# 1972 United States presidential election in West Virginia

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The 1972 United States presidential election in West Virginia took place on November 7, 1972, as part of the 1972 United States presidential election. West Virginia voters chose six representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
West Virginia was won by incumbent President Richard Nixon (R–California), with 63.61 percent of the popular vote, against George McGovern (D–South Dakota), with 36.39 percent of the popular vote. Nixon won every county in the state except for Logan County, which McGovern won by 2.62 percentage points.
In this socially conservative state, McGovern was largely portrayed as a left-wing extremist due to his support for busing and civil rights, alongside fears that McGovern would legalize abortion and illicit drugs if elected — despite the fact that his running mate (after Senator Thomas Eagleton was dropped from the ticket) Sargent Shriver was firmly opposed to abortion being legal.

## Results

1972 United States presidential election in West Virginia :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Richard Nixon (inc.) | 484,964 | 63.61% |
| | Democratic | George McGovern | 277,435 | 36.39% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 762,399 | 100.00% |

### Results by county

| County | Richard Nixon Republican | Richard Nixon Republican | George McGovern Democratic | George McGovern Democratic | Margin | Margin | Total votes cast |
| County | # | % | # | % | # | % | Total votes cast |
| Barbour | 4,432 | 66.25% | 2,258 | 33.75% | 2,174 | 32.50% | 6,690 |
| Berkeley | 10,954 | 70.78% | 4,523 | 29.22% | 6,431 | 41.56% | 15,477 |
| Boone | 5,985 | 52.84% | 5,342 | 47.16% | 643 | 5.68% | 11,327 |
| Braxton | 3,155 | 53.24% | 2,771 | 46.76% | 384 | 6.48% | 5,926 |
| Brooke | 7,544 | 59.08% | 5,226 | 40.92% | 2,318 | 18.16% | 12,770 |
| Cabell | 29,582 | 67.39% | 14,312 | 32.61% | 15,270 | 34.78% | 43,894 |
| Calhoun | 1,992 | 56.59% | 1,528 | 43.41% | 464 | 13.18% | 3,520 |
| Clay | 2,168 | 54.23% | 1,830 | 45.77% | 338 | 8.46% | 3,998 |
| Doddridge | 2,284 | 77.98% | 645 | 22.02% | 1,639 | 55.96% | 2,929 |
| Fayette | 11,876 | 54.37% | 9,966 | 45.63% | 1,910 | 8.74% | 21,842 |
| Gilmer | 2,056 | 60.20% | 1,359 | 39.80% | 697 | 20.40% | 3,415 |
| Grant | 3,556 | 85.28% | 614 | 14.72% | 2,942 | 70.56% | 4,170 |
| Greenbrier | 8,827 | 66.62% | 4,423 | 33.38% | 4,404 | 33.24% | 13,250 |
| Hampshire | 3,084 | 65.33% | 1,637 | 34.67% | 1,447 | 30.66% | 4,721 |
| Hancock | 10,634 | 61.25% | 6,727 | 38.75% | 3,907 | 22.50% | 17,361 |
| Hardy | 2,609 | 63.34% | 1,510 | 36.66% | 1,099 | 26.68% | 4,119 |
| Harrison | 22,196 | 63.23% | 12,910 | 36.77% | 9,286 | 26.46% | 35,106 |
| Jackson | 7,226 | 70.61% | 3,007 | 29.39% | 4,219 | 41.22% | 10,233 |
| Jefferson | 4,822 | 63.41% | 2,782 | 36.59% | 2,040 | 26.82% | 7,604 |
