1972 Republican Party presidential primaries

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.

1972 Republican Party presidential primaries

← 1968 March 7 to June 6, 1972 1976 →

Candidate Richard Nixon Uncommitted John M. Ashbrook Home state California N/A Ohio Contests won 18 0 0 Popular vote 5,378,704 317,048 311,543 Percentage 86.9% 5.1% 5.0%

First place finishes by preference primary results

Previous Republican nominee Richard Nixon Republican nominee Richard Nixon

Candidates

Nominee

Candidate			Most recent office	Home state	Campaign Withdrawal date	Popular vote	Contests won	Running mate
Richard Nixon			President of the United States (1969–1974)	California	(Campaign) Secured nomination: August 23, 1972	5,378,704 (96.9%)	18	Spiro Agnew

Withdrew during primaries

Candidate			Most recent office	Home state	Campaign Withdrawal date	Popular vote	Contests won
John M. Ashbrook			U.S. Representative from Ohio (1961–1982)	Ohio		311,543 (5.0%)	0
Pete McCloskey			U.S. Representative from California (1967–1983)	California		132,731 (2.1%)	0

Endorsements

List of Richard Nixon 1972 presidential campaign endorsements

Cabinet Members

• David Packard, United States Deputy Secretary of Defense (1969–1971)^[1]
• William P. Rogers, United States Secretary of State (1969–1973)^[2]

Senators

• Bob Dole (R-KS)^[3]
• Jacob Javits (R-NY)^[2]
• Charles H. Percy (R-IL)^[3]

Former Representatives

• William M. Tuck, (D-VA)^[4]

Governors

• William T. Cahill (R-NJ)^[2]
• Thomas Meskill (R-CT)^[2]
• Richard B. Ogilvie (R-IL)^[3]
• Ronald Reagan (R-CA)^[1]
• Nelson Rockefeller (R-NY)^[2]

Former Governors

• C. Farris Bryant, (D-FL)^[4]
• John Connally, (D-TX)^[4]
• Mills Godwin, (D-VA)^[4]
• Marvin Griffin, (D-GA)^[4]
• Allan Shivers, (D-TX)^[4]
• John Bell Williams, (D-MS)^[4]

Celebrities

• Jack Benny, comedian^[5][6]
• Joan Blondell, actress^[5]
• James Brown, singer^[7]
• Jim Brown, football player^[7]
• Ray Bolger, actor^[5]
• Nick Buoniconti, football player^[8]
• George Burns, comedian^[6]
• Glen Campbell, musician^[6]
• Wilt Chamberlain, basketball player^[7]
• Christopher Connelly, actor^[5]
• Sammy Davis Jr., singer and actor^[7]
• Zsa Zsa Gabor, actress^[6]
• Johnny Grant, radio personality^[5]
• Merv Griffin, television personality^[6]
• George Hamilton, actor^[5]
• Charlton Heston, actor^[5][6]
• Bob Hope, comedian^[2]
• Art Linkletter, radio personality^[3]
• Dick Martin, comedian^[6]
• Mary Tyler Moore, actress^[6]
• Merlin Olsen, football player^[8]
• Debbie Reynolds, actress^[6]
• Dan Rowan, actor^[6]
• Gale Sayers, football player^[8]
• Frank Sinatra, singer^[5][6]
• Red Skelton, entertainer^[6]
• James Stewart, actor^[6]
• Howard Twilley, football player^[8]
• John Wayne, actor^[6]

Polling

National polling

Poll source	Publication	John Ashbrook	Pete McCloskey	Richard Nixon
Gallup[9]	Feb. 1972	5%	6%	83%

Overview of the 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 that, after the election, because of 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%.^[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.^[11]

Timeline of the race

March 7

See also: 1972 New Hampshire Republican presidential primary

1972 Republican Party primary in New Hampshire^[12]

Candidate		Votes	%
Richard M. Nixon (incumbent)		79,239	67.6
Paul N. McCloskey		23,190	19.8
John M. Ashbrook		11,362	9.7
Others		3,417	2.9
Total votes		117,208	100.0

March 14

1972 Republican Party primary in Florida^[12]

Candidate		Votes	%
Richard M. Nixon (incumbent)		360,278	87
John M. Ashbrook		36,617	8.8
Paul N. McCloskey		17,312	4.2
Total votes		414,207	100

March 21

1972 Republican Party primary in Illinois^[12]

Candidate		Votes	%
Richard M. Nixon (incumbent)		32,550	97
John M. Ashbrook		170	0.5
Paul N. McCloskey		47	0.1
Others		802	2.4
Total votes		33,569	100

April 4

1972 Republican Party primary in Wisconsin^[12]

Candidate		Votes	%
Richard M. Nixon (incumbent)		277,601	96.9
Paul N. McCloskey		3,651	1.3
John M. Ashbrook		2,604	0.9
"None of the names shown"		2,315	0.8
Others		273	0.1
Total votes		286,444	100

April 25

1972 Republican Party primary in Massachusetts^[12]

Candidate		Votes	%
Richard M. Nixon (incumbent)		99,150	81.2
Paul N. McCloskey		16,435	13.5
John M. Ashbrook		4,864	4
Others		1,690	1.4
Total votes		122,139	100

