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The 1972 United States presidential election in Illinois was held on November 7, 1972 as part of the 1972 United States presidential election . Incumbent President Nixon won the state of Illinois with 59.03 percent of the vote, carrying the state's 26 electoral votes.[1] He defeated his main opponent, Democratic candidate George McGovern in Illinois by an large margin of 18.52%, which still left Illinois 4.63% more Democratic than the nation.
Nixon won all but one of Illinois’ 102 counties. The solitary exception was Jackson County , home to Southern Illinois University Carbondale , which notably had voted for Nixon in the previous election and was one of only five counties outside McGovern’s home state to switch from Republican to Democratic at this election.[a] [2] This election is the most recent in which Cook County voted Republican, the only Republican victory in St. Clair County since Calvin Coolidge in 1924 ,[3] and the last until 2016 when Alexander County supported a Republican nominee.[4]
Results
1972 United States presidential election in Illinois
Party
Candidate
Votes
Percentage
Electoral votes
Republican
Richard Nixon
2,788,179
59.03%
26
Democratic
George McGovern
1,913,472
40.51%
0
Socialist Labor
Louis Fisher
12,344
0.26%
0
Communist
Gus Hall
4,541
0.10%
0
Write-in
John Schmitz
2,471
0.05%
0
Write-ins
—
2,229
0.05%
0
Totals
4,723,236
100.0%
26
Results by county
County
Richard Milhous Nixon Republican
George Stanley McGovern Democratic
Louis Fisher Socialist Labor
Various candidates Other parties
Margin
Total votes cast[5]
#
%
#
%
#
%
#
%
#
%
Adams
20,731
69.46%
9,055
30.34%
57
0.19%
3
0.01%
11,676
39.12%
29,846
Alexander
2,669
51.24%
2,482
47.65%
49
0.94%
9
0.17%
187
3.59%
5,209
Bond
4,475
62.30%
2,704
37.64%
4
0.06%
0
0.00%
1,771
24.66%
7,183
Boone
7,003
68.89%
3,131
30.80%
29
0.29%
2
0.02%
3,872
38.09%
10,165
Brown
1,780
58.90%
1,203
39.81%
36
1.19%
3
0.10%
577
19.09%
3,022
Bureau
12,786
67.47%
6,133
32.36%
22
0.12%
11
0.06%
6,653
35.10%
18,952
Calhoun
1,705
56.51%
1,299
43.06%
13
0.43%
0
0.00%
406
13.46%
3,017
Carroll
6,041
69.99%
2,571
29.79%
18
0.21%
1
0.01%
3,470
40.20%
8,631
Cass
4,414
61.14%
2,803
38.83%
1
0.01%
1
0.01%
1,611
22.32%
7,219
Champaign
33,700
57.43%
24,743
42.17%
97
0.17%
139
0.24%
8,957
15.26%
58,679
Christian
10,072
56.98%
7,556
42.75%
44
0.25%
3
0.02%
2,516
14.23%
17,675
Clark
5,706
65.74%
2,965
34.16%
8
0.09%
1
0.01%
2,741
31.58%
8,680
Clay
5,283
64.92%
2,844
34.95%
8
0.10%
3
0.04%
2,439
29.97%
8,138
Clinton
7,931
62.39%
4,756
37.41%
15
0.12%
10
0.08%
3,175
24.98%
12,712
Coles
13,681
62.90%
7,988
36.72%
15
0.07%
67
0.31%
5,693
26.17%
21,751
Cook
1,234,307
53.41%
1,063,268
46.01%
7,328
0.32%
6,134
0.27%
171,039
7.40%
2,311,037
Crawford
6,568
65.32%
3,477
34.58%
9
0.09%
1
0.01%
3,091
30.74%
10,055
Cumberland
3,257
60.79%
2,083
38.88%
9
0.17%
9
0.17%
1,174
21.91%
5,358
DeKalb
18,910
60.25%
12,375
39.43%
41
0.13%
58
0.18%
6,535
20.82%
31,384
DeWitt
5,025
