Who won Illinois in the 1972 presidential election?

Nixon (Republican) carried Illinois in 1972, winning its 26 electoral votes.

How many electoral votes did Illinois have in 1972?

Illinois cast 26 electoral votes in the 1972 presidential election.

Did Illinois vote for the national winner in 1972?

Yes. Illinois backed Richard Nixon, who won the presidency that year.

Cold War RealignmentIL · 26 EV

1972

Illinois: Nixon carries 26 EV.

Illinois cast its 26 electoral votes for Nixon (Republican). National winner: Richard Nixon (Republican) — Illinois voted with the national winner this cycle.

Reading the 1972 result in Illinois

Illinois backed Nixon (Republican) in the 1972 presidential election, casting 26 electoral votes for the ticket. Illinois ended up on the winning side — Richard Nixon captured the White House that year.

It marked the 2nd consecutive election in which Illinois backed the Republican party, a streak reaching back to 1968. Illinois did not move alone — neighboring Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, and Indiana broke the same way in 1972. Across the 53 presidential elections Illinois has taken part in, it has most often sided with the Democratic party (26 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

Illinois full history →