1972 United States presidential election in Virginia explained

See main article: 1972 United States presidential election.

Election Name:	1972 United States presidential election in Virginia
Country:	Virginia
Type:	presidential
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	1968 United States presidential election in Virginia
Previous Year:	1968
Next Election:	1976 United States presidential election in Virginia
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:	11
Popular Vote1:	988,493
Percentage1:	67.84%
Nominee2:	George McGovern
Party2:	Democratic Party (United States)
Home State2:	South Dakota
Running Mate2:	Sargent Shriver
Electoral Vote2:	0
Popular Vote2:	438,887
Percentage2:	30.12%
Map Size:	435px
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 Virginia took place on November 7, 1972. All 50 states and the District of Columbia were part of the 1972 United States presidential election. Virginia voters chose 12 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president of the United States. This was also the first presidential election after the passage of the Twenty-sixth Amendment, which decreased the voting age from 21 to 18.

For over sixty years Virginia had had the most restricted electorate in the United States due to a cumulative poll tax and literacy tests.^[1] Virginia would be almost entirely controlled by the conservative Democratic Byrd Organization for four of those decades,^[2] although during the Organization's last twenty years of controlling the state it would direct many Virginia voters away from the national Democratic Party due to opposition to black civil rights and to the fiscal liberalism of the New Deal.^[3] After the Twenty-Fourth Amendment and Harper v. Virginia State Board of Elections the state's electorate would substantially expand as the burden of poll taxes on the lower classes was removed. Contemporaneously the postwar Republican trend of the Northeast-aligned Washington D.C. suburbs, which had begun as early as 1944, would accelerate^[4] and become intensified by the mobilisation of working-class Piedmont whites against a national Democratic Party strongly associated with black interests.^[5]

After 1966 the statewide Democratic party was severely divided into conservative, moderate and liberal factions,^[6] so that in addition to voting Republican in four of five presidential elections, Virginia's Congressional delegation would gain a Republican majority as early as the 91st Congress, and Linwood Holton would become the first Republican governor since the 1880s Readjuster fusion. However, it was 1970 before significant GOP gains occurred in the state legislature, and it was generally acknowledged that President Nixon offered no support to down-ballot Republican candidates.^[7] As of 2020, this remains the strongest ever Republican presidential performance in Virginia.

Campaign

Neither incumbent United States President Richard Nixon nor South Dakota Senator George McGovern of the Democratic Party campaigned in the state, which all polls had conceded to Nixon from the beginning of August.^[8]

78% of white voters supported Nixon while 22% supported McGovern.

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Daily Press		August 9, 1972
Greensboro Daily News^[9]		October 8, 1972
The Miami Herald		October 16, 1972
Boston Sunday Globe^[10]		October 22, 1972
Evening Express^[11]		October 30, 1972
The York Dispatch^[12]		November 6, 1972

Analysis

Virginia was won by Nixon with a landslide 67.84 percent of the vote. Nixon also won the national election with 60.67 percent of the vote.

In strict accordance with national trends, McGovern carried just one county or independent city in Virginia — however, that jurisdiction, Charles City County, saw McGovern receive over 67 percent of the vote, and was his fourth-strongest county in the country.^[13], this constitutes the last occasion the Republican Party has carried Brunswick County, Greensville County, Surry County, Sussex County, and the cities of Charlottesville, Norfolk, Petersburg, Portsmouth and Richmond.^[14]

However, Nixon did not win all of the electoral votes in Virginia because one of his pledged electors, Roger MacBride, instead cast his vote for Libertarian candidate John Hospers and his running mate, Tonie Nathan. Although Hospers was not on the ballot in Virginia, MacBride's vote was the first electoral vote ever cast for a female candidate (Nathan); MacBride was subsequently nominated as the Libertarian candidate for President in the next election.

