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Main article: 1972 United States presidential election
1972 United States presidential election in West Virginia
← 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 6 0
Popular vote 484,964 277,435
Percentage 63.61% 36.39%
County Results
President before election

Richard Nixon
Republican

Elected President

Richard Nixon
Republican

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The 1972 United States presidential election in West Virginia took place on November 7, 1972, as part of the 1972 United States presidential election. West Virginia voters chose six[1] representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

West Virginia was won by incumbent President Richard Nixon (R–California), with 63.61 percent of the popular vote, against George McGovern (D–South Dakota), with 36.39 percent of the popular vote.[2][3] Nixon won every county in the state except for Logan County, which McGovern won by 2.62 percentage points.[4] Nixon was the first Republican to ever carry Webster County, the first to carry Gilmer County and Randolph County since Ulysses S. Grant in 1868, and the first to carry Boone County and Braxton County since Warren G. Harding in 1920.[5] It was the first time since 1932 that a Republican carried McDowell County.

In this socially conservative[6][7] state, McGovern was largely portrayed as a left-wing extremist due to his support for busing and civil rights, alongside fears that McGovern would legalize abortion and illicit drugs if elected[8] — despite the fact that his running mate (after Senator Thomas Eagleton was dropped from the ticket) Sargent Shriver was firmly opposed to abortion being legal.

Results[edit]

1972 United States presidential election in West Virginia
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Richard Nixon (inc.) 484,964 63.61%
Democratic George McGovern 277,435 36.39%
Total votes 762,399 100.00%

Results by county[edit]

1972 United States presidential election in West Virginia by county[9]
County Richard Milhous Nixon
Republican 		George Stanley McGovern
Democratic 		Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # %
Barbour 4,432 66.25% 2,258 33.75% 2,174 32.50% 6,690
Berkeley 10,954 70.78% 4,523 29.22% 6,431 41.55% 15,477
Boone 5,985 52.84% 5,342 47.16% 643 5.68% 11,327
Braxton 3,155 53.24% 2,771 46.76% 384 6.48% 5,926
Brooke 7,544 59.08% 5,226 40.92% 2,318 18.15% 12,770
Cabell 29,582 67.39% 14,312 32.61% 15,270 34.79% 43,894
Calhoun 1,992 56.59% 1,528 43.41% 464 13.18% 3,520
Clay 2,186 54.23% 1,830 45.77% 338 8.45% 3,998
Doddridge 2,284 77.98% 645 22.02% 1,639 55.96% 2,929
Fayette 11,876 54.37% 9,966 45.63% 1,910 8.74% 21,842
Gilmer 2,056 60.20% 1,359 39.80% 697 20.41% 3,415
Grant 3,556 85.28% 614 14.72% 2,942 70.55% 4,170
Greenbrier 8,827 66.62% 4,423 33.38% 4,404 33.24% 13,250
Hampshire 3,084 65.33% 1,637 34.67% 1,447 30.65% 4,721
Hancock 10,634 61.25% 6,727 38.75% 3,907 22.50% 17,361
Hardy 2,609 63.34% 1,510 36.66% 1,099 26.68% 4,119
Harrison 22,196 63.23% 12,910 36.77% 9,286 26.45% 35,106
Jackson 7,226 70.61% 3,007 29.39% 4,219 41.23% 10,233
Jefferson 4,822 63.41% 2,782 36.59% 2,040 26.83% 7,604
Kanawha 65,021 63.09% 38,032 36.91% 26,989 26.19% 103,053
Lewis 5,778 73.70% 2,062 26.30% 3,716 47.40% 7,840
Lincoln 4,673 54.66% 3,876 45.34% 797 9.32% 8,549
Logan 9,533 48.69% 10,045 51.31% -512 -2.62% 19,578
Marion 16,095 57.57% 11,864 42.43% 4,231 15.13% 27,959
Marshall 10,966 63.23% 6,378 36.77% 4,588 26.45% 17,344
Mason 7,129 64.01% 4,008 35.99% 3,121 28.02% 11,137
McDowell 8,942 56.76% 6,811 43.24% 2,131 13.53% 15,753
Mercer 17,846 69.52% 7,826 30.48% 10,020 39.03% 25,672
Mineral 7,157 68.60% 3,276 31.40% 3,881 37.20% 10,433
Mingo 7,484 57.27% 5,585 42.73% 1,899 14.53% 13,069
Monongalia 16,758 60.98% 10,721 39.02% 6,037 21.97% 27,479
Monroe 3,716 63.74% 2,114 36.26% 1,602 27.48% 5,830
Morgan 3,014 72.94% 1,118 27.06% 1,896 45.89% 4,132
Nicholas 5,907 61.95% 3,628 38.05% 2,279 23.90% 9,535
Ohio 18,435 63.73% 10,491 36.27% 7,944 27.46% 28,926
Pendleton 2,207 63.88% 1,248 36.12% 959 27.76% 3,455
Pleasants 2,025 62.65% 1,207 37.35% 818 25.31% 3,232
Pocahontas 2,391 59.39% 1,635 40.61% 756 18.78% 4,026
Preston 7,807 72.39% 2,977 27.61% 4,830 44.79% 10,784
Putnam 8,265 63.40% 4,771 36.60% 3,494 26.80% 13,036
Raleigh 19,150 64.40% 10,586 35.60% 8,564 28.80% 29,736
Randolph 6,923 64.51% 3,809 35.49% 3,114 29.02% 10,732
Ritchie 3,635 78.59% 990 21.41% 2,645 57.19% 4,625
Roane 4,253 64.06% 2,386 35.94% 1,867 28.12% 6,639
Summers 3,895 60.74% 2,518 39.26% 1,377 21.47% 6,413
Taylor 4,385 67.77% 2,085 32.23% 2,300 35.55% 6,470
Tucker 2,163 59.75% 1,457 40.25% 706 19.50% 3,620
Tyler 3,362 74.93% 1,125 25.07% 2,237 49.86% 4,487
Upshur 6,449 78.23% 1,795 21.77% 4,654 56.45% 8,244
Wayne 9,775 60.99% 6,251 39.01% 3,524 21.99% 16,026
Webster 2,114 50.54% 2,069 49.46% 45 1.08% 4,183
Wetzel 6,046 64.86% 3,276 35.14% 2,770 29.71% 9,322
Wirt 1,442 67.60% 691 32.40% 751 35.21% 2,133
Wood 27,315 71.50% 10,886 28.50% 16,429 43.01% 38,201
Wyoming 7,926 63.95% 4,468 36.05% 3,458 27.90% 12,394
Totals 484,964 63.61% 277,435 36.39% 207,529 27.22% 762,399

References[edit]

  1. ^ "1972 Election for the Forty-Seventh Term (1973-77)". Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  2. ^ "1972 Presidential General Election Results — West Virginia". Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  3. ^ "The American Presidency Project — Election of 1972". Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  4. ^ "1972 Presidential Election Results in West Virginia by county". Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  5. ^ Menendez, Albert J. The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004. pp. 334–337. ISBN 0786422173.
  6. ^ Cohn, Nate (April 24, 2014). "Demographic Shift: Southern Whites' Loyalty to G.O.P. Nearing That of Blacks to Democrats". New York Times.
  7. ^ Phillips, Kevin P. The Emerging Republican Majority. pp. 10, 135, 288, 374. ISBN 978-0-691-16324-6.
  8. ^ Davis, Lanny; Scandal: How "Gotcha" Politics Is Destroying America, pp. 65-66 ISBN 1466892803
  9. ^ "1972 General Election — Official Election Returns" (PDF). West Virginia Board of Elections.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election_in_West_Virginia,_1972