1972 United States presidential election in Arkansas explained

See main article: 1972 United States presidential election.

Election Name:	1972 United States presidential election in Arkansas
Country:	Arkansas
Flag Year:	1924
Type:	presidential
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	1968 United States presidential election in Arkansas
Previous Year:	1968
Next Election:	1976 United States presidential election in Arkansas
Next Year:	1976
Election Date:	November 7, 1972^[1]
Image1:	Richard Nixon presidential portrait (1).jpg
Nominee1:	Richard Nixon
Party1:	Republican Party (United States)
Home State1:	California
Running Mate1:	Spiro Agnew
Electoral Vote1:	6
Popular Vote1:	445,751
Percentage1:	68.82%
Nominee2:	George McGovern
Party2:	Democratic Party (United States)
Home State2:	South Dakota
Running Mate2:	Sargent Shriver
Electoral Vote2:	0
Popular Vote2:	198,899
Percentage2:	30.71%
Map Size:	250px
President
Before Election:	Richard Nixon
Before Party:	Republican Party (United States)
After Election:	Richard Nixon
After Party:	Republican Party (United States)

The 1972 United States presidential election in Arkansas took place on November 7, 1972, as part of the 1972 United States presidential election. State voters chose six^[2] representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Arkansas was won by incumbent President Richard Nixon (R–California), with 68.82% of the popular vote, against George McGovern (D–South Dakota), with 30.71% of the popular vote.^{[3] [4]} John G. Schmitz was the only other candidate on the ballot, and, as the candidate for the American Independent Party, he received just over three thousand votes.

In a state that would reflect McGovern's national results,^{[5] [6]} the Democratic nominee did not win a single county in Arkansas. This marked the first time that Arkansas had voted Republican in a presidential election since Ulysses S. Grant carried the state in 1872, and made Nixon only the second Republican (after Grant) to ever carry the state., this remains the strongest-ever Republican presidential performance in Arkansas, the only time that a Republican has swept every county in the state, and, along with 1932, the second of two times any candidate has done so.

As of the 2024, this is the last presidential election in which the Republican carried Phillips County, Jefferson County, Lee County, and Chicot County in a presidential election. Jackson, Lincoln, and Clark counties would not vote Republican again until 2008, Woodruff County until 2016, and Desha County until 2024.^[7] 80% of white voters supported Nixon while 19% supported McGovern.

