1972 United States presidential election in Minnesota
November 7, 1972
Turnout70.31%[1] Decrease
 
Nominee Richard Nixon George McGovern
Party Republican Democratic (DFL)
Home state California South Dakota
Running mate Spiro Agnew Sargent Shriver
Electoral vote 10 0
Popular vote 898,269 802,346
Percentage 51.58% 46.07%
County Results
President before election

Richard Nixon
Republican

 Elected President

Richard Nixon
Republican

The 1972 United States presidential election in Minnesota took place on November 7, 1972, as part of the 1972 United States presidential election. Voters chose ten electors, or representatives to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Minnesota was won by the Republican Party candidate, incumbent President Richard Nixon, who won the state over U.S. Senator George McGovern of South Dakota by a margin of 95,923 votes, or 5.51%, the closest state in the election. This result made Minnesota around 18% more Democratic than the nation as a whole. Nixon went on to win the election nationally, by a landslide margin of 23.15% of the popular vote. McGovern carried only Massachusetts and the District of Columbia.

Anoka County and Koochiching County voted Republican for the only time between 1928 and 2000, and Clearwater County, Lake of the Woods County, Pennington County, Roseau County, and Kittson County voted Republican for the first time since 1928. Nixon also remains the last Republican to carry heavily populated Hennepin County, with 1972 also the last time that county did not vote the same as neighboring Ramsey County. Nixon further became the first-ever Republican to win the White House without carrying Stevens County, which was one of five counties outside of McGovern's home state of South Dakota that he flipped nationwide.

The 1972 election was the last time Minnesota—a state which has generally favored Democrats since the New Deal—was carried by a Republican. The North Star State would go on to have the longest streak voting for Democrats out of any state after this election, as every other state would be won by Ronald Reagan in the landslide year of 1984. During Nixon's second term as President, the Watergate scandal resulted in the loss of the Republican Party's credibility both nationally and in Minnesota. The damage caused by Watergate was so pronounced that the Republican Party of Minnesota was forced to rebrand itself as the "Independent-Republican Party" from 1975 to 1995 to distance itself from the national Republican Party.

Results

1972 United States presidential election in Minnesota[2]
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Republican Richard Nixon (incumbent) 898,269 51.58% 10
Democratic (DFL) George McGovern 802,346 46.07% 0
American John G. Schmitz 31,407 1.80% 0
Socialist Labor Louis Fisher 4,261 0.24% 0
People's Benjamin Spock 2,805 0.16% 0
Write-ins Write-ins 962 0.06% 0
Socialist Workers Linda Jenness 940 0.05% 0
Communist Gus Hall 662 0.04% 0
Invalid or blank votes —
Totals 1,978,590 100.00% 10
Voter turnout 77% —

