1972 United States presidential election in Maryland explained

See main article: 1972 United States presidential election.

Election Name:1972 United States presidential election in Maryland
Country:Maryland
Previous Election:1968 United States presidential election in Maryland
Previous Year:1968
Next Election:1976 United States presidential election in Maryland
Next Year:1976
Type:Presidential
Election Date:November 7, 1972
Ongoing:no
Votes For Election:All 10 Maryland electoral votes to the Electoral College
Image1:Richard Nixon presidential portrait (1).jpg
Nominee1:Richard Nixon
Party1:Republican Party (United States)
Home State1:California
Running Mate1:Spiro Agnew
Electoral Vote1:10
Popular Vote1:829,305
Percentage1:61.26%
Nominee2:George McGovern
Party2:Democratic Party (United States)
Home State2:South Dakota
Running Mate2:Sargent Shriver
Electoral Vote2:0
Popular Vote2:505,781
Percentage2:37.36%
Map Size:350px

The 1972 United States presidential election in Maryland was held on November 7, 1972, as part of the 1972 United States presidential election. Both the Democratic and Republican (Sargent Shriver and Spiro Agnew, respectively) Vice Presidential nominees were from Maryland.

Maryland was won by incumbent President Richard Nixon of California and Vice President Spiro Agnew (a Maryland native), winning 61.26% of the vote to George McGovern and Shriver's 37.36%. Nixon won every county in the state, only losing independent Baltimore City. He won over 77% of the vote in Carroll County, and over 70% in another eight counties. As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last time Prince George's County has voted Republican in a presidential election, the strongest performance by a Republican in Maryland, and the last time the Democratic candidate was held to under 60% of the vote in Baltimore City.[1] [2] and the last of only 7 occasions since the emergence of the Republican Party that Maryland has voted more Republican than the nation as a whole.[3]

A voting machine in the town of Saint Michaels malfunctioned on election day, causing only 14 of the 435 ballots cast on it to be properly recorded.[4] Circuit Judge Harry Clark barred the Talbot County Board of Election Supervisors from certifying the county's results until a revote was held at the affected polling location, which occurred on November 15.[5]

Of his three presidential campaigns, this was the only time Nixon carried the home state of his running mate. Nixon had lost Maryland in 1968 and had also failed to win Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.'s home state of Massachusetts in 1960.

Results

1972 United States presidential election in Maryland[6]
PartyCandidateRunning mateVotesPercentageElectoral votes
RepublicanRichard Nixon (incumbent)Spiro Agnew (incumbent)829,30561.26%10
DemocraticGeorge McGovernSargent Shriver505,78137.36%0
American IndependentThomas J. Anderson18,7261.38%0

Results by county

CountyRichard Nixon
Republican
George McGovern
Democratic
John G. Schmitz
American Independent
MarginTotal votes cast[7]
%%%%
Allegany20,68764.55%10,80833.72%5531.73%9,87930.83%32,048
Anne Arundel71,70772.26%26,08226.28%1,4501.46%45,62545.98%99,239
Baltimore175,89770.30%70,30928.10%4,0181.61%105,58842.20%250,224
Baltimore City119,48645.15%141,32353.40%3,8431.45%-21,837-8.25%264,652
Calvert4,02463.43%2,23235.18%881.39%1,79228.25%6,344
Caroline4,32572.71%1,56726.34%560.94%2,75846.37%5,948
Carroll16,84777.25%4,40820.21%5532.54%12,43957.04%21,808
Cecil10,75970.82%4,11327.08%3192.10%6,64643.74%15,191
Charles9,66567.34%4,50231.37%1861.30%5,16335.97%14,353
Dorchester6,85974.97%2,13623.35%1541.68%4,72351.62%9,149
Frederick19,90769.48%8,23528.74%5091.78%11,67240.74%28,651
Garrett5,48076.60%1,51021.11%1642.29%3,97055.49%7,154
Harford25,14173.16%8,73725.42%4881.42%16,40447.74%34,366
Howard19,26563.55%10,66835.19%3831.26%8,59728.36%30,316
Kent4,03664.36%2,16834.57%671.07%1,86829.79%6,271
Montgomery133,09056.50%100,22842.55%2,2390.95%32,86213.95%235,557
Prince George's116,16658.55%79,91440.28%2,3301.17%36,25218.27%198,410
Queen Anne's4,38070.45%1,71227.54%1252.01%2,66842.91%6,217
Somerset4,34267.33%2,03631.57%711.10%2,30635.76%6,449
St. Mary's7,68967.55%3,57131.37%1221.07%4,11836.18%11,382
Talbot6,62074.73%2,18124.62%580.65%4,43950.11%8,859
Washington24,23469.27%10,03928.70%7122.04%14,19540.57%34,985
Wicomico13,11569.71%5,51029.29%1901.01%7,60540.42%18,815
Worcester5,58475.22%1,79224.14%480.65%3,79251.08%7,424
Totals829,30561.26%505,78137.36%18,7261.38%323,52423.90%1,353,812

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Maryland - Google Drive . 2022-08-27 . docs.google.com.
  2. Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
  3. Counting the Votes; Maryland
  4. News: Early and Often. November 22, 2000. Seeley. John. LA Weekly. June 1, 2023.
  5. News: Polls Will Reopen for 435 Whose Votes Didn't Record. Associated Press. November 11, 1972. The New York Times. 21. limited.
  6. Book: Maryland Manual 1969–1970 . 473 . The Hall of Records Commission of the State of Maryland . May 12, 2019.
  7. Maryland State Board of Elections, ‘For President of the United States’ Maryland General Election Returns – November 7, 1972 (Annapolis, 1972)