Results

Results by county

County	Richard Nixon Republican		George McGovern Democratic		John G. Schmitz American Independent		Margin		Totals votes cast
		%		%		%		%
	Arkansas		5,225		73.46%		1,849		25.99%		39		0.55%		3,376		47.47%		7,113
	Ashley		5,506		76.44%		1,680		23.32%		17		0.24%		3,826		53.12%		7,203
	Baxter		6,754		70.65%		2,677		28.00%		129		1.35%		4,077		42.65%		9,560
	Benton		14,621		77.86%		4,083		21.74%		74		0.39%		10,538		56.12%		18,778
	Boone		5,484		74.49%		1,862		25.29%		16		0.22%		3,622		49.20%		7,362
	Bradley		3,218		69.74%		1,368		29.65%		28		0.61%		1,850		40.09%		4,614
	Calhoun		1,298		64.26%		707		35.00%		15		0.74%		591		29.26%		2,020
	Carroll		3,565		70.09%		1,401		27.55%		120		2.36%		2,164		42.54%		5,086
	Chicot		2,858		65.96%		1,469		33.90%		6		0.14%		1,389		32.06%		4,333
	Clark		4,173		59.96%		2,741		39.38%		46		0.66%		1,432		20.58%		6,960
	Clay		4,381		69.39%		1,933		30.61%		0		0.00%		2,448		38.78%		6,314
	Cleburne		2,870		67.15%		1,400		32.76%		4		0.09%		1,470		34.39%		4,274
	Cleveland		1,837		71.45%		734		28.55%		0		0.00%		1,103		42.90%		2,571
	Columbia		5,801		72.30%		2,193		27.33%		29		0.36%		3,608		44.97%		8,023
	Conway		4,187		58.11%		3,009		41.76%		9		0.12%		1,178		16.35%		7,205
	Craighead		11,312		65.94%		5,843		34.06%		0		0.00%		5,469		31.88%		17,155
	Crawford		6,974		81.41%		1,520		17.74%		72		0.84%		5,454		63.67%		8,566
	Crittenden		7,971		71.06%		3,246		28.94%		0		0.00%		4,725		42.12%		11,217
	Cross		3,743		72.78%		1,221		23.74%		179		3.48%		2,522		49.04%		5,143
	Dallas		2,152		60.55%		1,402		39.45%		0		0.00%		750		21.10%		3,554
	Desha		3,385		66.92%		1,665		32.92%		8		0.16%		1,720		34.00%		5,058
	Drew		3,334		74.06%		1,168		25.94%		0		0.00%		2,166		48.12%		4,502
	Faulkner		6,746		59.44%		4,604		40.56%		0		0.00%		2,142		18.88%		11,350
	Franklin		3,678		74.60%		1,252		25.40%		0		0.00%		2,426		49.20%		4,930
	Fulton		2,030		67.89%		960		32.11%		0		0.00%		1,070		35.78%		2,990
	Garland		15,602		73.90%		5,207		24.66%		303		1.44%		10,395		49.24%		21,112
	Grant		2,414		67.41%		1,147		32.03%		20		0.56%		1,267		35.38%		3,581
	Greene		6,128		73.03%		2,263		26.97%		0		0.00%		3,865		46.06%		8,391
	Hempstead		4,963		70.80%		2,047		29.20%		0		0.00%		2,916		41.60%		7,010
	Hot Spring		5,378		64.54%		2,872		34.47%		83		1.00%		2,506		30.07%		8,333
	Howard		2,682		71.50%		1,069		28.50%		0		0.00%		1,613		43.00%		3,751
	Independence		5,076		65.74%		2,630		34.06%		15		0.19%		2,446		31.68%		7,721
	Izard		2,001		64.26%		1,108		35.58%		5		0.16%		893		28.68%		3,114
	Jackson		4,196		66.73%		2,092		33.27%		0		0.00%		2,104		33.46%		6,288
	Jefferson		16,888		61.95%		10,346		37.95%		26		0.10%		6,542		24.00%		27,260
	Johnson		4,107		66.76%		2,045		33.24%		0		0.00%		2,062		33.52%		6,152
	Lafayette		2,460		71.91%		952		27.83%		9		0.26%		1,508		44.08%		3,421
	Lawrence		3,981		69.45%		1,751		30.55%		0		0.00%		2,230		38.90%		5,732
	Lee		3,540		64.59%		1,907		34.79%		34		0.62%		1,633		29.80%		5,481
	Lincoln		2,318		67.52%		1,115		32.48%		0		0.00%		1,203		35.04%		3,433
	Little River		2,550		70.04%		1,091		29.96%		0		0.00%		1,459		40.08%		3,641
	Logan		4,964		71.42%		1,956		28.14%		30		0.43%		3,008		43.28%		6,950
	Lonoke		5,298		67.62%		2,504		31.96%		33		0.42%		2,794		35.66%		7,835
	Madison		3,372		64.09%		1,889		35.91%		0		0.00%		1,483		28.18%		5,261
	Marion		2,331		66.66%		1,108		31.68%		58		1.66%		1,223		34.98%		3,497
	Miller		8,355		74.53%		2,855		25.47%		0		0.00%		5,500		49.06%		11,210
	Mississippi		10,931		74.73%		3,544		24.23%		152		1.04%		7,387		50.50%		14,627
	Monroe		2,897		63.45%		1,578		34.56%		91		1.99%		1,319		28.89%		4,566
	Montgomery		1,555		68.17%		688		30.16%		38		1.67%		867		38.01%		2,281
	Nevada		2,513		68.07%		1,179		31.93%		0		0.00%		1,334		36.14%		3,692
	Newton		1,924		69.84%		831		30.16%		0		0.00%		1,093		39.68%		2,755
	Ouachita		6,620		62.68%		3,931		37.22%		11		0.10%		2,689		25.46%		10,562
	Perry		1,445		63.88%		810		35.81%		7		0.31%		635		28.07%		2,262
	Phillips		6,235		58.90%		4,283		40.46%		68		0.64%		1,952		18.44%		10,586
	Pike		2,316		73.69%		798		25.39%		29		0.92%		1,518		48.30%		3,143
	Poinsett		7,010		77.91%		1,908		21.20%		80		0.89%		5,102		56.71%		8,998
	Polk		3,609		74.83%		1,120		23.22%		94		1.95%		2,489		51.61%		4,823
	Pope		6,917		67.52%		3,302		32.23%		25		0.24%		3,615		35.29%		10,244
	Prairie		2,186		71.46%		873		28.54%		0		0.00%		1,313		42.92%		3,059
	Pulaski		57,576		62.95%		33,611		36.75%		281		0.31%		23,965		26.20%		91,468
	Randolph		2,578		62.83%		1,525		37.17%		0		0.00%		1,053		25.66%		4,103
	St. Francis		5,692		65.95%		2,674		30.98%		265		3.07%		3,018		34.97%		8,631
	Saline		7,972		63.64%		4,503		35.95%		52		0.42%		3,469		27.69%		12,527
	Scott		2,424		75.87%		771		24.13%		0		0.00%		1,653		51.74%		3,195
	Searcy		3,163		78.76%		853		21.24%		0		0.00%		2,310		57.52%		4,016
	Sebastian		25,219		81.23%		5,770		18.58%		58		0.19%		19,449		62.65%		31,047
	Sevier		2,526		69.91%		1,048		29.01%		39		1.08%		1,478		40.90%		3,613
	Sharp		2,677		69.71%		1,154		30.05%		9		0.23%		1,523		39.66%		3,840
	Stone		1,989		67.38%		958		32.45%		5		0.17%		1,031		34.93%		2,952
	Union		11,925		76.72%		3,531		22.72%		87		0.56%		8,394		54.00%		15,543
	Van Buren		2,622		61.91%		1,594		37.64%		19		0.45%		1,028		24.27%		4,235
	Washington		17,523		70.94%		7,108		28.78%		70		0.28%		10,415		42.16%		24,701
	White		8,701		67.24%		4,161		32.15%		79		0.61%		4,540		35.09%		12,941
	Woodruff		1,989		61.73%		1,183		36.72%		50		1.55%		806		25.01%		3,222
	Yell		3,310		66.48%		1,669		33.52%		0		0.00%		1,641		32.96%		4,979
Totals	445,751	68.82%	198,899	30.71%	3,016	0.47%	246,852	38.11%	647,666

