# 1972 United States presidential election in South Carolina

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The 1972 United States presidential election in South Carolina took place on November 7, 1972. All 50 states and the District of Columbia were part of the 1972 United States presidential election. South Carolina voters chose 8 electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
South Carolina overwhelmingly voted for the Republican nominees, incumbent President Richard Nixon of California and his running mate Vice President Spiro Agnew of Maryland. Nixon and Agnew defeated the Democratic nominees, Senator George McGovern of South Dakota and his running mate U.S. Ambassador Sargent Shriver of Maryland.
Nixon carried South Carolina with 70.58 percent of the vote to McGovern's 27.92 percent, a victory margin of 42.66 points. This election provided the Republican Party with its best presidential result in South Carolina since 1872 and constitutes the only presidential election where the Republican candidate carried every county in the state. Nixon was also the first Republican since 1872 to carry the state twice.
This is the only time, as of the 2024 presidential election, that Marlboro County has voted for a Republican presidential candidate since that county was founded in 1896, and the last time when Orangeburg County, Williamsburg County, Marion County, Fairfield County, Hampton County, Lee County, and Allendale County have voted for a Republican presidential candidate. McCormick County would not vote Republican again until Donald Trump won it in 2016. Meanwhile, Clarendon and Jasper counties would not do so until Trump’s 2020 and 2024 victories, respectively.

## Campaign

85% of white voters supported Nixon while 13% supported McGovern.
This is the only time, as of the 2020 presidential election, that Marlboro County has voted for a Republican presidential candidate since that county was founded in 1896, and the last time when Orangeburg County, Williamsburg County, Marion County, Fairfield County, Hampton County, Lee County, and Allendale County have voted for a Republican presidential candidate.

### Polls

| Source | Rating | As of |
| Corvallis Gazette-Times | Safe R | September 19, 1972 |
| The Bradenton Herald | Certain R | October 9, 1972 |
| Sun Herald | Certain R | November 5, 1972 |

## Results

1972 United States presidential election in South Carolina :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes |
| | Republican | Richard Nixon (incumbent) | 478,427 | 70.58% | 8 |
| | Democratic | George McGovern | 189,270 | 27.92% | 0 |
| | Independent | John G. Schmitz | 10,166 | 1.50% | 0 |
| | Write-ins | Write-ins | 17 | 0.00% | 0 |
| Totals | Totals | Totals | 677,880 | 100.00% | 8 |
| Voter turnout | Voter turnout | Voter turnout | Voter turnout | Voter turnout | – |