Results by county

County Richard Milhous Nixon[3]
Republican		 George Stanley McGovern[3]
DFL		 John George Schmitz[3]
American		 Various candidates[3]
Other parties		 Margin Total votes cast
#  % #  % #  % #  % #  %
Aitkin 3,241 53.73% 2,687 44.55% 58 0.96% 46 0.76% 554 9.18% 6,032
Anoka 29,546 49.77% 28,031 47.22% 1,312 2.21% 471 0.79% 1,515 2.55% 59,360
Becker 6,033 55.43% 4,695 43.14% 123 1.13% 33 0.30% 1,338 12.29% 10,884
Beltrami 5,947 52.20% 5,194 45.59% 210 1.84% 42 0.37% 753 6.61% 11,393
Benton 4,652 49.35% 4,282 45.43% 438 4.65% 54 0.57% 370 3.93% 9,426
Big Stone 1,748 43.52% 2,185 54.39% 71 1.77% 13 0.32% -437 -10.88% 4,017
Blue Earth 12,702 53.68% 10,638 44.96% 216 0.91% 106 0.45% 2,064 8.72% 23,662
Brown 7,791 61.21% 4,347 34.15% 557 4.38% 34 0.27% 3,444 27.06% 12,729
Carlton 5,445 42.77% 7,116 55.90% 111 0.87% 58 0.46% -1,671 -13.13% 12,730
Carver 8,546 61.46% 4,852 34.89% 446 3.21% 61 0.44% 3,694 26.57% 13,905
Cass 4,906 57.70% 3,347 39.36% 219 2.58% 31 0.36% 1,559 18.33% 8,503
Chippewa 3,787 50.18% 3,630 48.10% 114 1.51% 16 0.21% 157 2.08% 7,547
Chisago 4,718 51.06% 4,174 45.17% 306 3.31% 43 0.47% 544 5.89% 9,241
Clay 11,089 54.36% 9,076 44.49% 169 0.83% 66 0.32% 2,013 9.87% 20,400
Clearwater 1,819 49.39% 1,751 47.54% 90 2.44% 23 0.62% 68 1.85% 3,683
Cook 1,047 57.62% 742 40.84% 21 1.16% 7 0.39% 305 16.79% 1,817
Cottonwood 4,396 60.19% 2,802 38.37% 94 1.29% 11 0.15% 1,594 21.83% 7,303
Crow Wing 8,774 53.01% 7,328 44.28% 329 1.99% 120 0.73% 1,446 8.74% 16,551
Dakota 34,967 53.96% 28,479 43.95% 951 1.47% 399 0.62% 6,488 10.01% 64,796
Dodge 3,863 65.08% 1,921 32.36% 139 2.34% 13 0.22% 1,942 32.72% 5,936
Douglas 6,678 52.97% 5,501 43.64% 389 3.09% 38 0.30% 1,177 9.34% 12,606
Faribault 6,503 64.05% 3,519 34.66% 105 1.03% 26 0.26% 2,984 29.39% 10,153
Fillmore 7,107 67.94% 3,155 30.16% 161 1.54% 37 0.35% 3,952 37.78% 10,460
Freeborn 9,747 56.90% 7,163 41.82% 162 0.95% 58 0.34% 2,584 15.08% 17,130
Goodhue 11,107 63.00% 6,147 34.86% 293 1.66% 84 0.48% 4,960 28.13% 17,631
Grant 1,899 46.84% 2,085 51.43% 55 1.36% 15 0.37% -186 -4.59% 4,054
Hennepin 228,951 51.64% 205,943 46.45% 6,386 1.44% 2,078 0.47% 23,008 5.19% 443,358
Houston 5,186 66.57% 2,467 31.67% 103 1.32% 34 0.44% 2,719 34.90% 7,790
Hubbard 3,294 59.31% 2,136 38.46% 105 1.89% 19 0.34% 1,158 20.85% 5,554
Isanti 3,715 48.66% 3,660 47.94% 223 2.92% 36 0.47% 55 0.72% 7,634
Itasca 7,558 45.58% 8,683 52.36% 238 1.44% 104 0.63% -1,125 -6.78% 16,583
Jackson 3,599 51.50% 3,304 47.27% 65 0.93% 21 0.30% 295 4.22% 6,989
Kanabec 2,395 51.71% 1,969 42.51% 243 5.25% 25 0.54% 426 9.20% 4,632
Kandiyohi 6,624 45.74% 7,241 50.00% 511 3.53% 105 0.73% -617 -4.26% 14,481
Kittson 1,832 52.66% 1,584 45.53% 50 1.44% 13 0.37% 248 7.13% 3,479
Koochiching 3,681 50.91% 3,396 46.97% 118 1.63% 35 0.48% 285 3.94% 7,230
Lac qui Parle 2,773 48.43% 2,845 49.69% 96 1.68% 12 0.21% -72 -1.26% 5,726
Lake 2,575 40.70% 3,640 57.53% 65 1.03% 47 0.74% -1,065 -16.83% 6,327
Lake of the Woods 877 55.44% 672 42.48% 29 1.83% 4 0.25% 205 12.96% 1,582
Le Sueur 5,388 52.50% 4,725 46.04% 107 1.04% 42 0.41% 663 6.46% 10,262
Lincoln 1,881 45.93% 2,148 52.45% 55 1.34% 11 0.27% -267 -6.52% 4,095
Lyon 5,820 50.04% 5,614 48.27% 141 1.21% 55 0.47% 206 1.77% 11,630
Mahnomen 1,246 46.30% 1,397 51.91% 37 1.37% 11 0.41% -151 -5.61% 2,691
Marshall 3,264 52.73% 2,790 45.07% 100 1.62% 36 0.58% 474 7.66% 6,190
Martin 7,569 64.59% 3,816 32.57% 311 2.65% 22 0.19% 3,753 32.03% 11,718
