Elections in North Carolina |
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The 1972 United States presidential election in North Carolina took place on November 7, 1972, as part of the 1972 United States presidential election. Voters chose 13 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
Amidst a nationwide landslide defeat especially felt in the South, McGovern won only two counties in North Carolina, neither of which have voted for a Republican presidential candidate since the Fourth Party System era: Orange County in the Research Triangle region, home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and majority-Black Northampton County in the northeast of the state.[1] Even in these counties, where most Democratic candidates receive over sixty percent of the vote (and where Walter Mondale in 1984 would still win by double digits), McGovern won by less than five points.[2] 78% of white voters supported Nixon, while only 20% supported McGovern.[3][4]
Primaries
Democratic
Alabama Governor, George Wallace, would defeat favorite son candidate, Terry Sanford.[5]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | George Wallace | 413,518 | 50.34% | |
Democratic | Terry Sanford | 306,014 | 37.26% | |
Democratic | Shirley Chisholm | 61,723 | 7.51% | |
Democratic | Edmund Muskie | 30,739 | 3.74% | |
Democratic | Henry M. Jackson | 9,416 | 1.15% | |
Total votes | 821,410 | 100 |
Republican
Campaign
Polls
Source | Rating | As of |
---|---|---|
Corvallis Gazette-Times[6] | Safe R | September 19, 1972 |
The Bradenton Herald[7] | Certain R | October 9, 1972 |
The Austin American[8] | Certain R | November 1, 1972 |
Sun Herald[9] | Certain R | November 5, 1972 |
Results
1972 United States presidential election in North Carolina[10] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes | |
Republican | Richard Nixon (incumbent) | 1,054,889 | 69.46% | 13 | |
Democratic | George McGovern | 438,705 | 28.89% | 0 | |
American Independent | John G. Schmitz | 25,018 | 1.65% | 0 | |
Write-ins[a] | Various candidates | 162 | 0.01% | 0 | |
Totals | 1,518,774 | 100.0% | 13 | ||
Voter turnout | 44.35% | — |
By county
County[11] | Richard Nixon Republican |
George McGovern Democratic |
John G. Schmitz American |
Margin | Total | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
Alamance | 22,046 | 74.61% | 6,833 | 23.12% | 670 | 2.27% | 15,213 | 51.49% | 29,549 |
Alexander | 5,865 | 68.95% | 2,468 | 29.01% | 173 | 2.04% | 3,397 | 39.94% | 8,506 |
Alleghany | 2,158 | 61.29% | 1,304 | 37.03% | 59 | 1.68% | 854 | 24.26% | 3,521 |
Anson | 3,551 | 60.88% | 2,188 | 37.51% | 94 | 1.61% | 1,363 | 23.37% | 5,833 |
Ashe | 5,784 | 62.95% | 3,313 | 36.06% | 91 | 0.99% | 2,471 | 26.89% | 9,188 |
Avery | 3,510 | 83.99% | 627 | 15.00% | 42 | 1.01% | 2,883 | 68.99% | 4,179 |
Beaufort | 6,915 | 69.65% | 2,901 | 29.22% | 112 | 1.13% | 4,014 | 40.43% | 9,928 |
Bertie | 2,874 | 60.54% | 1,819 | 38.32% | 54 | 1.14% | 1,055 | 22.22% | 4,747 |
