Richard Nixon carried Virginia R+37.7.

George McGovern (D) vs Richard Nixon (R) in Virginia, 1972. The state ran 14.6 points more Republican than the nation (R+23.2 nationally).

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

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Virginia result

1,467,583 votes counted

McGovern (D)

441,980

30.1%

Nixon (R)

995,827

67.9%

All others

29,776

2.0%

Margin

R+37.7

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1972 presidential election

Virginia, 1972

NixonR+37.7

How it voted

Share of the 1972 vote

Richard Nixon ✓Republican	67.9%	995,827
George McGovernDemocratic	30.1%	441,980
OtherAll other candidates	2.0%	29,776

D+60

R+60

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

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Virginia's presidential margins

1892–2024, the 1972 contest in context

Virginia's presidential margins

Year	Margin (D minus R)
1892	+17.5%
1896	+6.6%
1900	+11.5%
1904	+24.8%
1908	+22.2%
1912	+48.9%
1916	+34.7%
1920	+23.5%
1924	+29.7%
1928	−8.0%
1932	+38.4%
1936	+40.8%
1940	+36.5%
1944	+25.0%
1948	+6.8%
1952	−13.0%
1956	−17.0%
1960	−5.4%
1964	+7.1%
1968	−10.9%
1972	−37.7%
1976	−1.3%
1980	−12.7%
1984	−25.2%
1988	−20.5%
1992	−4.4%
1996	−2.0%
2000	−8.1%
2004	−8.2%
2008	+6.3%
2012	+3.9%
2016	+5.3%
2020	+10.1%
2024	+5.8%

