1972 United States presidential election in South Carolina
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County Results
Nixon 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-90%
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Elections in South Carolina |
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The 1972 United States presidential election in South Carolina took place on November 7, 1972. All 50 states and the District of Columbia were part of the 1972 United States presidential election. South Carolina voters chose 8 electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
South Carolina overwhelmingly voted for the Republican nominees, incumbent President Richard Nixon of California and his running mate Vice President Spiro Agnew of Maryland. Nixon and Agnew defeated the Democratic nominees, Senator George McGovern of South Dakota and his running mate U.S. Ambassador Sargent Shriver of Maryland.
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. This election marks the last time South Carolina voted to the left of neighboring Georgia. Nixon was the first Republican since 1872 to carry the state twice.
This is the only time, as of the 2020 presidential election,[update] that Marlboro County has voted for a Republican presidential candidate since that county was founded in 1896, and the first time the Wallace counties of Union and Cherokee had ever voted Republican. Abbeville County, Anderson County, Chesterfield County, Lancaster County, and Oconee County voted Republican for the first time since 1872, while Chester County voted Republican for the first time since 1876.[2]
It is the last time, as of the 2020 presidential election,[update] when Orangeburg County, Williamsburg County, Marion County, Jasper County, Fairfield County, Hampton County, Lee County, and Allendale County have voted for a Republican presidential candidate.[3] McCormick County would not vote Republican again until Donald Trump in 2016, and Clarendon County until 2020.
Campaign
85% of white voters supported Nixon while 13% supported McGovern.[4][5]
This is the only time, as of the 2020 presidential election,[update] that Marlboro County has voted for a Republican presidential candidate since that county was founded in 1896, and the last time when Orangeburg County, Williamsburg County, Marion County, Jasper County, Fairfield County, Hampton County, Lee County, and Allendale County have voted for a Republican presidential candidate.[6]
Polls
Source | Rating | As of |
---|---|---|
Corvallis Gazette-Times[7] | Safe R | September 19, 1972 |
The Bradenton Herald[8] | Certain R | October 9, 1972 |
Sun Herald[9] | Certain R | November 5, 1972 |
Results
1972 United States presidential election in South Carolina[10] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
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
County | 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 |
Lexington | 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
- 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
- Abbeville
- Anderson
- Barnwell
- Cherokee
- Chesterfield
- Darlington
- Greenwood
- Horry
- Lancaster
- Oconee
- Saluda
- Union
Notes
References
- ^ "1972 Presidential General Election Results - South Carolina". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- ^ Menendez, Albert J. (2005). The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004. pp. 292–294. ISBN 0786422173.
- ^ Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
- ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 295.
- ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 335.
- ^ Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
- ^ "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. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- ^ "SC US President Race, November 07, 1972". Our Campaigns.