### Results by county

| County | Richard Nixon Republican | Richard Nixon Republican | George McGovern Democratic | George McGovern Democratic | John G. Schmitz Independent | John G. Schmitz Independent | Margin | Margin | Total votes cast |
| County | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | Total votes cast |
| Abbeville | 3,266 | 68.95% | 1,349 | 28.48% | 122 | 2.58% | 1,917 | 40.47% | 4,737 |
| Aiken | 21,117 | 77.05% | 5,745 | 20.96% | 545 | 1.99% | 15,372 | 56.09% | 27,407 |
| Allendale | 1,741 | 55.34% | 1,386 | 44.06% | 19 | 0.60% | 355 | 11.28% | 3,146 |
| Anderson | 17,514 | 75.19% | 5,241 | 22.50% | 537 | 2.31% | 12,273 | 52.69% | 23,292 |
| Bamberg | 2,537 | 59.65% | 1,680 | 39.50% | 36 | 0.85% | 857 | 20.15% | 4,253 |
| Barnwell | 3,955 | 71.71% | 1,560 | 28.29% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,395 | 43.42% | 5,515 |
| Beaufort | 5,929 | 64.12% | 3,237 | 35.01% | 81 | 0.88% | 2,692 | 29.11% | 9,247 |
| Berkeley | 9,345 | 66.66% | 4,497 | 32.08% | 177 | 1.26% | 4,848 | 34.58% | 14,019 |
| Calhoun | 1,867 | 60.91% | 1,148 | 37.46% | 50 | 1.63% | 719 | 23.45% | 3,065 |
| Charleston | 39,863 | 68.79% | 16,855 | 29.09% | 1,229 | 2.12% | 23,008 | 39.70% | 57,947 |
| Cherokee | 7,570 | 77.24% | 2,107 | 21.50% | 123 | 1.26% | 5,463 | 55.74% | 9,800 |
| Chester | 4,724 | 66.20% | 2,352 | 32.96% | 60 | 0.84% | 2,372 | 33.24% | 7,136 |
| Chesterfield | 5,230 | 63.56% | 2,938 | 35.70% | 61 | 0.74% | 2,292 | 27.86% | 8,229 |
| Clarendon | 3,958 | 54.34% | 3,276 | 44.98% | 50 | 0.69% | 682 | 9.36% | 7,284 |
| Colleton | 5,723 | 69.51% | 2,376 | 28.86% | 134 | 1.63% | 3,347 | 40.65% | 8,233 |
| Darlington | 11,756 | 72.04% | 4,414 | 27.05% | 149 | 0.91% | 7,342 | 44.99% | 16,319 |
| Dillon | 4,364 | 72.32% | 1,604 | 26.58% | 66 | 1.09% | 2,760 | 45.74% | 6,034 |
| Dorchester | 8,095 | 68.11% | 3,606 | 30.34% | 185 | 1.56% | 4,489 | 37.77% | 11,886 |
| Edgefield | 2,812 | 66.67% | 1,326 | 31.44% | 80 | 1.90% | 1,486 | 35.23% | 4,218 |
| Fairfield | 2,608 | 50.68% | 2,492 | 48.43% | 46 | 0.89% | 116 | 2.25% | 5,146 |
| Florence | 18,106 | 65.30% | 9,455 | 34.10% | 165 | 0.60% | 8,651 | 31.20% | 27,726 |
| Georgetown | 6,114 | 57.27% | 4,446 | 41.64% | 116 | 1.09% | 1,668 | 15.63% | 10,676 |
| Greenville | 46,360 | 79.62% | 10,143 | 17.42% | 1,726 | 2.96% | 36,217 | 62.20% | 58,229 |
| Greenwood | 9,370 | 72.22% | 3,400 | 26.20% | 205 | 1.58% | 5,970 | 46.02% | 12,975 |
| Hampton | 2,891 | 57.56% | 2,086 | 41.53% | 46 | 0.92% | 805 | 16.03% | 5,023 |
| Horry | 15,324 | 76.84% | 4,437 | 22.25% | 183 | 0.92% | 10,887 | 54.59% | 19,944 |
| Jasper | 1,650 | 57.21% | 1,203 | 41.71% | 31 | 1.07% | 447 | 15.50% | 2,884 |
| Kershaw | 8,035 | 74.79% | 2,531 | 23.56% | 178 | 1.66% | 5,504 | 51.23% | 10,744 |
| Lancaster | 9,016 | 77.86% | 2,461 | 21.25% | 103 | 0.89% | 6,555 | 56.61% | 11,580 |
| Laurens | 8,141 | 74.46% | 2,650 | 24.24% | 142 | 1.30% | 5,491 | 50.22% | 10,933 |
| Lee | 3,076 | 60.31% | 1,996 | 39.14% | 28 | 0.55% | 1,080 | 21.17% | 5,100 |
| Lexington | 25,327 | 84.75% | 4,069 | 13.62% | 490 | 1.64% | 21,258 | 71.13% | 29,886 |
| Marion | 4,719 | 64.66% | 2,545 | 34.87% | 34 | 0.47% | 2,174 | 29.79% | 7,298 |
| Marlboro | 3,838 | 65.58% | 1,999 | 34.16% | 15 | 0.26% | 1,839 | 31.42% | 5,852 |
| McCormick | 1,302 | 60.22% | 844 | 39.04% | 16 | 0.74% | 458 | 21.18% | 2,162 |
| Newberry | 7,325 | 76.94% | 2,035 | 21.37% | 161 | 1.69% | 5,290 | 55.57% | 9,521 |
| Oconee | 6,824 | 78.19% | 1,740 | 19.94% | 164 | 1.88% | 5,084 | 58.25% | 8,728 |
| Orangeburg | 11,711 | 59.31% | 7,652 | 38.75% | 382 | 1.93% | 4,059 | 20.56% | 19,745 |
| Pickens | 11,776 | 82.37% | 2,255 | 15.77% | 265 | 1.85% | 9,521 | 66.60% | 14,296 |
| Richland | 39,746 | 64.11% | 21,462 | 34.62% | 787 | 1.27% | 18,284 | 29.49% | 61,995 |
| Saluda | 3,095 | 73.85% | 1,022 | 24.39% | 74 | 1.77% | 2,073 | 49.46% | 4,191 |
| Spartanburg | 31,308 | 75.34% | 9,586 | 23.07% | 662 | 1.59% | 21,722 | 52.27% | 41,556 |
| Sumter | 10,892 | 64.83% | 5,801 | 34.53% | 107 | 0.64% | 5,091 | 30.30% | 16,800 |
| Union | 8,337 | 75.35% | 2,676 | 24.18% | 52 | 0.47% | 5,661 | 51.17% | 11,065 |
| Williamsburg | 5,729 | 52.01% | 5,213 | 47.33% | 73 | 0.66% | 516 | 4.68% | 11,015 |
| York | 14,441 | 68.68% | 6,374 | 30.31% | 211 | 1.00% | 8,067 | 38.37% | 21,026 |
| Totals | 478,427 | 70.58% | 189,270 | 27.92% | 10,166 | 1.50% | 289,157 | 42.66% | 677,880 |

#### Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

* Allendale
* Bamberg
* Beaufort
* Berkeley
* Calhoun
* Chester
* Clarendon
* Dorchester
* Fairfield
* Georgetown
* Hampton
* Jasper
* Lee
* McCormick
* Marion
* Marlboro
* Orangeburg
* Sumter
* Williamsburg

#### Counties that flipped from American Independent to Republican

* Abbeville
* Anderson
* Barnwell
* Cherokee
* Chesterfield
* Darlington
* Greenwood
* Horry
* Lancaster
* Oconee
* Saluda
* Union