See main article: 1972 United States presidential election.
| Election Name: | 1972 United States presidential election in Montana |
| Country: | Montana |
| Flag Year: | 1905 |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1968 United States presidential election in Montana |
| Previous Year: | 1968 |
| Next Election: | 1976 United States presidential election in Montana |
| Next Year: | 1976 |
| Image1: | Richard Nixon presidential portrait (1).jpg |
| Nominee1: | Richard Nixon |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Home State1: | California |
| Running Mate1: | Spiro Agnew |
| Electoral Vote1: | 4 |
| Popular Vote1: | 183,976 |
| Percentage1: | 57.93% |
| Nominee2: | George McGovern |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Home State2: | South Dakota |
| Running Mate2: | Sargent Shriver |
| Electoral Vote2: | 0 |
| Popular Vote2: | 120,197 |
| Percentage2: | 37.85% |
| Map Size: | 350px |
| 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 Montana took place on November 7, 1972, and was part of the 1972 United States presidential election. Voters chose four representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
Montana strongly voted for the Republican nominee, President Richard Nixon, over the Democratic nominee, Senator George McGovern. Nixon won Montana by a margin of 20.08%, making Montana around 4% more Democratic than the nation at large; McGovern's vote share was 0.4% higher than it was nationally. This was the first time since 1928 that Sheridan County voted Republican. As of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, this is the last time Montana shifted in favor of the incumbent President's party, as in the 12 subsequent presidential elections after 1972, it would shift away from every incumbent President's party.
| 1972 United States presidential election in Montana[1] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes | ||
| Republican | Richard Nixon (incumbent) | 183,976 | 57.93% | 4 | ||
| Democratic | George McGovern | 120,197 | 37.85% | 0 | ||
| American Independent | John G. Schmitz | 13,430 | 4.23% | 0 | ||
| Totals | 317,603 | 100.00% | 4 | |||
| County | Richard Nixon Republican | George McGovern Democratic | John G. Schmitz American Independent | Margin | Total votes cast | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | ||||||||||||||||
| Beaverhead | 2,460 | 71.99% | 775 | 22.68% | 182 | 5.33% | 1,685 | 49.31% | 3,417 | ||||||||||
| Big Horn | 2,148 | 56.17% | 1,552 | 40.59% | 124 | 3.24% | 596 | 15.58% | 3,824 | ||||||||||
| Blaine | 1,513 | 54.44% | 1,151 | 41.42% | 115 | 4.14% | 362 | 13.02% | 2,779 | ||||||||||
| Broadwater | 916 | 66.57% | 411 | 29.87% | 49 | 3.56% | 505 | 36.70% | 1,376 | ||||||||||
| Carbon | 2,378 | 61.91% | 1,292 | 33.64% | 171 | 4.45% | 1,086 | 28.27% | 3,841 | ||||||||||
| Carter | 726 | 73.86% | 218 | 22.18% | 39 | 3.97% | 508 | 51.68% | 983 | ||||||||||
| Cascade | 16,159 | 52.40% | 12,899 | 41.83% | 1,778 | 5.77% | 3,260 | 10.57% | 30,836 | ||||||||||
| Chouteau | 2,027 | 59.64% | 1,149 | 33.80% | 223 | 6.56% | 878 | 25.84% | 3,399 | ||||||||||
| Custer | 3,486 | 63.31% | 1,875 | 34.05% | 145 | 2.63% | 1,611 | 29.26% | 5,506 | ||||||||||
| Daniels | 973 | 61.82% | 570 | 36.21% | 31 | 1.97% | 403 | 25.61% | 1,574 | ||||||||||
| Dawson | 3,207 | 63.96% | 1,685 | 33.61% | 122 | 2.43% | 1,522 | 30.35% | 5,014 | ||||||||||
| Deer Lodge | 2,373 | 35.93% | 3,979 | 60.25% | 252 | 3.82% | -1,606 | -24.32% | 6,604 | ||||||||||
| Fallon | 1,034 | 64.46% | 531 | 33.10% | 39 | 2.43% | 503 | 31.36% | 1,604 | ||||||||||
| Fergus | 4,082 | 67.48% | 1,652 | 27.31% | 315 | 5.21% | 2,430 | 40.17% | 6,049 | ||||||||||
| Flathead | 10,417 | 60.72% | 5,412 | 31.55% | 1,327 | 7.73% | 5,005 | 29.17% | 17,156 | ||||||||||
| Gallatin | 10,663 | 66.28% | 5,096 | 31.68% | 329 | 2.05% | 5,567 | 34.60% | 16,088 | ||||||||||
