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| Turnout | 72.8% (of registered voters) 63.5% (of voting age population)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 County Results
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The1972 United States presidential election in West Virginia took place on November 7, 1972, as part of the1972 United States presidential election. West Virginia voters chose six[2] representatives, or electors, to theElectoral College, who voted forpresident andvice president.
West Virginia was won byincumbent PresidentRichard Nixon (R–California), with 63.61 percent of the popular vote, againstGeorge McGovern (D–South Dakota), with 36.39 percent of the popular vote.[3][4] Nixon won every county in the state except forLogan County, which McGovern won by 2.62 percentage points.[5]
In this socially conservative[6][7] state, McGovern was largely portrayed as a left-wing extremist due to his support forbusing 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. This was the only time West Virginia voted more Republican than the national popular vote between1936 and1996, and the only time between1936 and2008 thatMcDowell County voted for the Republican candidate.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Richard Nixon (inc.) | 484,964 | 63.61% | |
| Democratic | George McGovern | 277,435 | 36.39% | |
| Total votes | 762,399 | 100.00% | ||
| County[9] | Richard Nixon Republican | George 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 | 41.56% | 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 | 18.16% | 12,770 |
| Cabell | 29,582 | 67.39% | 14,312 | 32.61% | 15,270 | 34.78% | 43,894 |
| Calhoun | 1,992 | 56.59% | 1,528 | 43.41% | 464 | 13.18% | 3,520 |
| Clay | 2,168 | 54.23% | 1,830 | 45.77% | 338 | 8.46% | 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 | 20.40% | 3,415 |
| Grant | 3,556 | 85.28% | 614 | 14.72% | 2,942 | 70.56% | 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 | 30.66% | 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 | 26.46% | 35,106 |
| Jackson | 7,226 | 70.61% | 3,007 | 29.39% | 4,219 | 41.22% | 10,233 |
| Jefferson | 4,822 | 63.41% | 2,782 | 36.59% | 2,040 | 26.82% | 7,604 |
| Kanawha | 65,021 | 63.09% | 38,032 | 36.91% | 26,989 | 26.18% | 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 | 15.14% | 27,959 |
| Marshall | 10,966 | 63.23% | 6,378 | 36.77% | 4,588 | 26.46% | 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 | 13.52% | 15,753 |
| Mercer | 17,846 | 69.52% | 7,826 | 30.48% | 10,020 | 39.04% | 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 | 14.54% | 13,069 |
| Monongalia | 16,758 | 60.98% | 10,721 | 39.02% | 6,037 | 21.96% | 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 | 45.88% | 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 | 25.30% | 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 | 44.78% | 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 | 57.18% | 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 | 21.48% | 6,413 |
| Taylor | 4,385 | 67.77% | 2,085 | 32.23% | 2,300 | 35.54% | 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 | 56.46% | 8,244 |
| Wayne | 9,775 | 60.99% | 6,251 | 39.01% | 3,524 | 21.98% | 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 | 29.72% | 9,322 |
| Wirt | 1,442 | 67.60% | 691 | 32.40% | 751 | 35.20% | 2,133 |
| Wood | 27,315 | 71.50% | 10,886 | 28.50% | 16,429 | 43.00% | 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 |
State and district results of the1972 United States presidential election | ||
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