Elections / 1972 · President · ND
North Dakota — 1972 presidential election
Recent presidential results
Akashicstate1972 presidential electionNorth Dakota · PresidentNixonR+26.3
How it voted
Share of the 1972 vote
| Richard Nixon ✓Republican | 62.1% | 174,109 |
|---|---|---|
| George McGovernDemocratic | 35.8% | 100,384 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 2.1% | 6,021 |
1972presidential margin
D+60R+60
53 counties, each filled by 1972 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
North Dakota cast 3 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (53 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Adams County, ND | Republican | R+27.3 |
| Barnes County, ND | Republican | R+23.2 |
| Benson County, ND | Republican | R+11.2 |
| Billings County, ND | Republican | R+43.5 |
| Bottineau County, ND | Republican | R+40.4 |
| Bowman County, ND | Republican | R+26.0 |
| Burke County, ND | Republican | R+36.5 |
| Burleigh County, ND | Republican | R+39.1 |
| Cass County, ND | Republican | R+21.2 |
| Cavalier County, ND | Republican | R+21.4 |
| Dickey County, ND | Republican | R+28.2 |
| Divide County, ND | Republican | R+22.4 |
| Dunn County, ND | Republican | R+36.1 |
| Eddy County, ND | Republican | R+5.7 |
| Emmons County, ND | Republican | R+31.7 |
| Foster County, ND | Republican | R+21.9 |
| Golden Valley County, ND | Republican | R+33.5 |
| Grand Forks County, ND | Republican | R+16.8 |
| Grant County, ND | Republican | R+43.5 |
| Griggs County, ND | Republican | R+18.2 |
| Hettinger County, ND | Republican | R+33.7 |
| Kidder County, ND | Republican | R+38.7 |
| LaMoure County, ND | Republican | R+20.1 |
| Logan County, ND | Republican | R+42.0 |
| McHenry County, ND | Republican | R+27.9 |
| McIntosh County, ND | Republican | R+64.2 |
| McKenzie County, ND | Republican | R+33.6 |
| McLean County, ND | Republican | R+34.7 |
| Mercer County, ND | Republican | R+51.6 |
| Morton County, ND | Republican | R+23.8 |
| Mountrail County, ND | Republican | R+18.5 |
| Nelson County, ND | Republican | R+8.8 |
| Oliver County, ND | Republican | R+36.6 |
| Pembina County, ND | Republican | R+29.1 |
| Pierce County, ND | Republican | R+33.5 |
| Ramsey County, ND | Republican | R+24.5 |
| Ransom County, ND | Republican | R+20.4 |
| Renville County, ND | Republican | R+22.8 |
| Richland County, ND | Republican | R+21.2 |
| Rolette County, ND | Democratic | D+2.5 |
| Sargent County, ND | Republican | R+9.6 |
| Sheridan County, ND | Republican | R+62.2 |
| Sioux County, ND | Republican | R+0.4 |
| Slope County, ND | Republican | R+23.8 |
| Stark County, ND | Republican | R+30.5 |
| Steele County, ND | Republican | R+8.7 |
| Stutsman County, ND | Republican | R+26.7 |
| Towner County, ND | Republican | R+17.4 |
| Traill County, ND | Republican | R+24.1 |
| Walsh County, ND | Republican | R+15.3 |
| Ward County, ND | Republican | R+34.5 |
| Wells County, ND | Republican | R+31.3 |
| Williams County, ND | Republican | R+22.6 |
Nominees: George McGovern (D) · Richard Nixon (R)
North Dakota's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 1972 contest in context
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | −48.5% |
| 1896 | −11.9% |
| 1900 | −26.6% |
| 1904 | −54.7% |