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

• Chicot
• Conway
  • Johnson Lee
• Phillips

Counties that flipped from American Independent to Republican

• • • • • Arkansas Ashley Bradley Calhoun Clark
• Cleburne
• Columbia
  • Cleveland Craighead
• Crawford
• Cross
• Crittenden
• Dallas
• Desha
• Faulkner
• Drew
• Franklin
  • Grant Greene
  • Hempstead Howard
• Hot Spring
• Izard
• Jackson
• Jefferson
• Lafayette
  • Lawrence Lincoln
• Little River
• Lonoke
  • Mississippi Monroe
• Miller
  • • • • Montgomery Nevada Ouachita Perry Pike
      • Poinsett Prairie Randolph St. Francis
      • Saline Scott Sevier Sharp
• White
• Yell
• Union
• Woodruff

See also

• United States presidential elections in Arkansas

Works cited

• Book: Black . Earl . Earl Black (political scientist) . Black . Merle . Merle Black . The Vital South: How Presidents Are Elected . . 1992 . 0674941306.

Notes and References

1. Web site: United States Presidential election of 1972 - Encyclopædia Britannica. January 7, 2017.
2. Web site: 1972 Election for the Forty-Seventh Term (1973-77). January 7, 2017.
3. Web site: 1972 Presidential General Election Results - Arkansas. January 7, 2017.
4. Web site: The American Presidency Project - Election of 1972. January 7, 2017.
5. Web site: 1972 Presidential Election - 270toWin.com . January 7, 2017.
6. Web site: 1972 Election - Voting America . January 7, 2017.
7. Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016