Bladen | 4,205 | 64.72% | 2,201 | 33.88% | 91 | 1.40% | 2,004 | 30.84% | 6,497 |
Brunswick | 6,153 | 69.06% | 2,500 | 28.06% | 256 | 2.88% | 3,653 | 41.00% | 8,909 |
Buncombe | 32,091 | 70.38% | 12,626 | 27.69% | 877 | 1.93% | 19,465 | 42.69% | 45,594 |
Burke | 14,447 | 68.96% | 6,197 | 29.58% | 306 | 1.46% | 8,250 | 39.38% | 20,950 |
Cabarrus | 18,384 | 76.45% | 5,336 | 22.19% | 328 | 1.36% | 13,048 | 54.26% | 24,048 |
Caldwell | 12,976 | 71.41% | 4,886 | 26.89% | 309 | 1.70% | 8,090 | 44.52% | 18,171 |
Camden | 909 | 60.20% | 556 | 36.82% | 45 | 2.98% | 353 | 23.38% | 1,510 |
Carteret | 8,463 | 74.14% | 2,805 | 24.57% | 147 | 1.29% | 5,658 | 49.57% | 11,415 |
Caswell | 2,983 | 59.65% | 1,922 | 38.43% | 96 | 1.92% | 1,061 | 21.22% | 5,001 |
Catawba | 24,106 | 74.46% | 7,744 | 23.92% | 525 | 1.62% | 16,362 | 50.54% | 32,375 |
Chatham | 6,175 | 62.12% | 3,624 | 36.46% | 142 | 1.42% | 2,551 | 25.66% | 9,941 |
Cherokee | 4,113 | 62.28% | 2,411 | 36.51% | 80 | 1.21% | 1,702 | 25.77% | 6,604 |
Chowan | 1,906 | 66.39% | 936 | 32.60% | 29 | 1.01% | 970 | 33.79% | 2,871 |
Clay | 1,545 | 65.19% | 797 | 33.63% | 28 | 1.18% | 748 | 31.56% | 2,370 |
Cleveland | 13,726 | 72.06% | 4,994 | 26.22% | 328 | 1.72% | 8,732 | 45.84% | 19,048 |
Columbus | 8,468 | 70.64% | 3,305 | 27.57% | 214 | 1.79% | 5,163 | 43.07% | 11,987 |
Craven | 9,372 | 78.74% | 2,384 | 20.03% | 147 | 1.23% | 6,988 | 58.71% | 11,903 |
Cumberland | 24,376 | 70.46% | 9,853 | 28.48% | 366 | 1.06% | 14,523 | 41.98% | 34,595 |
Currituck | 1,578 | 66.67% | 718 | 30.33% | 71 | 3.00% | 860 | 36.34% | 2,367 |
Dare | 1,986 | 75.20% | 634 | 24.01% | 21 | 0.79% | 1,352 | 51.19% | 2,641 |
Davidson | 24,875 | 74.79% | 7,691 | 23.12% | 696 | 2.09% | 17,184 | 51.67% | 33,262 |
Davie | 5,613 | 75.69% | 1,578 | 21.28% | 225 | 3.03% | 4,035 | 54.41% | 7,416 |
Duplin | 7,153 | 70.61% | 2,857 | 28.20% | 120 | 1.19% | 4,296 | 42.41% | 10,130 |
Durham | 25,576 | 61.38% | 15,566 | 37.36% | 525 | 1.26% | 10,010 | 24.02% | 41,667 |
Edgecombe | 8,244 | 62.53% | 4,635 | 35.16% | 305 | 2.31% | 3,609 | 27.37% | 13,184 |
Forsyth | 46,415 | 67.69% | 20,928 | 30.52% | 1,226 | 1.79% | 25,487 | 37.17% | 68,569 |
Franklin | 5,431 | 68.37% | 2,341 | 29.47% | 172 | 2.16% | 3,090 | 38.90% | 7,944 |
Gaston | 27,956 | 75.76% | 8,462 | 22.93% | 483 | 1.31% | 19,494 | 52.83% | 36,901 |
Gates | 1,264 | 51.01% | 1,177 | 47.50% | 37 | 1.49% | 87 | 3.51% | 2,478 |
Graham | 1,699 | 61.05% | 1,057 | 37.98% | 27 | 0.97% | 642 | 23.07% | 2,783 |
Granville | 6,037 | 66.82% | 2,918 | 32.30% | 80 | 0.88% | 3,119 | 34.52% | 9,035 |
Greene | 2,788 | 75.68% | 847 | 22.99% | 49 | 1.33% | 1,941 | 52.69% | 3,684 |
Guilford | 61,381 | 69.46% | 25,800 | 29.20% | 1,185 | 1.34% | 35,581 | 40.26% | 88,366 |
Halifax | 8,908 | 66.60% | 4,241 | 31.71% | 226 | 1.69% | 4,667 | 34.89% | 13,375 |
Harnett | 10,259 | 74.64% | 3,347 | 24.35% | 138 | 1.01% | 6,912 | 50.29% | 13,744 |
Haywood | 8,903 | 64.84% | 4,515 | 32.88% | 313 | 2.28% | 4,388 | 31.96% | 13,731 |