1972 Republican Party primary in Pennsylvania^[12]

Candidate		Votes	%
Richard M. Nixon (incumbent)		153,886	83.3
George C. Wallace		20,472	11.1
Others		10,443	5.7
Total votes		184,801	100

May 2

1972 Republican Party primary in Indiana^[12]

Candidate		Votes	%
Richard M. Nixon (incumbent)		417,069	100
Total votes		417,069	100

1972 Republican Party primary in Ohio^[12]

Candidate		Votes	%
Richard M. Nixon (incumbent)		692,828	100
Total votes		692,828	100

May 4

1972 Republican Party primary in Tennessee^[12]

Candidate		Votes	%
Richard M. Nixon (incumbent)		109,696	95.8
John M. Ashbrook		2,419	2.1
Paul N. McCloskey		2,370	2.1
Others		4	0
Total votes		114,489	100

May 6

1972 Republican Party primary in North Carolina^[12]

Candidate		Votes	%
Richard M. Nixon (incumbent)		159,167	94.8
Paul N. McCloskey		8,732	5.2
Total votes		167,899	100

May 9

1972 Republican Party primary in Nebraska^[12]

Candidate		Votes	%
Richard M. Nixon (incumbent)		179,464	92.4
Paul N. McCloskey		9,011	4.6
John M. Ashbrook		4,996	2.6
Others		801	0.4
Total votes		194,272	100

1972 Republican Party primary in West Virginia^[12]

Candidate		Votes	%
Unpledged delegates at large		95,813	100
Total votes		95,813	100

May 16

1972 Republican Party primary in Maryland^[12]

Candidate		Votes	%
Richard M. Nixon (incumbent)		99,308	86.2
Paul N. McCloskey		9,223	8
John M. Ashbrook		6,718	5.8
Total votes		115,249	100

1972 Republican Party primary in Michigan^[12]

Candidate		Votes	%
Richard M. Nixon (incumbent)		321,652	95.5
Paul N. McCloskey		9,691	2.9
Unpledged delegates		5,370	1.6
Others		30	0
Total votes		336,743	100

May 23

1972 Republican Party primary in Oregon^[12]

Candidate		Votes	%
Richard M. Nixon (incumbent)		231,151	82
Paul N. McCloskey		29,365	10.4
John M. Ashbrook		16,696	5.9
Others		4,798	1.7
Total votes		282,010	100

1972 Republican Party primary in Rhode Island^[12]

Candidate		Votes	%
Richard M. Nixon (incumbent)		4,953	88.3
Paul N. McCloskey		337	6
John M. Ashbrook		175	3.1
Unpledged delegates at large		146	2.6
Total votes		5,611	100

June 6

1972 Republican Party primary in California^[12]

Candidate		Votes	%
Richard M. Nixon (incumbent)		2,058,825	90.1
John M. Ashbrook		224,922	9.8
Others		175	0
Total votes		2,283,922	100

1972 Republican Party primary in New Jersey^[12]

Candidate		Votes	%
Unpledged delegates at large		215,719	100
Total votes		215,719	100

1972 Republican Party primary in New Mexico^[12]

Candidate		Votes	%
Richard M. Nixon (incumbent)		49,067	88.5
Paul N. McCloskey		3,367	5.5
"None of the names shown"		3,035	5.5
Total votes		104,536	100

1972 Republican Party primary in South Dakota^[12]

Candidate		Votes	%
Richard M. Nixon (incumbent)		52,820	100
Total votes		52,820	100

Results by popular vote

1972 Republican Party presidential primaries^[12]

Candidate		Votes	%
Richard M. Nixon (incumbent)		5,378,704	86.9
Unpledged delegates		317,048	5.1
John M. Ashbrook		311,543	5.0
Paul N. McCloskey		132,731	2.1
George C. Wallace		20,472	0.3
"None of the names shown"		5,350	0.1
Others		22,433	0.4
Total votes		6,188,281	100

See also

• 1972 Democratic Party presidential primaries

References

1. "Remarks at a "Victory '72" Luncheon in San Francisco, California". 27 September 1972.
2. "Remarks at a "Salute to the President" Dinner in New York City". 9 November 1971.
3. "Remarks at a "Salute to the President" Dinner in Chicago, Illinois". 9 November 1971.
4. "Many Southern Democrats Plan To Back Nixon for Re-election". The New York Times. 13 August 1972.
5. "Nixon Entertain Their Hollywood Backers". The New York Times. 28 August 1972.
6. Critchlow, Donald (2013). When Hollywood was right : how movie stars, studio moguls, and big business remade American politics. New York : Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-19918-6 – via Internet Archive.
7. "Black celebrities have a long history of endorsing Republican presidents". The Washington Post. 3 November 2020.
8. "Nixon's Political Football". 21 October 2021.
9. "US President - R Primaries". OurCampaigns.com. 16 Nov 2004. Retrieved 29 Oct 2020.
10. "New Hampshire Finals". The Miami Herald. UPI. March 15, 1972. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
11. "Nixon Renominated". Partners.nytimes.com. 1972-08-23. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
12. Kalb, Deborah, ed. (2010). Guide to U.S. Elections (6th ed.). Washington, DC: CQ Press. pp. 412–415. ISBN 9781604265361.