Who won West Virginia in the 1972 presidential election?

McGovern (Democratic) carried West Virginia in 1972, winning its 6 electoral votes.

How many electoral votes did West Virginia have in 1972?

West Virginia cast 6 electoral votes in the 1972 presidential election.

Did West Virginia vote for the national winner in 1972?

No. West Virginia backed McGovern, while Richard Nixon won the presidency nationally.

Cold War RealignmentWV · 6 EV

1972

West Virginia: McGovern carries 6 EV.

West Virginia cast its 6 electoral votes for McGovern (Democratic). National winner: Richard Nixon (Republican) — West Virginia voted against the national winner this cycle.

Reading the 1972 result in West Virginia

West Virginia backed McGovern (Democratic) in the 1972 presidential election, casting 6 electoral votes for the ticket. Nationally the result broke the other way — Richard Nixon (Republican) won the presidency, leaving West Virginia among the states he did not carry.

It marked the 11th consecutive election in which West Virginia backed the Democratic party, a streak reaching back to 1932. It stood apart from its neighbors: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and Kentucky went the other way that year. Across the 41 presidential elections West Virginia has taken part in, it has most often sided with the Democratic party (22 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

West Virginia full history →