Results

1972 United States presidential election in Virginia^[15]
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage	Electoral votes
	Republican	Richard Nixon (inc.)	988,493	67.84%	11
	Libertarian	John Hospers	0	0.00%	1
	Democratic	George McGovern	438,887	30.12%	0
	American Independent	John G. Schmitz	19,721	1.35%	0
	Socialist Labor	Louis Fisher	9,918	0.68%	0
Totals			1,457,019	100.00%	12

Results by county or independent city

County/City^[16]	Richard Nixon Republican		George McGovern Democratic		John G. Schmitz American Independent		Louis Fisher Socialist Labor		Margin		Total votes cast
		%		%		%		%		%
	Accomack		6,496		71.97%		2,406		26.66%		108		1.20%		16		0.18%		4,090		45.31%		9,026
	Albemarle		8,447		65.22%		4,303		33.23%		139		1.07%		62		0.48%		4,144		31.99%		12,951
	Alexandria		20,235		55.95%		15,409		42.60%		348		0.96%		177		0.49%		4,826		13.35%		36,169
	Alleghany		2,584		67.47%		1,069		27.91%		170		4.44%		7		0.18%		1,515		39.56%		3,830
	Amelia		1,606		64.99%		778		31.49%		58		2.35%		29		1.17%		828		33.50%		2,471
	Amherst		4,909		73.94%		1,512		22.77%		148		2.23%		70		1.05%		3,397		51.17%		6,639
	Appomattox		2,788		78.20%		684		19.19%		68		1.91%		25		0.70%		2,104		59.01%		3,565
	Arlington		39,406		59.36%		25,877		38.98%		830		1.25%		270		0.41%		13,529		20.38%		66,383
	Augusta		9,106		81.44%		1,766		15.79%		148		1.32%		161		1.44%		7,340		65.65%		11,181
	Bath		1,127		68.89%		462		28.24%		43		2.63%		4		0.24%		665		40.65%		1,636
	Bedford		5,286		73.43%		1,501		20.85%		358		4.97%		54		0.75%		3,785		52.58%		7,199
	Bedford City		1,407		68.20%		529		25.64%		89		4.31%		38		1.84%		878		42.56%		2,063
	Bland		1,352		70.64%		527		27.53%		31		1.62%		4		0.21%		825		43.11%		1,914
	Botetourt		3,806		69.44%		1,519		27.71%		121		2.21%		35		0.64%		2,287		41.73%		5,481
	Bristol		2,665		68.46%		1,157		29.72%		54		1.39%		17		0.44%		1,508		38.74%		3,893
	Brunswick		3,072		58.17%		2,130		40.33%		63		1.19%		16		0.30%		942		17.84%		5,281
	Buchanan		4,801		56.13%		3,566		41.69%		95		1.11%		92		1.08%		1,235		14.44%		8,554
	Buckingham		2,107		62.86%		1,186		35.38%		44		1.31%		15		0.45%		921		27.48%		3,352
	Buena Vista		990		70.26%		373		26.47%		22		1.55%		34		2.40%		617		43.79%		1,409
	Campbell		11,676		82.48%		2,055		14.52%		288		2.03%		138		0.97%		9,621		67.96%		14,157
	Caroline		2,086		52.80%		1,814		45.91%		32		0.81%		19		0.48%		272		6.89%		3,951
	Carroll		5,247		75.08%		1,583		22.65%		90		1.29%		69		0.99%		3,664		52.43%		6,989
	Charles City		535		30.84%		1,177		67.84%		14		0.81%		9		0.52%		-642		-37.00%		1,735
	Charlotte		2,501		66.22%		1,182		31.29%		75		1.99%		19		0.50%		1,319		34.93%		3,777
	Charlottesville		7,935		59.42%		5,240		39.24%		95		0.71%		83		0.62%		2,695		20.18%		13,353
	Chesapeake		17,722		67.95%		7,289		27.95%		649		2.49%		420		1.61%		10,433		40.00%		26,080
	Chesterfield		24,934		85.24%		3,823		13.07%		365		1.25%		131		0.45%		21,111		72.17%		29,253
	Clarke		1,816		69.13%		715		27.22%		67		2.55%		29		1.10%		1,101		41.91%		2,627
