# 1972 Republican Party presidential primaries

From March 7 to June 6, 1972, voters of the Republican Party chose its nominee for president in the 1972 United States presidential election. Incumbent President Richard Nixon was again selected as the nominee through a series of primary elections and caucuses culminating in the 1972 Republican National Convention held from August 21 to August 23, 1972, in Miami, Florida.

## Candidates
### Nominee

| Candidate | Candidate | Candidate | Most recent office | Home state | Campaign Withdrawal date | Popular vote | Contests won | Running mate |
| Richard Nixon | | | President of the United States (1969–1974) | California | (Campaign) Secured nomination: August 23, 1972 | 5,378,704 (86.9%) | 18 | Spiro Agnew |

### Withdrew during primaries

| Candidate | Candidate | Candidate | Most recent office | Home state | Campaign Withdrawal date | Popular vote | Contests won |
| John M. Ashbrook | | | U.S. Representative from Ohio (1961–1982) | Ohio | | 311,543 (5.0%) | 0 |
| Pete McCloskey | | | U.S. Representative from California (1967–1983) | California | | 132,731 (2.1%) | 0 |

## Endorsements
### Cabinet Members

* David Packard, United States Deputy Secretary of Defense (1969–1971)
* William P. Rogers, United States Secretary of State (1969–1973)

### Senators

* Bob Dole (R-KS)
* Jacob Javits (R-NY)
* Charles H. Percy (R-IL)

### Former Representatives

* William M. Tuck, (D-VA)

### Governors

* William T. Cahill (R-NJ)
* Thomas Meskill (R-CT)
* Richard B. Ogilvie (R-IL)
* Ronald Reagan (R-CA)
* Nelson Rockefeller (R-NY)

### Former Governors

* C. Farris Bryant, (D-FL)
* John Connally, (D-TX)
* Mills Godwin, (D-VA)
* Marvin Griffin, (D-GA)
* Allan Shivers, (D-TX)
* John Bell Williams, (D-MS)

### Celebrities

* Jack Benny, comedian
* Joan Blondell, actress
* James Brown, singer
* Jim Brown, football player
* Ray Bolger, actor
* Nick Buoniconti, football player
* George Burns, comedian
* Glen Campbell, musician
* Wilt Chamberlain, basketball player
* Christopher Connelly, actor
* Sammy Davis Jr., singer and actor
* Zsa Zsa Gabor, actress
* Johnny Grant, radio personality
* Merv Griffin, television personality
* George Hamilton, actor
* Charlton Heston, actor
* Bob Hope, comedian
* Art Linkletter, radio personality
* Dick Martin, comedian
* Mary Tyler Moore, actress
* Merlin Olsen, football player
* Debbie Reynolds, actress
* Dan Rowan, actor
* Gale Sayers, football player
* Frank Sinatra, singer
* Red Skelton, entertainer
* James Stewart, actor
* Howard Twilley, football player
* John Wayne, actor

## Polling
### National polling

| Poll source | Publication | John Ashbrook | Pete McCloskey | Richard Nixon |
| Gallup | Feb. 1972 | 5% | 6% | 83% |

## Overview of the race

Nixon was a popular incumbent president in 1972, as he seemed to have reached détente with China and the USSR. He shrugged off the first glimmers of that, after the election, because of the massive Watergate scandal.
Polls showed that Nixon had a strong lead. He was challenged by two minor candidates, liberal Pete McCloskey of California and conservative John Ashbrook of Ohio. McCloskey ran as an anti-Vietnam war candidate dedicated to a much more clearly liberal position compared to Nixon's ambiguity approach within the party, while Ashbrook was dedicated to a much more clearly conservative position than Nixon and opposed Nixon's détente policies towards China and the Soviet Union. In the New Hampshire primary McCloskey's platform of peace garnered 19.7% of the vote to Nixon's 67.9%, with Ashbrook receiving 10.9% and comedian Pat Paulsen receiving 1.1%. Having previously stated that he would withdraw from the race had he not achieved 20% of the vote, McCloskey did so.
Nixon won 1,347 of the 1,348 delegates to the GOP convention, with McCloskey receiving the vote of one delegate from New Mexico.

## Timeline of the race
### March 7

1972 Republican Party primary in New Hampshire :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | 79,239 | 67.6 |
| Paul N. McCloskey | Paul N. McCloskey | 23,190 | 19.8 |
| John M. Ashbrook | John M. Ashbrook | 11,362 | 9.7 |
| Others | Others | 3,417 | 2.9 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 117,208 | 100.0 |

### March 14

1972 Republican Party primary in Florida :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | 360,278 | 87 |
| John M. Ashbrook | John M. Ashbrook | 36,617 | 8.8 |
| Paul N. McCloskey | Paul N. McCloskey | 17,312 | 4.2 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 414,207 | 100 |

### March 21

1972 Republican Party primary in Illinois :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | 32,550 | 97 |
| John M. Ashbrook | John M. Ashbrook | 170 | 0.5 |
| Paul N. McCloskey | Paul N. McCloskey | 47 | 0.1 |
| Others | Others | 802 | 2.4 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 33,569 | 100 |

