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1972 United States presidential election in Wisconsin

Main article: 1972 United States presidential election

The 1972 United States presidential election in Wisconsin was held on November 7, 1972 as part of the 1972 United States presidential election. Incumbent President Richard Nixon won the state of Wisconsin with 53.40 percent of the vote, carrying the state's 11 electoral votes,[1] although Wisconsin was the fifth most Democratic state during the election, voting 13.48 points more Democratic than the nation as a whole. In no other election since the emergence of the Republican Party has Wisconsin voted so much more Democratic than the country as a whole.[2]

1972 United States presidential election in Wisconsin
← 1968 November 7, 1972 1976 →
 
Nominee Richard Nixon George McGovern
Party Republican Democratic
Home state California South Dakota
Running mate Spiro Agnew Sargent Shriver
Electoral vote 11 0
Popular vote 989,430 810,174
Percentage 53.40% 43.72%
County Results
President before election

Richard Nixon
Republican

Elected President

Richard Nixon
Republican

McGovern won seven counties (out of 131 county-equivalents including three in Alaska that he won nationally)[3] receiving as usual his highest vote in almost wholly Native American Menominee County where he won 62.3 percent of the vote. McGovern and Shriver also achieved clear majorities in Milwaukee, Dane, Ashland, Douglas and Portage Counties, and Rusk County by 1.1 points. Nixon won Manitowoc County by one hundred and ten votes, achieved pluralities in Pepin, Chippewa and Forest Counties, and won majorities in the remaining sixty-one – the largest being in Waupaca County where Nixon won by forty-two percentage points. Rusk County was one of six nationwide (outside of McGovern's home state of South Dakota) to flip Democratic from the previous election.

Nixon became the first Republican since Warren G. Harding in 1920 to win Iron County, and was the last Republican until Donald Trump in 2016 to win Pepin and Kenosha Counties, and remains the last Republican to claim Bayfield County.[4]

Primaries

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Democratic

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1972 Wisconsin Democratic Party presidential primary
 
← 1968 April 4, 1972 1976 →
       
Candidate George McGovern George Wallace Hubert Humphrey
Home state South Dakota Alabama Minnesota
Popular vote 333,528 248,676 233,748
Percentage 29.55% 22.03% 20.71%
     
Candidate Edmund Muskie Henry M. Jackson John Lindsay
Home state Maine Washington New York
Popular vote 115,811 88,068 75,579
Percentage 10.26% 7.80% 6.70%
 
County Results

George McGovern defeated Alabama Governor, George Wallace, and previous Democratic nominee, Hubert Humphrey in the Wisconsin presidential primary on April 4, 1972

Democratic primary results[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic George S. McGovern 333,528 29.55%
Democratic George Wallace 248,676 22.03%
Democratic Hubert H. Humphrey 233,748 20.71%
Democratic Edmund S. Muskie 115,811 10.26%
Democratic Henry M. Jackson 88,068 7.80%
Democratic John V. Lindsay 75,579 6.70%
Democratic Eugene McCarthy 15,543 1.38%
Democratic Shirley Chisholm 9,198 0.82%
Democratic None of These Names Shown 2,450 0.22%
Democratic Samuel Yorty 2,349 0.21%
Democratic Patsy T. Mink 1,213 0.11%
Democratic Wilbur D. Mills 913 0.08%
Democratic Vance Hartke 766 0.07%
Democratic Edward Kennedy (write-in) 183 0.02%
Democratic Scattering[a] 559 0.05%
Total votes 1,128,584 100.00%

Republican

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Incumbent president Richard Nixon easily defeated token opposition from Pete McCloskey and John M. Ashbrook.

Republican primary results[6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Richard M. Nixon 277,601 96.91%
Republican Pete McCloskey 3,651 1.27%
Republican John M. Ashbrook 2,604 0.91%
Republican None of These Names Shown 2,315 0.81%
Republican George Wallace (write-in) 46 0.02%
Republican Scattering[a] 227 0.08%
Total votes 286,444 100.00%

Results

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1972 United States presidential election in Wisconsin[7][8]
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Republican Richard Nixon (incumbent) 989,430 53.40% 11
Democratic George McGovern 810,174 43.72% 0
American John G. Schmitz 47,525 2.56% 0
People's[b] Benjamin Spock 2,701 0.15% 0
Socialist Labor[c] Louis Fisher 998 0.05% 0
Communist[d] Gus Hall 663 0.04% 0
Socialist Workers[e] Evelyn Reed 506 0.03% 0
Write-in Scattering[f] 893 0.05% 0
Totals 1,852,890 100.00% 11

