1972 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania
← 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 27 0
Popular vote 2,714,521 1,796,951
Percentage 59.11% 39.13%
County Results
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Richard Nixon
Republican

Elected President

Richard Nixon
Republican

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The 1972 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania took place on November 7, 1972, and was part of the 1972 United States presidential election. Voters chose 27 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Pennsylvania strongly voted for the Republican nominee, President Richard Nixon, over the Democratic nominee, Senator George McGovern. Nixon won Pennsylvania by a large margin of 19.98%, winning every county except for Philadelphia. This result nonetheless was over 3% more Democratic than the nation at-large. As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last election in which Allegheny County voted Republican,[1] and the last time that county did not vote the same as Philadelphia.

As of 2020, this marked the last time when the Republican presidential nominee carried the state by double digits, as the only candidate to win the state by that margin was Democrat Barack Obama in 2008. This is the most recent election where Pennsylvania voted to the right of McGovern's home state of South Dakota. This was the only occasion between 1928 and 2008 that Fayette County and Washington County voted Republican. Westmoreland County voted Republican for the only time between 1928 and 2000. Meanwhile, Greene County cast only its second-ever Republican vote (after 1928), and its last until 2004.

Results

1972 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania[2]
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Republican Richard Nixon (incumbent) 2,714,521 59.11% 27
Democratic George McGovern 1,796,951 39.13% 0
Constitution John G. Schmitz 70,593 1.54% 0
Socialist Workers Linda Jenness 4,639[a] 0.10% 0
Write-ins Write-ins 2,715[a] 0.06% 0
Communist Gus Hall 2,686[a] 0.06% 0
Totals 4,592,106 100.0% 27
Voter Turnout (Voting age/Registered) 56%/78%

