Title: 1972 United States presidential election Content: The 1972 United States presidential election happened on November 7, 1972. President Richard Nixon was reelected to a second term. He defeated the Democratic candidate, Senator George McGovern of South Dakota. Nixon won the election by a landslide (winning 49 of 50 states) and got 520 electoral votes. McGovern got 17 electoral votes. John Hospers got one electoral vote by a Virginia faithless elector. This was the highest of any Republican nominee as a vote, as well as a highest electoral vote in a United States election until Ronald Reagan was re-elected in 1984 by a huge landslide. George Wallace, governor of Alabama was shot by a would-be assassin during the election. George McGovern's running mate changed from Thomas Eagleton to Sargent Shriver because of revelations about Eagleton's previous psychiatric problems. This election occurred during the Watergate scandal, which ultimately caused Nixon to resign in 1974. ==Candidates== ===Democratic Party=== 15 people declared their candidacy for the Democratic Party nomination. They were: *George McGovern, Senator from South Dakota *Hubert Humphrey, Senator from Minnesota and former Vice President *George Wallace, Governor of Alabama *Edmund Muskie, Senator from Maine *Eugene McCarthy, former Senator from Minnesota *Henry M. Jackson, Senator from Washington *Shirley Chisholm, Representative of New York's 12th congressional district *Terry Sanford, former Governor of North Carolina *John Lindsay, Mayor of New York City *Wilbur Mills, Representative of Arkansas's 2nd congressional district *Vance Hartke, Senator from Indiana *Fred Harris, Senator from Oklahoma *Sam Yorty, former Representative of California's 26th congressional district *Patsy Mink, Representative of Hawaii's 2nd congressional district *Walter Fauntroy, Delegate from Washington, D.C. ====Candidates gallery==== Image:GeorgeStanleyMcGovern.png|Senator George McGovern of South Dakota Image:Hubert Humphrey crop.jpg|Senator and former Vice President Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota Image:George C Wallace (Alaba Governor).png|Governor George Wallace of Alabama Image:Edmund Muskie.jpg|Senator Edmund Muskie of Maine Image:EugeneMcCarthy.jpg|Former Senator Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota Image:HenryJackson.jpg|Senator Henry M. Jackson of Washington Image:Shirley Chisholm.jpg|Representative Shirley Chisholm of New York Image:Terry Sanford.jpg|Former Governor Terry Sanford of North Carolina Image:John Lindsay NYWTS 1 (cropped).jpg|Mayor John Lindsay of New York City Image:WilburMills.jpg|Representative Wilbur Mills of Arkansas File:Vance Hartke.jpg|Senator Vance Hartke of Indiana Image:FredRoyHarris.jpg|Senator Fred R. Harris of Oklahoma Image:Patsymink.jpg|Representative Patsy Mink of Hawaii Image:Walter Fauntroy.jpg|U.S. Congressional Delegate Walter Fauntroy of Washington, D.C. ===Republican Party=== *Republican candidates: **Richard Nixon, President of the United States **Pete McCloskey, Representative from California **John M. Ashbrook, Representative from Ohio ====Candidates gallery==== File:Nixon 30-0316a.jpg|President Richard Nixon File:JohnMAshbrook.jpg|Representative John Ashbrook of Ohio File:Paul McCloskey.gif|Representative Pete McCloskey of California ==Related pages== *Presidential Candidates: ** Richard Nixon ** George McGovern ** Patsy Mink *Vice Presidential Candidates: ** Sargent Shriver ** Spiro Agnew