See main article: 1972 United States presidential election.
| Election Name: | 1972 United States presidential election in Delaware |
| Country: | Delaware |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1968 United States presidential election in Delaware |
| Previous Year: | 1968 |
| Next Election: | 1976 United States presidential election in Delaware |
| Next Year: | 1976 |
| Election Date: | November 7, 1972 |
| Image1: | Richard Nixon presidential portrait (1).jpg |
| Nominee1: | Richard Nixon |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Home State1: | California |
| Running Mate1: | Spiro Agnew |
| Electoral Vote1: | 3 |
| Popular Vote1: | 140,357 |
| Percentage1: | 59.60% |
| Nominee2: | George McGovern |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Home State2: | South Dakota |
| Running Mate2: | Sargent Shriver |
| Electoral Vote2: | 0 |
| Popular Vote2: | 92,283 |
| Percentage2: | 39.18% |
| Map Size: | 210px |
| 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 Delaware took place on November 7, 1972. All 50 states and the District of Columbia were part of the 1972 United States presidential election. State voters chose three electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
Delaware was won by 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 Delaware with 59.60% of the vote to McGovern's 39.18%, a victory margin of 20.42%, which made Delaware almost 3% more Democratic than the nation-at-large.
Despite Nixon's landslide victory in the state, incumbent Republican Senator J. Caleb Boggs was unexpectedly defeated for reelection by 29-year-old New Castle County councilman Joe Biden in the concurrent Senate election in Delaware. Biden would be elected president himself 48 years later.
| 1972 United States presidential election in Delaware[1] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes | ||
| Republican | Richard Nixon (incumbent) | 140,357 | 59.60% | 3 | ||
| Democratic | 92,283 | 39.18% | 0 | |||
| American Independent | John G. Schmitz | 2,638 | 1.12% | 0 | ||
| Prohibition | E. Harold Munn | 238 | 0.10% | 0 | ||
| Totals | 235,516 | 100.00% | 3 | |||
| Voter turnout | — | |||||
| County | Richard Nixon Republican | George McGovern Democratic | Various candidates Other parties | Margin | Total votes cast | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | ||||||||||||||||
| Kent | 17,712 | 62.03% | 10,463 | 36.64% | 381 | 1.33% | 7,249 | 25.39% | 28,556 | ||||||||||
| New Castle | 100,681 | 58.21% | 70,190 | 40.58% | 2,085 | 1.21% | 30,491 | 17.63% | 172,956 | ||||||||||
| Sussex | 21,964 | 64.59% | 11,630 | 34.20% | 410 | 1.21% | 10,334 | 30.39% | 34,004 | ||||||||||
| Totals | 140,357 | 59.60% | 92,283 | 39.18% | 2,876 | 1.22% | 48,074 | 20.42% | 235,516 | ||||||||||