1972 United States presidential election in Alabama
← 1968 November 7, 1972 1976 →
All 9 Alabama electoral votes to the Electoral College
 
Nominee Richard Nixon George McGovern[a]
Party Republican Democratic
Alliance National Democratic (Alabama)
Home state California South Dakota
Running mate Spiro Agnew Sargent Shriver
Electoral vote 9 0
Popular vote 728,701 256,923
Percentage 72.4% 25.5%
County Results
President before election

Richard Nixon
Republican

Elected President

Richard Nixon
Republican

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The 1972 United States presidential election in Alabama was held on November 7, 1972. Incumbent President Richard Nixon won Alabama, winning 72.43% of the vote to George McGovern's 25.54%. As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last election in which Dallas County, Hale County, Russell County, and Perry County in the Black Belt voted for the Republican candidate,[2] and stands as the strongest ever performance by a Republican presidential candidate in the state.

83% of white voters supported Nixon while 14% supported McGovern.[3][4] Nixon would also be the first presidential candidate since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944 to win Alabama and go on to win the general election[5]

Results

1972 United States presidential election in Alabama[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Richard Nixon (inc.) 728,701 72.43% +58.44%
Democratic George McGovern 219,108 21.73% +21.73%
National Democratic (Ala.) George McGovern 36,560 3.62% -15.10%
American Independent John G. Schmitz 11,355 1.13% -65.87%
Prohibition E. Harold Munn 7,872 0.79% +0.43%
Total votes 1,006,093 100%

Results by presidential elector

General election results[7][8]
Party Pledged to Elector Votes
Republican Party Richard Nixon Bentley Owens 728,701
Republican Party Richard Nixon Jerry Crabtree 728,209
Republican Party Richard Nixon Owen Leach 727,271
Republican Party Richard Nixon B. Ray Holland 727,098
Republican Party Richard Nixon Bert Nettles 727,034
Republican Party Richard Nixon Jeff Sessions, Jr. 726,434
Republican Party Richard Nixon Ann Smith Bedsole 726,374
Republican Party Richard Nixon Ruth S. Sullivan 723,075
Republican Party Richard Nixon Doug Hale 723,043
Democratic Party George McGovern Albert Raines 219,108
Democratic Party George McGovern Carl Elliott 217,576
Democratic Party George McGovern Ryan deGraffenried 216,410
Democratic Party George McGovern Lucius Amerson 212,078
Democratic Party George McGovern Barret Sheldon, Sr. 212,023
Democratic Party George McGovern J. E. Brantley 211,562
Democratic Party George McGovern Leola Williams 211,220
Democratic Party George McGovern Barney Weeks 211,158
Democratic Party George McGovern Ray Hartwell 210,895
National Democratic Party of Alabama George McGovern J. H. Davis 38,324
National Democratic Party of Alabama George McGovern J. W. Flowers 37,815
National Democratic Party of Alabama George McGovern Wadine V. Williams 36,560
National Democratic Party of Alabama George McGovern Freddie C. Rogers 36,230
National Democratic Party of Alabama George McGovern Jo Crawford 36,210
National Democratic Party of Alabama George McGovern Charlie Burgess 36,061
National Democratic Party of Alabama George McGovern John Hulett 35,941
National Democratic Party of Alabama George McGovern Alex Hurder 35,498
National Democratic Party of Alabama George McGovern Yvonne Gannon 33,823
American Independent Party John G. Schmitz June Carter 11,918
American Independent Party John G. Schmitz Cloyd V. Smith 11,674
American Independent Party John G. Schmitz Margaret Tyson Badham 11,621
American Independent Party John G. Schmitz S. L. Ledbetter 11,510
American Independent Party John G. Schmitz William G. Mori 11,355
American Independent Party John G. Schmitz T. F. Randolph 11,298
American Independent Party John G. Schmitz Ronnie Helms 11,183
American Independent Party John G. Schmitz Michaels S. "Mike" Vaugh 11,101
American Independent Party John G. Schmitz H. Radue 10,832
Prohibition Party E. Harold Munn W. C. Bentley 8,551
Prohibition Party E. Harold Munn Geraldine Hughes 8,524
Prohibition Party E. Harold Munn Pres Waldrop 8,451
Prohibition Party E. Harold Munn Thomas E. Lee 8,375
Prohibition Party E. Harold Munn Nannie Myrtle Pegues 8,322
Prohibition Party E. Harold Munn Clara Miller 8,315
Prohibition Party E. Harold Munn Lois Butterworth 8,060
Prohibition Party E. Harold Munn Robert Argo 7,946
Prohibition Party E. Harold Munn Ira Pegues 7,872
Total votes 1,006,602

