1972 United States presidential election in Wisconsin
← 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 11 0
Popular vote 989,430 810,174
Percentage 53.40% 43.72%
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 Wisconsin was held on November 7, 1972 as part of the 1972 United States presidential election. Incumbent President Richard Nixon won the state of Wisconsin with 53.40 percent of the vote, carrying the state's 11 electoral votes,[1] although Wisconsin was the fifth most Democratic state during the election, voting 13.48 points more Democratic than the nation as a whole. In no other election since the emergence of the Republican Party has Wisconsin voted so much more Democratic than the country as a whole.[2]

McGovern won seven counties (out of 131 county-equivalents including three in Alaska that he won nationally)[3] receiving as usual his highest vote in almost wholly Native American Menominee County where he won 62.3 percent of the vote. McGovern and Shriver also achieved clear majorities in Milwaukee, Dane, Ashland, Douglas and Portage Counties, and Rusk County by 1.1 points. Nixon won Manitowoc County by one hundred and ten votes, achieved pluralities in Pepin, Chippewa and Forest Counties, and won majorities in the remaining seventy-eight – the largest being in Waupaca County where Nixon won by forty-two percentage points.

Nixon became the first Republican since Warren G. Harding in 1920 to win Iron County, and was the last Republican until Donald Trump in 2016 to win Pepin and Kenosha Counties, and remains the last Republican to claim Bayfield County.[4]

Results

1972 United States presidential election in Wisconsin[1]
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Republican Richard Nixon (incumbent) 989,430 53.40% 11
Democratic George McGovern 810,174 43.72% 0
American John G. Schmitz 47,525 2.56% 0
Independent Benjamin Spock 2,701 0.15% 0
Independent Louis Fisher 998 0.05% 0
Write-ins — 893 0.05% 0
Independent Gus Hall 663 0.04% 0
Independent Evelyn Reed 506[a] 0.03% 0
Totals 1,852,890 100.0% 11

