1972 United States presidential election in Tennessee
November 7, 1972
 
Nominee Richard Nixon George McGovern
Party Republican Democratic
Home state California South Dakota
Running mate Spiro Agnew Sargent Shriver
Electoral vote 10 0
Popular vote 813,147 357,293
Percentage 67.70% 29.75%
County Results
President before election

Richard Nixon
Republican

 Elected President

Richard Nixon
Republican

The 1972 United States presidential election in Tennessee took place on November 7, 1972, as part of the 1972 United States presidential election. Tennessee voters chose 10[1] representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Tennessee was won by incumbent President Richard Nixon (R–California), with 67.70% of the popular vote, against George McGovern (D–South Dakota), with 29.75% of the popular vote.[2][3] John G. Schmitz was the only other candidate on the ballot, and, as the candidate for the American Party, he received over 30,000 votes.

Stewart, Houston, Perry, Lewis, and Jackson counties were the only five of Tennessee's ninety-five counties to vote for McGovern. As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the best showing of any Republican candidate in the state. This is also the last election in which Haywood County voted for a Republican presidential candidate.

Background

Historically Tennessee was the southern state with the strongest amount of Republican support. From 1974 to 1952, the state's two Republican members of the United States House of Representatives were the only Republicans out of the 105 members from the South. From 1966 to 1970, the Republicans won both of Tennessee's seats in the United States Senate, the governorship, and increased its membership in the U.S. House to four of the state's nine seats.[4]

Campaign

75% of white voters supported Nixon while 22% supported McGovern.[5][6]

Results

1972 United States presidential election in Tennessee
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Richard Nixon (inc.) 813,147 67.70%
Democratic George McGovern 357,293 29.75%
American John G. Schmitz 30,373 2.53%
Write-in 369 0.03%
Total votes 1,201,182 100%