Result by county

1972 United States presidential election in Alabama by county
County Richard Milhous Nixon
Republican 		George Stanley McGovern[a]
Democratic/
National Democratic 		Various candidates
Other parties 		Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # %
Autauga 5,367 75.17% 1,593 22.31% 180 2.52% 3,774 52.86% 7,140
Baldwin 15,104 82.20% 2,923 15.91% 348 1.89% 12,181 66.29% 18,375
Barbour 4,985 70.92% 1,846 26.26% 198 2.82% 3,139 44.66% 7,029
Bibb 3,332 78.44% 837 19.70% 79 1.86% 2,495 58.73% 4,248
Blount 6,486 79.36% 1,582 19.36% 105 1.28% 4,904 60.00% 8,173
Bullock 2,178 47.44% 2,321 50.56% 92 2.00% -143 -3.11% 4,591
Butler 4,685 76.45% 1,401 22.86% 42 0.69% 3,284 53.59% 6,128
Calhoun 20,364 76.93% 5,832 22.03% 275 1.04% 14,532 54.90% 26,471
Chambers 8,716 79.21% 2,076 18.87% 211 1.92% 6,640 60.35% 11,003
Cherokee 3,179 71.89% 1,182 26.73% 61 1.38% 1,997 45.16% 4,422
Chilton 7,349 82.88% 1,356 15.29% 162 1.83% 5,993 67.59% 8,867
Choctaw 3,055 60.74% 1,934 38.45% 41 0.82% 1,121 22.29% 5,030
Clarke 5,256 70.89% 2,031 27.39% 127 1.71% 3,225 43.50% 7,414
Clay 3,948 88.24% 507 11.33% 19 0.42% 3,441 76.91% 4,474
Cleburne 3,420 85.20% 581 14.47% 13 0.32% 2,839 70.73% 4,014
Coffee 9,076 80.06% 2,160 19.05% 100 0.88% 6,916 61.01% 11,336
Colbert 11,215 67.71% 4,811 29.04% 538 3.25% 6,404 38.66% 16,564
Conecuh 3,214 74.81% 1,042 24.26% 40 0.93% 2,172 50.56% 4,296
Coosa 2,672 77.20% 773 22.33% 16 0.46% 1,899 54.87% 3,461
Covington 9,278 85.27% 1,547 14.22% 56 0.51% 7,731 71.05% 10,881
Crenshaw 3,129 72.87% 1,085 25.27% 80 1.86% 2,044 47.60% 4,294
Cullman 14,390 79.54% 3,571 19.74% 130 0.72% 10,819 59.80% 18,091
Dale 8,346 83.14% 1,594 15.88% 98 0.98% 6,752 67.26% 10,038
Dallas 8,644 60.53% 5,427 38.00% 209 1.46% 3,217 22.53% 14,280
DeKalb 9,434 71.27% 3,759 28.40% 44 0.33% 5,675 42.87% 13,237
Elmore 8,461 79.90% 1,891 17.86% 238 2.25% 6,570 62.04% 10,590
Escambia 7,883 82.19% 1,598 16.66% 110 1.15% 6,285 65.53% 9,591
Etowah 20,851 72.95% 7,372 25.79% 358 1.25% 13,479 47.16% 28,581
Fayette 4,240 83.53% 836 16.47% 0 0.00% 3,404 67.06% 5,076
Franklin 5,877 75.23% 1,840 23.55% 95 1.22% 4,037 51.68% 7,812
Geneva 5,851 84.33% 1,049 15.12% 38 0.55% 4,802 69.21% 6,938
Greene 1,404 29.65% 3,235 68.32% 96 2.03% -1,831 -38.67% 4,735
Hale 2,859 59.22% 1,779 36.85% 190 3.94% 1,080 22.37% 4,828
Henry 3,414 79.56% 853 19.88% 24 0.56% 2,561 59.68% 4,291
Houston 12,622 83.46% 2,358 15.59% 144 0.95% 10,264 67.87% 15,124
Jackson 6,202 65.91% 2,985 31.72% 223 2.37% 3,217 34.19% 9,410
Jefferson 135,095 68.05% 57,288 28.86% 6,145 3.10% 77,807 39.19% 198,528
Lamar 3,283 80.56% 766 18.80% 26 0.64% 2,517 61.77% 4,075
Lauderdale 14,410 71.66% 5,112 25.42% 586 2.91% 9,298 46.24% 20,108
Lawrence 4,433 75.61% 1,416 24.15% 14 0.24% 3,017 51.46% 5,863
Lee 11,571 74.94% 3,622 23.46% 248 1.61% 7,949 51.48% 15,441
Limestone 6,188 73.21% 2,079 24.60% 185 2.19% 4,109 48.62% 8,452
