Elections / 1972 · President · TN
Tennessee — 1972 presidential election
Recent presidential results
Akashicstate1972 presidential electionTennessee · PresidentNixonR+38.0
How it voted
Share of the 1972 vote
| Richard Nixon ✓Republican | 67.7% | 813,147 |
|---|---|---|
| George McGovernDemocratic | 29.7% | 357,293 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 2.6% | 30,742 |
1972presidential margin
D+60R+60
95 counties, each filled by 1972 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
Tennessee cast 10 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (95 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Anderson County, TN | Republican | R+34.1 |
| Bedford County, TN | Republican | R+23.8 |
| Benton County, TN | Republican | R+26.8 |
| Bledsoe County, TN | Republican | R+35.6 |
| Blount County, TN | Republican | R+49.5 |
| Bradley County, TN | Republican | R+56.5 |
| Campbell County, TN | Republican | R+49.1 |
| Cannon County, TN | Republican | R+27.2 |
| Carroll County, TN | Republican | R+41.8 |
| Carter County, TN | Republican | R+65.9 |
| Cheatham County, TN | Republican | R+24.6 |
| Chester County, TN | Republican | R+47.0 |
| Claiborne County, TN | Republican | R+48.9 |
| Clay County, TN | Republican | R+20.1 |
| Cocke County, TN | Republican | R+72.5 |
| Coffee County, TN | Republican | R+35.5 |
| Crockett County, TN | Republican | R+54.4 |
| Cumberland County, TN | Republican | R+50.0 |
| Davidson County, TN | Republican | R+25.1 |
| Decatur County, TN | Republican | R+32.3 |
| DeKalb County, TN | Republican | R+23.2 |
| Dickson County, TN | Republican | R+15.9 |
| Dyer County, TN | Republican | R+55.9 |
| Fayette County, TN | Republican | R+21.9 |
| Fentress County, TN | Republican | R+52.2 |
| Franklin County, TN | Republican | R+17.2 |
| Gibson County, TN | Republican | R+45.0 |
| Giles County, TN | Republican | R+20.6 |
| Grainger County, TN | Republican | R+54.2 |
| Greene County, TN | Republican | R+55.1 |
| Grundy County, TN | Republican | R+14.3 |
| Hamblen County, TN | Republican | R+54.3 |
| Hamilton County, TN | Republican | R+45.7 |
| Hancock County, TN | Republican | R+63.9 |
| Hardeman County, TN | Republican | R+36.7 |
| Hardin County, TN | Republican | R+55.5 |
| Hawkins County, TN | Republican | R+48.1 |
| Haywood County, TN | Republican | R+22.0 |
| Henderson County, TN | Republican | R+57.7 |
| Henry County, TN | Republican | R+25.2 |
| Hickman County, TN | Republican | R+15.9 |
| Houston County, TN | Democratic | D+4.1 |
| Humphreys County, TN | Republican | R+6.7 |
| Jackson County, TN | Democratic | D+6.2 |
| Jefferson County, TN | Republican | R+61.9 |
| Johnson County, TN | Republican | R+75.4 |
| Knox County, TN | Republican | R+44.9 |
| Lake County, TN | Republican | R+35.0 |
| Lauderdale County, TN | Republican | R+32.7 |
| Lawrence County, TN | Republican | R+38.1 |
| Lewis County, TN | Democratic | D+3.6 |
| Lincoln County, TN | Republican | R+26.5 |
| Loudon County, TN | Republican | R+52.6 |
| Macon County, TN | Republican | R+54.1 |
| Madison County, TN | Republican | R+48.0 |
| Marion County, TN | Republican | R+30.5 |
| Marshall County, TN | Republican | R+24.4 |
| Maury County, TN | Republican | R+36.9 |
| McMinn County, TN | Republican | R+43.6 |
| McNairy County, TN | Republican | R+48.5 |
| Meigs County, TN | Republican | R+31.4 |
| Monroe County, TN | Republican | R+32.3 |
| Montgomery County, TN | Republican | R+15.5 |
| Moore County, TN | Republican | R+25.3 |
