1972 United States presidential election in North Carolina
← 1968 November 7, 1972 1976 →
 
Nominee Richard Nixon George McGovern
Party Republican Democratic
Home state California South Dakota
Running mate Spiro Agnew Sargent Shriver
Electoral vote 13 0
Popular vote 1,054,889 438,705
Percentage 69.46% 28.89%
President before election

Richard Nixon
Republican

Elected President

Richard Nixon
Republican

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The 1972 United States presidential election in North Carolina took place on November 7, 1972, as part of the 1972 United States presidential election. Voters chose 13 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Amidst a nationwide landslide defeat especially felt in the South, McGovern won only two counties in North Carolina, neither of which have voted for a Republican presidential candidate since the Fourth Party System era: Orange County in the Research Triangle region, home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and majority-Black Northampton County in the northeast of the state.[1] Even in these counties, where most Democratic candidates receive over sixty percent of the vote (and where Walter Mondale in 1984 would still win by double digits), McGovern won by less than five points.[2] 78% of white voters supported Nixon, while only 20% supported McGovern.[3][4]

1972 was the first election in which a presidential candidate received more than one million votes in North Carolina, and remains the best Republican presidential performance in its history. This is also the last election to date in which Bertie County, Durham County, Edgecombe County, Halifax County, Hertford County, Hoke County, Warren County, or Washington County voted for the Republican candidate.[5]

Campaign

Polls

Source Rating As of
Corvallis Gazette-Times[6] Safe R September 19, 1972
The Bradenton Herald[7] Certain R October 9, 1972
The Austin American[8] Certain R November 1, 1972
Sun Herald[9] Certain R November 5, 1972

Results

1972 United States presidential election in North Carolina[10]
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Republican Richard Nixon (incumbent) 1,054,889 69.46% 13
Democratic George McGovern 438,705 28.89% 0
American Independent John G. Schmitz 25,018 1.65% 0
Write-ins[a] Various candidates 162 0.01% 0
Totals 1,518,774 100.0% 13
Voter turnout 44.35% —