	Clifton Forge		1,127		63.17%		575		32.23%		68		3.81%		14		0.78%		552		30.94%		1,784
	Colonial Heights		5,304		87.99%		541		8.97%		87		1.44%		96		1.59%		4,763		79.02%		6,028
	Covington		1,910		63.71%		948		31.62%		113		3.77%		27		0.90%		962		32.09%		2,998
	Craig		774		63.44%		425		34.84%		19		1.56%		2		0.16%		349		28.60%		1,220
	Culpeper		3,707		72.80%		1,316		25.84%		60		1.18%		9		0.18%		2,391		46.96%		5,092
	Cumberland		1,371		57.75%		969		40.82%		22		0.93%		12		0.51%		402		16.93%		2,374
	Danville		12,463		73.68%		4,148		24.52%		134		0.79%		171		1.01%		8,315		49.16%		16,916
	Dickenson		3,633		56.22%		2,711		41.95%		62		0.96%		56		0.87%		922		14.27%		6,462
	Dinwiddie		3,314		62.47%		1,901		35.83%		74		1.39%		16		0.30%		1,413		26.64%		5,305
	Emporia		1,340		68.82%		565		29.02%		18		0.92%		24		1.23%		775		39.80%		1,947
	Essex		1,482		62.58%		808		34.12%		44		1.86%		34		1.44%		674		28.46%		2,368
	Fairfax		112,135		66.26%		54,844		32.40%		1,764		1.04%		503		0.30%		57,291		33.86%		169,246
	Fairfax City		5,063		67.73%		2,274		30.42%		118		1.58%		20		0.27%		2,789		37.31%		7,475
	Falls Church		2,967		60.02%		1,895		38.34%		67		1.36%		14		0.28%		1,072		21.68%		4,943
	Fauquier		4,654		67.71%		2,039		29.67%		80		1.16%		100		1.45%		2,615		38.04%		6,873
	Floyd		2,444		76.11%		708		22.05%		57		1.78%		2		0.06%		1,736		54.06%		3,211
	Fluvanna		1,438		67.29%		637		29.81%		23		1.08%		39		1.82%		801		37.48%		2,137
	Franklin		4,674		65.74%		2,273		31.97%		145		2.04%		18		0.25%		2,401		33.77%		7,110
	Franklin City		1,416		64.98%		738		33.87%		14		0.64%		11		0.50%		678		31.11%		2,179
	Frederick		5,367		75.18%		1,604		22.47%		105		1.47%		63		0.88%		3,763		52.71%		7,139
	Fredericksburg		3,211		64.53%		1,702		34.20%		34		0.68%		29		0.58%		1,509		30.33%		4,976
	Galax		1,497		72.63%		524		25.42%		28		1.36%		12		0.58%		973		47.21%		2,061
	Giles		3,671		64.34%		1,869		32.75%		78		1.37%		88		1.54%		1,802		31.59%		5,706
	Gloucester		3,642		71.92%		1,292		25.51%		78		1.54%		52		1.03%		2,350		46.41%		5,064
	Goochland		2,127		60.98%		1,254		35.95%		52		1.49%		55		1.58%		873		25.03%		3,488
	Grayson		3,565		67.48%		1,603		30.34%		67		1.27%		48		0.91%		1,962		37.14%		5,283
	Greene		1,208		78.24%		318		20.60%		15		0.97%		3		0.19%		890		57.64%		1,544
	Greensville		1,608		56.05%		1,197		41.72%		46		1.60%		18		0.63%		411		14.33%		2,869
	Halifax		5,469		68.71%		2,384		29.95%		77		0.97%		29		0.36%		3,085		38.76%		7,959
	Hampton		21,897		65.49%		10,648		31.85%		479		1.43%		411		1.23%		11,249		33.64%		33,435
	Hanover		11,095		81.20%		2,200		16.10%		237		1.73%		131		0.96%		8,895		65.10%		13,663
	Harrisonburg		3,626		77.26%		992		21.14%		39		0.83%		36		0.77%		2,634		56.12%		4,693
	Henrico		52,536		84.87%		8,420		13.60%		571		0.92%		377		0.61%		44,116		71.27%		61,904
	Henry		7,556		62.84%		4,042		33.62%		170		1.41%		256		2.13%		3,514		29.22%		12,024
	Highland		774		77.63%		206		20.66%		12		1.20%		5		0.50%		568		56.97%		997
	Hopewell		5,229		75.88%		1,485		21.55%		106		1.54%		71		1.03%		3,744		54.33%		6,891