McLeod 7,820 61.42% 4,538 35.64% 321 2.52% 54 0.42% 3,282 25.78% 12,733
Meeker 5,097 57.06% 3,601 40.31% 196 2.19% 39 0.44% 1,496 16.75% 8,933
Mille Lacs 4,291 55.83% 3,221 41.91% 147 1.91% 27 0.35% 1,070 13.92% 7,686
Morrison 5,714 46.35% 5,993 48.61% 568 4.61% 54 0.44% -279 -2.26% 12,329
Mower 9,929 48.36% 10,286 50.10% 193 0.94% 122 0.59% -357 -1.74% 20,530
Murray 2,959 49.92% 2,893 48.81% 58 0.98% 17 0.29% 66 1.11% 5,927
Nicollet 6,230 56.28% 4,680 42.28% 110 0.99% 49 0.44% 1,550 14.00% 11,069
Nobles 4,951 47.04% 5,464 51.91% 72 0.68% 38 0.36% -513 -4.87% 10,525
Norman 2,536 50.76% 2,444 48.92% 2 0.04% 14 0.28% 92 1.84% 4,996
Olmsted 23,806 68.96% 9,817 28.44% 753 2.18% 145 0.42% 13,989 40.52% 34,521
Otter Tail 13,519 62.21% 7,881 36.27% 264 1.21% 67 0.31% 5,638 25.94% 21,731
Pennington 3,548 53.72% 2,892 43.79% 147 2.23% 18 0.27% 656 9.93% 6,605
Pine 3,881 48.41% 3,794 47.32% 306 3.82% 36 0.45% 87 1.09% 8,017
Pipestone 3,543 55.57% 2,758 43.26% 59 0.93% 16 0.25% 785 12.31% 6,376
Polk 8,139 51.24% 7,366 46.37% 337 2.12% 43 0.27% 773 4.87% 15,885
Pope 2,610 45.94% 2,910 51.22% 150 2.64% 11 0.19% -300 -5.28% 5,681
Ramsey 95,716 45.59% 108,392 51.63% 3,559 1.70% 2,284 1.09% -12,676 -6.04% 209,951
Red Lake 1,052 41.40% 1,409 55.45% 72 2.83% 8 0.31% -357 -14.05% 2,541
Redwood 5,776 62.43% 3,177 34.34% 275 2.97% 24 0.26% 2,599 28.09% 9,252
Renville 5,329 53.06% 4,499 44.79% 177 1.76% 39 0.39% 830 8.26% 10,044
Rice 9,195 52.62% 8,065 46.15% 156 0.89% 59 0.34% 1,130 6.47% 17,475
Rock 3,470 61.83% 2,089 37.22% 44 0.78% 9 0.16% 1,381 24.61% 5,612
Roseau 2,844 53.22% 2,396 44.84% 85 1.59% 19 0.36% 448 8.38% 5,344
Saint Louis 41,435 39.77% 61,103 58.65% 862 0.83% 780 0.75% -19,668 -18.88% 104,180
Scott 7,310 50.85% 6,745 46.92% 259 1.80% 62 0.43% 565 3.93% 14,376
Sherburne 4,332 50.03% 4,070 47.01% 209 2.41% 47 0.54% 262 3.03% 8,658
Sibley 4,543 64.17% 2,433 34.36% 77 1.09% 27 0.38% 2,110 29.80% 7,080
Stearns 18,951 45.78% 19,315 46.65% 2,873 6.94% 261 0.63% -364 -0.88% 41,400
Steele 7,678 64.69% 4,010 33.79% 146 1.23% 34 0.29% 3,668 30.91% 11,868
Stevens 2,830 48.70% 2,870 49.39% 92 1.58% 19 0.33% -40 -0.69% 5,811
Swift 2,673 40.40% 3,823 57.78% 116 1.75% 5 0.08% -1,150 -17.38% 6,617
Todd 5,387 53.14% 4,270 42.12% 447 4.41% 33 0.33% 1,117 11.02% 10,137
Traverse 1,276 41.77% 1,744 57.09% 30 0.98% 5 0.16% -468 -15.32% 3,055
Wabasha 5,158 61.31% 3,017 35.86% 214 2.54% 24 0.29% 2,141 25.45% 8,413
Wadena 3,408 57.05% 2,430 40.68% 124 2.08% 12 0.20% 978 16.37% 5,974
Waseca 5,064 63.89% 2,767 34.91% 69 0.87% 26 0.33% 2,297 28.98% 7,926
Washington 19,142 53.03% 16,102 44.61% 615 1.70% 239 0.66% 3,040 8.42% 36,098
Watonwan 3,960 63.35% 2,229 35.66% 49 0.78% 13 0.21% 1,731 27.69% 6,251
Wilkin 2,292 56.00% 1,739 42.49% 47 1.15% 15 0.37% 553 13.51% 4,093
Winona 10,910 56.45% 8,080 41.81% 237 1.23% 100 0.52% 2,830 14.64% 19,327
Wright 9,996 51.56% 8,695 44.85% 615 3.17% 80 0.41% 1,301 6.71% 19,386
Yellow Medicine 3,683 50.32% 3,462 47.30% 128 1.75% 46 0.63% 221 3.02% 7,319
Totals898,26951.58%802,34646.07%31,4071.80%9,6300.55%95,9235.51%1,741,652

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Office of the State Of Minnesota Secretary of State". sos.state.mn.us. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  2. ↑ "1972 Presidential Election Results, 1972". Dave Leip's U.S. Election Atlas. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Our Campaigns; MN US President Race, November 07, 1972
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