Results by county

1972 United States presidential election in North Carolina by county[11]
County Richard Milhous Nixon
Republican 		George Stanley McGovern
Democratic 		John George Schmitz
American 		Margin
% # % # % # % #
Avery 83.99% 3,510 15.00% 627 1.01% 42 68.99% 2,883
Mitchell 83.45% 4,240 15.74% 800 0.81% 41 67.70% 3,440
Henderson 80.17% 12,134 17.85% 2,701 1.98% 300 62.33% 9,433
Onslow 80.05% 10,343 18.76% 2,424 1.19% 154 61.29% 7,919
Yadkin 79.16% 6,824 18.47% 1,592 2.38% 205 60.69% 5,232
Johnston 79.24% 14,272 19.37% 3,488 1.39% 251 59.87% 10,784
Craven 78.74% 9,372 20.03% 2,384 1.23% 147 58.71% 6,988
Davie 75.69% 5,613 21.28% 1,578 3.03% 225 54.41% 4,035
Randolph 76.02% 18,724 21.71% 5,346 2.27% 559 54.32% 13,378
Cabarrus 76.45% 18,384 22.19% 5,336 1.36% 328 54.26% 13,048
Gaston 75.76% 27,956 22.93% 8,462 1.31% 483 52.83% 19,494
Greene 75.68% 2,788 22.99% 847 1.33% 49 52.69% 1,941
Davidson 74.79% 24,875 23.12% 7,691 2.09% 696 51.66% 17,184
Alamance 74.61% 22,046 23.12% 6,833 2.27% 670 51.48% 15,213
New Hanover 74.41% 19,060 23.01% 5,894 2.58% 661 51.40% 13,166
Iredell 73.79% 16,736 22.43% 5,088 3.78% 858 51.35% 11,648
Dare 75.20% 1,986 24.01% 634 0.80% 21 51.19% 1,352
Catawba 74.46% 24,106 23.92% 7,744 1.62% 525 50.54% 16,362
Harnett 74.64% 10,259 24.35% 3,347 1.00% 138 50.29% 6,912
Carteret 74.14% 8,463 24.57% 2,805 1.29% 147 49.57% 5,658
Lenoir 73.89% 11,065 24.52% 3,672 1.59% 238 49.37% 7,393
Rowan 73.34% 20,735 24.17% 6,834 2.49% 705 49.17% 13,901
Wilson 73.04% 12,060 25.23% 4,166 1.73% 286 47.81% 7,894
Lee 72.71% 5,836 25.22% 2,024 2.07% 166 47.50% 3,812
Wilkes 72.83% 13,105 25.75% 4,634 1.42% 255 47.08% 8,471
McDowell 72.09% 6,570 25.76% 2,348 2.15% 196 46.32% 4,222
Nash 71.39% 12,679 25.35% 4,503 3.26% 579 46.03% 8,176
Wayne 72.33% 14,352 26.38% 5,234 1.29% 256 45.95% 9,118
Cleveland 72.06% 13,726 26.22% 4,994 1.72% 328 45.84% 8,732
Person 71.89% 5,941 27.18% 2,246 0.93% 77 44.71% 3,695
Caldwell 71.41% 12,976 26.89% 4,886 1.70% 309 44.52% 8,090
Union 71.60% 10,264 27.11% 3,886 1.30% 186 44.49% 6,378
Hyde 69.28% 1,112 25.11% 403 5.61% 90 44.17% 709
Rockingham 71.15% 14,519 27.10% 5,530 1.75% 358 44.05% 8,989
Moore 70.68% 9,406 27.25% 3,627 2.07% 275 43.43% 5,779
Columbus 70.64% 8,468 27.57% 3,305 1.79% 214 43.07% 5,163
Buncombe 70.38% 32,091 27.69% 12,626 1.92% 877 42.69% 19,465
Duplin 70.61% 7,153 28.20% 2,857 1.18% 120 42.41% 4,296
Transylvania 69.73% 5,860 27.62% 2,321 2.65% 223 42.11% 3,539
Wake 70.32% 56,808 28.23% 22,807 1.45% 1,174 42.09% 34,001
Cumberland 70.46% 24,376 28.48% 9,853 1.06% 366 41.98% 14,523
Pitt 70.41% 14,406 28.63% 5,858 0.95% 195 41.78% 8,548
Brunswick 69.06% 6,153 28.06% 2,500 2.87% 256 41.00% 3,653
Beaufort 69.65% 6,915 29.22% 2,901 1.13% 112 40.43% 4,014
Stanly 69.32% 12,459 29.03% 5,218 1.64% 295 40.29% 7,241
Guilford 69.46% 61,381 29.20% 25,800 1.34% 1,185 40.27% 35,581
Alexander 68.95% 5,865 29.01% 2,468 2.03% 173 39.94% 3,397
Macon 69.20% 4,134 29.28% 1,749 1.52% 91 39.92% 2,385
Pender 68.90% 3,327 29.30% 1,415 1.80% 87 39.59% 1,912
Burke 68.96% 14,447 29.58% 6,197 1.46% 306 39.38% 8,250
Franklin 68.37% 5,431 29.47% 2,341 2.17% 172 38.90% 3,090
Rutherford 68.80% 9,506 29.97% 4,140 1.23% 170 38.84% 5,366
Mecklenburg 68.52% 77,546 29.80% 33,730 1.68% 1,900 38.71% 43,816
Martin 68.76% 4,188 30.21% 1,840 1.03% 63 38.55% 2,348
Surry 67.78% 10,497 30.39% 4,706 1.83% 284 37.39% 5,791
Forsyth 67.69% 46,415 30.52% 20,928 1.79% 1,226 37.17% 25,487
Polk 67.31% 3,121 30.54% 1,416 2.16% 100 36.77% 1,705
Currituck 66.67% 1,578 30.33% 718 3.00% 71 36.33% 860
Stokes 66.86% 7,118 30.57% 3,254 2.57% 274 36.30% 3,864