	Isle of Wight		3,555		59.27%		2,305		38.43%		119		1.98%		19		0.32%		1,250		20.84%		5,998
	James City		3,372		61.97%		1,992		36.61%		56		1.03%		21		0.39%		1,380		25.36%		5,441
	King and Queen		1,033		58.30%		708		39.95%		10		0.56%		21		1.19%		325		18.35%		1,772
	King George		1,675		70.05%		658		27.52%		34		1.42%		24		1.00%		1,017		42.53%		2,391
	King William		1,839		69.14%		797		29.96%		18		0.68%		6		0.23%		1,042		39.18%		2,660
	Lancaster		2,683		71.64%		1,009		26.94%		35		0.93%		18		0.48%		1,674		44.70%		3,745
	Lee		4,957		62.39%		2,825		35.56%		68		0.86%		95		1.20%		2,132		26.83%		7,945
	Lexington		1,345		64.98%		695		33.57%		18		0.87%		12		0.58%		650		31.41%		2,070
	Loudoun		9,417		69.46%		3,941		29.07%		190		1.40%		9		0.07%		5,476		40.39%		13,557
	Louisa		2,545		63.55%		1,338		33.41%		56		1.40%		66		1.65%		1,207		30.14%		4,005
	Lunenburg		2,464		69.14%		1,044		29.29%		45		1.26%		11		0.31%		1,420		39.85%		3,564
	Lynchburg		13,259		74.11%		4,208		23.52%		264		1.48%		159		0.89%		9,051		50.59%		17,890
	Madison		1,864		73.41%		639		25.17%		24		0.95%		12		0.47%		1,225		48.24%		2,539
	Martinsville		3,879		61.32%		2,292		36.23%		39		0.62%		116		1.83%		1,587		25.09%		6,326
	Mathews		2,164		72.45%		730		24.44%		51		1.71%		42		1.41%		1,434		48.01%		2,987
	Mecklenburg		6,381		68.55%		2,804		30.12%		106		1.14%		18		0.19%		3,577		38.43%		9,309
	Middlesex		1,697		69.29%		724		29.56%		24		0.98%		4		0.16%		973		39.73%		2,449
	Montgomery		9,348		70.56%		3,692		27.87%		194		1.46%		14		0.11%		5,656		42.69%		13,248
	Nansemond		5,767		57.57%		3,929		39.42%		186		1.87%		84		0.84%		1,838		18.45%		9,966
	Nelson		2,145		67.22%		954		29.90%		82		2.57%		10		0.31%		1,191		37.32%		3,191
	New Kent		1,370		67.52%		633		31.20%		19		0.94%		7		0.34%		737		36.32%		2,029
	Newport News		27,169		67.40%		12,233		30.35%		639		1.59%		271		0.67%		14,936		37.05%		40,312
	Norfolk		38,385		57.97%		25,737		38.87%		1,198		1.81%		897		1.35%		12,648		19.10%		66,217
	Northampton		2,587		66.45%		1,246		32.01%		53		1.36%		7		0.18%		1,341		34.44%		3,893
	Northumberland		2,332		71.58%		884		27.13%		28		0.86%		14		0.43%		1,448		44.45%		3,258
	Norton		823		62.68%		463		35.26%		12		0.91%		15		1.14%		360		27.42%		1,313
	Nottoway		2,979		68.22%		1,308		29.95%		70		1.60%		10		0.23%		1,671		38.27%		4,367
	Orange		2,758		71.28%		1,032		26.67%		42		1.09%		37		0.96%		1,726		44.61%		3,869
	Page		4,326		72.34%		1,585		26.51%		61		1.02%		8		0.13%		2,741		45.83%		5,980
	Patrick		2,951		73.35%		942		23.42%		100		2.49%		30		0.75%		2,009		49.93%		4,023
	Petersburg		6,710		55.67%		5,156		42.78%		131		1.09%		56		0.46%		1,554		12.89%		12,053
	Pittsylvania		12,108		72.34%		4,429		26.46%		174		1.04%		26		0.16%		7,679		45.88%		16,737
	Portsmouth		20,090		58.49%		13,124		38.21%		760		2.21%		376		1.09%		6,966		20.28%		34,350
	Powhatan		1,751		66.43%		810		30.73%		60		2.28%		15		0.57%		941		35.70%		2,636
	Prince Edward		3,199		65.96%		1,585		32.68%		51		1.05%		15		0.31%		1,614		33.28%		4,850
	Prince George		2,405		67.71%		1,084		30.52%		46		1.30%		17		0.48%		1,321		37.19%		3,552
