# 1972 United States presidential election in the District of Columbia

"none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]]
Elections in the District of Columbia :
Federal government
Presidential elections
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Presidential primaries
Democratic
2004
2008
2020
2024
Republican
2008
2020
2024
U.S. House elections
1871
1872
1971
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
Shadow Senator elections
1990
1994
1996
2000
2002
2006
2008
2012
2014
2018
2020
2024
Shadow Representative elections
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024 :
District government
General elections
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
Mayoral elections
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022
2026
Council elections
1974
1976
1977
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1993
1994
1996
1997
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2013
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
Attorney General elections
2014
2018
2022 :
Ballot measures1998:
Initiative 592014:
Initiative 712016:
Advisory Referendum B2018:
Initiative 772022:
Initiative 822024:
Initiative 83 :
vte :
The 1972 United States presidential election in the District of Columbia took place on November 7, 1972, as part of the 1972 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Washington, D.C. voters chose 3 electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Republican President Richard Nixon and his running mate, incumbent Vice President Spiro Agnew, against Democratic challenger and Senator George McGovern from South Dakota and his running mate, former United States Ambassador to France Sargent Shriver.
McGovern won D.C. by an overwhelming margin, receiving 78.10% of the vote. Along with Massachusetts, the District of Columbia was the only jurisdiction with electoral votes in the country that voted for George McGovern in the general election. Despite McGovern's overwhelming victory in the District, this is the only election, as of 2024, in which the Republican nominee received more than 20% of the vote in D.C., or in which the Democratic margin of victory was less than 60%; and it is one of only two elections in which the Democratic nominee fell short of 80% of the vote, along with the three-way election of 1980. Nixon managed a victory in one of the district's eight wards, Ward 3. Nixon's 35,226 votes remain the most raw votes any Republican nominee has ever received in D.C.
This was one of only two elections where Washington, D.C. wasn't the largest margin for either candidate along with 1964, this time being second to a 58.57% margin for Nixon in Mississippi.

## Results

1972 United States presidential election in the District of Columbia :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | George McGovern Sargent Shriver | 127,627 | 78.10% | −3.72% |
| | Republican | Richard Nixon (incumbent) Spiro Agnew (incumbent) | 35,226 | 21.56% | +3.38% |
| | Socialist Workers | Linda Jenness Andrew Pulley | 316 | 0.19% | +0.19% |
| | Communist | Gus Hall Jarvis Tyner | 252 | 0.15% | +0.15% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 163,421 | 100.00% | - |