| Kanawha | 65,021 | 63.09% | 38,032 | 36.91% | 26,989 | 26.18% | 103,053 |
| Lewis | 5,778 | 73.70% | 2,062 | 26.30% | 3,716 | 47.40% | 7,840 |
| Lincoln | 4,673 | 54.66% | 3,876 | 45.34% | 797 | 9.32% | 8,549 |
| Logan | 9,533 | 48.69% | 10,045 | 51.31% | -512 | -2.62% | 19,578 |
| Marion | 16,095 | 57.57% | 11,864 | 42.43% | 4,231 | 15.14% | 27,959 |
| Marshall | 10,966 | 63.23% | 6,378 | 36.77% | 4,588 | 26.46% | 17,344 |
| Mason | 7,129 | 64.01% | 4,008 | 35.99% | 3,121 | 28.02% | 11,137 |
| McDowell | 8,942 | 56.76% | 6,811 | 43.24% | 2,131 | 13.52% | 15,753 |
| Mercer | 17,846 | 69.52% | 7,826 | 30.48% | 10,020 | 39.04% | 25,672 |
| Mineral | 7,157 | 68.60% | 3,276 | 31.40% | 3,881 | 37.20% | 10,433 |
| Mingo | 7,484 | 57.27% | 5,585 | 42.73% | 1,899 | 14.54% | 13,069 |
| Monongalia | 16,758 | 60.98% | 10,721 | 39.02% | 6,037 | 21.96% | 27,479 |
| Monroe | 3,716 | 63.74% | 2,114 | 36.26% | 1,602 | 27.48% | 5,830 |
| Morgan | 3,014 | 72.94% | 1,118 | 27.06% | 1,896 | 45.88% | 4,132 |
| Nicholas | 5,907 | 61.95% | 3,628 | 38.05% | 2,279 | 23.90% | 9,535 |
| Ohio | 18,435 | 63.73% | 10,491 | 36.27% | 7,944 | 27.46% | 28,926 |
| Pendleton | 2,207 | 63.88% | 1,248 | 36.12% | 959 | 27.76% | 3,455 |
| Pleasants | 2,025 | 62.65% | 1,207 | 37.35% | 818 | 25.30% | 3,232 |
| Pocahontas | 2,391 | 59.39% | 1,635 | 40.61% | 756 | 18.78% | 4,026 |
| Preston | 7,807 | 72.39% | 2,977 | 27.61% | 4,830 | 44.78% | 10,784 |
| Putnam | 8,265 | 63.40% | 4,771 | 36.60% | 3,494 | 26.80% | 13,036 |
| Raleigh | 19,150 | 64.40% | 10,586 | 35.60% | 8,564 | 28.80% | 29,736 |
| Randolph | 6,923 | 64.51% | 3,809 | 35.49% | 3,114 | 29.02% | 10,732 |
| Ritchie | 3,635 | 78.59% | 990 | 21.41% | 2,645 | 57.18% | 4,625 |
| Roane | 4,253 | 64.06% | 2,386 | 35.94% | 1,867 | 28.12% | 6,639 |
| Summers | 3,895 | 60.74% | 2,518 | 39.26% | 1,377 | 21.48% | 6,413 |
| Taylor | 4,385 | 67.77% | 2,085 | 32.23% | 2,300 | 35.54% | 6,470 |
| Tucker | 2,163 | 59.75% | 1,457 | 40.25% | 706 | 19.50% | 3,620 |
| Tyler | 3,362 | 74.93% | 1,125 | 25.07% | 2,237 | 49.86% | 4,487 |
| Upshur | 6,449 | 78.23% | 1,795 | 21.77% | 4,654 | 56.46% | 8,244 |
| Wayne | 9,775 | 60.99% | 6,251 | 39.01% | 3,524 | 21.98% | 16,026 |
| Webster | 2,114 | 50.54% | 2,069 | 49.46% | 45 | 1.08% | 4,183 |
| Wetzel | 6,046 | 64.86% | 3,276 | 35.14% | 2,770 | 29.72% | 9,322 |
| Wirt | 1,442 | 67.60% | 691 | 32.40% | 751 | 35.20% | 2,133 |
| Wood | 27,315 | 71.50% | 10,886 | 28.50% | 16,429 | 43.00% | 38,201 |
| Wyoming | 7,926 | 63.95% | 4,468 | 36.05% | 3,458 | 27.90% | 12,394 |
| Totals | 484,964 | 63.61% | 277,435 | 36.39% | 207,529 | 27.22% | 762,399 |

#### Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

* Barbour
* Boone
* Braxton
* Brooke
* Calhoun
* Clay
* Fayette
* Gilmer
* Greenbrier
* Hancock
* Harrison
* Jefferson
* Kanawha
* Lincoln
* Marion
* Marshall
* McDowell
* Mingo
* Mercer
* Monongalia
* Nicholas
* Raleigh
* Randolph
* Ohio
* Summers
* Tucker
* Webster
* Wyoming
* Wayne