Wisconsin — 1972 presidential election
Recent presidential results
Akashicstate1972 presidential electionWisconsin · PresidentNixonR+9.7
How it voted
Share of the 1972 vote
| Richard Nixon ✓Republican | 53.4% | 989,430 |
|---|---|---|
| George McGovernDemocratic | 43.7% | 810,174 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 2.8% | 52,393 |
1972presidential margin
D+60R+60
72 counties, each filled by 1972 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
Wisconsin cast 11 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (72 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Adams County, WI | Republican | R+8.9 |
| Ashland County, WI | Democratic | D+4.0 |
| Barron County, WI | Republican | R+21.7 |
| Bayfield County, WI | Republican | R+5.3 |
| Brown County, WI | Republican | R+16.1 |
| Buffalo County, WI | Republican | R+10.9 |
| Burnett County, WI | Republican | R+10.7 |
| Calumet County, WI | Republican | R+14.2 |
| Chippewa County, WI | Republican | R+1.4 |
| Clark County, WI | Republican | R+19.9 |
| Columbia County, WI | Republican | R+17.4 |
| Crawford County, WI | Republican | R+19.3 |
| Dane County, WI | Democratic | D+17.2 |
| Dodge County, WI | Republican | R+25.8 |
| Door County, WI | Republican | R+30.4 |
| Douglas County, WI | Democratic | D+13.3 |
| Dunn County, WI | Republican | R+7.8 |
| Eau Claire County, WI | Republican | R+5.1 |
| Florence County, WI | Republican | R+11.9 |
| Fond du Lac County, WI | Republican | R+26.0 |
| Forest County, WI | Republican | R+4.8 |
| Grant County, WI | Republican | R+26.0 |
| Green County, WI | Republican | R+33.8 |
| Green Lake County, WI | Republican | R+38.5 |
| Iowa County, WI | Republican | R+16.5 |
| Iron County, WI | Republican | R+2.2 |
| Jackson County, WI | Republican | R+23.0 |
| Jefferson County, WI | Republican | R+21.6 |
| Juneau County, WI | Republican | R+23.5 |
| Kenosha County, WI | Republican | R+10.3 |
| Kewaunee County, WI | Republican | R+17.2 |
| La Crosse County, WI | Republican | R+28.3 |
| Lafayette County, WI | Republican | R+26.9 |
| Langlade County, WI | Republican | R+17.8 |
| Lincoln County, WI | Republican | R+18.7 |
| Manitowoc County, WI | Republican | R+0.3 |
| Marathon County, WI | Republican | R+7.1 |
| Marinette County, WI | Republican | R+18.6 |
| Marquette County, WI | Republican | R+26.7 |
| Menominee County, WI | Democratic | D+25.9 |
| Milwaukee County, WI | Democratic | D+4.5 |
| Monroe County, WI | Republican | R+34.8 |
| Oconto County, WI | Republican | R+22.5 |
| Oneida County, WI | Republican | R+22.0 |
| Outagamie County, WI | Republican | R+21.9 |
| Ozaukee County, WI | Republican | R+28.5 |
| Pepin County, WI | Republican | R+1.7 |
| Pierce County, WI | Republican | R+2.5 |
| Polk County, WI | Republican | R+6.6 |
| Portage County, WI | Democratic | D+18.1 |
| Price County, WI | Republican | R+12.7 |
| Racine County, WI | Republican | R+15.7 |
| Richland County, WI | Republican | R+33.6 |
| Rock County, WI | Republican | R+17.8 |
| Rusk County, WI | Democratic | D+1.1 |
| Sauk County, WI | Republican | R+18.9 |
| Sawyer County, WI | Republican | R+26.7 |
| Shawano County, WI | Republican | R+37.0 |
| Sheboygan County, WI | Republican | R+0.9 |
| St. Croix County, WI | Republican | R+6.5 |
| Taylor County, WI | Republican | R+16.1 |
| Trempealeau County, WI | Republican | R+14.8 |
| Vernon County, WI | Republican | R+33.0 |
| Vilas County, WI | Republican | R+37.5 |
| Walworth County, WI | Republican | R+34.2 |
| Washburn County, WI | Republican | R+15.6 |
| Washington County, WI | Republican | R+18.2 |
| Waukesha County, WI | Republican | R+25.4 |
| Waupaca County, WI | Republican | R+42.1 |
| Waushara County, WI | Republican | R+35.2 |
| Winnebago County, WI | Republican | R+17.6 |
| Wood County, WI | Republican | R+16.3 |
Wisconsin results by county
72 counties. Third-party and independent votes are reported by the county source as one combined figure; every named candidate is listed in the complete result below.
