1972 United States presidential election in Indiana

1972 United States presidential election in Indiana

November 7, 1972
Turnout60.8%[1] 8.7 pp
 
Nominee Richard Nixon George McGovern
Party Republican Democratic
Home state California South Dakota
Running mate Spiro Agnew Sargent Shriver[a]
Electoral vote 13 0
Popular vote 1,405,155 708,568
Percentage 66.11% 33.34%

County results
Nixon
  50–60%
  60–70%
  70–80%
  80–90%


President before election

Richard Nixon
Republican

Elected President

Richard Nixon
Republican

A presidential election was held in Indiana on November 7, 1972. The Republican ticket of the incumbent president of the United States Richard Nixon and the vice president of the United States Spiro Agnew defeated the Democratic ticket of the junior U.S. senator from South Dakota George McGovern and the former U.S. ambassador to France Sargent Shriver. Nixon defeated McGovern in the national election with 520 electoral votes.[2]

Primary elections

Republican Party

Indiana Republican primary, May 2, 1972[3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Richard Nixon 417,069 100.00
Total votes 417,069 100.00

Democratic Party

Indiana Democratic primary, May 2, 1972[3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Hubert Humphrey 354,244 47.14
Democratic George Wallace 309,495 41.18
Democratic Edmund Muskie (withdrawn) 87,719 11.67
Total votes 751,458 100.00

General election

Statistics

Nixon became the only presidential candidate from either party to carry every county in the state. His 32-point margin of victory remains the best performance by a Republican presidential candidate in Indiana.[4] As of the 2024 presidential election, this is the most recent election in which the Republican ticket carried Lake County.[5]

Results

1972 United States presidential election in Indiana[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Richard Nixon
Spiro Agnew
1,405,154 66.11 15.82
Democratic George McGovern
Sargent Shriver
708,568 33.34 4.65
Socialist Workers Evelyn Reed
Clifton DeBerry
5,575 0.26 0.20
Peace and Freedom Benjamin Spock
Julius Hobson
4,554 0.21 0.21
Socialist Labor Louis Fisher
Genevieve Gundersen
1,688 0.08 0.08
Total votes 2,125,529 100.00

