1972 United States presidential election in Nevada

The 1972 United States presidential election in Nevada took place on November 7, 1972. All fifty states and the District of Columbia were part of the 1972 United States presidential election. State voters chose three electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

1972 United States presidential election in Nevada

November 7, 1972

Nominee Richard Nixon George McGovern Party Republican Democratic Home state California South Dakota Running mate Spiro Agnew Sargent Shriver Electoral vote 3 0 Popular vote 115,750 66,016 Percentage 63.68% 36.32%

County Results Nixon   50-60%   60-70%   70-80%

President before election Richard Nixon Republican Elected President Richard Nixon Republican

Background

Since being won for the third time by William Jennings Bryan whose populism had attracted a state heavily dependent upon silver mining,[1] Nevada had been a consistent bellwether swing state, although it had been trending Republican since World War II as air conditioning led to the development of Las Vegas as a “Sun Belt” city. Richard Nixon had narrowly lost this heavily Catholic state to John F. Kennedy in 1960, but would comfortably defeat both Hubert Humphrey and George Wallace in 1968. However, the Democrats had rebounded in 1970 to regain the governorship, although the party lost the attorney general position for the first time since 1890.[2]

Nevada held no Democratic primary in 1972, and once McGovern's nomination was an established fact every poll suggested Nixon would win the state very easily,[3] typically by around a two-to-one margin.[4]

Vote

Nevada was won by the Republican nominees, incumbent President Richard Nixon of California and his running mate Vice President Spiro Agnew of Maryland. Nixon and Agnew defeated the Democratic nominees, Senator George McGovern of South Dakota and his running mate U.S. Ambassador Sargent Shriver of Maryland.

Nixon carried Nevada with 63.68% of the vote to McGovern's 36.32%, a victory margin of 27.36%. In a state that would reflect McGovern's national results, the Democratic nominee did not win a single county in Nevada, making Nixon only the second Republican after Theodore Roosevelt in 1904 to sweep all Nevada's counties.[5]

Statewide Results

1972 United States presidential election in Nevada[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Richard Nixon	115,750	63.68%
	Democratic	George McGovern	66,016	36.32%
Total votes			181,766	100%

Results by county

County or City	Richard Milhous Nixon Republican		George Stanley McGovern Democratic		Margin		Total votes cast
	#	%	#	%	#	%
Churchill	2,970	74.10%	1,038	25.90%	1,932	48.20%	4,008
Clark	53,101	59.06%	36,807	40.94%	16,294	18.12%	89,908
Douglas	2,898	74.67%	983	25.33%	1,915	49.34%	3,881
Elko	3,886	72.59%	1,467	27.41%	2,419	45.19%	5,353
Esmeralda	273	68.25%	127	31.75%	146	36.50%	400
Eureka	371	72.75%	139	27.25%	232	45.49%	510
Humboldt	1,659	69.94%	713	30.06%	946	39.88%	2,372
Lander	798	63.03%	468	36.97%	330	26.07%	1,266
Lincoln	841	68.77%	382	31.23%	459	37.53%	1,223
Lyon	2,813	74.58%	959	25.42%	1,854	49.15%	3,772
Mineral	2,111	73.32%	768	26.68%	1,343	46.65%	2,879
Nye	1,287	61.61%	802	38.39%	485	23.22%	2,089
Pershing	853	70.03%	365	29.97%	488	40.07%	1,218
Storey	508	69.21%	226	30.79%	282	38.42%	734
Washoe	33,539	66.22%	17,106	33.78%	16,433	32.45%	50,645
White Pine	2,446	61.27%	1,546	38.73%	900	22.55%	3,992
Carson City	5,396	71.79%	2,120	28.21%	3,276	43.59%	7,516
Totals	115,750	63.68%	66,016	36.32%	49,734	27.36%	181,766

References

1. Phillips, Kevin P.; The Emerging Republican Majority, p. 458 ISBN 9780691163246
2. Driggs, Don W.; ‘The 1970 Election in Nevada’; The Western Political Quarterly, vol. 24, no. 2 (June 1971), pp. 308-315
3. Apple, R.W. junior; ‘50-State Survey Indicates Massive Sweep for Nixon: Reporters, Political Leaders and Polls Agree on Big Lead, But McGovern Gain Is Expected In Final Month’; The New York Times, October 8, 1972, p. 50
4. ‘State by State: A Nationwide Survey’; The Washington Post, October 8, 1972, p. D4
5. Menendez, Albert J.; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004, pp. 256-257 ISBN 0786422173
6. David Leip. "1972 Presidential General Election Results – Nevada". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved 2018-10-29.