1972 Electoral College Results
Richard Nixon (Republican) won the 1972 United States presidential election with 520 of 538 electoral votes, to George McGovern's 17. 270 electoral votes were needed to win. Richard Nixon also won the national popular vote with 61.8% (47,168,711 votes).
1972 results map
Richard Nixon
520
270 to win
17
George McGovern
Richard Nixon (Republican)520 EVGeorge McGovern (Democratic)17 EVJohn Hospers (Libertarian)1 EV
National result
| Candidate | Party | Electoral votes | Popular vote | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Nixon | Republican | 520 | 47,168,711 | 61.8% |
| George McGovern | Democratic | 17 | 29,173,222 | 38.2% |
| John Hospers | Libertarian | 1 | — | — |
Notes on this election
- Nixon carried 49 states; McGovern won only Massachusetts and the District of Columbia.
- A faithless elector in Virginia, Roger MacBride, cast his presidential vote for Libertarian John Hospers — the first electoral vote ever cast for a Libertarian.
- 1972 was the first presidential election in which Maine used the congressional district method; Nixon swept the state and both districts.
Results by state
| State or district | Electoral votes | Won by |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 3 | Richard Nixon |
| Alabama | 9 | Richard Nixon |
| Arkansas | 6 | Richard Nixon |
| Arizona | 6 | Richard Nixon |
| California | 45 | Richard Nixon |
| Colorado | 7 | Richard Nixon |
| Connecticut | 8 | Richard Nixon |
| District of Columbia | 3 | George McGovern |
| Delaware | 3 | Richard Nixon |
| Florida | 17 | Richard Nixon |
| Georgia | 12 | Richard Nixon |
| Hawaii | 4 | Richard Nixon |
| Iowa | 8 | Richard Nixon |
| Idaho | 4 | Richard Nixon |
| Illinois | 26 | Richard Nixon |
| Indiana | 13 | Richard Nixon |
| Kansas | 7 | Richard Nixon |
| Kentucky | 9 | Richard Nixon |
| Louisiana | 10 | Richard Nixon |
| Massachusetts | 14 | George McGovern |
| Maryland | 10 | Richard Nixon |
| Maine (statewide) | 2 | Richard Nixon |
| Maine 1st district | 1 | Richard Nixon |
| Maine 2nd district | 1 | Richard Nixon |
| Michigan | 21 | Richard Nixon |
| Minnesota | 10 | Richard Nixon |
| Missouri | 12 | Richard Nixon |
| Mississippi | 7 | Richard Nixon |
| Montana | 4 | Richard Nixon |
| North Carolina | 13 | Richard Nixon |
| North Dakota | 3 | Richard Nixon |
| Nebraska (statewide) | 5 | Richard Nixon |
| New Hampshire | 4 | Richard Nixon |
| New Jersey | 17 | Richard Nixon |
| New Mexico | 4 | Richard Nixon |
| Nevada | 3 | Richard Nixon |
| New York | 41 | Richard Nixon |
| Ohio | 25 | Richard Nixon |
| Oklahoma | 8 | Richard Nixon |
| Oregon | 6 | Richard Nixon |
| Pennsylvania | 27 | Richard Nixon |
| Rhode Island | 4 | Richard Nixon |
| South Carolina | 8 | Richard Nixon |
| South Dakota | 4 | Richard Nixon |
| Tennessee | 10 | Richard Nixon |
| Texas | 26 | Richard Nixon |
| Utah | 4 | Richard Nixon |
| Virginia | 12 | Richard Nixon 11 · John Hospers 1 |
| Vermont | 3 | Richard Nixon |
| Washington | 9 | Richard Nixon |
| Wisconsin | 11 | Richard Nixon |
| West Virginia | 6 | Richard Nixon |
| Wyoming | 3 | Richard Nixon |