65.22%
2,672
34.68%
7
0.09%
1
0.01%
2,353
30.54%
7,705
Douglas
5,840
68.66%
2,656
31.23%
8
0.09%
2
0.02%
3,184
37.43%
8,506
DuPage
172,341
75.02%
57,043
24.83%
297
0.13%
58
0.03%
115,298
50.19%
229,739
Edgar
7,195
64.73%
3,889
34.99%
29
0.26%
3
0.03%
3,306
29.74%
11,116
Edwards
3,017
73.93%
1,055
25.85%
9
0.22%
0
0.00%
1,962
48.08%
4,081
Effingham
8,752
66.34%
4,431
33.59%
7
0.05%
3
0.02%
4,321
32.75%
13,193
Fayette
6,574
61.05%
4,192
38.93%
1
0.01%
1
0.01%
2,382
22.12%
10,768
Ford
5,656
74.51%
1,934
25.48%
1
0.01%
0
0.00%
3,722
49.03%
7,591
Franklin
10,121
54.04%
8,545
45.62%
32
0.17%
31
0.17%
1,576
8.41%
18,729
Fulton
12,328
61.80%
7,529
37.74%
77
0.39%
15
0.08%
4,799
24.06%
19,949
Gallatin
2,148
53.69%
1,844
46.09%
6
0.15%
3
0.07%
304
7.60%
4,001
Greene
4,673
62.13%
2,824
37.55%
23
0.31%
1
0.01%
1,849
24.58%
7,521
Grundy
8,725
70.70%
3,584
29.04%
20
0.16%
12
0.10%
5,141
41.66%
12,341
Hamilton
3,282
61.94%
2,006
37.86%
9
0.17%
2
0.04%
1,276
24.08%
5,299
Hancock
7,519
67.56%
3,592
32.28%
16
0.14%
2
0.02%
3,927
35.29%
11,129
Hardin
1,915
62.54%
1,140
37.23%
6
0.20%
1
0.03%
775
25.31%
3,062
Henderson
2,689
60.62%
1,744
39.31%
2
0.05%
1
0.02%
945
21.30%
4,436
Henry
14,796
63.82%
8,368
36.09%
17
0.07%
4
0.02%
6,428
27.72%
23,185
Iroquois
11,995
76.00%
3,723
23.59%
12
0.08%
52
0.33%
8,272
52.41%
15,782
Jackson
12,393
48.42%
13,146
51.37%
48
0.19%
6
0.02%
-753
-2.94%
25,593
Jasper
3,461
61.18%
2,114
37.37%
8
0.14%
74
1.31%
1,347
23.81%
5,657
Jefferson
9,448
71.55%
3,696
27.99%
50
0.38%
11
0.08%
5,752
43.56%
13,205
Jersey
5,164
60.70%
3,317
38.99%
8
0.09%
18
0.21%
1,847
21.71%
8,507
Jo Daviess
5,763
63.34%
3,318
36.47%
13
0.14%
5
0.05%
2,445
26.87%
9,099
Johnson
2,826
68.54%
1,293
31.36%
4
0.10%
0
0.00%
1,533
37.18%
4,123
Kane
64,546
69.87%
27,525
29.80%
163
0.18%
143
0.15%
37,021
40.08%
92,377
Kankakee
26,866
66.54%
13,434
33.27%
54
0.13%
19
0.05%
13,432
33.27%
40,373
Kendall
9,373
78.65%
2,525
21.19%
19
0.16%
0
0.00%
6,848
57.46%
11,917
Knox
17,315
64.69%
9,333
34.87%
60
0.22%
58
0.22%
7,982
29.82%
26,766
Lake
92,052
65.84%
47,416
33.91%
278
0.20%
66
0.05%
44,636
31.93%
139,812
LaSalle
31,190
59.20%
21,405
40.63%
82
0.16%
10
0.02%
9,785
18.57%
52,687
Lawrence
5,347
65.36%
2,818
34.45%
15
0.18%
1
0.01%
2,529
30.91%
8,181
Lee
10,636
68.67%
4,788
30.91%
12
0.08%
53
0.34%
5,848
37.76%
15,489
Livingston
13,217
72.07%
5,110
27.86%
9
0.05%
3
0.02%
8,107
44.21%
18,339
Logan
10,277
69.95%
4,395
29.91%
18
0.12%
2
0.01%
5,882
40.04%
14,692
Macon
29,596
59.16%
20,296
40.57%
114
0.23%
23
0.05%
9,300
18.59%
50,029
Macoupin
13,583
58.03%
9,662
41.28%
147
0.63%
15
0.06%
3,921
16.75%
23,407
Madison
55,385
55.88%
43,289
43.68%
137
0.14%
305
0.31%
12,096
12.20%
99,116
Marion
10,755
60.58%
6,968
39.25%
21
0.12%
10
0.06%
3,787
21.33%
17,754
Marshall
4,452
67.43%
2,141
32.43%
8
0.12%
1
0.02%
2,311
35.00%
6,602
Mason
4,897
62.70%
2,901
37.14%
8
0.10%
4
0.05%
1,996
25.56%
7,810
Massac
4,313
69.99%
1,831
29.71%
14
0.23%
4
0.06%
2,482
40.28%
6,162
McDonough
10,573
67.18%
5,143