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County results — 1972

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

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County	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
Accomack County	R	−45.3%	2,406	6,496	9,026
Albemarle County	R	−32.0%	4,303	8,447	12,951
Alexandria city	R	−50.7%	1,431	4,553	6,156
Alleghany County	R	−36.8%	1,644	3,711	5,614
Amelia County	R	−33.5%	778	1,606	2,471
Amherst County	R	−51.2%	1,512	4,909	6,639
Appomattox County	R	−59.0%	684	2,788	3,565
Arlington County	R	−20.4%	25,877	39,406	66,383
Augusta County	R	−65.6%	1,766	9,106	11,181
Bath County	R	−40.6%	462	1,127	1,636
Bedford County	R	−50.3%	2,030	6,693	9,262
Bland County	R	−43.1%	527	1,352	1,914
Botetourt County	R	−41.7%	1,519	3,806	5,481
Bristol city	R	−52.6%	2,302	7,745	10,341
Brunswick County	R	−17.8%	2,130	3,072	5,281
Buchanan County	R	−14.4%	3,566	4,801	8,554
Buckingham County	R	−27.5%	1,186	2,107	3,352
Buena Vista city	R	−13.3%	15,409	20,235	36,169
Campbell County	R	−68.0%	2,055	11,676	14,157
Caroline County	R	−6.9%	1,814	2,086	3,951
Carroll County	R	−52.4%	1,583	5,247	6,989
Charles City County	D	+37.0%	1,177	535	1,735
Charlotte County	R	−34.9%	1,182	2,501	3,777
Charlottesville city	R	−38.7%	1,157	2,665	3,893
Chesapeake city	R	−43.8%	373	990	1,409
Chesterfield County	R	−72.2%	3,823	24,934	29,253
Clarke County	R	−41.9%	715	1,816	2,627
Colonial Heights city	R	−20.2%	5,240	7,935	13,353
Covington city	R	−40.0%	7,289	17,722	26,080
Craig County	R	−28.6%	425	774	1,220
Culpeper County	R	−47.0%	1,316	3,707	5,092
Cumberland County	R	−16.9%	969	1,371	2,374
Danville city	R	−79.0%	541	5,304	6,028
Dickenson County	R	−14.3%	2,711	3,633	6,462
Dinwiddie County	R	−26.6%	1,901	3,314	5,305
Emporia city	R	−32.1%	948	1,910	2,998
Essex County	R	−28.5%	808	1,482	2,368
Fairfax city	R	−49.2%	4,148	12,463	16,916
Fairfax County	R	−33.9%	54,844	112,135	169,246
Falls Church city	R	−39.8%	565	1,340	1,947
Fauquier County	R	−38.0%	2,039	4,654	6,873
Floyd County	R	−54.1%	708	2,444	3,211
Fluvanna County	R	−37.5%	637	1,438	2,137
Franklin city	R	−37.3%	2,274	5,063	7,475
Franklin County	R	−33.8%	2,273	4,674	7,110
Frederick County	R	−52.7%	1,604	5,367	7,139
Fredericksburg city	R	−21.7%	1,895	2,967	4,943
Galax city	R	−31.1%	738	1,416	2,179
Giles County	R	−31.6%	1,869	3,671	5,706
Gloucester County	R	−46.4%	1,292	3,642	5,064
Goochland County	R	−25.0%	1,254	2,127	3,488
Grayson County	R	−37.1%	1,603	3,565	5,283
Greene County	R	−57.6%	318	1,208	1,544
Greensville County	R	−14.3%	1,197	1,608	2,869
Halifax County	R	−38.8%	2,384	5,469	7,959
Hampton city	R	−30.3%	1,702	3,211	4,976
Hanover County	R	−44.4%	709	1,865	2,605
Harrisonburg city	R	−47.2%	524	1,497	2,061
Henrico County	R	−40.1%	3,093	7,334	10,564
Henry County	R	−65.1%	2,200	11,095	13,663
Highland County	R	−71.3%	8,420	52,536	61,904
Hopewell city	R	−33.6%	10,648	21,897	33,435
Isle of Wight County	R	−29.2%	4,042	7,556	12,024
James City County	R	−57.0%	206	774	997
King and Queen County	R	−20.8%	2,305	3,555	5,998
King George County	R	−25.4%	1,992	3,372	5,441
King William County	R	−18.3%	708	1,033	1,772
Lancaster County	R	−42.5%	658	1,675	2,391
Lee County	R	−39.2%	797	1,839	2,660
Lexington city	R	−56.1%	992	3,626	4,693
Loudoun County	R	−44.7%	1,009	2,683	3,745
Louisa County	R	−26.8%	2,825	4,957	7,945
Lunenburg County	R	−40.4%	3,941	9,417	13,557
Lynchburg city	R	−54.3%	1,485	5,229	6,891
Madison County	R	−30.1%	1,338	2,545	4,005
Manassas city	R	−31.4%	695	1,345	2,070
Manassas Park city	R	−50.6%	4,208	13,259	17,890
Martinsville city	R	−25.1%	2,292	3,879	6,326
Mathews County	R	−39.8%	1,044	2,464	3,564
Mecklenburg County	R	−48.2%	639	1,864	2,539
Middlesex County	R	−48.0%	730	2,164	2,987
Montgomery County	R	−38.4%	2,804	6,381	9,309
Nelson County	R	−39.7%	724	1,697	2,449
New Kent County	R	−42.7%	3,692	9,348	13,248
Newport News city	R	−37.1%	12,233	27,169	40,312
Norfolk city	R	−19.1%	25,737	38,385	66,217
Northampton County	R	−37.3%	954	2,145	3,191
Northumberland County	R	−36.3%	633	1,370	2,029
Norton city	R	−27.4%	463	823	1,313
Nottoway County	R	−34.4%	1,246	2,587	3,893
Orange County	R	−44.4%	884	2,332	3,258
Page County	R	−38.3%	1,308	2,979	4,367
Patrick County	R	−44.6%	1,032	2,758	3,869
Petersburg city	R	−12.9%	5,156	6,710	12,053
Pittsylvania County	R	−45.8%	1,585	4,326	5,980
Portsmouth city	R	−20.3%	13,124	20,090	34,350
Powhatan County	R	−49.9%	942	2,951	4,023
Prince Edward County	R	−45.9%	4,429	12,108	16,737
Prince George County	R	−35.7%	810	1,751	2,636
Prince William County	R	−33.3%	1,585	3,199	4,850
Pulaski County	R	−37.2%	1,084	2,405	3,552
Radford city	R	−38.8%	1,121	2,577	3,752
Rappahannock County	R	−46.2%	7,266	20,149	27,884
Richmond city	R	−16.4%	33,055	46,244	80,302
Richmond County	R	−45.5%	2,311	6,281	8,722
Roanoke city	R	−31.5%	9,498	18,541	28,671
Roanoke County	R	−37.8%	471	1,055	1,547
Rockbridge County	R	−56.0%	435	1,565	2,018
Rockingham County	R	−56.6%	5,318	19,920	25,778
Russell County	R	−50.7%	956	3,009	4,051
Salem city	R	−51.7%	1,744	5,649	7,553
Scott County	R	−65.2%	2,026	10,025	12,275
Shenandoah County	R	−19.3%	3,367	5,010	8,502
Smyth County	R	−34.2%	2,474	5,125	7,744
Southampton County	R	−66.0%	1,422	7,128	8,644
Spotsylvania County	R	−46.6%	2,280	6,409	8,868
Stafford County	R	−35.9%	1,498	3,225	4,807
Staunton city	R	−58.2%	1,416	5,531	7,068
Suffolk city	R	−23.6%	4,827	7,904	13,039
Surry County	R	−33.1%	1,775	3,577	5,442
Sussex County	R	−46.0%	1,901	5,222	7,214
Tazewell County	R	−3.7%	988	1,067	2,117
Virginia Beach city	R	−55.7%	10,373	38,074	49,733
Warren County	R	−12.3%	1,645	2,120	3,855
Washington County	R	−38.0%	3,181	7,233	10,667
Waynesboro city	R	−57.9%	1,061	4,163	5,354
Westmoreland County	R	−41.3%	1,508	3,718	5,357
Williamsburg city	R	−16.5%	1,274	1,786	3,108
Winchester city	R	−52.5%	1,418	4,647	6,151
Wise County	R	−47.7%	3,028	8,805	12,111
Wythe County	R	−34.5%	1,113	2,331	3,532
York County	R	−20.8%	4,402	6,739	11,242