Results by county

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County[7][8] Richard Nixon
Republican 		George McGovern
Democratic 		John G. Schmitz
American 		Benjamin Spock
People's 		All Others
Various 		Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # % # % # %
Adams 2,200 53.18% 1,833 44.31% 96 2.32% 3 0.07% 5 0.12% 367 8.87% 4,137
Ashland 3,478 46.91% 3,771 50.86% 135 1.82% 5 0.07% 25 0.34% -293 -3.95% 7,414
Barron 8,418 59.89% 5,376 38.25% 211 1.50% 21 0.15% 29 0.21% 3,042 21.64% 14,055
Bayfield 3,045 51.79% 2,736 46.54% 74 1.26% 4 0.07% 20 0.34% 309 5.26% 5,879
Brown 37,101 56.49% 26,511 40.37% 1,907 2.90% 94 0.14% 62 0.09% 10,590 16.12% 65,675
Buffalo 3,079 54.28% 2,461 43.39% 110 1.94% 4 0.07% 18 0.32% 618 10.90% 5,672
Burnett 2,972 54.37% 2,389 43.71% 92 1.68% 8 0.15% 5 0.09% 583 10.66% 5,466
Calumet 6,446 55.85% 4,804 41.62% 243 2.11% 31 0.27% 18 0.16% 1,642 14.23% 11,542
Chippewa 8,451 49.35% 8,210 47.95% 416 2.43% 34 0.20% 12 0.07% 241 1.40% 17,123
Clark 7,138 56.47% 4,617 36.52% 859 6.80% 18 0.14% 9 0.07% 2,521 19.95% 12,641
Columbia 10,122 58.02% 7,083 40.60% 216 1.24% 11 0.06% 15 0.09% 3,039 17.42% 17,447
Crawford 3,705 58.67% 2,487 39.38% 115 1.82% 5 0.08% 3 0.05% 1,218 19.29% 6,315
Dane 56,020 40.84% 79,567 58.00% 1,040 0.76% 219 0.16% 331 0.24% -23,547 -17.17% 137,177
Dodge 17,068 61.54% 9,898 35.69% 715 2.58% 29 0.10% 27 0.10% 7,170 25.85% 27,737
Door 6,503 64.25% 3,430 33.89% 167 1.65% 18 0.18% 3 0.03% 3,073 30.36% 10,121
Douglas 8,419 42.58% 11,054 55.91% 202 1.02% 36 0.18% 60 0.30% -2,635 -13.33% 19,771
Dunn 6,660 53.00% 5,681 45.21% 185 1.47% 16 0.13% 23 0.18% 979 7.79% 12,565
Eau Claire 15,883 51.28% 14,300 46.17% 671 2.17% 57 0.18% 60 0.19% 1,583 5.11% 30,971
Florence 971 54.06% 757 42.15% 64 3.56% 1 0.06% 3 0.17% 214 11.91% 1,796
Fond du Lac 21,007 60.94% 12,050 34.96% 1,291 3.75% 55 0.16% 67 0.19% 8,957 25.98% 34,470
Forest 1,856 49.77% 1,678 45.00% 190 5.10% 4 0.11% 1 0.03% 178 4.77% 3,729
Grant 11,873 62.29% 6,915 36.28% 240 1.26% 15 0.08% 18 0.09% 4,958 26.01% 19,061
Green 7,422 66.14% 3,634 32.38% 145 1.29% 13 0.12% 8 0.07% 3,788 33.76% 11,222
Green Lake 5,046 67.67% 2,174 29.15% 227 3.04% 6 0.08% 4 0.05% 2,872 38.52% 7,457
Iowa 4,387 57.53% 3,131 41.06% 97 1.27% 7 0.09% 4 0.05% 1,256 16.47% 7,626
Iron 1,723 49.93% 1,648 47.75% 70 2.03% 5 0.14% 5 0.14% 75 2.18% 3,451
Jackson 3,937 60.79% 2,445 37.75% 84 1.30% 9 0.14% 1 0.02% 1,492 23.04% 6,476
Jefferson 14,621 59.32% 9,303 37.74% 611 2.48% 22 0.09% 91 0.37% 5,318 21.58% 24,648
Juneau 4,833 60.19% 2,943 36.65% 237 2.95% 7 0.09% 10 0.12% 1,890 23.54% 8,030
Kenosha 24,041 53.93% 19,441 43.61% 966 2.17% 66 0.15% 62 0.14% 4,600 10.32% 44,576
Kewaunee 4,802 57.15% 3,360 39.99% 229 2.73% 11 0.13% 1 0.01% 1,442 17.16% 8,403
La Crosse 21,992 63.29% 12,152 34.97% 541 1.56% 36 0.10% 25 0.07% 9,840 28.32% 34,746
Lafayette 4,898 62.91% 2,804 36.01% 73 0.94% 6 0.08% 5 0.06% 2,094 26.90% 7,786
Langlade 4,368 57.26% 3,011 39.47% 238 3.12% 6 0.08% 6 0.08% 1,357 17.79% 7,629
Lincoln 6,206 57.25% 4,175 38.51% 437 4.03% 11 0.10% 11 0.10% 2,031 18.74% 10,840