| Garfield | 695 | 77.83% | 173 | 19.37% | 25 | 2.80% | 522 | 58.46% | 893 | ||||||||||
| Glacier | 2,143 | 56.11% | 1,469 | 38.47% | 207 | 5.42% | 674 | 17.64% | 3,819 | ||||||||||
| Golden Valley | 359 | 64.92% | 170 | 30.74% | 24 | 4.34% | 189 | 34.18% | 553 | ||||||||||
| Granite | 804 | 62.28% | 422 | 32.69% | 65 | 5.03% | 382 | 29.59% | 1,291 | ||||||||||
| Hill | 3,759 | 53.06% | 3,061 | 43.20% | 265 | 3.74% | 698 | 9.86% | 7,085 | ||||||||||
| Jefferson | 1,281 | 56.06% | 904 | 39.56% | 100 | 4.38% | 377 | 16.50% | 2,285 | ||||||||||
| Judith Basin | 961 | 59.54% | 557 | 34.51% | 96 | 5.95% | 404 | 25.03% | 1,614 | ||||||||||
| Lake | 4,172 | 62.09% | 2,260 | 33.64% | 287 | 4.27% | 1,912 | 28.45% | 6,719 | ||||||||||
| Lewis and Clark | 10,719 | 61.90% | 6,081 | 35.12% | 516 | 2.98% | 4,638 | 26.78% | 17,316 | ||||||||||
| Liberty | 808 | 65.43% | 365 | 29.55% | 62 | 5.02% | 443 | 35.88% | 1,235 | ||||||||||
| Lincoln | 3,276 | 52.77% | 2,402 | 38.69% | 530 | 8.54% | 874 | 14.08% | 6,208 | ||||||||||
| McCone | 854 | 58.29% | 562 | 38.36% | 49 | 3.34% | 292 | 19.93% | 1,465 | ||||||||||
| Madison | 1,780 | 68.78% | 669 | 25.85% | 139 | 5.37% | 1,111 | 42.93% | 2,588 | ||||||||||
| Meagher | 674 | 71.55% | 230 | 24.42% | 38 | 4.03% | 444 | 47.13% | 942 | ||||||||||
| Mineral | 706 | 49.75% | 659 | 46.44% | 54 | 3.81% | 47 | 3.31% | 1,419 | ||||||||||
| Missoula | 15,557 | 51.77% | 13,784 | 45.87% | 708 | 2.36% | 1,773 | 5.90% | 30,049 | ||||||||||
| Musselshell | 1,202 | 61.11% | 689 | 35.03% | 76 | 3.86% | 513 | 26.08% | 1,967 | ||||||||||
| Park | 3,771 | 63.89% | 1,923 | 32.58% | 208 | 3.52% | 1,848 | 31.31% | 5,902 | ||||||||||
| Petroleum | 232 | 71.38% | 87 | 26.77% | 6 | 1.85% | 145 | 44.61% | 325 | ||||||||||
| Phillips | 1,659 | 64.88% | 828 | 32.38% | 70 | 2.74% | 831 | 32.50% | 2,557 | ||||||||||
| Pondera | 1,890 | 57.41% | 1,215 | 36.91% | 187 | 5.68% | 675 | 20.50% | 3,292 | ||||||||||
| Powder River | 844 | 69.35% | 267 | 21.94% | 106 | 8.71% | 577 | 47.41% | 1,217 | ||||||||||
| Powell | 1,720 | 59.68% | 1,050 | 36.43% | 112 | 3.89% | 670 | 23.25% | 2,882 | ||||||||||
| Prairie | 685 | 68.57% | 303 | 30.33% | 11 | 1.10% | 382 | 38.24% | 999 | ||||||||||
| Ravalli | 4,611 | 61.83% | 2,480 | 33.25% | 367 | 4.92% | 2,131 | 28.58% | 7,458 | ||||||||||
| Richland | 2,645 | 61.51% | 1,438 | 33.44% | 217 | 5.05% | 1,207 | 28.07% | 4,300 | ||||||||||
| Roosevelt | 2,304 | 58.97% | 1,464 | 37.47% | 139 | 3.56% | 840 | 21.50% | 3,907 | ||||||||||
| Rosebud | 1,486 | 63.23% | 777 | 33.06% | 87 | 3.70% | 709 | 30.17% | 2,350 | ||||||||||
| Sanders | 1,779 | 54.72% | 1,197 | 36.82% | 275 | 8.46% | 582 | 17.90% | 3,251 | ||||||||||
| Sheridan | 1,500 | 53.96% | 1,197 | 43.06% | 83 | 2.99% | 303 | 10.90% | 2,780 | ||||||||||
| Silver Bow | 7,967 | 39.05% | 11,704 | 57.36% | 733 | 3.59% | -3,737 | -18.31% | 20,404 | ||||||||||
| Stillwater | 1,698 | 67.95% | 716 | 28.65% | 85 | 3.40% | 982 | 39.30% | 2,499 | ||||||||||
| Sweet Grass | 1,260 | 76.00% | 350 | 21.11% | 48 | 2.90% | 910 | 54.89% | 1,658 | ||||||||||
| Teton | 1,991 | 59.95% | 1,121 | 33.75% | 209 | 6.29% | 870 | 26.20% | 3,321 | ||||||||||
| Toole | 1,679 | 59.64% | 897 | 31.87% | 239 | 8.49% | 782 | 27.77% | 2,815 | ||||||||||
| Treasure | 377 | 65.68% | 176 | 30.66% | 21 | 3.66% | 201 | 35.02% | 574 | ||||||||||
| Valley | 3,210 | 60.02% | 1,973 | 36.89% | 165 | 3.09% | 1,237 | 23.13% | 5,348 | ||||||||||
| Wheatland | 761 | 57.39% | 445 | 33.56% | 120 | 9.05% | 316 | 23.83% | 1,326 | ||||||||||
| Wibaux | 390 | 55.48% | 283 | 40.26% | 30 | 4.27% | 107 | 15.22% | 703 | ||||||||||
| Yellowstone | 25,205 | 62.64% | 13,602 | 33.80% | 1,430 | 3.55% | 11,603 | 28.84% | 40,237 | ||||||||||
| Totals | 183,976 | 57.93% | 120,197 | 37.85% | 13,430 | 4.23% | 63,779 | 20.08% | 317,603 | ||||||||||