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 County results Towell: 50–60% 60–70% Bilbray: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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The1972 United States House of Representatives election in Nevada was held on Tuesday November 7, 1972, to elect the state's at-large representative. Primary elections were held on September 5, 1972.
Republican nomineeDavid Towell won the general election with 52.15% of the vote. Incumbent representative,Walter S. Baring Jr. lost the democratic primary election 52-47.[1] Baring endorsed republican David Towell, helping him win the general election.
Conservative Democrat Walter Baring was criticized by the more liberal wing of the democratic party for voting against theCivil Rights Act of 1964. The primaries were typically more competitive than the general election for Baring. He typically got high margins in Nevada's rural 'cow counties' (14 counties apart fromClark,Washoe, andCarson City) However, the massive growth inClark County andWashoe County would make it significantly more difficult forBaring to win.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James Bilbray | 36,525 | 52.21 | |
| Democratic | Walter S. Baring Jr. (Incumbent) | 31,896 | 45.60 | |
| Total votes | 68,421 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | David Towell | 13,453 | 41.50 | |
| Republican | William T. Byrnes | 11,764 | 36.29 | |
| Republican | Robert J. Edwards | 2,763 | 8.53 | |
| Republican | Wayne Goodin | 2,411 | 7.44 | |
| Republican | V.M. Markoff | 2,029 | 6.26 | |
| Total votes | 32,420 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | David Towell | 94,113 | 52.15% | |||
| Democratic | James Bilbray | 86,349 | 47.85% | |||
| Total votes | 180,462 | 100.00% | ||||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | ||||||
