The1972 United States presidential election in South Carolinatook place on November 7, 1972. All 50 states and theDistrict of Columbiawere part of the1972 United States presidential election.South Carolina voters chose 8 electors to theElectoral College,who voted forpresidentandvice president.
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County Results
Nixon 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-90%
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South Carolinaoverwhelmingly voted for theRepublicannominees, incumbentPresidentRichard NixonofCaliforniaand his running mateVice PresidentSpiro AgnewofMaryland.Nixon and Agnew defeated theDemocraticnominees,SenatorGeorge McGovernofSouth Dakotaand his running mate U.S. AmbassadorSargent ShriverofMaryland.
Nixon carried South Carolina with 70.58 percent of the vote to McGovern's 27.92 percent, a victory margin of 42.66 points.[1]This election provided the Republican Party with its best presidential result in South Carolina since 1872 and constitutes the only presidential election where the Republican candidate carried every county in the state. Nixon was also the first Republican since 1872 to carry the state twice.
This is the only time, as of the2020 presidential election,[update]thatMarlboro Countyhas voted for a Republican presidential candidate since that county was founded in 1896, and the last time whenOrangeburg County,Williamsburg County,Marion County,Fairfield County,Hampton County,Lee County,andAllendale Countyhave voted for a Republican presidential candidate.[2]McCormick Countywould not vote Republican again untilDonald Trumpwon it in 2016. Meanwhile,ClarendonandJaspercounties would not do so until Trump’s 2020 and 2024 victories, respectively.
Campaign
edit85% of white voters supported Nixon while 13% supported McGovern.[3][4]
This is the only time, as of the2020 presidential election,[update]thatMarlboro Countyhas voted for a Republican presidential candidate since that county was founded in 1896, and the last time whenOrangeburg County,Williamsburg County,Marion County,Fairfield County,Hampton County,Lee County,andAllendale Countyhave voted for a Republican presidential candidate.[2]
Polls
editSource | Rating | As of |
---|---|---|
Corvallis Gazette-Times[5] | Safe R | September 19, 1972 |
The Bradenton Herald[6] | Certain R | October 9, 1972 |
Sun Herald[7] | Certain R | November 5, 1972 |
Results
edit1972 United States presidential election in South Carolina[8] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes | |
Republican | Richard Nixon(incumbent) | 478,427 | 70.58% | 8 | |
Democratic | George McGovern | 189,270 | 27.92% | 0 | |
Independent | John G. Schmitz | 10,166 | 1.50% | 0 | |
Write-ins | Write-ins | 17[a] | 0.00% | 0 | |
Totals | 677,880 | 100.00% | 8 | ||
Voter turnout | - |
Results by county
editCounty | Richard Nixon Republican |
George McGovern Democratic |
John G. Schmitz Independent |
Margin | Total votes cast | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
Abbeville | 3,266 | 68.95% | 1,349 | 28.48% | 122 | 2.58% | 1,917 | 40.47% | 4,737 |
Aiken | 21,117 | 77.05% | 5,745 | 20.96% | 545 | 1.99% | 15,372 | 56.09% | 27,407 |
Allendale | 1,741 | 55.34% | 1,386 | 44.06% | 19 | 0.60% | 355 | 11.28% | 3,146 |
Anderson | 17,514 | 75.19% | 5,241 | 22.50% | 537 | 2.31% | 12,273 | 52.69% | 23,292 |
Bamberg | 2,537 | 59.65% | 1,680 | 39.50% | 36 | 0.85% | 857 | 20.15% | 4,253 |
Barnwell | 3,955 | 71.71% | 1,560 | 28.29% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,395 | 43.42% | 5,515 |
Beaufort | 5,929 | 64.12% | 3,237 | 35.01% | 81 | 0.88% | 2,692 | 29.11% | 9,247 |
Berkeley | 9,345 | 66.66% | 4,497 | 32.08% | 177 | 1.26% | 4,848 | 34.58% | 14,019 |
Calhoun | 1,867 | 60.91% | 1,148 | 37.46% | 50 | 1.63% | 719 | 23.45% | 3,065 |
Charleston | 39,863 | 68.79% | 16,855 | 29.09% | 1,229 | 2.12% | 23,008 | 39.70% | 57,947 |
Cherokee | 7,570 | 77.24% | 2,107 | 21.50% | 123 | 1.26% | 5,463 | 55.74% | 9,800 |
Chester | 4,724 | 66.20% | 2,352 | 32.96% | 60 | 0.84% | 2,372 | 33.24% | 7,136 |