| Morgan County, TN | Republican | R+39.1 |
| Obion County, TN | Republican | R+43.2 |
| Overton County, TN | Republican | R+10.4 |
| Perry County, TN | Democratic | D+2.0 |
| Pickett County, TN | Republican | R+45.3 |
| Polk County, TN | Republican | R+22.6 |
| Putnam County, TN | Republican | R+23.0 |
| Rhea County, TN | Republican | R+47.7 |
| Roane County, TN | Republican | R+42.6 |
| Robertson County, TN | Republican | R+16.1 |
| Rutherford County, TN | Republican | R+31.0 |
| Scott County, TN | Republican | R+59.9 |
| Sequatchie County, TN | Republican | R+33.3 |
| Sevier County, TN | Republican | R+74.6 |
| Shelby County, TN | Republican | R+32.6 |
| Smith County, TN | Republican | R+17.3 |
| Stewart County, TN | Democratic | D+15.9 |
| Sullivan County, TN | Republican | R+45.7 |
| Sumner County, TN | Republican | R+35.8 |
| Tipton County, TN | Republican | R+47.6 |
| Trousdale County, TN | Republican | R+10.1 |
| Unicoi County, TN | Republican | R+64.1 |
| Union County, TN | Republican | R+53.7 |
| Van Buren County, TN | Republican | R+26.0 |
| Warren County, TN | Republican | R+24.6 |
| Washington County, TN | Republican | R+52.0 |
| Wayne County, TN | Republican | R+61.3 |
| Weakley County, TN | Republican | R+46.7 |
| White County, TN | Republican | R+23.1 |
| Williamson County, TN | Republican | R+46.8 |
| Wilson County, TN | Republican | R+34.4 |
Nominees: George McGovern (D) · Richard Nixon (R)
Tennessee's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 1972 contest in context
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | +13.5% |
| 1896 | +6.0% |
| 1900 | +8.1% |
| 1904 | +10.8% |
| 1908 | +6.9% |
| 1912 | +28.9% |
| 1916 | +13.6% |
| 1920 | −2.8% |
| 1924 | +9.3% |
| 1928 | −11.1% |
| 1932 | +34.0% |
| 1936 | +37.9% |
| 1940 | +34.9% |
| 1944 | +21.2% |
| 1948 | +12.3% |
| 1952 | −0.3% |
| 1956 | −0.6% |
| 1960 | −7.1% |
| 1964 | +11.0% |
| 1968 | −9.7% |
| 1972 | −38.0% |
| 1976 | +13.0% |
| 1980 | −0.3% |
| 1984 | −16.3% |
| 1988 | −16.3% |
| 1992 | +4.7% |
| 1996 | +2.4% |
| 2000 | −3.9% |
| 2004 | −14.3% |
| 2008 | −15.0% |
| 2012 | −20.4% |
| 2016 | −26.0% |
| 2020 | −23.2% |
| 2024 | −29.7% |
County-by-county results — 95 counties
| County | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson County | R | 6,713 | 13,865 | 20,999 | |
| Bedford County | R | 2,565 | 4,262 | 7,135 | |
| Benton County | R | 1,479 | 2,614 | 4,228 | |
| Bledsoe County | R | 899 | 1,952 | 2,962 | |
| Blount County | R | 5,303 | 16,078 | 21,771 | |
| Bradley County | R | 2,804 | 10,440 | 13,513 | |
| Campbell County | R | 1,629 | 4,909 | 6,687 | |
| Cannon County | R | 911 | 1,615 | 2,589 | |
| Carroll County | R | 2,290 | 5,784 | 8,349 | |
| Carter County | R | 2,191 | 11,102 | 13,514 | |
| Cheatham County | R | 1,321 | 2,235 | 3,719 | |
| Chester County | R | 961 | 2,787 | 3,887 | |
| Claiborne County | R | 1,230 | 3,632 | 4,912 | |
| Clay County | R | 648 | 982 | 1,664 | |
| Cocke County | R | 805 | 5,268 | 6,153 | |
| Coffee County | R | 2,973 | 6,416 | 9,695 | |
| Crockett County | R | 735 | 2,642 | 3,504 | |
| Cumberland County | R | 1,482 | 4,593 | 6,225 | |
| Davidson County | R | 48,869 | 82,636 | 134,797 | |
| Decatur County | R | 1,187 | 2,368 | 3,655 | |
| DeKalb County | R | 1,243 | 2,014 | 3,320 | |
| Dickson County | R | 2,619 | 3,645 | 6,446 | |
| Dyer County | R | 1,600 | 6,066 | 7,988 | |
| Fayette County | R | 2,067 | 3,264 | 5,463 | |
| Fentress County | R | 665 | 2,154 | 2,853 | |