Results by county

1968 United States presidential election in Indiana by county[6]
County Richard Nixon
Republican
George McGovern
Democratic
Evelyn Reed
Socialist Workers
Benjamin Spock
Peace and Freedom
Louis Fisher
Socialist Labor
Margin Total
Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes %
Adams 7,549 65.24% 3,971 34.32% 10 0.09% 38 0.33% 4 0.03% 3,578 30.92% 11,572
Allen 76,924 66.20% 38,621 33.24% 364 0.31% 212 0.18% 78 0.07% 38,303 32.96% 116,199
Bartholomew 17,365 70.87% 6,974 28.46% 86 0.35% 67 0.27% 10 0.04% 10,391 42.41% 24,502
Benton 3,703 70.01% 1,566 29.61% 2 0.04% 15 0.28% 3 0.06% 2,137 40.40% 5,289
Blackford 3,876 62.33% 2,311 37.16% 19 0.31% 6 0.10% 7 0.11% 1,565 25.17% 6,219
Boone 9,874 75.10% 3,235 24.61% 12 0.09% 22 0.17% 4 0.03% 6,639 50.49% 13,147
Brown 2,737 65.06% 1,443 34.30% 2 0.05% 19 0.45% 6 0.14% 1,294 30.76% 4,207
Carroll 5,885 72.32% 2,214 27.21% 7 0.09% 28 0.34% 3 0.04% 3,671 45.11% 8,137
Cass 12,681 69.77% 5,317 29.25% 122 0.67% 42 0.23% 14 0.08% 7,364 40.52% 18,176
Clark 16,111 59.42% 10,838 39.97% 109 0.40% 38 0.14% 17 0.06% 5,273 19.45% 27,113
Clay 7,146 65.34% 3,742 34.21% 17 0.16% 25 0.23% 7 0.06% 3,404 31.13% 10,937
Clinton 9,849 69.42% 4,283 30.19% 17 0.12% 27 0.19% 11 0.08% 5,566 39.23% 14,187
Crawford 2,623 58.96% 1,801 40.48% 3 0.07% 18 0.40% 4 0.09% 822 18.48% 4,449
Daviess 8,490 70.33% 3,538 29.31% 12 0.10% 29 0.24% 2 0.02% 4,952 41.02% 12,071
Dearborn 7,689 64.69% 4,137 34.81% 39 0.33% 14 0.12% 6 0.05% 3,552 29.88% 11,885
Decatur 6,761 68.84% 2,994 30.48% 35 0.36% 22 0.22% 10 0.10% 3,767 38.36% 9,822
DeKalb 8,834 66.44% 4,354 32.74% 67 0.50% 23 0.17% 19 0.14% 4,480 33.70% 13,297
Delaware 32,468 64.21% 17,936 35.47% 43 0.09% 97 0.19% 23 0.05% 14,532 28.74% 50,567
Dubois 6,637 50.36% 6,365 48.30% 144 1.09% 22 0.17% 11 0.08% 272 2.06% 13,179
Elkhart 31,009 70.57% 12,659 28.81% 132 0.30% 109 0.25% 32 0.07% 18,350 41.76% 43,941
Fayette 7,273 67.16% 3,519 32.50% 20 0.18% 9 0.08% 8 0.07% 3,754 34.66% 10,829
Floyd 13,198 58.31% 9,243 40.83% 10 0.04% 26 0.11% 159 0.70% 3,955 17.48% 22,636
Fountain 5,979 66.41% 2,977 33.07% 11 0.12% 28 0.31% 8 0.09% 3,002 33.34% 9,003
Franklin 4,324 66.74% 2,131 32.89% 6 0.09% 14 0.22% 4 0.06% 2,193 33.85% 6,479
Fulton 6,170 73.82% 2,150 25.72% 3 0.04% 27 0.32% 8 0.10% 4,020 48.10% 8,358
Gibson 9,115 61.51% 5,633 38.01% 17 0.11% 44 0.30% 10 0.07% 3,482 23.50% 14,819
Grant 20,969 72.41% 7,912 27.32% 19 0.07% 37 0.13% 21 0.07% 13,057 45.09% 28,958
Greene 8,454 64.80% 4,450 34.11% 109 0.84% 22 0.17% 11 0.08% 4,003 30.69% 13,045
Hamilton 20,247 82.74% 4,151 16.96% 14 0.06% 51 0.21% 7 0.03% 16,096 65.78% 24,470
Hancock 11,019 77.87% 3,069 21.69% 32 0.23% 25 0.18% 5 0.04% 7,950 56.18% 14,150
Harrison 5,910 59.77% 3,927 39.71% 18 0.18% 27 0.27% 6 0.06% 1,983 20.06% 9,888
Hendricks 17,699 79.89% 4,384 19.79% 33 0.15% 33 0.15% 4 0.02% 13,315 60.10% 22,153
Henry 14,538 71.94% 5,610 27.76% 18 0.09% 30 0.15% 12 0.06% 8,928 44.18% 20,208
