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1972 United States presidential election in Wisconsin
County Results
Nixon
40-50%
50-60%
60-70%
70-80%
McGovern
40-50%
50-60%
60-70%
The 1972 United States presidential election in Wisconsin was held on November 7, 1972 as part of the 1972 United States presidential election . Incumbent President Richard Nixon won the state of Wisconsin with 53.40 percent of the vote, carrying the state's 11 electoral votes,[ 1] although Wisconsin was the fifth most Democratic state during the election, voting 13.48 points more Democratic than the nation as a whole. In no other election since the emergence of the Republican Party has Wisconsin voted so much more Democratic than the country as a whole.[ 2]
McGovern won seven counties (out of 131 county-equivalents including three in Alaska that he won nationally)[ 3] receiving as usual his highest vote in almost wholly Native American Menominee County where he won 62.3 percent of the vote. McGovern and Shriver also achieved clear majorities in Milwaukee , Dane , Ashland , Douglas and Portage Counties , and Rusk County by 1.1 points. Nixon won Manitowoc County by one hundred and ten votes, achieved pluralities in Pepin, Chippewa and Forest Counties, and won majorities in the remaining sixty-one – the largest being in Waupaca County where Nixon won by forty-two percentage points. Rusk County was one of six nationwide (outside of McGovern's home state of South Dakota) to flip Democratic from the previous election.
Nixon became the first Republican since Warren G. Harding in 1920 to win Iron County , and was the last Republican until Donald Trump in 2016 to win Pepin and Kenosha Counties , and remains the last Republican to claim Bayfield County .[ 4]
1972 Wisconsin Democratic Party presidential primary
County Results
McGovern
20-30%
30-40%
40-50%
Wallace
20-30%
30-40%
40-50%
Humphrey
20-30%
30-40%
George McGovern would defeat Alabama Governer, George Wallace, and previous Democratic nominee, Hubert Humphrey.[ 5]
County
Richard Nixon Republican
George McGovern Democratic
John G. Schmitz American
Benjamin Spock Independent
Various candidates Other parties
Margin
Total votes cast[ 6]
#
%
#
%
#
%
#
%
#
%
#
%
Adams
2,200
53.18%
1,833
44.31%
96
2.32%
3
0.07%
5
0.12%
367
8.87%
4,137
Ashland
3,478
46.93%
3,771
50.88%
135
1.82%
5
0.07%
22
0.30%
-293
-3.95%
7,411
Barron
8,418
59.94%
5,376
38.28%
211
1.50%
21
0.15%
19
0.14%
3,042
21.66%
14,045
Bayfield
3,045
51.92%
2,736
46.65%
74
1.26%
4
0.07%
6
0.10%
309
5.27%
5,865
Brown
37,101
56.49%
26,511
40.37%
1,907
2.90%
94
0.14%
62
0.09%
10,590
16.12%
65,675
Buffalo
3,079
54.40%
2,461
43.48%
110
1.94%
4
0.07%
6
0.11%
618
10.92%
5,660
Burnett
2,972
54.37%
2,389
43.71%
92
1.68%
8
0.15%
5
0.09%
583
10.66%
5,466
Calumet
6,446
55.85%
4,804
41.62%
243