Henderson | 12,134 | 80.17% | 2,701 | 17.85% | 300 | 1.98% | 9,433 | 62.32% | 15,135 |
Hertford | 2,794 | 58.34% | 1,928 | 40.26% | 67 | 1.40% | 866 | 18.08% | 4,789 |
Hoke | 1,927 | 56.25% | 1,466 | 42.79% | 33 | 0.96% | 461 | 13.46% | 3,426 |
Hyde | 1,112 | 69.28% | 403 | 25.11% | 90 | 5.61% | 709 | 44.17% | 1,605 |
Iredell | 16,736 | 73.79% | 5,088 | 22.43% | 858 | 3.78% | 11,648 | 51.36% | 22,682 |
Jackson | 4,709 | 59.11% | 3,169 | 39.78% | 89 | 1.11% | 1,540 | 19.33% | 7,967 |
Johnston | 14,272 | 79.24% | 3,488 | 19.37% | 251 | 1.39% | 10,784 | 59.87% | 18,011 |
Jones | 1,650 | 58.93% | 1,093 | 39.04% | 57 | 2.03% | 557 | 19.89% | 2,800 |
Lee | 5,836 | 72.71% | 2,024 | 25.22% | 166 | 2.07% | 3,812 | 47.49% | 8,026 |
Lenoir | 11,065 | 73.89% | 3,672 | 24.52% | 238 | 1.59% | 7,393 | 49.37% | 14,975 |
Lincoln | 8,597 | 61.88% | 5,100 | 36.71% | 195 | 1.41% | 3,497 | 25.17% | 13,892 |
Macon | 4,134 | 69.20% | 1,749 | 29.28% | 91 | 1.52% | 2,385 | 39.92% | 5,974 |
Madison | 3,273 | 61.18% | 2,039 | 38.11% | 38 | 0.71% | 1,234 | 23.07% | 5,350 |
Martin | 4,188 | 68.76% | 1,840 | 30.21% | 63 | 1.03% | 2,348 | 38.55% | 6,091 |
McDowell | 6,570 | 72.09% | 2,348 | 25.76% | 196 | 2.15% | 4,222 | 46.33% | 9,114 |
Mecklenburg | 77,546 | 68.52% | 33,730 | 29.80% | 1,900 | 1.68% | 43,816 | 38.72% | 113,176 |
Mitchell | 4,240 | 83.45% | 800 | 15.74% | 41 | 0.81% | 3,440 | 67.71% | 5,081 |
Montgomery | 4,417 | 65.67% | 2,175 | 32.34% | 134 | 1.99% | 2,242 | 33.33% | 6,726 |
Moore | 9,406 | 70.68% | 3,627 | 27.25% | 275 | 2.07% | 5,779 | 43.43% | 13,308 |
Nash | 12,679 | 71.39% | 4,503 | 25.35% | 579 | 3.26% | 8,176 | 46.04% | 17,761 |
New Hanover | 19,060 | 74.41% | 5,894 | 23.01% | 661 | 2.58% | 13,166 | 51.40% | 25,615 |
Northampton | 2,997 | 47.71% | 3,233 | 51.46% | 52 | 0.83% | −236 | −3.75% | 6,282 |
Onslow | 10,343 | 80.05% | 2,424 | 18.76% | 154 | 1.19% | 7,919 | 61.29% | 12,921 |
Orange | 11,632 | 47.66% | 12,634 | 51.76% | 142 | 0.58% | −1,002 | −4.10% | 24,408 |
Pamlico | 1,847 | 66.11% | 919 | 32.89% | 28 | 1.00% | 928 | 33.22% | 2,794 |
Pasquotank | 3,906 | 63.07% | 2,115 | 34.15% | 172 | 2.78% | 1,791 | 28.92% | 6,193 |
Pender | 3,327 | 68.90% | 1,415 | 29.30% | 87 | 1.80% | 1,912 | 39.60% | 4,829 |
Perquimans | 1,299 | 62.57% | 723 | 34.83% | 54 | 2.60% | 576 | 27.74% | 2,076 |
Person | 5,941 | 71.89% | 2,246 | 27.18% | 77 | 0.93% | 3,695 | 44.71% | 8,264 |
Pitt | 14,406 | 70.41% | 5,858 | 28.63% | 195 | 0.96% | 8,548 | 41.78% | 20,459 |
Polk | 3,121 | 67.31% | 1,416 | 30.54% | 100 | 2.15% | 1,705 | 36.77% | 4,637 |
Randolph | 18,724 | 76.02% | 5,346 | 21.71% | 559 | 2.27% | 13,378 | 54.31% | 24,629 |
Richmond | 5,692 | 60.84% | 3,508 | 37.49% | 156 | 1.67% | 2,184 | 23.35% | 9,356 |
Robeson | 11,362 | 59.99% | 7,391 | 39.02% | 188 | 0.99% | 3,971 | 20.97% | 18,941 |
Rockingham | 14,519 | 71.15% | 5,530 | 27.10% | 358 | 1.75% | 8,989 | 44.05% | 20,407 |
Rowan | 20,735 | 73.34% | 6,834 | 24.17% | 705 | 2.49% | 13,901 | 49.17% | 28,274 |
Rutherford | 9,506 | 68.80% | 4,140 | 29.97% | 170 | 1.23% | 5,366 | 38.83% | 13,816 |