Howard 23,089 73.67% 8,083 25.79% 69 0.22% 73 0.23% 27 0.09% 15,006 47.88% 31,341
Huntington 10,858 68.48% 4,908 30.96% 10 0.06% 30 0.19% 49 0.31% 5,950 37.52% 15,855
Jackson 9,546 64.99% 4,984 33.93% 121 0.82% 25 0.17% 13 0.09% 4,562 31.06% 14,689
Jasper 6,369 76.21% 1,920 22.97% 46 0.55% 14 0.17% 8 0.10% 4,449 53.24% 8,357
Jay 6,090 64.21% 3,349 35.31% 3 0.03% 35 0.37% 7 0.07% 2,741 28.90% 9,484
Jefferson 6,722 60.54% 4,267 38.43% 85 0.77% 22 0.20% 7 0.06% 2,455 22.11% 11,103
Jennings 5,156 63.21% 2,903 35.59% 61 0.75% 24 0.29% 13 0.16% 2,253 27.62% 8,157
Johnson 17,537 77.17% 5,067 22.30% 48 0.21% 58 0.26% 14 0.06% 12,470 54.87% 22,724
Knox 11,940 65.62% 6,089 33.46% 111 0.61% 40 0.22% 16 0.09% 5,851 32.16% 18,196
Kosciusko 16,216 78.93% 4,233 20.60% 11 0.05% 67 0.33% 18 0.09% 11,983 58.33% 20,545
LaGrange 4,152 71.11% 1,658 28.40% 5 0.09% 18 0.31% 6 0.10% 2,494 42.71% 5,839
Lake 115,480 56.24% 88,510 43.10% 912 0.44% 277 0.13% 163 0.08% 26,970 13.14% 205,342
LaPorte 26,243 65.98% 13,222 33.24% 193 0.49% 79 0.20% 39 0.10% 13,021 32.74% 39,776
Lawrence 10,936 71.55% 4,278 27.99% 36 0.24% 23 0.15% 11 0.07% 6,658 43.56% 15,284
Madison 39,036 64.92% 20,921 34.79% 56 0.09% 90 0.15% 31 0.05% 18,115 30.13% 60,134
Marion 206,065 66.52% 102,166 32.98% 482 0.16% 839 0.27% 214 0.07% 103,899 33.54% 309,766
Marshall 11,908 73.02% 4,349 26.67% 28 0.17% 14 0.09% 9 0.06% 7,559 46.35% 16,308
Martin 3,470 62.99% 2,021 36.69% 5 0.09% 10 0.18% 3 0.05% 1,449 26.30% 5,509
Miami 9,477 70.46% 3,889 28.91% 52 0.39% 22 0.16% 10 0.07% 5,588 41.55% 13,450
Monroe 19,953 56.05% 15,241 42.82% 232 0.65% 148 0.42% 22 0.06% 4,712 13.23% 35,596
Montgomery 10,997 75.99% 3,431 23.71% 20 0.14% 19 0.13% 4 0.03% 7,566 52.28% 14,471
Morgan 11,980 77.62% 3,390 21.96% 21 0.14% 31 0.20% 13 0.08% 8,590 55.66% 15,435
Newton 3,771 75.00% 1,252 24.90% 4 0.08% 1 0.02% 0 0.00% 2,519 50.10% 5,028
Noble 7,916 64.75% 4,250 34.76% 33 0.27% 17 0.14% 10 0.08% 3,666 29.99% 12,226
Ohio 1,368 59.50% 922 40.10% 6 0.26% 3 0.13% 0 0.00% 446 19.40% 2,299
Orange 5,715 65.89% 2,932 33.80% 4 0.05% 21 0.24% 2 0.02% 2,783 32.09% 8,674
Owen 3,896 69.25% 1,708 30.36% 7 0.12% 11 0.20% 4 0.07% 2,188 38.89% 5,626
Parke 5,014 69.16% 2,207 30.44% 8 0.11% 14 0.19% 7 0.10% 2,807 38.72% 7,250
Perry 5,204 54.72% 4,277 44.97% 6 0.06% 18 0.19% 5 0.05% 927 9.75% 9,510
Pike 4,252 61.28% 2,648 38.16% 7 0.10% 25 0.36% 7 0.10% 1,604 23.12% 6,939
Porter 26,877 74.60% 8,943 24.82% 87 0.24% 86 0.24% 37 0.10% 17,934 49.78% 36,030
Posey 6,771 65.24% 3,586 34.55% 5 0.05% 8 0.08% 8 0.08% 3,185 30.69% 10,378
Pulaski 4,243 69.04% 1,863 30.31% 20 0.33% 13 0.21% 7 0.11% 2,380 38.73% 6,146
Putnam 7,879 70.08% 3,339 29.70% 1 0.01% 19 0.17% 5 0.04% 4,540 40.38% 11,243
Randolph 8,754 71.57% 3,409 27.87% 12 0.10% 46 0.38% 11 0.09% 5,345 43.70% 12,232
Ripley 6,594 64.45% 3,601 35.20% 7 0.07% 15 0.15% 14 0.14% 2,993 29.25% 10,231
Rush 5,965 76.95% 1,764 22.76% 8 0.10% 13 0.17% 2 0.03% 4,171 53.59% 7,782
Scott 3,564 55.77% 2,785 43.58% 9 0.14% 23 0.36% 10 0.16% 779 12.19% 6,391
