Elections / 1972 · President · SD
South Dakota — 1972 presidential election
Recent presidential results
Akashicstate1972 presidential electionSouth Dakota · PresidentNixonR+8.6
How it voted
Share of the 1972 vote
| Richard Nixon ✓Republican | 54.2% | 166,476 |
|---|---|---|
| George McGovernDemocratic | 45.5% | 139,945 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 0.3% | 994 |
1972presidential margin
D+60R+60
66 counties, each filled by 1972 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
South Dakota cast 4 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (66 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Aurora County, SD | Democratic | D+7.8 |
| Beadle County, SD | Republican | R+15.9 |
| Bennett County, SD | Republican | R+25.8 |
| Bon Homme County, SD | Democratic | D+5.6 |
| Brookings County, SD | Republican | R+4.9 |
| Brown County, SD | Democratic | D+0.5 |
| Brule County, SD | Democratic | D+7.9 |
| Buffalo County, SD | Democratic | D+10.9 |
| Butte County, SD | Republican | R+38.4 |
| Campbell County, SD | Republican | R+52.6 |
| Charles Mix County, SD | Democratic | D+14.2 |
| Clark County, SD | Republican | R+9.5 |
| Clay County, SD | Democratic | D+5.7 |
| Codington County, SD | Republican | R+3.5 |
| Corson County, SD | Republican | R+17.1 |
| Custer County, SD | Republican | R+29.6 |
| Davison County, SD | Democratic | D+10.7 |
| Day County, SD | Democratic | D+15.9 |
| Deuel County, SD | Democratic | D+0.5 |
| Dewey County, SD | Republican | R+18.0 |
| Douglas County, SD | Republican | R+23.5 |
| Edmunds County, SD | Democratic | D+2.5 |
| Fall River County, SD | Republican | R+36.2 |
| Faulk County, SD | Republican | R+0.9 |
| Grant County, SD | Republican | R+0.4 |
| Gregory County, SD | Republican | R+3.6 |
| Haakon County, SD | Republican | R+46.9 |
| Hamlin County, SD | Republican | R+14.0 |
| Hand County, SD | Republican | R+16.0 |
| Hanson County, SD | Democratic | D+7.7 |
| Harding County, SD | Republican | R+43.1 |
| Hughes County, SD | Republican | R+34.9 |
| Hutchinson County, SD | Republican | R+15.8 |
| Hyde County, SD | Republican | R+19.3 |
| Jackson County, SD | Republican | R+27.2 |
| Jerauld County, SD | Republican | R+8.7 |
| Jones County, SD | Republican | R+29.7 |
| Kingsbury County, SD | Republican | R+17.4 |
| Lake County, SD | Republican | R+0.6 |
| Lawrence County, SD | Republican | R+30.8 |
| Lincoln County, SD | Republican | R+10.0 |
| Lyman County, SD | Republican | R+20.2 |
| Marshall County, SD | Democratic | D+4.6 |
| McCook County, SD | Democratic | D+0.8 |
| McPherson County, SD | Republican | R+54.1 |
| Meade County, SD | Republican | R+35.1 |
| Mellette County, SD | Republican | R+19.0 |
| Miner County, SD | Democratic | D+11.6 |
| Minnehaha County, SD | Republican | R+0.1 |
| Moody County, SD | Democratic | D+6.9 |
| Oglala Lakota County, SD | Democratic | D+55.2 |
| Pennington County, SD | Republican | R+22.7 |
| Perkins County, SD | Republican | R+30.4 |
| Potter County, SD | Republican | R+23.6 |
| Roberts County, SD | Democratic | D+15.3 |
| Sanborn County, SD | Democratic | D+0.5 |
| Spink County, SD | Republican | R+4.6 |
| Stanley County, SD | Republican | R+22.5 |
| Sully County, SD | Republican | R+30.1 |
| Todd County, SD | Democratic | D+5.9 |
| Tripp County, SD | Republican | R+25.5 |
| Turner County, SD | Republican | R+20.2 |
| Union County, SD | Democratic | D+5.8 |
| Walworth County, SD | Republican | R+30.4 |
| Yankton County, SD | Republican | R+6.5 |
| Ziebach County, SD | Republican | R+12.4 |
Nominees: George McGovern (D) · Richard Nixon (R)
South Dakota's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 1972 contest in context
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | −36.5% |
| 1896 | +0.2% |
| 1900 | −15.6% |
| 1904 | −49.4% |
| 1908 | −23.8% |