Chesterfield | 5,230 | 63.56% | 2,938 | 35.70% | 61 | 0.74% | 2,292 | 27.86% | 8,229 |
Clarendon | 3,958 | 54.34% | 3,276 | 44.98% | 50 | 0.69% | 682 | 9.36% | 7,284 |
Colleton | 5,723 | 69.51% | 2,376 | 28.86% | 134 | 1.63% | 3,347 | 40.65% | 8,233 |
Darlington | 11,756 | 72.04% | 4,414 | 27.05% | 149 | 0.91% | 7,342 | 44.99% | 16,319 |
Dillon | 4,364 | 72.32% | 1,604 | 26.58% | 66 | 1.09% | 2,760 | 45.74% | 6,034 |
Dorchester | 8,095 | 68.11% | 3,606 | 30.34% | 185 | 1.56% | 4,489 | 37.77% | 11,886 |
Edgefield | 2,812 | 66.67% | 1,326 | 31.44% | 80 | 1.90% | 1,486 | 35.23% | 4,218 |
Fairfield | 2,608 | 50.68% | 2,492 | 48.43% | 46 | 0.89% | 116 | 2.25% | 5,146 |
Florence | 18,106 | 65.30% | 9,455 | 34.10% | 165 | 0.60% | 8,651 | 31.20% | 27,726 |
Georgetown | 6,114 | 57.27% | 4,446 | 41.64% | 116 | 1.09% | 1,668 | 15.63% | 10,676 |
Greenville | 46,360 | 79.62% | 10,143 | 17.42% | 1,726 | 2.96% | 36,217 | 62.20% | 58,229 |
Greenwood | 9,370 | 72.22% | 3,400 | 26.20% | 205 | 1.58% | 5,970 | 46.02% | 12,975 |
Hampton | 2,891 | 57.56% | 2,086 | 41.53% | 46 | 0.92% | 805 | 16.03% | 5,023 |
Horry | 15,324 | 76.84% | 4,437 | 22.25% | 183 | 0.92% | 10,887 | 54.59% | 19,944 |
Jasper | 1,650 | 57.21% | 1,203 | 41.71% | 31 | 1.07% | 447 | 15.50% | 2,884 |
Kershaw | 8,035 | 74.79% | 2,531 | 23.56% | 178 | 1.66% | 5,504 | 51.23% | 10,744 |
Lancaster | 9,016 | 77.86% | 2,461 | 21.25% | 103 | 0.89% | 6,555 | 56.61% | 11,580 |
Laurens | 8,141 | 74.46% | 2,650 | 24.24% | 142 | 1.30% | 5,491 | 50.22% | 10,933 |
Lee | 3,076 | 60.31% | 1,996 | 39.14% | 28 | 0.55% | 1,080 | 21.17% | 5,100 |
Le xing ton | 25,327 | 84.75% | 4,069 | 13.62% | 490 | 1.64% | 21,258 | 71.13% | 29,886 |
Marion | 4,719 | 64.66% | 2,545 | 34.87% | 34 | 0.47% | 2,174 | 29.79% | 7,298 |
Marlboro | 3,838 | 65.58% | 1,999 | 34.16% | 15 | 0.26% | 1,839 | 31.42% | 5,852 |
McCormick | 1,302 | 60.22% | 844 | 39.04% | 16 | 0.74% | 458 | 21.18% | 2,162 |
Newberry | 7,325 | 76.94% | 2,035 | 21.37% | 161 | 1.69% | 5,290 | 55.57% | 9,521 |
Oconee | 6,824 | 78.19% | 1,740 | 19.94% | 164 | 1.88% | 5,084 | 58.25% | 8,728 |
Orangeburg | 11,711 | 59.31% | 7,652 | 38.75% | 382 | 1.93% | 4,059 | 20.56% | 19,745 |
Pickens | 11,776 | 82.37% | 2,255 | 15.77% | 265 | 1.85% | 9,521 | 66.60% | 14,296 |
Richland | 39,746 | 64.11% | 21,462 | 34.62% | 787 | 1.27% | 18,284 | 29.49% | 61,995 |
Saluda | 3,095 | 73.85% | 1,022 | 24.39% | 74 | 1.77% | 2,073 | 49.46% | 4,191 |
Spartanburg | 31,308 | 75.34% | 9,586 | 23.07% | 662 | 1.59% | 21,722 | 52.27% | 41,556 |
Sumter | 10,892 | 64.83% | 5,801 | 34.53% | 107 | 0.64% | 5,091 | 30.30% | 16,800 |
Union | 8,337 | 75.35% | 2,676 | 24.18% | 52 | 0.47% | 5,661 | 51.17% | 11,065 |
Williamsburg | 5,729 | 52.01% | 5,213 | 47.33% | 73 | 0.66% | 516 | 4.68% | 11,015 |
York | 14,441 | 68.68% | 6,374 | 30.31% | 211 | 1.00% | 8,067 | 38.37% | 21,026 |
Totals | 478,427 | 70.58% | 189,270 | 27.92% | 10,166 | 1.50% | 289,157 | 42.66% | 677,880 |
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
edit- Allendale
- Bamberg
- Beaufort
- Berkeley
- Calhoun
- Chester
- Clarendon
- Dorchester
- Fairfield
- Georgetown
- Hampton
- Jasper
- Lee
- McCormick
- Marion
- Marlboro
- Orangeburg
- Sumter
- Williamsburg
Counties that flipped from American Independent to Republican
editNotes
editReferences
edit- ^"1972 Presidential General Election Results - South Carolina".Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.RetrievedOctober 2,2015.
- ^abSullivan, Robert David;‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’;America MagazineinThe National Catholic Review;June 29, 2016
- ^Black & Black 1992,p. 295.
- ^Black & Black 1992,p. 335.
- ^"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.
- ^"Nixon Expected To Sweep South".Sun Herald.Biloxi,Mississippi.November 5, 1972. p. C-9.
- ^"1972 Presidential General Election Results - South Carolina".Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.RetrievedOctober 2,2015.
- ^"SC US President Race, November 07, 1972".Our Campaigns.