Lowndes 1,990 42.69% 2,559 54.90% 112 2.40% -569 -12.21% 4,661
Macon 1,931 33.04% 3,636 62.21% 278 4.76% -1,705 -29.17% 5,845
Madison 38,899 73.42% 13,108 24.74% 977 1.84% 25,791 48.68% 52,984
Marengo 5,156 65.05% 2,645 33.37% 125 1.58% 2,511 31.68% 7,926
Marion 5,927 85.38% 986 14.20% 29 0.42% 4,941 71.18% 6,942
Marshall 12,090 74.45% 3,894 23.98% 254 1.56% 8,196 50.47% 16,238
Mobile 62,639 73.15% 20,694 24.17% 2,301 2.69% 41,945 48.98% 85,634
Monroe 5,155 74.82% 1,636 23.74% 99 1.44% 3,519 51.07% 6,890
Montgomery 35,353 71.86% 12,723 25.86% 1,121 2.28% 22,630 46.00% 49,197
Morgan 18,100 76.85% 5,004 21.25% 449 1.91% 13,096 55.60% 23,553
Perry 2,800 49.13% 2,718 47.69% 181 3.18% 82 1.44% 5,699
Pickens 4,071 67.33% 1,933 31.97% 42 0.69% 2,138 35.36% 6,046
Pike 5,690 76.66% 1,624 21.88% 108 1.46% 4,066 54.78% 7,422
Randolph 4,427 75.14% 1,330 22.57% 135 2.29% 3,097 52.56% 5,892
Russell 6,034 66.73% 2,644 29.24% 365 4.04% 3,390 37.49% 9,043
St. Clair 6,952 79.82% 1,538 17.66% 220 2.53% 5,414 62.16% 8,710
Shelby 9,390 81.24% 1,859 16.08% 309 2.67% 7,531 65.16% 11,558
Sumter 2,686 49.19% 2,737 50.12% 38 0.70% -51 -0.93% 5,461
Talladega 12,763 73.12% 4,567 26.16% 125 0.72% 8,196 46.96% 17,455
Tallapoosa 8,535 78.71% 2,113 19.49% 195 1.80% 6,422 59.23% 10,843
Tuscaloosa 21,172 70.15% 8,272 27.41% 735 2.44% 12,900 42.74% 30,179
Walker 14,581 78.79% 3,724 20.12% 202 1.09% 10,857 58.66% 18,507
Washington 3,282 74.73% 1,096 24.95% 14 0.32% 2,186 49.77% 4,392
Wilcox 2,641 44.42% 3,254 54.74% 50 0.84% -613 -10.31% 5,945
Winston 4,971 86.14% 779 13.50% 21 0.36% 4,192 72.64% 5,771
Totals 728,701 72.43% 256,923 25.54% 20,469 2.03% 471,778 46.89% 1,006,093

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b The McGovern vote was actually a fusion of two distinct electoral tickets with different electors both pledged to vote for him. One was of the regular Democratic Party and the other of the National Democratic Party of Alabama. At least 219,108 votes were cast for the Democratic ticket and at least 37,815 for the National Democratic ticket,[1] though this sum differs from that in Dave Leip's Atlas.

References

  1. ^ Our Campaigns; AL US President 1972
  2. ^ Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century'; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016.
  3. ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 295.
  4. ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 335.
  5. ^ "Our Campaigns - AL US President Race - Nov 07, 1972". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
  6. ^ Dave Leip's U.S. Election Atlas; 1972 Presidential General Election Results – Alabama
  7. ^ Alabama Official and Statistical Register, 1975. Montgomery, Alabama: Skinner Printing Company. pp. 243–257.
  8. ^ Dave Leip's U.S. Election Atlas; 1972 Presidential General Election Results – Alabama

Works cited

Categories