2.11%
31
0.27%
18
0.16%
1,642
14.23%
11,542
Chippewa
8,451
49.35%
8,210
47.95%
416
2.43%
34
0.20%
12
0.07%
241
1.40%
17,123
Clark
7,138
56.47%
4,617
36.52%
859
6.80%
18
0.14%
9
0.07%
2,521
19.95%
12,641
Columbia
10,122
58.02%
7,083
40.60%
216
1.24%
11
0.06%
15
0.09%
3,039
17.42%
17,447
Crawford
3,705
58.67%
2,487
39.38%
115
1.82%
5
0.08%
3
0.05%
1,218
19.29%
6,315
Dane
56,020
40.88%
79,567
58.07%
1,040
0.76%
219
0.16%
180
0.13%
-23,547
-17.19%
137,026
Dodge
17,068
61.54%
9,898
35.69%
715
2.58%
29
0.10%
27
0.10%
7,170
25.85%
27,737
Door
6,503
64.25%
3,430
33.89%
167
1.65%
18
0.18%
3
0.03%
3,073
30.36%
10,121
Douglas
8,419
42.58%
11,054
55.91%
202
1.02%
36
0.18%
60
0.30%
-2,635
-13.33%
19,771
Dunn
6,660
53.04%
5,681
45.25%
185
1.47%
16
0.13%
14
0.11%
979
7.79%
12,556
Eau Claire
15,883
51.33%
14,300
46.21%
671
2.17%
57
0.18%
32
0.10%
1,583
5.12%
30,943
Florence
971
54.06%
757
42.15%
64
3.56%
1
0.06%
3
0.17%
214
11.91%
1,796
Fond du Lac
21,007
60.99%
12,050
34.99%
1,291
3.75%
55
0.16%
40
0.12%
8,957
26.00%
34,443
Forest
1,856
49.77%
1,678
45.00%
190
5.10%
4
0.11%
1
0.03%
178
4.77%
3,729
Grant
11,873
62.29%
6,915
36.28%
240
1.26%
15
0.08%
18
0.09%
4,958
26.01%
19,061
Green
7,422
66.14%
3,634
32.38%
145
1.29%
13
0.12%
8
0.07%
3,788
33.76%
11,222
Green Lake
5,046
67.67%
2,174
29.15%
227
3.04%
6
0.08%
4
0.05%
2,872
38.52%
7,457
Iowa
4,387
57.53%
3,131
41.06%
97
1.27%
7
0.09%
4
0.05%
1,256
16.47%
7,626
Iron
1,723
49.93%
1,648
47.75%
70
2.03%
5
0.14%
5
0.14%
75
2.18%
3,451
Jackson
3,937
60.79%
2,445
37.75%
84
1.30%
9
0.14%
1
0.02%
1,492
23.04%
6,476
Jefferson
14,621
59.47%
9,303
37.84%
611
2.49%
22
0.09%
30
0.12%
5,318
21.63%
24,587
Juneau
4,833
60.19%
2,943
36.65%
237
2.95%
7
0.09%
10
0.12%
1,890
23.54%
8,030
Kenosha
24,041
53.93%
19,441
43.61%
966
2.17%
66
0.15%
62
0.14%
4,600
10.32%
44,576
Kewaunee
4,802
57.15%
3,360
39.99%
229
2.73%
11
0.13%
1
0.01%
1,442
17.16%
8,403
La Crosse
21,992
63.29%
12,152
34.97%
541
1.56%
36
0.10%
25
0.07%
9,840
28.32%
34,746
Lafayette
4,898
62.91%
2,804
36.01%
73
0.94%
6
0.08%
5
0.06%
2,094
26.90%
7,786
Langlade
4,368
57.26%
3,011
39.47%
238
3.12%
6
0.08%
6
0.08%
1,357
17.79%
7,629
Lincoln
6,206
57.25%
4,175
38.51%
437
4.03%
11
0.10%
11
0.10%
2,031
18.74%
10,840
Manitowoc
16,599
48.51%
16,489
48.19%
1,070
3.13%
38
0.11%
24
0.07%
110
0.32%
34,220
Marathon
21,454
51.28%
18,500
44.22%
1,813
4.33%
42
0.10%
30
0.07%
2,954
7.06%
41,839
Marinette
8,740
57.36%
5,900
38.72%
537
3.52%
40
0.26%
21
0.14%
2,840
18.64%
15,238
Marquette
2,682
62.61%
1,537
35.88%
54
1.26%
6
0.14%
5
0.12%
1,145
26.73%
4,284
Menominee
355
36.37%
608
62.30%
11
1.13%
2
0.20%
0
0.00%
-253
-25.93%
976
Milwaukee
191,874
46.05%
210,802
50.59%
12,567
3.02%
724
0.17%
710
0.17%
-18,928
-4.54%
416,677
Monroe
7,625
66.68%
3,640
31.83%
149
1.30%
10
0.09%
12
0.10%
3,985
34.85%
11,436
Oconto