Results by county

County Richard Milhous Nixon[7]
Republican		 George Stanley McGovern[7]
Democratic		 John George Schmitz[7]
American		 Various candidates[7]
Write-ins		 Margin Total votes cast
#  % #  % #  % #  % #  %
Anderson 13,865 66.03% 6,713 31.97% 416 1.98% 5 0.02% 7,152 34.06% 20,999
Bedford 4,262 59.73% 2,565 35.95% 302 4.23% 6 0.08% 1,697 23.78% 7,135
Benton 2,614 61.83% 1,479 34.98% 135 3.19% 1,135 26.84% 4,228
Bledsoe 1,952 65.90% 899 30.35% 111 3.75% 1,053 35.55% 2,962
Blount 16,078 73.85% 5,303 24.36% 390 1.79% 10,775 49.49% 21,771
Bradley 10,440 77.26% 2,804 20.75% 269 1.99% 7,636 56.51% 13,513
Campbell 4,909 73.41% 1,629 24.36% 147 2.20% 2 0.03% 3,280 49.05% 6,687
Cannon 1,615 62.38% 911 35.19% 63 2.43% 704 27.19% 2,589
Carroll 5,784 69.28% 2,290 27.43% 275 3.29% 3,494 41.85% 8,349
Carter 11,102 82.15% 2,191 16.21% 217 1.61% 4 0.03% 8,911 65.94% 13,514
Cheatham 2,235 60.10% 1,321 35.52% 163 4.38% 914 24.58% 3,719
Chester 2,787 71.70% 961 24.72% 133 3.42% 6 0.15% 1,826 46.98% 3,887
Claiborne 3,632 73.94% 1,230 25.04% 50 1.02% 2,402 48.90% 4,912
Clay 982 59.01% 648 38.94% 34 2.04% 334 20.07% 1,664
Cocke 5,268 85.62% 805 13.08% 80 1.30% 4,463 72.53% 6,153
Coffee 6,416 66.18% 2,973 30.67% 303 3.13% 3 0.03% 3,443 35.51% 9,695
Crockett 2,642 75.40% 735 20.98% 115 3.28% 12 0.34% 1,907 54.42% 3,504
Cumberland 4,593 73.78% 1,482 23.81% 150 2.41% 3,111 49.98% 6,225
Davidson 82,636 61.30% 48,869 36.25% 3,292 2.44% 33,767 25.05% 134,797
Decatur 2,368 64.79% 1,187 32.48% 99 2.71% 1 0.03% 1,181 32.31% 3,655
DeKalb 2,014 60.66% 1,243 37.44% 63 1.90% 771 23.22% 3,320
Dickson 3,645 56.55% 2,619 40.63% 182 2.82% 1,026 15.92% 6,446
Dyer 6,066 75.94% 1,600 20.03% 321 4.02% 1 0.01% 4,466 55.91% 7,988
Fayette 3,264 59.75% 2,067 37.84% 132 2.42% 1,197 21.91% 5,463
Fentress 2,154 75.50% 665 23.31% 34 1.19% 1,489 52.19% 2,853
Franklin 4,136 57.51% 2,896 40.27% 160 2.22% 1,240 17.24% 7,192
Gibson 9,900 71.05% 3,625 26.02% 408 2.93% 1 0.01% 6,275 45.03% 13,934
Giles 2,914 57.69% 1,875 37.12% 261 5.17% 1 0.02% 1,039 20.57% 5,051
Grainger 2,842 76.54% 828 22.30% 43 1.16% 2,014 54.24% 3,713
Greene 9,772 76.89% 2,764 21.75% 171 1.35% 2 0.02% 7,008 55.14% 12,709
Grundy 1,364 54.49% 1,005 40.15% 134 5.35% 359 14.34% 2,503
Hamblen 8,879 76.39% 2,563 22.05% 180 1.55% 2 0.02% 6,316 54.34% 11,624
Hamilton 58,469 70.62% 20,657 24.95% 3,668 4.43% 37,812 45.67% 82,794
Hancock 1,813 81.59% 393 17.69% 16 0.72% 1,420 63.91% 2,222
Hardeman 3,494 66.00% 1,550 29.28% 183 3.46% 67 1.27% 1,944 36.72% 5,294
Hardin 4,401 76.29% 1,202 20.84% 166 2.88% 3,199 55.45% 5,769
Hawkins 7,791 72.31% 2,608 24.20% 373 3.46% 3 0.03% 5,183 48.10% 10,775
Haywood 3,123 59.45% 1,966 37.43% 164 3.12% 1,157 22.03% 5,253
Henderson 5,122 77.64% 1,313 19.90% 162 2.46% 3,809 57.74% 6,597
Henry 4,613 60.61% 2,694 35.40% 302 3.97% 2 0.03% 1,919 25.21% 7,611
Hickman 1,943 56.06% 1,393 40.19% 130 3.75% 550 15.87% 3,466
Houston 800 46.38% 870 50.43% 55 3.19% -70 -4.06% 1,725
Humphreys 2,263 52.17% 1,973 45.48% 102 2.35% 290 6.69% 4,338
Jackson 956 45.98% 1,085 52.19% 38 1.83% -129 -6.20% 2,079
Jefferson 5,925 80.26% 1,357 18.38% 100 1.35% 4,568 61.88% 7,382
Johnson 3,362 87.08% 450 11.66% 49 1.27% 2,912 75.42% 3,861
Knox 64,747 71.56% 24,076 26.61% 1,661 1.84% 40,671 44.95% 90,484
Lake 1,147 65.69% 536 30.70% 62 3.55% 1 0.06% 611 34.99% 1,746
Lauderdale 3,597 64.40% 1,771 31.71% 217 3.89% 1,826 32.69% 5,585
Lawrence 6,438 67.90% 2,824 29.78% 219 2.31% 1 0.01% 3,614 38.11% 9,482
Lewis 1,056 46.98% 1,138 50.62% 54 2.40% -82 -3.65% 2,248