32.68%
17
0.11%
5
0.03%
5,430
34.50%
15,738
McHenry
36,114
74.75%
12,090
25.02%
88
0.18%
20
0.04%
24,024
49.73%
48,312
McLean
31,060
67.59%
14,824
32.26%
57
0.12%
14
0.03%
16,236
35.33%
45,955
Menard
3,657
69.49%
1,587
30.15%
8
0.15%
11
0.21%
2,070
39.33%
5,263
Mercer
5,452
60.98%
3,477
38.89%
8
0.09%
3
0.03%
1,975
22.09%
8,940
Monroe
6,479
68.44%
2,958
31.25%
24
0.25%
5
0.05%
3,521
37.20%
9,466
Montgomery
9,025
56.71%
6,858
43.10%
27
0.17%
3
0.02%
2,167
13.62%
15,913
Morgan
11,103
66.13%
5,674
33.80%
11
0.07%
1
0.01%
5,429
32.34%
16,789
Moultrie
3,143
57.07%
2,350
42.67%
9
0.16%
5
0.09%
793
14.40%
5,507
Ogle
13,512
73.88%
4,743
25.93%
32
0.17%
3
0.02%
8,769
47.94%
18,290
Peoria
50,324
64.49%
27,264
34.94%
112
0.14%
337
0.43%
23,060
29.55%
78,037
Perry
6,968
62.98%
4,084
36.91%
9
0.08%
3
0.03%
2,884
26.07%
11,064
Piatt
5,057
67.72%
2,394
32.06%
16
0.21%
1
0.01%
2,663
35.66%
7,468
Pike
5,940
60.23%
3,883
39.37%
38
0.39%
2
0.02%
2,057
20.86%
9,863
Pope
1,440
64.92%
773
34.85%
4
0.18%
1
0.05%
667
30.07%
2,218
Pulaski
2,485
59.27%
1,683
40.14%
21
0.50%
4
0.10%
802
19.13%
4,193
Putnam
1,556
58.10%
1,112
41.52%
4
0.15%
6
0.22%
444
16.58%
2,678
Randolph
9,761
60.20%
6,440
39.72%
14
0.09%
0
0.00%
3,321
20.48%
16,215
Richland
5,558
68.41%
2,553
31.42%
12
0.15%
2
0.02%
3,005
36.98%
8,125
Rock Island
37,548
53.39%
32,529
46.25%
227
0.32%
26
0.04%
5,019
7.14%
70,330
Saline
7,660
59.30%
5,226
40.46%
26
0.20%
6
0.05%
2,434
18.84%
12,918
Sangamon
50,458
65.46%
25,720
33.37%
284
0.37%
617
0.80%
24,738
32.09%
77,079
Schuyler
2,994
66.03%
1,534
33.83%
2
0.04%
4
0.09%
1,460
32.20%
4,534
Scott
2,228
66.00%
1,145
33.92%
2
0.06%
1
0.03%
1,083
32.08%
3,376
Shelby
7,217
62.08%
4,389
37.75%
17
0.15%
3
0.03%
2,828
24.32%
11,626
St. Clair
50,519
51.50%
46,636
47.54%
876
0.89%
66
0.07%
3,883
3.96%
98,097
Stark
2,529
71.44%
993
28.05%
8
0.23%
10
0.28%
1,536
43.39%
3,540
Stephenson
13,584
67.86%
6,404
31.99%
24
0.12%
7
0.03%
7,180
35.87%
20,019
Tazewell
31,937
67.08%
15,576
32.71%
83
0.17%
17
0.04%
16,361
34.36%
47,613
Union
5,034
59.36%
3,428
40.42%
16
0.19%
2
0.02%
1,606
18.94%
8,480
Vermilion
24,863
63.06%
14,413
36.56%
70
0.18%
79
0.20%
10,450
26.51%
39,425
Wabash
4,310
68.35%
1,985
31.48%
5
0.08%
6
0.10%
2,325
36.87%
6,306
Warren
7,021
70.15%
2,969
29.67%
15
0.15%
3
0.03%
4,052
40.49%
10,008
Washington
5,179
68.85%
2,327
30.94%
12
0.16%
4
0.05%
2,852
37.92%
7,522
Wayne
6,400
69.75%
2,763
30.11%
10
0.11%
2
0.02%
3,637
39.64%
9,175
White
6,052
62.10%
3,678
37.74%
11
0.11%
5
0.05%
2,374
24.36%
9,746
Whiteside
17,305
68.40%
7,909
31.26%
80
0.32%
7
0.03%
9,396
37.14%
25,301
Will
65,155
65.67%
33,633
33.90%
185
0.19%
245
0.25%
31,522
31.77%
99,218
Williamson
14,101
60.02%
9,202
39.17%
12
0.05%
177
0.75%
4,899
20.85%
23,492
Winnebago
57,682
61.46%
35,937
38.29%
179
0.19%
52
0.06%
21,745
23.17%
93,850
Woodford
9,622
72.85%
3,558
26.94%
18
0.14%
10
0.08%
6,064
45.91%
13,208
Totals
2,788,179
59.03%
1,913,472
40.51%
12,344
0.26%
9,241
0.20%
874,707
18.52%
4,723,236
Notes
References