6,511
59.38%
4,041
36.85%
385
3.51%
13
0.12%
15
0.14%
2,470
22.53%
10,965
Oneida
6,811
58.83%
4,262
36.81%
471
4.07%
23
0.20%
10
0.09%
2,549
22.02%
11,577
Outagamie
27,533
59.84%
17,447
37.92%
896
1.95%
101
0.22%
31
0.07%
10,086
21.92%
46,008
Ozaukee
15,759
61.88%
8,503
33.39%
1,149
4.51%
20
0.08%
35
0.14%
7,256
28.49%
25,466
Pepin
1,458
49.26%
1,409
47.60%
86
2.91%
5
0.17%
2
0.07%
49
1.66%
2,960
Pierce
5,899
50.35%
5,611
47.89%
184
1.57%
10
0.09%
12
0.10%
288
2.46%
11,716
Polk
6,567
52.40%
5,738
45.78%
204
1.63%
11
0.09%
13
0.10%
829
6.62%
12,533
Portage
9,346
40.04%
13,564
58.11%
365
1.56%
46
0.20%
20
0.09%
-4,218
-18.07%
23,341
Price
3,694
54.39%
2,831
41.68%
250
3.68%
2
0.03%
15
0.22%
863
12.71%
6,792
Racine
38,490
56.41%
27,778
40.71%
1,785
2.62%
101
0.15%
82
0.12%
10,712
15.70%
68,236
Richland
5,062
66.14%
2,492
32.56%
90
1.18%
3
0.04%
7
0.09%
2,570
33.58%
7,654
Rock
30,361
58.03%
21,033
40.20%
823
1.57%
65
0.12%
37
0.07%
9,328
17.83%
52,319
Rusk
3,007
47.89%
3,075
48.97%
176
2.80%
10
0.16%
11
0.18%
-68
-1.08%
6,279
Sauk
10,285
58.79%
6,980
39.90%
204
1.17%
12
0.07%
12
0.07%
3,305
18.89%
17,493
Sawyer
3,081
62.52%
1,765
35.82%
72
1.46%
7
0.14%
3
0.06%
1,316
26.70%
4,928
Shawano
8,807
67.01%
3,940
29.98%
378
2.88%
7
0.05%
10
0.08%
4,867
37.03%
13,142
Sheboygan
21,500
49.40%
21,114
48.52%
779
1.79%
81
0.19%
45
0.10%
386
0.88%
43,519
St. Croix
8,553
52.50%
7,488
45.96%
213
1.31%
21
0.13%
16
0.10%
1,065
6.54%
16,291
Taylor
4,125
55.87%
2,934
39.74%
313
4.24%
4
0.05%
7
0.09%
1,191
16.13%
7,383
Trempealeau
5,723
56.69%
4,232
41.92%
126
1.25%
4
0.04%
10
0.10%
1,491
14.77%
10,095
Vernon
6,836
65.83%
3,407
32.81%
127
1.22%
10
0.10%
5
0.05%
3,429
33.02%
10,385
Vilas
4,422
65.92%
1,907
28.43%
366
5.46%
4
0.06%
9
0.13%
2,515
37.49%
6,708
Walworth
17,823
66.09%
8,598
31.88%
485
1.80%
38
0.14%
23
0.09%
9,225
34.21%
26,967
Washburn
3,220
56.84%
2,336
41.24%
96
1.69%
6
0.11%
7
0.12%
884
15.60%
5,665
Washington
15,338
56.81%
10,434
38.64%
1,161
4.30%
45
0.17%
23
0.09%
4,904
18.17%
27,001
Waukesha
59,399
60.85%
34,573
35.42%
3,404
3.49%
151
0.15%
95
0.10%
24,826
25.43%
97,622
Waupaca
11,040
70.13%
4,418
28.07%
257
1.63%
20
0.13%
7
0.04%
6,622
42.06%
15,742
Waushara
4,466
66.27%
2,094
31.07%
166
2.46%
8
0.12%
5
0.07%
2,372
35.20%
6,739
Winnebago
29,488
57.28%
20,450
39.72%
1,400
2.72%
93
0.18%
51
0.10%
9,038
17.56%
51,482
Wood
14,806
54.88%
10,415
38.60%
1,719
6.37%
25
0.09%
15
0.06%
4,391
16.28%
26,980
Totals
989,430
53.40%
810,174
43.72%
47,525
2.56%
2,701
0.15%
3,060
0.17%
179,256
9.68%
1,852,890
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican [ edit ]
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic [ edit ]
^ The Reed vote was not listed by county but given only as a statewide total. It is included in the total at the bottom of the county table.[ 6]