Lincoln 3,266 61.84% 1,867 35.35% 148 2.80% 1,399 26.49% 5,281
Loudon 5,357 75.12% 1,604 22.49% 170 2.38% 3,753 52.63% 7,131
Macon 2,295 75.67% 653 21.53% 83 2.74% 2 0.07% 1,642 54.14% 3,033
Madison 15,481 72.31% 5,203 24.30% 666 3.11% 59 0.28% 10,278 48.01% 21,409
Marion 3,711 63.56% 1,929 33.04% 199 3.41% 1,782 30.52% 5,839
Marshall 2,593 59.23% 1,526 34.86% 256 5.85% 3 0.07% 1,067 24.37% 4,378
Maury 7,371 66.28% 3,262 29.33% 483 4.34% 5 0.04% 4,109 36.95% 11,121
McMinn 7,423 70.56% 2,838 26.98% 259 2.46% 4,585 43.58% 10,520
McNairy 4,774 73.23% 1,610 24.70% 135 2.07% 3,164 48.54% 6,519
Meigs 1,052 64.34% 539 32.97% 44 2.69% 513 31.38% 1,635
Monroe 5,657 65.52% 2,870 33.24% 97 1.12% 10 0.12% 2,787 32.28% 8,634
Montgomery 7,839 56.40% 5,691 40.95% 363 2.61% 6 0.04% 2,148 15.45% 13,899
Moore 608 61.04% 356 35.74% 32 3.21% 252 25.30% 996
Morgan 2,531 69.59% 1,084 29.80% 22 0.60% 1,447 39.79% 3,637
Obion 5,800 70.36% 2,243 27.21% 200 2.43% 3,557 43.15% 8,243
Overton 1,947 54.17% 1,573 43.77% 74 2.06% 374 10.41% 3,594
Perry 900 48.10% 937 50.08% 34 1.82% -37 -1.98% 1,871
Pickett 957 72.23% 357 26.94% 11 0.83% 600 45.28% 1,325
Polk 2,285 60.58% 1,431 37.94% 56 1.48% 854 22.64% 3,772
Putnam 6,038 60.39% 3,738 37.38% 223 2.23% 2,300 23.00% 9,999
Rhea 3,842 72.50% 1,312 24.76% 145 2.74% 2,530 47.74% 5,299
Roane 8,742 70.10% 3,433 27.53% 295 2.37% 5,309 42.57% 12,470
Robertson 4,175 56.43% 2,985 40.34% 239 3.23% 1,190 16.08% 7,399
Rutherford 11,256 64.12% 5,811 33.10% 486 2.77% 1 0.01% 5,445 31.02% 17,554
Scott 2,775 79.24% 679 19.39% 45 1.28% 3 0.09% 2,096 59.85% 3,502
Sequatchie 1,298 64.58% 629 31.29% 83 4.13% 669 33.28% 2,010
Sevier 8,273 86.38% 1,128 11.78% 177 1.85% 7,145 74.60% 9,578
Shelby 161,922 65.32% 81,089 32.71% 4,816 1.94% 55 0.02% 80,833 32.61% 247,882
Smith 1,812 56.84% 1,260 39.52% 116 3.64% 552 17.31% 3,188
Stewart 790 40.83% 1,098 56.74% 47 2.43% -308 -15.92% 1,935
Sullivan 27,593 71.64% 10,007 25.98% 824 2.14% 93 0.24% 17,586 45.66% 38,517
Sumner 10,020 66.11% 4,596 30.32% 538 3.55% 3 0.02% 5,424 35.79% 15,157
Tipton 5,542 71.52% 1,853 23.91% 353 4.56% 1 0.01% 3,689 47.61% 7,749
Trousdale 663 53.90% 539 43.82% 28 2.28% 124 10.08% 1,230
Unicoi 3,877 81.35% 822 17.25% 67 1.41% 3,055 64.10% 4,766
Union 1,927 76.26% 570 22.56% 30 1.19% 1,357 53.70% 2,527
Van Buren 629 61.61% 364 35.65% 28 2.74% 265 25.95% 1,021
Warren 3,565 60.49% 2,118 35.93% 210 3.56% 1 0.02% 1,447 24.55% 5,894
Washington 17,343 74.79% 5,284 22.79% 556 2.40% 5 0.02% 12,059 52.01% 23,188
Wayne 2,898 79.79% 673 18.53% 61 1.68% 2,225 61.26% 3,632
Weakley 5,836 71.48% 2,027 24.83% 302 3.70% 3,809 46.65% 8,165
White 2,252 60.42% 1,392 37.35% 83 2.23% 860 23.07% 3,727
Williamson 7,556 71.53% 2,616 24.76% 392 3.71% 4,940 46.76% 10,564
Wilson 6,486 65.77% 3,096 31.40% 277 2.81% 2 0.02% 3,390 34.38% 9,861
Totals813,14767.70%357,29329.75%30,3732.53%3690.03%455,85437.95%1,201,182

References

  1. ↑ "1972 Election for the Forty-Seventh Term (1973-77)". Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  2. ↑ "1972 Presidential General Election Results – Tennessee". Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  3. ↑ "The American Presidency Project – Election of 1972". Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  4. ↑ Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 201-202.
  5. ↑ Black & Black 1992, p. 295.
  6. ↑ Black & Black 1992, p. 335.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Our Campaigns; TN US President, November 07, 1972

Works cited

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