| 1912 | +42.1% |
| 1916 | −3.9% |
| 1920 | −41.0% |
| 1924 | −36.3% |
| 1928 | −21.0% |
| 1932 | +29.2% |
| 1936 | +11.5% |
| 1940 | −14.8% |
| 1944 | −16.7% |
| 1948 | −4.8% |
| 1952 | −38.5% |
| 1956 | −16.8% |
| 1960 | −16.4% |
| 1964 | +11.2% |
| 1968 | −11.3% |
| 1972 | −8.6% |
| 1976 | −1.5% |
| 1980 | −28.8% |
| 1984 | −26.5% |
| 1988 | −6.3% |
| 1992 | −3.5% |
| 1996 | −3.5% |
| 2000 | −22.7% |
| 2004 | −21.3% |
| 2008 | −8.4% |
| 2012 | −18.0% |
| 2016 | −29.8% |
| 2020 | −26.2% |
| 2024 | −29.2% |
County-by-county results — 66 counties
| County | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora County | D | 1,257 | 1,075 | 2,339 | |
| Beadle County | R | 4,297 | 5,922 | 10,244 | |
| Bennett County | R | 476 | 808 | 1,286 | |
| Bon Homme County | D | 2,368 | 2,116 | 4,493 | |
| Brookings County | R | 4,701 | 5,182 | 9,916 | |
| Brown County | D | 8,216 | 8,134 | 16,451 | |
| Brule County | D | 1,665 | 1,421 | 3,097 | |
| Buffalo County | D | 275 | 221 | 497 | |
| Butte County | R | 1,085 | 2,452 | 3,563 | |
| Campbell County | R | 361 | 1,169 | 1,537 | |
| Charles Mix County | D | 2,691 | 2,020 | 4,721 | |
| Clark County | R | 1,336 | 1,617 | 2,962 | |
| Clay County | D | 2,821 | 2,518 | 5,352 | |
| Codington County | R | 4,601 | 4,936 | 9,564 | |
| Corson County | R | 689 | 975 | 1,673 | |
| Custer County | R | 798 | 1,476 | 2,289 | |
| Davison County | D | 4,710 | 3,796 | 8,531 | |
| Day County | D | 2,719 | 1,971 | 4,699 | |
| Deuel County | D | 1,370 | 1,357 | 2,736 | |
| Dewey County | R | 699 | 1,008 | 1,712 | |
| Douglas County | R | 887 | 1,434 | 2,325 | |
| Edmunds County | D | 1,646 | 1,567 | 3,216 | |
| Fall River County | R | 1,107 | 2,374 | 3,497 | |
| Faulk County | R | 986 | 1,004 | 2,005 | |
| Grant County | R | 2,231 | 2,247 | 4,490 | |
| Gregory County | R | 1,555 | 1,670 | 3,237 | |
| Haakon County | R | 366 | 1,021 | 1,396 | |
| Hamlin County | R | 1,276 | 1,693 | 2,978 | |
| Hand County | R | 1,307 | 1,806 | 3,119 | |
| Hanson County | D | 1,022 | 876 | 1,906 | |
| Harding County | R | 253 | 637 | 890 | |
| Hughes County | R | 2,037 | 4,231 | 6,282 | |
| Hutchinson County | R | 2,248 | 3,092 | 5,348 | |
| Hyde County | R | 533 | 789 | 1,326 | |
| Jackson County | R | 472 | 826 | 1,302 | |
| Jerauld County | R | 829 | 988 | 1,820 | |
| Jones County | R | 346 | 642 | 997 | |
| Kingsbury County | R | 1,632 | 2,320 | 3,958 | |
| Lake County | R | 2,886 | 2,919 | 5,822 | |
| Lawrence County | R | 2,533 | 4,795 | 7,352 | |
| Lincoln County | R | 2,617 | 3,201 | 5,828 | |
| Lyman County | R | 774 | 1,166 | 1,944 | |
| Marshall County | D | 1,646 | 1,500 | 3,147 | |
| McCook County | D | 1,993 | 1,963 | 3,963 | |
| McPherson County | R | 579 | 1,950 | 2,535 | |
| Meade County | R | 1,633 | 3,416 | 5,080 | |
| Mellette County | R | 433 | 637 | 1,076 | |
| Miner County | D | 1,337 | 1,059 | 2,405 | |
| Minnehaha County | R | 22,386 | 22,447 | 44,988 | |
| Moody County | D | 1,895 | 1,648 | 3,554 | |
| Oglala Lakota County | D | 1,246 | 356 | 1,611 | |
| Pennington County | R | 8,592 | 13,654 | 22,326 | |
| Perkins County | R | 900 | 1,691 | 2,598 | |
| Potter County | R | 858 | 1,389 | 2,253 | |
| Roberts County | D | 2,976 | 2,187 | 5,172 | |
| Sanborn County | D | 1,074 | 1,064 | 2,145 | |
| Spink County | R | 2,321 | 2,547 | 4,880 | |
| Stanley County | R | 492 | 779 | 1,278 | |
| Sully County | R | 414 | 773 | 1,191 | |
| Todd County | D | 907 | 806 | 1,723 | |
| Tripp County | R | 1,538 | 2,592 | 4,132 | |
| Turner County | R | 1,993 | 3,007 | 5,010 | |
| Union County | D | 2,554 | 2,271 | 4,842 | |
| Walworth County | R | 1,287 | 2,416 | 3,711 | |
| Yankton County | R | 3,835 | 4,366 | 8,225 | |
| Ziebach County | R | 378 | 486 | 870 |
Source. Compiled historical county records — 1972 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.