Who won Rhode Island in the 1972 presidential election?

McGovern (Democratic) carried Rhode Island in 1972, winning its 4 electoral votes.

How many electoral votes did Rhode Island have in 1972?

Rhode Island cast 4 electoral votes in the 1972 presidential election.

Did Rhode Island vote for the national winner in 1972?

No. Rhode Island backed McGovern, while Richard Nixon won the presidency nationally.

Cold War RealignmentRI · 4 EV

1972

Rhode Island: McGovern carries 4 EV.

Rhode Island cast its 4 electoral votes for McGovern (Democratic). National winner: Richard Nixon (Republican) — Rhode Island voted against the national winner this cycle.

Rhode Island in 1972

The 1972 contest saw Rhode Island line up behind McGovern, delivering 4 electoral votes to the Democratic ticket. Nationally the result broke the other way — Richard Nixon (Republican) won the presidency, leaving Rhode Island among the states he did not carry.

It marked the 4th consecutive election in which Rhode Island backed the Democratic party, a streak reaching back to 1960. The region divided — Massachusetts joined Rhode Island for the Democratic ticket, while Connecticut did not. Across the 59 presidential elections Rhode Island has taken part in, it has most often sided with the Democratic party (25 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

Rhode Island full history →