1972 Republican Party presidential primaries

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1972 Republican Party presidential primaries
← 1968 March 7 to June 6, 1972 1976 →
  Richard Nixon presidential portrait.jpg JohnMAshbrook.jpg
Candidate Richard Nixon John M. Ashbrook
Home state California Ohio
Contests won 18 0
Popular vote 5,378,704 317,048
Percentage 86.9% 5.1%
Republican presidential primary results, 1972.png
First place finishes by preference primary results
Previous Republican nominee

Richard Nixon

 Republican nominee

Richard Nixon

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 Most recent office Home state Campaign

Withdrawal date

Popular vote Contest won Running mate
Richard Nixon Richard Nixon presidential portrait.jpg 37th
President of the United States
(1969–1974)
Incumbent 		California
California 		Nixon Agnew 1972 campaign logo.svg
(Campaign)
Secured nomination: August 23, 1972 		5,378,704
(96.9%) 		18 Spiro Agnew

Withdrew during primaries[]

  • Representative John Ashbrook of Ohio

  • Representative Pete McCloskey of California

Polling[]

National polling[]

Poll source Publication
William Knowland
Pete McCloskey
Richard Nixon
Gallup[1] Feb. 1972 5% 6% 83%

Primary 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 what, after the election, became 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 clearer liberal position compared to Nixon's ambiguity approach within the party, while Ashbrook was dedicated to a much more clearer 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%.[2] 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.[3]

Results[]

Richard Nixon John Ashbrook Pete McCloskey
March 7 New Hampshire 67.61% 9.69% 19.79%
March 14 Florida 86.98% 8.84% 4.18%
March 21 Illinois 96.96% 0.51% 0.14%
April 4 Wisconsin 96.91% 0.91% 1.28%
April 25 Massachusetts 81.18% 3.98% 13.46%
April 25 Pennsylvania 82.88% - -
May 2 Indiana 100% - -
May 2 Ohio 100% - -
May 4 Tennessee 95.81% 2.11% 2.07%
May 6 North Carolina 94.80% - 5.20%
May 9 Nebraska 92.38% 2.57% 4.64%
May 16 Maryland 86.17% 5.83% 8.00%
May 16 Michigan 95.52% - 2.88%
May 23 Oregon 81.97% 5.92% 10.41%
May 23 Rhode Island 88.27% 3.12% 6.01%
June 6 California 90.14% 9.85% -
June 6 New Mexico 88.46% - 6.07%
June 6 South Dakota 100% - -
  • Italics - Write-In Votes

See also[]

  • 1972 Democratic Party presidential primaries

References[]

  1. ^ "US President - R Primaries". OurCampaigns.com. 16 Nov 2004. Retrieved 29 Oct 2020.
  2. ^ "New Hampshire Finals". The Miami Herald. UPI. March 15, 1972. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  3. ^ "Nixon Renominated". Partners.nytimes.com. 1972-08-23. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
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