| Franklin County | R | 2,896 | 4,136 | 7,192 | |
| Gibson County | R | 3,625 | 9,900 | 13,934 | |
| Giles County | R | 1,875 | 2,914 | 5,051 | |
| Grainger County | R | 828 | 2,842 | 3,713 | |
| Greene County | R | 2,764 | 9,772 | 12,709 | |
| Grundy County | R | 1,005 | 1,364 | 2,503 | |
| Hamblen County | R | 2,563 | 8,879 | 11,624 | |
| Hamilton County | R | 20,657 | 58,469 | 82,794 | |
| Hancock County | R | 393 | 1,813 | 2,222 | |
| Hardeman County | R | 1,550 | 3,494 | 5,294 | |
| Hardin County | R | 1,202 | 4,401 | 5,769 | |
| Hawkins County | R | 2,608 | 7,791 | 10,775 | |
| Haywood County | R | 1,966 | 3,123 | 5,253 | |
| Henderson County | R | 1,313 | 5,122 | 6,597 | |
| Henry County | R | 2,694 | 4,613 | 7,611 | |
| Hickman County | R | 1,393 | 1,943 | 3,466 | |
| Houston County | D | 870 | 800 | 1,725 | |
| Humphreys County | R | 1,973 | 2,263 | 4,338 | |
| Jackson County | D | 1,085 | 956 | 2,079 | |
| Jefferson County | R | 1,357 | 5,925 | 7,382 | |
| Johnson County | R | 450 | 3,362 | 3,861 | |
| Knox County | R | 24,076 | 64,747 | 90,484 | |
| Lake County | R | 536 | 1,147 | 1,746 | |
| Lauderdale County | R | 1,771 | 3,597 | 5,585 | |
| Lawrence County | R | 2,824 | 6,438 | 9,482 | |
| Lewis County | D | 1,138 | 1,056 | 2,248 | |
| Lincoln County | R | 1,867 | 3,266 | 5,281 | |
| Loudon County | R | 1,604 | 5,357 | 7,131 | |
| Macon County | R | 653 | 2,295 | 3,033 | |
| Madison County | R | 5,203 | 15,481 | 21,409 | |
| Marion County | R | 1,929 | 3,711 | 5,839 | |
| Marshall County | R | 1,526 | 2,593 | 4,378 | |
| Maury County | R | 3,262 | 7,371 | 11,121 | |
| McMinn County | R | 2,838 | 7,423 | 10,520 | |
| McNairy County | R | 1,610 | 4,774 | 6,519 | |
| Meigs County | R | 539 | 1,052 | 1,635 | |
| Monroe County | R | 2,870 | 5,657 | 8,634 | |
| Montgomery County | R | 5,691 | 7,839 | 13,899 | |
| Moore County | R | 356 | 608 | 996 | |
| Morgan County | R | 1,084 | 2,531 | 3,703 | |
| Obion County | R | 2,243 | 5,800 | 8,243 | |
| Overton County | R | 1,573 | 1,947 | 3,594 | |
| Perry County | D | 937 | 900 | 1,871 | |
| Pickett County | R | 357 | 957 | 1,325 | |
| Polk County | R | 1,431 | 2,285 | 3,772 | |
| Putnam County | R | 3,738 | 6,038 | 9,999 | |
| Rhea County | R | 1,312 | 3,842 | 5,299 | |
| Roane County | R | 3,433 | 8,742 | 12,470 | |
| Robertson County | R | 2,985 | 4,175 | 7,399 | |
| Rutherford County | R | 5,811 | 11,256 | 17,554 | |
| Scott County | R | 679 | 2,775 | 3,502 | |
| Sequatchie County | R | 629 | 1,298 | 2,010 | |
| Sevier County | R | 1,128 | 8,273 | 9,578 | |
| Shelby County | R | 81,089 | 161,922 | 247,882 | |
| Smith County | R | 1,260 | 1,812 | 3,188 | |
| Stewart County | D | 1,098 | 790 | 1,935 | |
| Sullivan County | R | 10,007 | 27,593 | 38,517 | |
| Sumner County | R | 4,596 | 10,020 | 15,157 | |
| Tipton County | R | 1,853 | 5,542 | 7,749 | |
| Trousdale County | R | 539 | 663 | 1,230 | |
| Unicoi County | R | 822 | 3,877 | 4,766 | |
| Union County | R | 570 | 1,927 | 2,527 | |
| Van Buren County | R | 364 | 629 | 1,021 | |
| Warren County | R | 2,118 | 3,565 | 5,894 | |
| Washington County | R | 5,284 | 17,343 | 23,188 | |
| Wayne County | R | 673 | 2,898 | 3,632 | |
| Weakley County | R | 2,027 | 5,836 | 8,165 | |
| White County | R | 1,392 | 2,252 | 3,727 | |
| Williamson County | R | 2,616 | 7,556 | 10,564 | |
| Wilson County | R | 3,096 | 6,486 | 9,861 |
Source. Compiled historical county records — 1972 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.