	Prince William		20,149		72.26%		7,266		26.06%		351		1.26%		118		0.42%		12,883		46.20%		27,884
	Pulaski		6,281		72.01%		2,311		26.50%		114		1.31%		16		0.18%		3,970		45.51%		8,722
	Radford		2,577		68.68%		1,121		29.88%		40		1.07%		14		0.37%		1,456		38.80%		3,752
	Rappahannock		1,055		68.20%		471		30.45%		16		1.03%		5		0.32%		584		37.75%		1,547
	Richmond		1,565		77.55%		435		21.56%		13		0.64%		5		0.25%		1,130		55.99%		2,018
	Richmond City		46,244		57.59%		33,055		41.16%		649		0.81%		354		0.44%		13,189		16.43%		80,302
	Roanoke		19,920		77.28%		5,318		20.63%		474		1.84%		66		0.26%		14,602		56.65%		25,778
	Roanoke City		18,541		64.67%		9,498		33.13%		537		1.87%		95		0.33%		9,043		31.54%		28,671
	Rockbridge		3,009		74.28%		956		23.60%		62		1.53%		24		0.59%		2,053		50.68%		4,051
	Rockingham		10,025		81.67%		2,026		16.51%		143		1.16%		81		0.66%		7,999		65.16%		12,275
	Russell		5,010		58.93%		3,367		39.60%		71		0.84%		54		0.64%		1,643		19.33%		8,502
	Salem		5,649		74.79%		1,744		23.09%		136		1.80%		24		0.32%		3,905		51.70%		7,553
	Scott		5,125		66.18%		2,474		31.95%		81		1.05%		64		0.83%		2,651		34.23%		7,744
	Shenandoah		7,128		82.46%		1,422		16.45%		78		0.90%		16		0.19%		5,706		66.01%		8,644
	Smyth		6,409		72.27%		2,280		25.71%		82		0.92%		97		1.09%		4,129		46.56%		8,868
	South Boston		1,865		71.59%		709		27.22%		7		0.27%		24		0.92%		1,156		44.37%		2,605
	Southampton		3,225		67.09%		1,498		31.16%		66		1.37%		18		0.37%		1,727		35.93%		4,807
	Spotsylvania		3,577		65.73%		1,775		32.62%		75		1.38%		15		0.28%		1,802		33.11%		5,442
	Stafford		5,222		72.39%		1,901		26.35%		83		1.15%		8		0.11%		3,321		46.04%		7,214
	Staunton		5,531		78.25%		1,416		20.03%		33		0.47%		88		1.25%		4,115		58.22%		7,068
	Suffolk		2,137		69.54%		898		29.22%		29		0.94%		9		0.29%		1,239		40.32%		3,073
	Surry		1,067		50.40%		988		46.67%		27		1.28%		35		1.65%		79		3.73%		2,117
	Sussex		2,120		54.99%		1,645		42.67%		43		1.12%		47		1.22%		475		12.32%		3,855
	Tazewell		7,233		67.81%		3,181		29.82%		107		1.00%		146		1.37%		4,052		37.99%		10,667
	Virginia Beach		38,074		76.56%		10,373		20.86%		837		1.68%		449		0.90%		27,701		55.70%		49,733
	Warren		3,718		69.40%		1,508		28.15%		63		1.18%		68		1.27%		2,210		41.25%		5,357
	Washington		8,805		72.70%		3,028		25.00%		123		1.02%		155		1.28%		5,777		47.70%		12,111
	Waynesboro		4,163		77.75%		1,061		19.82%		72		1.34%		58		1.08%		3,102		57.93%		5,354
	Westmoreland		2,331		66.00%		1,113		31.51%		27		0.76%		61		1.73%		1,218		34.49%		3,532
	Williamsburg		1,786		57.46%		1,274		40.99%		29		0.93%		19		0.61%		512		16.47%		3,108
	Winchester		4,647		75.55%		1,418		23.05%		55		0.89%		31		0.50%		3,229		52.50%		6,151
	Wise		6,739		59.94%		4,402		39.16%		79		0.70%		22		0.20%		2,337		20.78%		11,242
	Wythe		4,553		73.96%		1,431		23.25%		70		1.14%		102		1.66%		3,122		50.71%		6,156
	York		7,745		74.90%		2,302		22.26%		211		2.04%		83		0.80%		5,443		52.64%		10,341
Totals	988,493	67.84%	438,887	30.12%	19,721	1.35%!	9,918	0.68%	549,606	37.72%	1,457,019