Sampson | 9,684 | 65.76% | 4,888 | 33.19% | 154 | 1.05% | 4,796 | 32.57% | 14,726 |
Scotland | 3,485 | 63.69% | 1,938 | 35.42% | 49 | 0.89% | 1,547 | 28.27% | 5,472 |
Stanly | 12,459 | 69.32% | 5,218 | 29.03% | 295 | 1.65% | 7,241 | 40.29% | 17,972 |
Stokes | 7,118 | 66.86% | 3,254 | 30.57% | 274 | 2.57% | 3,864 | 36.29% | 10,646 |
Surry | 10,497 | 67.78% | 4,706 | 30.39% | 284 | 1.83% | 5,791 | 37.39% | 15,487 |
Swain | 2,052 | 64.45% | 1,101 | 34.58% | 31 | 0.97% | 951 | 29.87% | 3,184 |
Transylvania | 5,860 | 69.73% | 2,321 | 27.62% | 223 | 2.65% | 3,539 | 42.11% | 8,404 |
Tyrrell | 676 | 59.30% | 459 | 40.26% | 5 | 0.44% | 217 | 19.04% | 1,140 |
Union | 10,264 | 71.60% | 3,886 | 27.11% | 186 | 1.29% | 6,378 | 44.49% | 14,336 |
Vance | 6,491 | 66.85% | 3,117 | 32.10% | 102 | 1.05% | 3,374 | 34.75% | 9,710 |
Wake | 56,808 | 70.32% | 22,807 | 28.23% | 1,174 | 1.45% | 34,001 | 42.09% | 80,789 |
Warren | 2,603 | 59.62% | 1,698 | 38.89% | 65 | 1.49% | 905 | 20.73% | 4,366 |
Washington | 2,559 | 61.65% | 1,546 | 37.24% | 46 | 1.11% | 1,013 | 24.41% | 4,151 |
Watauga | 6,017 | 62.85% | 3,451 | 36.05% | 105 | 1.10% | 2,566 | 26.80% | 9,573 |
Wayne | 14,352 | 72.33% | 5,234 | 26.38% | 256 | 1.29% | 9,118 | 45.95% | 19,842 |
Wilkes | 13,105 | 72.83% | 4,634 | 25.75% | 255 | 1.42% | 8,471 | 47.08% | 17,994 |
Wilson | 12,060 | 73.04% | 4,166 | 25.23% | 286 | 1.73% | 7,894 | 47.81% | 16,512 |
Yadkin | 6,824 | 79.16% | 1,592 | 18.47% | 205 | 2.37% | 5,232 | 60.69% | 8,621 |
Yancey | 3,106 | 57.10% | 2,278 | 41.88% | 56 | 1.02% | 828 | 15.22% | 5,440 |
Totals | 1,054,889 | 69.46% | 438,705 | 28.89% | 25,018 | 1.65% | 616,184 | 40.57% | 1,518,612 |
Notes
References
- ^ Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016.
- ^ David Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections; 1984 Presidential General Election Data Graphs – North Carolina
- ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 295.
- ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 335.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - NC US President - D Primary Race - May 06, 1972".
- ^ "Nixon May Sweep Dixie States". Corvallis Gazette-Times. Corvallis, Oregon. September 19, 1972. p. 24.
- ^ Phillips, Kevin P. (October 9, 1972). "Dixie May Swing Political Future". The Bradenton Herald. Bradenton, Florida. p. 7-B.
- ^ Furgursson, Ernest B. (October 25, 1972). "By Democrats in South — National Issues Ignored". The Austin American. Austin, Texas. p. 4.
- ^ "Nixon Expected To Sweep South". Sun Herald. Biloxi, Mississippi. November 5, 1972. p. C-9.
- ^ "1972 Presidential General Election Data Graphs – North Carolina". David Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
- ^ a b Our Campaigns; NC US President Race, November 07, 1972
Works cited
- Black, Earl; Black, Merle (1992). The Vital South: How Presidents Are Elected. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674941306.
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