Manitowoc 16,599 48.48% 16,489 48.16% 1,070 3.13% 38 0.11% 41 0.12% 110 0.32% 34,237
Marathon 21,454 51.24% 18,500 44.18% 1,813 4.33% 42 0.10% 63 0.15% 2,954 7.05% 41,872
Marinette 8,740 57.36% 5,900 38.72% 537 3.52% 40 0.26% 21 0.14% 2,840 18.64% 15,238
Marquette 2,682 62.53% 1,537 35.84% 54 1.26% 6 0.14% 10 0.23% 1,145 26.70% 4,289
Menominee 355 36.37% 608 62.30% 11 1.13% 2 0.20% 0 0.00% -253 -25.93% 976
Milwaukee 191,874 46.02% 210,802 50.55% 12,567 3.01% 724 0.17% 1,010 0.24% -18,928 -4.54% 416,977
Monroe 7,625 66.68% 3,640 31.83% 149 1.30% 10 0.09% 12 0.10% 3,985 34.85% 11,436
Oconto 6,511 59.38% 4,041 36.85% 385 3.51% 13 0.12% 15 0.14% 2,470 22.53% 10,965
Oneida 6,811 58.83% 4,262 36.81% 471 4.07% 23 0.20% 10 0.09% 2,549 22.02% 11,577
Outagamie 27,533 59.80% 17,447 37.89% 896 1.95% 101 0.22% 67 0.15% 10,086 21.91% 46,044
Ozaukee 15,759 61.88% 8,503 33.39% 1,149 4.51% 20 0.08% 35 0.14% 7,256 28.49% 25,466
Pepin 1,458 49.21% 1,409 47.55% 86 2.90% 5 0.17% 5 0.17% 49 1.65% 2,963
Pierce 5,899 50.35% 5,611 47.89% 184 1.57% 10 0.09% 12 0.10% 288 2.46% 11,716
Polk 6,567 52.40% 5,738 45.78% 204 1.63% 11 0.09% 13 0.10% 829 6.62% 12,533
Portage 9,346 40.04% 13,564 58.11% 365 1.56% 46 0.20% 20 0.09% -4,218 -18.07% 23,341
Price 3,694 54.39% 2,831 41.68% 250 3.68% 2 0.03% 15 0.22% 863 12.71% 6,792
Racine 38,490 56.41% 27,778 40.71% 1,785 2.62% 101 0.15% 82 0.12% 10,712 15.70% 68,236
Richland 5,062 66.14% 2,492 32.56% 90 1.18% 3 0.04% 7 0.09% 2,570 33.58% 7,654
Rock 30,361 58.03% 21,033 40.20% 823 1.57% 65 0.12% 37 0.07% 9,328 17.83% 52,319
Rusk 3,007 47.89% 3,075 48.97% 176 2.80% 10 0.16% 11 0.18% -68 -1.08% 6,279
Sauk 10,285 58.70% 6,980 39.84% 204 1.16% 12 0.07% 41 0.23% 3,305 18.86% 17,522
Sawyer 3,081 62.52% 1,765 35.82% 72 1.46% 7 0.14% 3 0.06% 1,316 26.70% 4,928
Shawano 8,807 66.95% 3,940 29.95% 378 2.87% 7 0.05% 22 0.17% 4,867 37.00% 13,154
Sheboygan 21,500 49.38% 21,114 48.50% 779 1.79% 81 0.19% 63 0.14% 386 0.89% 43,537
St. Croix 8,553 52.50% 7,488 45.96% 213 1.31% 21 0.13% 16 0.10% 1,065 6.54% 16,291
Taylor 4,125 55.76% 2,934 39.66% 313 4.23% 4 0.05% 22 0.30% 1,191 16.10% 7,398
Trempealeau 5,723 56.69% 4,232 41.92% 126 1.25% 4 0.04% 10 0.10% 1,491 14.77% 10,095
Vernon 6,836 65.71% 3,407 32.75% 127 1.22% 10 0.10% 23 0.22% 3,429 32.96% 10,403
Vilas 4,422 65.92% 1,907 28.43% 366 5.46% 4 0.06% 9 0.13% 2,515 37.49% 6,708
Walworth 17,823 65.95% 8,598 31.82% 485 1.79% 38 0.14% 79 0.29% 9,225 34.14% 27,023
Washburn 3,220 56.84% 2,336 41.24% 96 1.69% 6 0.11% 7 0.12% 884 15.60% 5,665
Washington 15,338 56.76% 10,434 38.61% 1,161 4.30% 45 0.17% 46 0.17% 4,904 18.15% 27,024
Waukesha 59,399 60.85% 34,573 35.42% 3,404 3.49% 151 0.15% 95 0.10% 24,826 25.43% 97,622
Waupaca 11,040 70.07% 4,418 28.04% 257 1.63% 20 0.13% 20 0.13% 6,622 42.03% 15,755
Waushara 4,466 66.27% 2,094 31.07% 166 2.46% 8 0.12% 5 0.07% 2,372 35.20% 6,739
Winnebago 29,488 57.28% 20,450 39.72% 1,400 2.72% 93 0.18% 51 0.10% 9,038 17.56% 51,482
Wood 14,806 54.88% 10,415 38.60% 1,719 6.37% 25 0.09% 15 0.06% 4,391 16.28% 26,980
Totals 989,430 53.40% 810,174 43.72% 47,525 2.56% 2,701 0.15% 3,060 0.17% 179,256 9.67% 1,852,890