Results by county

County Richard Milhous Nixon
Republican 		George Stanley McGovern
Democratic 		John George Schmitz[3]
Constitutional 		Various candidates[3]
Other parties 		Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # % # %
Adams 13,593 70.19% 5,529 28.55% 227 1.17% 16 0.08% 8,064 41.64% 19,365
Allegheny 371,737 55.60% 282,496 42.26% 12,491 1.87% 1,811 0.27% 89,241 13.35% 668,535
Armstrong 17,557 61.61% 10,490 36.81% 412 1.45% 39 0.14% 7,067 24.80% 28,498
Beaver 43,637 56.42% 31,570 40.82% 1,718 2.22% 412 0.53% 12,067 15.60% 77,337
Bedford 11,243 73.30% 3,836 25.01% 227 1.48% 32 0.21% 7,407 48.29% 15,338
Berks 66,172 62.35% 36,563 34.45% 3,130 2.95% 262 0.25% 29,609 27.90% 106,127
Blair 33,126 75.10% 10,023 22.72% 913 2.07% 48 0.11% 23,103 52.38% 44,110
Bradford 15,050 73.57% 5,204 25.44% 179 0.87% 25 0.12% 9,846 48.13% 20,458
Bucks 99,684 62.28% 56,784 35.48% 3,245 2.03% 346 0.22% 42,900 26.80% 160,059
Butler 29,665 65.09% 14,695 32.24% 1,075 2.36% 139 0.30% 14,970 32.85% 45,574
Cambria 43,825 60.05% 27,950 38.30% 894 1.23% 306 0.42% 15,875 21.75% 72,975
Cameron 1,935 68.45% 828 29.29% 48 1.70% 16 0.57% 1,107 39.16% 2,827
Carbon 11,639 59.05% 7,774 39.44% 274 1.39% 25 0.13% 3,865 19.61% 19,712
Centre 20,683 60.48% 13,194 38.58% 273 0.80% 47 0.14% 7,489 21.90% 34,197
Chester 72,726 68.44% 31,118 29.29% 2,281 2.15% 134 0.13% 41,608 39.16% 106,259
Clarion 10,073 67.96% 4,509 30.42% 193 1.30% 46 0.31% 5,564 37.54% 14,821
Clearfield 16,780 63.54% 9,246 35.01% 299 1.13% 84 0.32% 7,534 28.53% 26,409
Clinton 8,205 62.54% 4,772 36.37% 107 0.82% 35 0.27% 3,433 26.17% 13,119
Columbia 14,187 63.59% 7,222 32.37% 857 3.84% 43 0.19% 6,965 31.22% 22,309
Crawford 18,393 64.38% 9,371 32.80% 760 2.66% 45 0.16% 9,022 31.58% 28,569
Cumberland 42,099 72.87% 14,562 25.20% 1,010 1.75% 104 0.18% 27,537 47.66% 57,775
Dauphin 54,307 69.38% 22,587 28.86% 1,270 1.62% 106 0.14% 31,720 40.53% 78,270
Delaware 175,414 63.91% 94,144 34.30% 4,502 1.64% 391 0.14% 81,270 29.61% 274,451
Elk 7,900 61.20% 4,710 36.49% 245 1.90% 53 0.41% 3,190 24.71% 12,908
Erie 61,542 58.22% 42,022 39.75% 1,986 1.88% 163 0.15% 19,520 18.47% 105,713
Fayette 27,288 54.06% 22,475 44.52% 649 1.29% 67 0.13% 4,813 9.53% 50,479
Forest 1,374 71.75% 509 26.58% 21 1.10% 11 0.57% 865 45.17% 1,915
Franklin 24,093 70.01% 9,456 27.48% 808 2.35% 58 0.17% 14,637 42.53% 34,415
Fulton 2,515 66.24% 1,192 31.39% 86 2.26% 4 0.11% 1,323 34.84% 3,797
Greene 7,790 57.52% 5,562 41.07% 151 1.11% 40 0.30% 2,228 16.45% 13,543
Huntingdon 9,606 72.68% 3,394 25.68% 203 1.54% 13 0.10% 6,212 47.00% 13,216
Indiana 18,122 61.90% 10,833 37.01% 290 0.99% 29 0.10% 7,289 24.90% 29,274
Jefferson 11,631 68.92% 5,024 29.77% 204 1.21% 17 0.10% 6,607 39.15% 16,876
Juniata 4,412 66.32% 2,156 32.41% 61 0.92% 24 0.36% 2,256 33.91% 6,653
Lackawanna 58,838 56.11% 45,465 43.35% 495 0.47% 71 0.07% 13,373 12.75% 104,869
Lancaster 81,036 75.64% 24,223 22.61% 1,760 1.64% 119 0.11% 56,813 53.03% 107,138
Lawrence 23,712 56.06% 17,595 41.60% 832 1.97% 158 0.37% 6,117 14.46% 42,297
Lebanon 25,008 77.38% 6,683 20.68% 573 1.77% 56 0.17% 18,325 56.70% 32,320
Lehigh 58,023 62.39% 33,325 35.83% 1,518 1.63% 136 0.15% 24,698 26.56% 93,002
Luzerne 81,358 60.89% 51,128 38.27% 973 0.73% 147 0.11% 30,230 22.63% 133,606
Lycoming 28,913 68.70% 11,999 28.51% 1,058 2.51% 117 0.28% 16,914 40.19% 42,087
McKean 11,958 71.72% 4,513 27.07% 176 1.06% 26 0.16% 7,445 44.65% 16,673
Mercer 27,961 59.37% 18,087 38.40% 985 2.09% 67 0.14% 9,874 20.96% 47,100
Mifflin 9,989 72.10% 3,667 26.47% 169 1.22% 30 0.22% 6,322 45.63% 13,855
Monroe 12,701 67.51% 5,619 29.87% 450 2.39% 44 0.23% 7,082 37.64% 18,814
Montgomery 173,662 64.31% 91,959 34.06% 3,960 1.47% 437 0.16% 81,703 30.26% 270,018
Montour 4,386 69.64% 1,755 27.87% 152 2.41% 5 0.08% 2,631 41.78% 6,298
Northampton 41,822 56.30% 32,335 43.53% 93 0.13% 31 0.04% 9,487 12.77% 74,281
Northumberland 25,912 64.16% 13,885 34.38% 541 1.34% 47 0.12% 12,027 29.78% 40,385
Perry 8,082 73.31% 2,731 24.77% 197 1.79% 15 0.14% 5,351 48.54% 11,025
Philadelphia 344,096 43.89% 431,736 55.07% 5,925 0.76% 2,213 0.28% -87,640 -11.18% 783,970
Pike 4,568 74.79% 1,385 22.68% 143 2.34% 12 0.20% 3,183 52.11% 6,108
Potter 4,422 70.91% 1,710 27.42% 81 1.30% 23 0.37% 2,712 43.49% 6,236
Schuylkill 44,071 61.56% 26,077 36.42% 1,261 1.76% 186 0.26% 17,994 25.13% 71,595
Snyder 7,308 78.20% 1,834 19.63% 190 2.03% 13 0.14% 5,474 58.58% 9,345
Somerset 19,739 68.44% 8,743 30.31% 303 1.05% 56 0.19% 10,996 38.13% 28,841
Sullivan 1,886 67.17% 885 31.52% 32 1.14% 5 0.18% 1,001 35.65% 2,808
Susquehanna 9,476 67.79% 4,154 29.72% 328 2.35% 21 0.15% 5,322 38.07% 13,979
Tioga 10,028 72.05% 3,733 26.82% 142 1.02% 15 0.11% 6,295 45.23% 13,918
Union 6,905 73.57% 2,278 24.27% 158 1.68% 44 0.47% 4,627 49.30% 9,385
Venango 13,991 67.28% 6,302 30.31% 474 2.28% 27 0.13% 7,689 36.98% 20,794
Warren 10,018 66.05% 4,877 32.16% 252 1.66% 20 0.13% 5,141 33.90% 15,167
Washington 42,587 54.00% 34,781 44.10% 1,119 1.42% 375 0.48% 7,806 9.90% 78,862
Wayne 8,948 74.51% 2,733 22.76% 311 2.59% 17 0.14% 6,215 51.75% 12,009
Westmoreland 75,085 54.60% 59,322 43.13% 2,814 2.05% 306 0.22% 15,763 11.46% 137,527
Wyoming 6,423 74.42% 2,112 24.47% 86 1.00% 10 0.12% 4,311 49.95% 8,631
York 63,606 68.19% 27,520 29.50% 1,953 2.09% 201 0.22% 36,086 38.69% 93,280
Totals 2,714,521 59.11% 1,796,951 39.13% 70,593 1.54% 10,041 0.22% 917,570 19.98% 4,592,106

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Although these candidates are included in the “other” total from Dave Leip’s Atlas, they are not separated by county in any available data set.[3]

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. "1972 Presidential General Election Results – Pennsylvania". Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c "PA US President Race, November 02, 1976". Our Campaigns.
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