Who won District of Columbia in the 1972 presidential election?

McGovern (Democratic) carried District of Columbia in 1972, winning its 3 electoral votes.

How many electoral votes did District of Columbia have in 1972?

District of Columbia cast 3 electoral votes in the 1972 presidential election.

Did District of Columbia vote for the national winner in 1972?

No. District of Columbia backed McGovern, while Richard Nixon won the presidency nationally.

Cold War RealignmentDC · 3 EV

1972

District of Columbia: McGovern carries 3 EV.

District of Columbia cast its 3 electoral votes for McGovern (Democratic). National winner: Richard Nixon (Republican) — District of Columbia voted against the national winner this cycle.

What happened in District of Columbia, 1972

In 1972, District of Columbia awarded its 3 electoral votes to McGovern of the Democratic party. Nationally the result broke the other way — Richard Nixon (Republican) won the presidency, leaving District of Columbia among the states he did not carry.

It marked the 3rd consecutive election in which District of Columbia backed the Democratic party, a streak reaching back to 1964. It stood apart from its neighbors: Maryland and Virginia went the other way that year. Across the 16 presidential elections District of Columbia has taken part in, it has most often sided with the Democratic party (16 times). The vote fell within the Cold War Realignment — Nixon, Reagan, and the Republican South.

In the national count, Richard Nixon took 520 of the 538 electoral votes, against George McGovern's 17. Richard Nixon led the national popular vote with 60.67% of the ballots cast.

The 1972 national map

District of Columbia full history →