.1%	22,807	56,808	80,789
Warren County	R	−20.7%	1,698	2,603	4,366
Washington County	R	−24.4%	1,546	2,559	4,151
Watauga County	R	−26.8%	3,451	6,017	9,573
Wayne County	R	−46.0%	5,234	14,352	19,842
Wilkes County	R	−47.1%	4,634	13,105	17,994
Wilson County	R	−47.8%	4,166	12,060	16,512
Yadkin County	R	−60.7%	1,592	6,824	8,621
Yancey County	R	−15.2%	2,278	3,106	5,440