1972 United States presidential election in Idaho

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

1972 United States presidential election in Idaho

← 1968November 7, 1972[1]1976 →
 
NomineeRichard NixonGeorge McGovernJohn G. Schmitz
PartyRepublicanDemocraticAmerican Independent
Home stateCaliforniaSouth DakotaCalifornia
Running mateSpiro AgnewSargent ShriverThomas J. Anderson
Electoral vote400
Popular vote199,38480,82628,869
Percentage64.24%26.04%9.30%

County Results
Nixon
  50-60%
  60-70%
  70-80%


President before election

Richard Nixon
Republican

Elected President

Richard Nixon
Republican

Idaho was won by incumbent President Richard Nixon (RCalifornia), with 64.2 percent of the popular vote, against George McGovern (DSouth Dakota), with 26.0% of the popular vote.[3][4]

In a state that would reflect McGovern's national results,[5][6] the Democratic nominee did not win a single county in Idaho. In fact, John G. Schmitz, running under the "American Independent" banner as a remnant of George Wallace's 1968 campaign, ran second ahead of McGovern in Fremont, Jefferson, Lemhi and Madison Counties.[7] Although due to the salience of the civil rights issue there had occurred numerous cases of unpledged and "Dixiecrat" candidates receiving almost the entire vote of Deep Southern counties, and a smaller number in other antebellum slave states, Schmitz' performances in Jefferson County was at the time the best by a third-party presidential candidate in any non-Southern county since 1936 when William Lemke reached over twenty-eight percent of the vote in the North Dakota counties of Burke, Sheridan and Hettinger.[8] With 9.30% of the popular vote, Idaho would be Schmitz's strongest state in the 1972 election.[9]

Nixon was the first Republican to sweep all Idaho's counties since Warren G. Harding in 1920, the first to carry Clearwater and Lewis Counties since Herbert Hoover in 1928, whilst the previous occasion the Republicans had won adjacent Nez Perce County was Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952.[10]

Results

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1972 United States presidential election in Idaho
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanRichard Nixon (inc.) 199,384 64.24%
DemocraticGeorge McGovern80,82626.04%
American IndependentJohn G. Schmitz28,8699.30%
Peace and FreedomBenjamin Spock9030.29%
Socialist WorkersLinda Jenness3970.13%
Total votes310,379 100.00%

Results by county

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County[11]Richard Nixon
Republican
George McGovern
Democratic
John G. Schmitz
American Independent
Various candidates
Other parties
MarginTotal votes cast
#%#%#%#%#%
Ada36,66567.51%12,68723.36%4,7278.70%2320.43%23,97844.15%54,311
Adams96367.77%29320.62%16211.40%30.21%67047.15%1,421
Bannock12,85657.93%7,84035.33%1,3486.07%1470.66%5,01622.60%22,191
Bear Lake2,21369.48%71622.48%2517.88%50.16%1,49747.00%3,185
Benewah1,49455.54%1,06239.48%1294.80%50.19%43216.06%2,690
Bingham6,88664.33%2,47623.13%1,31212.26%310.29%4,41041.20%10,705
Blaine2,11360.98%1,24035.79%972.80%150.43%87325.19%3,465
Boise67666.27%25625.10%868.43%20.20%42041.17%1,020
Bonner4,40557.47%2,59933.91%6328.25%290.38%1,80623.56%7,665
Bonneville13,13461.19%4,19919.56%4,07318.97%600.28%8,93541.63%21,466
Boundary1,58759.26%86032.11%2188.14%130.49%72727.15%2,678
Butte78856.45%38727.72%22015.76%10.07%40128.73%1,396
Camas34474.30%9520.52%245.18%00.00%24953.78%463
Canyon18,38368.45%5,63020.96%2,76910.31%750.28%12,75347.49%26,857
Caribou2,06969.95%61420.76%2749.26%10.03%1,45549.19%2,958
Cassia4,57674.26%1,08017.53%4737.68%330.54%3,49656.73%6,162
Clark33974.34%6414.04%5211.40%10.22%27560.30%456
Clearwater1,59050.67%1,41245.00%1123.57%240.76%1785.67%3,138
Custer98969.06%27419.13%16611.59%30.21%71549.93%1,432
Elmore3,07866.55%1,15324.93%3828.26%120.26%1,92541.62%4,625
Franklin2,78771.59%61115.69%49012.59%50.13%2,17655.90%3,893
Fremont2,62161.38%81919.18%82519.32%50.12%1,796[a]42.06%4,270
Gem2,71761.32%1,06924.13%63714.38%80.18%1,64837.19%4,431
Gooding3,12470.73%1,03023.32%2565.80%70.16%2,09447.41%4,417
Idaho3,23562.20%1,62231.19%3306.34%140.27%1,61331.01%5,201
Jefferson2,98358.38%71513.99%1,40627.51%60.12%1,577[a]30.87%5,110
Jerome3,66175.11%88818.22%3166.48%90.18%2,77356.89%4,874
Kootenai9,95861.33%5,16231.79%1,0766.63%420.26%4,79629.54%16,238
Latah6,04355.35%4,54841.66%2682.45%590.54%1,49513.69%10,918
Lemhi1,81261.99%52618.00%57819.77%70.24%1,234[a]42.22%2,923
Lewis96156.97%63537.64%855.04%60.36%32619.33%1,687
Lincoln1,12074.37%31320.78%664.38%70.46%80753.59%1,506
Madison3,60669.13%71013.61%88917.04%110.21%2,717[a]52.09%5,216
Minidoka4,09768.66%1,42323.85%4307.21%170.28%2,67444.81%5,967
Nez Perce6,23252.19%5,08142.55%4333.63%1951.63%1,1519.64%11,941
Oneida1,20471.45%40223.86%774.57%20.12%80247.59%1,685
Owyhee1,63070.14%46319.92%2299.85%20.09%1,16750.22%2,324
Payette3,57767.85%1,11321.11%56510.72%170.32%2,46446.74%5,272
Power1,40564.45%62528.67%1426.51%80.37%78035.78%2,180
Shoshone3,86853.67%3,02041.90%2863.97%330.46%84811.77%7,207
Teton93268.58%29821.93%1299.49%00.00%63446.65%1,359
Twin Falls13,07573.98%3,34418.92%1,1276.38%1270.72%9,73155.06%17,673
Valley1,32461.55%53724.97%28013.02%100.46%78736.58%2,151
Washington2,26462.33%93525.74%42211.62%110.30%1,32936.59%3,632
Totals199,38464.24%80,82626.04%28,8699.30%1,3000.42%118,55838.20%310,379

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d In this county where Schmitz ran second ahead of McGovern, margin given is Nixon vote minus Schmitz vote and percentage margin Nixon percent minus Schmitz percent.

References

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  1. ^ "United States Presidential election of 1972 - Encyclopædia Britannica". Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  2. ^ "1972 Election for the Forty-Seventh Term (1973-77)". Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  3. ^ "1972 Presidential General Election Results - Idaho". Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  4. ^ "The American Presidency Project - Election of 1972". Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  5. ^ "1972 Presidential Election - 270toWin.com". Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  6. ^ "1972 Election - Voting America". Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  7. ^ Menendez, Albert J.; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004, p. 100 ISBN 0786422173
  8. ^ Scammon, Richard M. (compiler); America at the Polls: A Handbook of Presidential Election Statistics 1920-1964; pp. 339, 343 ISBN 0405077114
  9. ^ "1972 Presidential Election Statistics". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  10. ^ Menendez; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, pp. 178-179
  11. ^ Our Campaigns; ID US President 1972