### April 4

1972 Republican Party primary in Wisconsin :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | 277,601 | 96.9 |
| Paul N. McCloskey | Paul N. McCloskey | 3,651 | 1.3 |
| John M. Ashbrook | John M. Ashbrook | 2,604 | 0.9 |
| "None of the names shown" | "None of the names shown" | 2,315 | 0.8 |
| Others | Others | 273 | 0.1 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 286,444 | 100 |

### April 25

1972 Republican Party primary in Massachusetts :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | 99,150 | 81.2 |
| Paul N. McCloskey | Paul N. McCloskey | 16,435 | 13.5 |
| John M. Ashbrook | John M. Ashbrook | 4,864 | 4 |
| Others | Others | 1,690 | 1.4 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 122,139 | 100 |
1972 Republican Party primary in Pennsylvania :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | 153,886 | 83.3 |
| George C. Wallace | George C. Wallace | 20,472 | 11.1 |
| Others | Others | 10,443 | 5.7 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 184,801 | 100 |

### May 2

1972 Republican Party primary in Indiana :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | 417,069 | 100 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 417,069 | 100 |
1972 Republican Party primary in Ohio :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | 692,828 | 100 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 692,828 | 100 |

### May 4

1972 Republican Party primary in Tennessee :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | 109,696 | 95.8 |
| John M. Ashbrook | John M. Ashbrook | 2,419 | 2.1 |
| Paul N. McCloskey | Paul N. McCloskey | 2,370 | 2.1 |
| Others | Others | 4 | 0 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 114,489 | 100 |

### May 6

1972 Republican Party primary in North Carolina :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | 159,167 | 94.8 |
| Paul N. McCloskey | Paul N. McCloskey | 8,732 | 5.2 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 167,899 | 100 |

### May 9

1972 Republican Party primary in Nebraska :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | 179,464 | 92.4 |
| Paul N. McCloskey | Paul N. McCloskey | 9,011 | 4.6 |
| John M. Ashbrook | John M. Ashbrook | 4,996 | 2.6 |
| Others | Others | 801 | 0.4 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 194,272 | 100 |
1972 Republican Party primary in West Virginia :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Unpledged delegates at large | Unpledged delegates at large | 95,813 | 100 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 95,813 | 100 |

### May 16

1972 Republican Party primary in Maryland :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | 99,308 | 86.2 |
| Paul N. McCloskey | Paul N. McCloskey | 9,223 | 8 |
| John M. Ashbrook | John M. Ashbrook | 6,718 | 5.8 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 115,249 | 100 |
1972 Republican Party primary in Michigan :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | 321,652 | 95.5 |
| Paul N. McCloskey | Paul N. McCloskey | 9,691 | 2.9 |
| Unpledged delegates | Unpledged delegates | 5,370 | 1.6 |
| Others | Others | 30 | 0 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 336,743 | 100 |

### May 23

1972 Republican Party primary in Oregon :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | 231,151 | 82 |
| Paul N. McCloskey | Paul N. McCloskey | 29,365 | 10.4 |
| John M. Ashbrook | John M. Ashbrook | 16,696 | 5.9 |
| Others | Others | 4,798 | 1.7 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 282,010 | 100 |
1972 Republican Party primary in Rhode Island :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | 4,953 | 88.3 |
| Paul N. McCloskey | Paul N. McCloskey | 337 | 6 |
| John M. Ashbrook | John M. Ashbrook | 175 | 3.1 |
| Unpledged delegates at large | Unpledged delegates at large | 146 | 2.6 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 5,611 | 100 |

### June 6

1972 Republican Party primary in California :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | 2,058,825 | 90.1 |
| John M. Ashbrook | John M. Ashbrook | 224,922 | 9.8 |
| Others | Others | 175 | 0 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 2,283,922 | 100 |
1972 Republican Party primary in New Jersey :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Unpledged delegates at large | Unpledged delegates at large | 215,719 | 100 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 215,719 | 100 |
1972 Republican Party primary in New Mexico :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | 49,067 | 88.5 |
| Paul N. McCloskey | Paul N. McCloskey | 3,367 | 5.5 |
| "None of the names shown" | "None of the names shown" | 3,035 | 5.5 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 104,536 | 100 |
1972 Republican Party primary in South Dakota :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | 52,820 | 100 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 52,820 | 100 |

## Results by popular vote

1972 Republican Party presidential primaries :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | Richard M. Nixon (incumbent) | 5,378,704 | 86.9 |
| Unpledged delegates | Unpledged delegates | 317,048 | 5.1 |
| John M. Ashbrook | John M. Ashbrook | 311,543 | 5.0 |
| Paul N. McCloskey | Paul N. McCloskey | 132,731 | 2.1 |
| George C. Wallace | George C. Wallace | 20,472 | 0.3 |
| "None of the names shown" | "None of the names shown" | 5,350 | 0.1 |
| Others | Others | 22,433 | 0.4 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 6,188,281 | 100 |