| Led by | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County | Richard Nixon+367 | 2,20053.2% | 1,83344.3% | 1042.5% | 4,137 |
| Ashland County | George McGovern+293 | 3,47846.9% | 3,77150.9% | 1622.2% | 7,411 |
| Barron County | Richard Nixon+3,042 | 8,41859.9% | 5,37638.3% | 2511.8% | 14,045 |
| Bayfield County | Richard Nixon+309 | 3,04551.9% | 2,73646.6% | 841.4% | 5,865 |
| Brown County | Richard Nixon+10,590 | 37,10156.5% | 26,51140.4% | 2,0633.1% | 65,675 |
| Buffalo County | Richard Nixon+618 | 3,07954.4% | 2,46143.5% | 1202.1% | 5,660 |
| Burnett County | Richard Nixon+583 | 2,97254.4% | 2,38943.7% | 1051.9% | 5,466 |
| Calumet County | Richard Nixon+1,642 | 6,44655.8% | 4,80441.6% | 2922.5% | 11,542 |
| Chippewa County | Richard Nixon+241 | 8,45149.4% | 8,21047.9% | 4622.7% | 17,123 |
| Clark County | Richard Nixon+2,521 | 7,13856.5% | 4,61736.5% | 8867.0% | 12,641 |
| Columbia County | Richard Nixon+3,039 | 10,12258.0% | 7,08340.6% | 2421.4% | 17,447 |
| Crawford County | Richard Nixon+1,218 | 3,70558.7% | 2,48739.4% | 1231.9% | 6,315 |
| Dane County | George McGovern+23,547 | 56,02040.9% | 79,56758.1% | 1,4391.1% | 137,026 |
| Dodge County | Richard Nixon+7,170 | 17,06861.5% | 9,89835.7% | 7712.8% | 27,737 |
| Door County | Richard Nixon+3,073 | 6,50364.3% | 3,43033.9% | 1881.9% | 10,121 |
| Douglas County | George McGovern+2,635 | 8,41942.6% | 11,05455.9% | 2981.5% | 19,771 |
| Dunn County | Richard Nixon+979 | 6,66053.0% | 5,68145.2% | 2151.7% | 12,556 |
| Eau Claire County | Richard Nixon+1,583 | 15,88351.3% | 14,30046.2% | 7602.5% | 30,943 |
| Florence County | Richard Nixon+214 | 97154.1% | 75742.1% | 683.8% | 1,796 |
| Fond du Lac County | Richard Nixon+8,957 | 21,00761.0% | 12,05035.0% | 1,3864.0% | 34,443 |
| Forest County | Richard Nixon+178 | 1,85649.8% | 1,67845.0% | 1955.2% | 3,729 |
| Grant County | Richard Nixon+4,958 | 11,87362.3% | 6,91536.3% | 2731.4% | 19,061 |
| Green County | Richard Nixon+3,788 | 7,42266.1% | 3,63432.4% | 1661.5% | 11,222 |
| Green Lake County | Richard Nixon+2,872 | 5,04667.7% | 2,17429.2% | 2373.2% | 7,457 |
| Iowa County | Richard Nixon+1,256 | 4,38757.5% | 3,13141.1% | 1081.4% | 7,626 |
| Iron County | Richard Nixon+75 | 1,72349.9% | 1,64847.8% | 802.3% | 3,451 |
| Jackson County | Richard Nixon+1,492 | 3,93760.8% | 2,44537.8% | 941.5% | 6,476 |
| Jefferson County | Richard Nixon+5,318 | 14,62159.5% | 9,30337.8% | 6632.7% | 24,587 |
| Juneau County | Richard Nixon+1,890 | 4,83360.2% | 2,94336.7% | 2543.2% | 8,030 |
| Kenosha County | Richard Nixon+4,600 | 24,04153.9% | 19,44143.6% | 1,0942.5% | 44,576 |
| Kewaunee County | Richard Nixon+1,442 | 4,80257.1% | 3,36040.0% | 2412.9% | 8,403 |
| La Crosse County | Richard Nixon+9,840 | 21,99263.3% | 12,15235.0% | 6021.7% | 34,746 |
| Lafayette County | Richard Nixon+2,094 | 4,89862.9% | 2,80436.0% | 841.1% | 7,786 |
| Langlade County | Richard Nixon+1,357 | 4,36857.3% | 3,01139.5% | 2503.3% | 7,629 |
| Lincoln County | Richard Nixon+2,031 | 6,20657.3% | 4,17538.5% | 4594.2% | 10,840 |
| Manitowoc County | Richard Nixon+110 | 16,59948.5% | 16,48948.2% | 1,1323.3% | 34,220 |
| Marathon County | Richard Nixon+2,954 | 21,45451.3% | 18,50044.2% | 1,8854.5% | 41,839 |
| Marinette County | Richard Nixon+2,840 | 8,74057.4% | 5,90038.7% | 5983.9% | 15,238 |
| Marquette County | Richard Nixon+1,145 | 2,68262.6% | 1,53735.9% | 651.5% | 4,284 |
| Menominee County | George McGovern+253 | 35536.4% | 60862.3% | 131.3% | 976 |
| Milwaukee County | George McGovern+18,928 | 191,87446.0% | 210,80250.6% | 14,0013.4% | 416,677 |