Halifax 66.60% 8,908 31.71% 4,241 1.69% 226 34.89% 4,667
Vance 66.85% 6,491 32.10% 3,117 1.05% 102 34.75% 3,374
Granville 66.82% 6,037 32.30% 2,918 0.89% 80 34.52% 3,119
Chowan 66.39% 1,906 32.60% 936 1.01% 29 33.79% 970
Montgomery 65.67% 4,417 32.34% 2,175 1.99% 134 33.33% 2,242
Pamlico 66.11% 1,847 32.89% 919 1.00% 28 33.21% 928
Sampson 65.76% 9,684 33.19% 4,888 1.05% 154 32.57% 4,796
Haywood 64.84% 8,903 32.88% 4,515 2.28% 313 31.96% 4,388
Clay 65.19% 1,545 33.63% 797 1.18% 28 31.56% 748
Bladen 64.72% 4,205 33.88% 2,201 1.40% 91 30.85% 2,004
Swain 64.45% 2,052 34.58% 1,101 0.97% 31 29.87% 951
Pasquotank 63.07% 3,906 34.15% 2,115 2.78% 172 28.92% 1,791
Scotland 63.69% 3,485 35.42% 1,938 0.90% 49 28.27% 1,547
Perquimans 62.57% 1,299 34.83% 723 2.60% 54 27.75% 576
Edgecombe 62.53% 8,244 35.16% 4,635 2.31% 305 27.37% 3,609
Ashe 62.95% 5,784 36.06% 3,313 0.99% 91 26.89% 2,471
Watauga 62.85% 6,017 36.05% 3,451 1.10% 105 26.80% 2,566
Cherokee 62.28% 4,113 36.51% 2,411 1.21% 80 25.77% 1,702
Chatham 62.12% 6,175 36.46% 3,624 1.43% 142 25.66% 2,551
Lincoln 61.88% 8,597 36.71% 5,100 1.40% 195 25.17% 3,497
Washington 61.65% 2,559 37.24% 1,546 1.11% 46 24.40% 1,013
Alleghany 61.29% 2,158 37.03% 1,304 1.68% 59 24.25% 854
Durham 61.38% 25,576 37.36% 15,566 1.26% 525 24.02% 10,010
Camden 60.20% 909 36.82% 556 2.98% 45 23.38% 353
Anson 60.88% 3,551 37.51% 2,188 1.61% 94 23.37% 1,363
Richmond 60.84% 5,692 37.49% 3,508 1.67% 156 23.34% 2,184
Graham 61.05% 1,699 37.98% 1,057 0.97% 27 23.07% 642
Madison 61.18% 3,273 38.11% 2,039 0.71% 38 23.07% 1,234
Bertie 60.54% 2,874 38.32% 1,819 1.14% 54 22.22% 1,055
Caswell 59.65% 2,983 38.43% 1,922 1.92% 96 21.22% 1,061
Robeson 59.99% 11,362 39.02% 7,391 0.99% 188 20.97% 3,971
Warren 59.62% 2,603 38.89% 1,698 1.49% 65 20.73% 905
Jones 58.93% 1,650 39.04% 1,093 2.04% 57 19.89% 557
Jackson 59.11% 4,709 39.78% 3,169 1.12% 89 19.33% 1,540
Tyrrell 59.30% 676 40.26% 459 0.44% 5 19.04% 217
Hertford 58.34% 2,794 40.26% 1,928 1.40% 67 18.08% 866
Yancey 57.10% 3,106 41.88% 2,278 1.03% 56 15.22% 828
Hoke 56.25% 1,927 42.79% 1,466 0.96% 33 13.46% 461
Gates 51.01% 1,264 47.50% 1,177 1.49% 37 3.51% 87
Northampton 47.71% 2,997 51.46% 3,233 0.83% 52 -3.76% -236
Orange 47.66% 11,632 51.76% 12,634 0.58% 142 -4.11% -1,002

Notes

  1. ^ These write-in votes were not separated by county but given only as a state-wide total.[11]

References

  1. ^ Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
  2. ^ David Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections; 1984 Presidential General Election Data Graphs – North Carolina
  3. ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 295.
  4. ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 335.
  5. ^ "Presidential General Election Results Comparison – North Carolina". David Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
  6. ^ "Nixon May Sweep Dixie States". Corvallis Gazette-Times. Corvallis, Oregon. September 19, 1972. p. 24.
  7. ^ Phillips, Kevin P. (October 9, 1972). "Dixie May Swing Political Future". The Bradenton Herald. Bradenton, Florida. p. 7-B.
  8. ^ Furgursson, Ernest B. (October 25, 1972). "By Democrats in South — National Issues Ignored". The Austin American. Austin, Texas. p. 4.
  9. ^ "Nixon Expected To Sweep South". Sun Herald. Biloxi, Mississippi. November 5, 1972. p. C-9.
  10. ^ "1972 Presidential General Election Data Graphs – North Carolina". David Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
  11. ^ a b Our Campaigns; NC US President Race, November 07, 1972

Works cited

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