Counties and independent cities that flipped from Democratic to Republican

• Buchanan
• Caroline
• Cumberland
• Essex
• Goochland
• Greensville
• King and Queen
• James City
• Nanesmond
• New Kent
• Northampton
• Powhatan
• Surry
• Sussex
• Tazewell
• Wise
• Alexandria
• Hampton
• Martinsville
• Newport News
• Norfolk
• Norton
• Petersburg
• Portsmouth
• Richmond

Counties and independent cities that flipped from American Independent to Republican

• Accomack
• Bedford
• Brunswick
• Buckingham
• Charlotte
• Diwiddie
• Franklin
• Halifax
• Henry
• Isle of Wight
• Lunenburg
• Mecklenburg
• Nottoway
• Pittsylvania
• Prince George
• Southampton
• Chesapeake

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. Book: Kousser, J. Morgan. The Shaping of Southern Politics Suffrage Restriction and the Establishment of the One-Party South, 1880-1910. Yale University Press. 178–181. 0-300-01696-4.
2. Book: Key, Valdimer Orlando. Southern Politics in State and Nation. 1949. 20–25.
3. Book: Ely, James W.. The crisis of conservative Virginia: the Byrd organization and the politics of massive resistance. 16. 0870491881.
4. Book: Atkinson, Frank B.. The Dynamic Dominion: Realignment and the Rise of Two-party Competition in Virginia, 1945-1980. 2006. 9780742552098. Rowman & Littlefield.
5. Book: [[Kevin Phillips (political commentator)|Phillips]], Kevin P.. The Emerging Republican Majority. 260–266. 0870000586. 1969.
6. Book: Bass. Jack. De Vries. Walter. The Transformation of Southern Politics: Social Change and Political Consequence Since 1945. 1995. 347–353.
7. News: Evans. Rowland. Novak. Robert. October 16, 1972. Consider Virginia: McGovern, Nixon Creating a No-Party System in South. 7-A. The Miami Herald.
8. News: August 9, 1972. Godwin’s Legion for Nixon. 4. . Newport News, Virginia.
9. News: Apple (jr). R.W.. October 8, 1972. All the Signs Point to Nixon: Great Election Sweep Almost Within Grasp. 1. Greensboro Daily News. Greensboro, North Carolina.
10. News: Broder. David S . October 22, 1972. Politics from Maine to Hawaii: State-by-State Rundown of 1972 Election Scene. A-5, A-8. Boston Sunday Globe.
11. News: October 30, 1972. Nixon Holds 26 Point Lead, Poll Reveals. 25. Evening Express. Portland, Maine.
12. News: Biossat. Bruce. November 6, 1972. Poll Indicates Possible Record: Signs Point to Nixon Sweep. 32. The York Dispatch. York, Pennsylvania.
13. Web site: David Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas. 1972 Presidential Election Statistics.
14. Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
15. Web site: Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 7, 1972 . Clerk of the House of Representatives . 45 & 46.
16. Web site: Our Campaigns. VA US President Race, November 07 1972.