Shelby 10,794 72.44% 4,028 27.03% 50 0.34% 19 0.13% 9 0.06% 6,766 45.41% 14,900
Spencer 5,518 58.61% 3,867 41.07% 17 0.18% 6 0.06% 7 0.07% 1,651 17.54% 9,415
St. Joseph 64,808 60.55% 41,629 38.89% 318 0.30% 166 0.16% 118 0.11% 23,179 21.66% 107,039
Starke 5,520 64.43% 2,994 34.95% 35 0.41% 11 0.13% 7 0.08% 2,526 29.48% 8,567
Steuben 5,636 69.80% 2,401 29.73% 5 0.06% 29 0.36% 4 0.05% 3,235 40.07% 8,075
Sullivan 5,338 59.30% 3,624 40.26% 15 0.17% 17 0.19% 7 0.08% 1,714 19.04% 9,001
Switzerland 1,872 53.53% 1,612 46.10% 8 0.23% 2 0.06% 3 0.09% 260 7.43% 3,497
Tippecanoe 31,565 68.08% 14,598 31.48% 31 0.07% 153 0.33% 19 0.04% 16,967 36.60% 46,366
Tipton 5,674 72.67% 2,095 26.83% 24 0.31% 14 0.18% 1 0.01% 3,579 45.84% 7,808
Union 2,043 72.50% 765 27.15% 2 0.07% 7 0.25% 1 0.04% 1,278 45.35% 2,818
Vanderburgh 48,806 68.32% 22,163 31.02% 242 0.34% 184 0.26% 42 0.06% 26,643 37.30% 71,437
Vermillion 4,764 57.24% 3,515 42.23% 10 0.12% 26 0.31% 8 0.10% 1,249 15.01% 8,323
Vigo 29,730 60.73% 18,898 38.60% 170 0.35% 139 0.28% 20 0.04% 10,832 22.13% 48,957
Wabash 10,011 68.29% 4,601 31.39% 8 0.05% 31 0.21% 8 0.05% 5,410 36.90% 14,659
Warren 2,746 69.96% 1,164 29.66% 3 0.08% 8 0.20% 4 0.10% 1,582 40.30% 3,925
Warrick 8,520 65.84% 4,296 33.20% 85 0.66% 31 0.24% 9 0.07% 4,224 32.64% 12,941
Washington 4,758 60.06% 3,086 38.95% 62 0.78% 9 0.11% 7 0.09% 1,672 21.11% 7,922
Wayne 21,610 73.60% 7,655 26.07% 23 0.08% 53 0.18% 20 0.07% 13,955 47.53% 29,361
Wells 6,425 65.77% 3,244 33.21% 72 0.74% 18 0.18% 10 0.10% 3,181 32.56% 9,769
White 7,419 73.19% 2,675 26.39% 11 0.11% 23 0.23% 9 0.09% 4,744 46.80% 10,137
Whitley 7,489 65.67% 3,838 33.65% 11 0.10% 55 0.48% 11 0.10% 3,651 32.02% 11,404
TOTAL 1,405,154 66.11% 708,568 33.34% 5,575 0.26% 4,544 0.21% 1,688 0.08% 696,586 32.77% 2,125,529

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Replacing Thomas Eagleton

References

  1. ^ Madison 1986, p. 330.
  2. ^ Congressional Quarterly 1985, p. 363.
  3. ^ a b McGillivray & Scammon 1994, p. 900.
  4. ^ Thomas 1987, p. 428.
  5. ^ Sullivan 2016.
  6. ^ a b Conrad 1972, pp. 33–34.

Bibliography

  • Congressional Quarterly (1985). Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections (2nd ed.). Washington D.C.: Congressional Quarterly.
  • Conrad, Larry A. (1972). 1972 Election Report State of Indiana. Indianapolis: Indiana Secretary of State.
  • Madison, James H. (1986). The Indiana Way: A State History. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
  • McGillivray, Alice V.; Scammon, Richard M. (1994). America at the Polls, 1960–1992: Kennedy to Clinton; A Handbook of American Presidential Election Statistics. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly.
  • Sullivan, Robert David (June 29, 2016). "How the Red and Blue Map Evolved over the Past Century". America.
  • Thomas, G. Scott (1987). The Pursuit of the White House: A Handbook of Presidential Election Statistics and History. New York: Greenwood Press.