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

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Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

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Electors

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These were the names of the electors on each ticket.[7]

Richard M. Nixon
& Spiro Agnew
Republican Party 		George McGovern
& Sargent Shriver
Democratic Party 		John G. Schmitz
& Thomas J. Anderson
American Party
  • Harold V. Froelich
  • Robert Warren
  • Merrill Stalbaum
  • Esther Doughty Luckhardt
  • Elaine Yerly
  • James C. Devitt
  • David Sullivan
  • Ernest Keppler
  • Daniel Theo
  • Gerald Lorge
  • Byron Wackett
  • Patrick J. Lucey
  • Martin Schreiber
  • Arnold Goodman
  • Charles P. Smith
  • Harvey L. Dueholm
  • Roger Szymanski
  • Ray Majerus
  • Anthony Werner
  • Mrs. Milton Schneider
  • Larry Longley
  • Jeanette Swed
  • John Couture
  • Joseph Birkenstock
  • Robert Morgan
  • Karl E. Koehler
  • Keith Ellison
  • John Zierhut
  • Earl Denny
  • Harvey Raidy
  • R. David Pennings
  • Edward Duquaine
  • David Beirle
Benjamin Spock
& Julius Hobson
People's Party 		Louis Fisher
& Genevieve Gunderson
Socialist Labor Party 		Gus Hall
& Jarvis Tyner
Communist Party 		Evelyn Reed
& Clifton DeBerry
Socialist Workers Party
  • James E. Bouton
  • Rohn F. Webb
  • Dale E. Najdowski
  • Elizabeth Boardman
  • David Webb
  • Richard Crawford
  • John Gnewuch
  • Gene J. Shermeister
  • Pope Wright
  • Lester Sieglaff
  • Daniel D. Olson
  • Louis Fisher
  • Genevieve Gunderson
  • Martin Tobert
  • Henry A. Ochsner
  • C. James Matuschka
  • Arthur Wepfer
  • Adolf Wiggert
  • Alfred Teichert
  • Clarence Wardall
  • Anton Jonas
  • Carol Cozzini
  • Eino Maatta
  • Lucille Berrien
  • Alex Regis Broeske
  • Marianne Rice
  • Irene Zvaigznitis
  • John G. Repensek
  • Mary E. Blair
  • Ida Gudex
  • Joe A. Lima
  • Lillian Rahkonen
  • Ernst Ave Lallemont
  • Patrick M. Quinn
  • Martha M. Quinn
  • John P. Holton
  • Gregory Spicer
  • Susan E. James
  • Sam K. Hunt
  • Walter L. Chesser
  • Douglas G. Zoerb
  • Mark E. Kiland
  • Linda T. Montello
  • Thomas T. Tank

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b Not listed directly in the Blue Book but can be obtained by subtracting the candidate totals from the statewide and county totals.
  2. ^ "Independent People's Party"
  3. ^ "Independent Socialist Labor"
  4. ^ "Independent Communist Party USA"
  5. ^ "Independent Socialist Workers"
  6. ^ Not listed in the 1973 Blue Book, but are shown separately by county in the Board of Canvassers report

References

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  1. ^ "1972 Presidential General Election Results – Wisconsin". Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  2. ^ Counting the Votes; Wisconsin Archived 2017-01-01 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ ‘1972 Presidential Election Statistics’
  4. ^ Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
  5. ^ Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. "Democratic Presidential Preference Vote By County". The State of Wisconsin Blue Book 1973. Madison, Wisconsin. pp. 786–787.
  6. ^ Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. "Republican Presidential Preference Vote By County". The State of Wisconsin Blue Book 1973. Madison, Wisconsin. p. 792.
  7. ^ a b c Wisconsin Historical Society, Statement of Board of State Canvassers for President, Vice President and Presidential Electors - General Election - November 7, 1972
  8. ^ a b Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. "Vote For President And Vice President By County". The State of Wisconsin Blue Book 1973. Madison, Wisconsin. p. 817.
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