Republican Party presidential primaries, 1972

Republican Party presidential primaries, 1972
United States
March 7 to June 6, 1972
 
Nominee Richard Nixon John M. Ashbrook Pete McCloskey
Home state California Ohio California
Contests won 50 0 0
Popular vote 5,378,704 317,048 132,731
Percentage 86.92% 5.12% 2.15%
Previous Republican nominee

Richard Nixon

 Republican nominee

Richard Nixon

The 1972 Republican presidential primaries were the selection process by which voters of the Republican Party chose its nominee for President of the United States in the 1972 U.S. 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.

Primary race

Nixon was a popular incumbent president in 1972, as he seemed to have reached détente with China and 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-war and anti-Nixon candidate, while Ashbrook opposed Nixon's détente policies towards China and the Soviet Union. In the New Hampshire primary McCloskey's platform of peace garnered 19% of the vote to Nixon's 67%, with Ashbrook receiving 10%. 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.[1]

Candidates

Statewide contests by winner

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% - -

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Nixon Renominated". Partners.nytimes.com. 1972-08-23. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
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