Results by county

County Richard Milhous Nixon
Republican 		George Stanley McGovern
Democratic 		John George Schmitz
American 		Benjamin Spock
Independent 		Various candidates
Other parties 		Margin Total votes cast[5]
# % # % # % # % # % # %
Adams 2,200 53.18% 1,833 44.31% 96 2.32% 3 0.07% 5 0.12% 367 8.87% 4,137
Ashland 3,478 46.93% 3,771 50.88% 135 1.82% 5 0.07% 22 0.30% -293 -3.95% 7,411
Barron 8,418 59.94% 5,376 38.28% 211 1.50% 21 0.15% 19 0.14% 3,042 21.66% 14,045
Bayfield 3,045 51.92% 2,736 46.65% 74 1.26% 4 0.07% 6 0.10% 309 5.27% 5,865
Brown 37,101 56.49% 26,511 40.37% 1,907 2.90% 94 0.14% 62 0.09% 10,590 16.12% 65,675
Buffalo 3,079 54.40% 2,461 43.48% 110 1.94% 4 0.07% 6 0.11% 618 10.92% 5,660
Burnett 2,972 54.37% 2,389 43.71% 92 1.68% 8 0.15% 5 0.09% 583 10.67% 5,466
Calumet 6,446 55.85% 4,804 41.62% 243 2.11% 31 0.27% 18 0.16% 1,642 14.23% 11,542
Chippewa 8,451 49.35% 8,210 47.95% 416 2.43% 34 0.20% 12 0.07% 241 1.41% 17,123
Clark 7,138 56.47% 4,617 36.52% 859 6.80% 18 0.14% 9 0.07% 2,521 19.94% 12,641
Columbia 10,122 58.02% 7,083 40.60% 216 1.24% 11 0.06% 15 0.09% 3,039 17.42% 17,447
Crawford 3,705 58.67% 2,487 39.38% 115 1.82% 5 0.08% 3 0.05% 1,218 19.29% 6,315
Dane 56,020 40.88% 79,567 58.07% 1,040 0.76% 219 0.16% 180 0.13% -23,547 -17.18% 137,026
Dodge 17,068 61.54% 9,898 35.69% 715 2.58% 29 0.10% 27 0.10% 7,170 25.85% 27,737
Door 6,503 64.25% 3,430 33.89% 167 1.65% 18 0.18% 3 0.03% 3,073 30.36% 10,121
Douglas 8,419 42.58% 11,054 55.91% 202 1.02% 36 0.18% 60 0.30% -2,635 -13.33% 19,771
Dunn 6,660 53.04% 5,681 45.25% 185 1.47% 16 0.13% 14 0.11% 979 7.80% 12,556
Eau Claire 15,883 51.33% 14,300 46.21% 671 2.17% 57 0.18% 32 0.10% 1,583 5.12% 30,943
Florence 971 54.06% 757 42.15% 64 3.56% 1 0.06% 3 0.17% 214 11.92% 1,796
Fond du Lac 21,007 60.99% 12,050 34.99% 1,291 3.75% 55 0.16% 40 0.12% 8,957 26.01% 34,443
Forest 1,856 49.77% 1,678 45.00% 190 5.10% 4 0.11% 1 0.03% 178 4.77% 3,729
Grant 11,873 62.29% 6,915 36.28% 240 1.26% 15 0.08% 18 0.09% 4,958 26.01% 19,061
Green 7,422 66.14% 3,634 32.38% 145 1.29% 13 0.12% 8 0.07% 3,788 33.76% 11,222
Green Lake 5,046 67.67% 2,174 29.15% 227 3.04% 6 0.08% 4 0.05% 2,872 38.51% 7,457
Iowa 4,387 57.53% 3,131 41.06% 97 1.27% 7 0.09% 4 0.05% 1,256 16.47% 7,626
Iron 1,723 49.93% 1,648 47.75% 70 2.03% 5 0.14% 5 0.14% 75 2.17% 3,451
Jackson 3,937 60.79% 2,445 37.75% 84 1.30% 9 0.14% 1 0.02% 1,492 23.04% 6,476
Jefferson 14,621 59.47% 9,303 37.84% 611 2.49% 22 0.09% 30 0.12% 5,318 21.63% 24,587
Juneau 4,833 60.19% 2,943 36.65% 237 2.95% 7 0.09% 10 0.12% 1,890 23.54% 8,030
Kenosha 24,041 53.93% 19,441 43.61% 966 2.17% 66 0.15% 62 0.14% 4,600 10.32% 44,576
Kewaunee 4,802 57.15% 3,360 39.99% 229 2.73% 11 0.13% 1 0.01% 1,442 17.16% 8,403
La Crosse 21,992 63.29% 12,152 34.97% 541 1.56% 36 0.10% 25 0.07% 9,840 28.32% 34,746
Lafayette 4,898 62.91% 2,804 36.01% 73 0.94% 6 0.08% 5 0.06% 2,094 26.89% 7,786
Langlade 4,368 57.26% 3,011 39.47% 238 3.12% 6 0.08% 6 0.08% 1,357 17.79% 7,629
Lincoln 6,206 57.25% 4,175 38.51% 437 4.03% 11 0.10% 11 0.10% 2,031 18.74% 10,840
Manitowoc 16,599 48.51% 16,489 48.19% 1,070 3.13% 38 0.11% 24 0.07% 110 0.32% 34,220
Marathon 21,454 51.28% 18,500 44.22% 1,813 4.33% 42 0.10% 30 0.07% 2,954 7.06% 41,839
Marinette 8,740 57.36% 5,900 38.72% 537 3.52% 40 0.26% 21 0.14% 2,840 18.64% 15,238
Marquette 2,682 62.61% 1,537 35.88% 54 1.26% 6 0.14% 5 0.12% 1,145 26.73% 4,284
Menominee 355 36.37% 608 62.30% 11 1.13% 2 0.20% 0 0.00% -253 -25.92% 976
