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The1972 United States presidential election in Vermont took place on November 7, 1972, as part of the1972 United States presidential election which was held throughout all 50 states and theDistrict of Columbia. Voters chose three representatives, or electors to theElectoral College, who voted forpresident andvice president.
Vermont voted for incumbentRepublicanPresidentRichard Nixon ofCalifornia and his running mateVice PresidentSpiro Agnew ofMaryland, defeatingDemocraticSenatorGeorge McGovern ofSouth Dakota and his running mate U.S. AmbassadorSargent Shriver ofMaryland.
Nixon took 62.66% of the vote to McGovern's 36.47%, a margin of 26.20%. Coming in a distant third was thePeople's Party candidate famed pediatrician Dr.Benjamin Spock, who took 0.54% in Vermont on theLiberty Union ballot line.
Vermont historically was a bastion ofNortheastern Republicanism, and by 1972 Vermont had gone Republican in every presidential election since the founding of the Republican Party, except in the Democratic landslide of1964, when the GOP had nominated staunchNew Rightconservative SenatorBarry Goldwater ofArizona.
Richard Nixon was seen as a mainstream moderate Republican, and while winning nationally in a massive 49-state landslide, he easily held onto Vermont's three electoral votes. The only state McGovern carried was neighboringMassachusetts, along with theDistrict of Columbia.
As Nixon won a historic landslide nationally, Vermont weighed in as about 3% more Republican than the nation.
Nixon won every county in Vermont, and broke 60% in every county except forChittenden County, the most populous county, home to the state's largest city,Burlington whose precinct voted for McGovern. Though the state wouldn't vote for another Democratic presidential candidate until1992, no subsequent Republican who won the state was able to match Nixon's 62% vote share. Nixon's 70.16% inLamoille County is also the last time that a Republican has won over 70% of the vote in a Vermont county.
Richard Nixon had previously won Vermont againstJohn F. Kennedy in1960 and then again againstHubert Humphrey in1968.
To date, this is the last time that the towns ofFairfield,Marshfield,Middlesex,Strafford, andWestminster voted Republican.
| 1972 United States presidential election in Vermont[1] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes | |
| Republican | Richard Nixon (incumbent) | 117,149 | 62.66% | 3 | |
| Democratic | George McGovern | 68,174 | 36.47% | 0 | |
| Liberty Union(People's) | Benjamin Spock | 1,010 | 0.54% | 0 | |
| No party | Write-ins | 318 | 0.17% | 0 | |
| Socialist Workers | Linda Jenness | 296 | 0.16% | 0 | |
| Totals | 186,947 | 100.00% | 3 | ||
| Voter Turnout (Voting age/Registered) | 61%/68% | ||||
| County | Richard Nixon Republican | George McGovern Democratic | Benjamin Spock[2] Liberty Union | Various candidates[2] Other parties | Linda Jenness[2] Socialist Workers | Margin | Total votes cast | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Addison | 6,467 | 65.99% | 3,262 | 33.29% | 48 | 0.49% | 14 | 0.14% | 9 | 0.09% | 3,205 | 32.70% | 9,800 |
| Bennington | 7,542 | 60.56% | 4,804 | 38.58% | 67 | 0.54% | 16 | 0.13% | 25 | 0.20% | 2,738 | 21.98% | 12,453 |
| Caledonia | 6,762 | 68.04% | 3,094 | 31.13% | 33 | 0.33% | 37 | 0.37% | 13 | 0.13% | 3,668 | 36.91% | 9,939 |
| Chittenden | 23,063 | 58.09% | 16,163 | 40.71% | 313 | 0.79% | 65 | 0.16% | 100 | 0.25% | 6,900 | 17.38% | 39,703 |
| Essex | 1,441 | 68.29% | 655 | 31.04% | 10 | 0.47% | 4 | 0.19% | 0 | 0.00% | 786 | 37.25% | 2,110 |
| Franklin | 8,109 | 67.21% | 3,898 | 32.31% | 37 | 0.31% | 2 | 0.02% | 19 | 0.16% | 4,211 | 34.90% | 12,065 |
| Grand Isle | 1,259 | 62.39% | 743 | 36.82% | 12 | 0.59% | 4 | 0.20% | 0 | 0.00% | 516 | 25.57% | 2,018 |
| Lamoille | 4,164 | 70.16% | 1,659 | 27.95% | 29 | 0.49% | 80 | 1.35% | 3 | 0.05% | 2,505 | 42.21% | 5,935 |
| Orange | 5,389 | 69.12% | 2,332 | 29.91% | 51 | 0.65% | 14 | 0.18% | 11 | 0.14% | 3,057 | 39.21% | 7,797 |
| Orleans | 4,906 | 63.21% | 2,793 | 35.98% | 29 | 0.37% | 22 | 0.28% | 12 | 0.15% | 2,113 | 27.23% | 7,762 |
| Rutland | 14,143 | 62.68% | 8,261 | 36.61% | 127 | 0.56% | 15 | 0.07% | 17 | 0.08% | 5,882 | 26.07% | 22,563 |
| Washington | 12,421 | 61.58% | 7,596 | 37.66% | 96 | 0.48% | 15 | 0.07% | 41 | 0.20% | 4,825 | 23.92% | 20,169 |
| Windham | 9,063 | 60.02% | 5,925 | 39.24% | 79 | 0.52% | 13 | 0.09% | 21 | 0.14% | 3,137 | 20.78% | 15,101 |
| Windsor | 12,421 | 63.59% | 6,989 | 35.78% | 79 | 0.40% | 25 | 0.13% | 18 | 0.09% | 5,432 | 27.81% | 19,532 |
| Totals | 117,149 | 62.66% | 68,174 | 36.47% | 1,010 | 0.54% | 317 | 0.16% | 296 | 0.16% | 48,975 | 26.19% | 186,946 |
State and district results of the1972 United States presidential election | ||
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