| Monroe County | Richard Nixon+3,985 | 7,62566.7% | 3,64031.8% | 1711.5% | 11,436 |
| Oconto County | Richard Nixon+2,470 | 6,51159.4% | 4,04136.9% | 4133.8% | 10,965 |
| Oneida County | Richard Nixon+2,549 | 6,81158.8% | 4,26236.8% | 5044.4% | 11,577 |
| Outagamie County | Richard Nixon+10,086 | 27,53359.8% | 17,44737.9% | 1,0282.2% | 46,008 |
| Ozaukee County | Richard Nixon+7,256 | 15,75961.9% | 8,50333.4% | 1,2044.7% | 25,466 |
| Pepin County | Richard Nixon+49 | 1,45849.3% | 1,40947.6% | 933.1% | 2,960 |
| Pierce County | Richard Nixon+288 | 5,89950.3% | 5,61147.9% | 2061.8% | 11,716 |
| Polk County | Richard Nixon+829 | 6,56752.4% | 5,73845.8% | 2281.8% | 12,533 |
| Portage County | George McGovern+4,218 | 9,34640.0% | 13,56458.1% | 4311.8% | 23,341 |
| Price County | Richard Nixon+863 | 3,69454.4% | 2,83141.7% | 2673.9% | 6,792 |
| Racine County | Richard Nixon+10,712 | 38,49056.4% | 27,77840.7% | 1,9682.9% | 68,236 |
| Richland County | Richard Nixon+2,570 | 5,06266.1% | 2,49232.6% | 1001.3% | 7,654 |
| Rock County | Richard Nixon+9,328 | 30,36158.0% | 21,03340.2% | 9251.8% | 52,319 |
| Rusk County | George McGovern+68 | 3,00747.9% | 3,07549.0% | 1973.1% | 6,279 |
| Sauk County | Richard Nixon+3,305 | 10,28558.8% | 6,98039.9% | 2281.3% | 17,493 |
| Sawyer County | Richard Nixon+1,316 | 3,08162.5% | 1,76535.8% | 821.7% | 4,928 |
| Shawano County | Richard Nixon+4,867 | 8,80767.0% | 3,94030.0% | 3953.0% | 13,142 |
| Sheboygan County | Richard Nixon+386 | 21,50049.4% | 21,11448.5% | 9052.1% | 43,519 |
| St. Croix County | Richard Nixon+1,065 | 8,55352.5% | 7,48846.0% | 2501.5% | 16,291 |
| Taylor County | Richard Nixon+1,191 | 4,12555.9% | 2,93439.7% | 3244.4% | 7,383 |
| Trempealeau County | Richard Nixon+1,491 | 5,72356.7% | 4,23241.9% | 1401.4% | 10,095 |
| Vernon County | Richard Nixon+3,429 | 6,83665.8% | 3,40732.8% | 1421.4% | 10,385 |
| Vilas County | Richard Nixon+2,515 | 4,42265.9% | 1,90728.4% | 3795.6% | 6,708 |
| Walworth County | Richard Nixon+9,225 | 17,82366.1% | 8,59831.9% | 5462.0% | 26,967 |
| Washburn County | Richard Nixon+884 | 3,22056.8% | 2,33641.2% | 1091.9% | 5,665 |
| Washington County | Richard Nixon+4,904 | 15,33856.8% | 10,43438.6% | 1,2294.6% | 27,001 |
| Waukesha County | Richard Nixon+24,826 | 59,39960.8% | 34,57335.4% | 3,6503.7% | 97,622 |
| Waupaca County | Richard Nixon+6,622 | 11,04070.1% | 4,41828.1% | 2841.8% | 15,742 |
| Waushara County | Richard Nixon+2,372 | 4,46666.3% | 2,09431.1% | 1792.7% | 6,739 |
| Winnebago County | Richard Nixon+9,038 | 29,48857.3% | 20,45039.7% | 1,5443.0% | 51,482 |
| Wood County | Richard Nixon+4,391 | 14,80654.9% | 10,41538.6% | 1,7596.5% | 26,980 |
Nominees: George McGovern (D) · Richard Nixon (R)
Wisconsin's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 1972 contest in context
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | +1.7% |
| 1896 | −22.9% |
| 1900 | −24.1% |
| 1904 | −35.2% |
| 1908 | −17.8% |
| 1912 | +8.4% |
| 1916 | −6.6% |
| 1920 | −54.9% |
| 1924 | −29.0% |
| 1928 | −9.2% |
| 1932 | +32.3% |
| 1936 | +33.5% |
| 1940 | +1.8% |
| 1944 | −1.8% |
| 1948 | +4.4% |
| 1952 | −22.2% |
| 1956 | −23.7% |
| 1960 | −3.7% |
| 1964 | +24.3% |
| 1968 | −3.6% |
| 1972 | −9.7% |
| 1976 | +1.7% |
| 1980 | −4.7% |
| 1984 | −9.2% |
| 1988 | +3.6% |
| 1992 | +4.4% |
| 1996 | +10.3% |
| 2000 | +0.2% |
| 2004 | +0.4% |
| 2008 | +13.9% |
| 2012 | +6.9% |
| 2016 | −0.8% |
| 2020 | +0.6% |
| 2024 | −0.9% |
Source. Compiled historical county records — 1972 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.