Milwaukee 191,874 46.05% 210,802 50.59% 12,567 3.02% 724 0.17% 710 0.17% -18,928 -4.54% 416,677
Monroe 7,625 66.68% 3,640 31.83% 149 1.30% 10 0.09% 12 0.10% 3,985 34.85% 11,436
Oconto 6,511 59.38% 4,041 36.85% 385 3.51% 13 0.12% 15 0.14% 2,470 22.53% 10,965
Oneida 6,811 58.83% 4,262 36.81% 471 4.07% 23 0.20% 10 0.09% 2,549 22.02% 11,577
Outagamie 27,533 59.84% 17,447 37.92% 896 1.95% 101 0.22% 31 0.07% 10,086 21.92% 46,008
Ozaukee 15,759 61.88% 8,503 33.39% 1,149 4.51% 20 0.08% 35 0.14% 7,256 28.49% 25,466
Pepin 1,458 49.26% 1,409 47.60% 86 2.91% 5 0.17% 2 0.07% 49 1.66% 2,960
Pierce 5,899 50.35% 5,611 47.89% 184 1.57% 10 0.09% 12 0.10% 288 2.46% 11,716
Polk 6,567 52.40% 5,738 45.78% 204 1.63% 11 0.09% 13 0.10% 829 6.61% 12,533
Portage 9,346 40.04% 13,564 58.11% 365 1.56% 46 0.20% 20 0.09% -4,218 -18.07% 23,341
Price 3,694 54.39% 2,831 41.68% 250 3.68% 2 0.03% 15 0.22% 863 12.71% 6,792
Racine 38,490 56.41% 27,778 40.71% 1,785 2.62% 101 0.15% 82 0.12% 10,712 15.70% 68,236
Richland 5,062 66.14% 2,492 32.56% 90 1.18% 3 0.04% 7 0.09% 2,570 33.58% 7,654
Rock 30,361 58.03% 21,033 40.20% 823 1.57% 65 0.12% 37 0.07% 9,328 17.83% 52,319
Rusk 3,007 47.89% 3,075 48.97% 176 2.80% 10 0.16% 11 0.18% -68 -1.08% 6,279
Sauk 10,285 58.79% 6,980 39.90% 204 1.17% 12 0.07% 12 0.07% 3,305 18.89% 17,493
Sawyer 3,081 62.52% 1,765 35.82% 72 1.46% 7 0.14% 3 0.06% 1,316 26.70% 4,928
Shawano 8,807 67.01% 3,940 29.98% 378 2.88% 7 0.05% 10 0.08% 4,867 37.03% 13,142
Sheboygan 21,500 49.40% 21,114 48.52% 779 1.79% 81 0.19% 45 0.10% 386 0.89% 43,519
St. Croix 8,553 52.50% 7,488 45.96% 213 1.31% 21 0.13% 16 0.10% 1,065 6.54% 16,291
Taylor 4,125 55.87% 2,934 39.74% 313 4.24% 4 0.05% 7 0.09% 1,191 16.13% 7,383
Trempealeau 5,723 56.69% 4,232 41.92% 126 1.25% 4 0.04% 10 0.10% 1,491 14.77% 10,095
Vernon 6,836 65.83% 3,407 32.81% 127 1.22% 10 0.10% 5 0.05% 3,429 33.02% 10,385
Vilas 4,422 65.92% 1,907 28.43% 366 5.46% 4 0.06% 9 0.13% 2,515 37.49% 6,708
Walworth 17,823 66.09% 8,598 31.88% 485 1.80% 38 0.14% 23 0.09% 9,225 34.21% 26,967
Washburn 3,220 56.84% 2,336 41.24% 96 1.69% 6 0.11% 7 0.12% 884 15.60% 5,665
Washington 15,338 56.81% 10,434 38.64% 1,161 4.30% 45 0.17% 23 0.09% 4,904 18.16% 27,001
Waukesha 59,399 60.85% 34,573 35.42% 3,404 3.49% 151 0.15% 95 0.10% 24,826 25.43% 97,622
Waupaca 11,040 70.13% 4,418 28.07% 257 1.63% 20 0.13% 7 0.04% 6,622 42.07% 15,742
Waushara 4,466 66.27% 2,094 31.07% 166 2.46% 8 0.12% 5 0.07% 2,372 35.20% 6,739
Winnebago 29,488 57.28% 20,450 39.72% 1,400 2.72% 93 0.18% 51 0.10% 9,038 17.56% 51,482
Wood 14,806 54.88% 10,415 38.60% 1,719 6.37% 25 0.09% 15 0.06% 4,391 16.28% 26,980
Totals 989,430 53.40% 810,174 43.72% 47,525 2.56% 2,701 0.15% 3,060 0.17% 179,256 9.67% 1,852,890

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The Reed vote was not listed by county but given only as a statewide total. It is included in the total at the bottom of the county table.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b "1972 Presidential General Election Results – Wisconsin". Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  2. ^ Counting the Votes; Wisconsin Archived 2017-01-01 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ ‘1972 Presidential Election Statistics’
  4. ^ Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
  5. ^ a b "WI US President Race, November 07, 1972". Our Campaigns.
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