| 1908 | −26.2% |
| 1912 | +7.5% |
| 1916 | +1.5% |
| 1920 | −59.6% |
| 1924 | −40.7% |
| 1928 | −10.3% |
| 1932 | +41.6% |
| 1936 | +33.0% |
| 1940 | −10.9% |
| 1944 | −8.4% |
| 1948 | −8.8% |
| 1952 | −42.6% |
| 1956 | −23.6% |
| 1960 | −10.9% |
| 1964 | +16.1% |
| 1968 | −17.7% |
| 1972 | −26.3% |
| 1976 | −5.9% |
| 1980 | −38.0% |
| 1984 | −31.0% |
| 1988 | −13.1% |
| 1992 | −12.0% |
| 1996 | −6.8% |
| 2000 | −27.6% |
| 2004 | −27.4% |
| 2008 | −8.6% |
| 2012 | −19.6% |
| 2016 | −35.7% |
| 2020 | −33.3% |
| 2024 | −36.4% |
County-by-county results — 53 counties
| County | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County | R | 665 | 1,177 | 1,875 | |
| Barnes County | R | 2,804 | 4,518 | 7,389 | |
| Benson County | R | 1,635 | 2,050 | 3,721 | |
| Billings County | R | 192 | 509 | 729 | |
| Bottineau County | R | 1,369 | 3,263 | 4,688 | |
| Bowman County | R | 643 | 1,111 | 1,801 | |
| Burke County | R | 651 | 1,446 | 2,179 | |
| Burleigh County | R | 5,841 | 13,909 | 20,644 | |
| Cass County | R | 14,073 | 21,770 | 36,306 | |
| Cavalier County | R | 1,867 | 2,898 | 4,824 | |
| Dickey County | R | 1,266 | 2,277 | 3,581 | |
| Divide County | R | 774 | 1,230 | 2,040 | |
| Dunn County | R | 644 | 1,438 | 2,197 | |
| Eddy County | R | 911 | 1,022 | 1,964 | |
| Emmons County | R | 1,115 | 2,194 | 3,400 | |
| Foster County | R | 861 | 1,352 | 2,243 | |
| Golden Valley County | R | 362 | 774 | 1,229 | |
| Grand Forks County | R | 9,416 | 13,361 | 23,475 | |
| Grant County | R | 596 | 1,569 | 2,236 | |
| Griggs County | R | 901 | 1,312 | 2,258 | |
| Hettinger County | R | 726 | 1,511 | 2,327 | |
| Kidder County | R | 557 | 1,315 | 1,961 | |
| LaMoure County | R | 1,399 | 2,110 | 3,539 | |
| Logan County | R | 554 | 1,408 | 2,031 | |
| McHenry County | R | 1,554 | 2,765 | 4,346 | |
| McIntosh County | R | 521 | 2,440 | 2,990 | |
| McKenzie County | R | 937 | 1,913 | 2,904 | |
| McLean County | R | 1,703 | 3,575 | 5,398 | |
| Mercer County | R | 784 | 2,567 | 3,456 | |
| Morton County | R | 3,312 | 5,494 | 9,177 | |
| Mountrail County | R | 1,391 | 2,038 | 3,496 | |
| Nelson County | R | 1,358 | 1,625 | 3,028 | |
| Oliver County | R | 293 | 669 | 1,027 | |
| Pembina County | R | 1,801 | 3,317 | 5,203 | |
| Pierce County | R | 973 | 1,970 | 2,978 | |
| Ramsey County | R | 2,384 | 3,954 | 6,400 | |
| Ransom County | R | 1,355 | 2,056 | 3,435 | |
| Renville County | R | 702 | 1,121 | 1,835 | |
| Richland County | R | 3,367 | 5,194 | 8,624 | |
| Rolette County | D | 1,803 | 1,713 | 3,559 | |
| Sargent County | R | 1,331 | 1,616 | 2,966 | |
| Sheridan County | R | 334 | 1,460 | 1,809 | |
| Sioux County | R | 557 | 561 | 1,142 | |
| Slope County | R | 249 | 413 | 690 | |
| Stark County | R | 2,636 | 5,115 | 8,131 | |
| Steele County | R | 892 | 1,063 | 1,970 | |
| Stutsman County | R | 3,589 | 6,269 | 10,028 | |
| Towner County | R | 944 | 1,349 | 2,325 | |
| Traill County | R | 1,892 | 3,118 | 5,078 | |
| Walsh County | R | 2,908 | 3,991 | 7,090 | |
| Ward County | R | 6,706 | 13,900 | 20,868 | |
| Wells County | R | 1,297 | 2,519 | 3,910 | |
| Williams County | R | 2,989 | 4,800 | 8,014 |
Source. Compiled historical county records — 1972 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.