1972 United States elections

The 1972 United States elections was held on November 7, and elected the members of the 93rd United States Congress. The election took place during the later stages of the Vietnam War. The Republican Party won a landslide victory in the presidential election and picked up seats in the House, but the Democratic Party easily retained control of Congress. This was the first election after the ratification of the 26th Amendment granted the right to vote to those aged 18–20.[2]

1972 United States elections

Presidential election year
Election day	November 7
Incumbent president	Richard Nixon (Republican)
Next Congress	93rd
Presidential election
Partisan control	Republican hold
Popular vote margin	Republican +23.2%
Electoral vote
Richard Nixon (R)	520
George McGovern (D)	17
1972 presidential election results. Red denotes states won by Nixon, blue denotes states won by McGovern. Numbers indicate the electoral votes won by each candidate.
Senate elections
Overall control	Democratic hold
Seats contested	34 of 100 seats (33 seats of Class 2 + 2 special elections)[1]
Net seat change	Democratic +2
1972 Senate results   Democratic gain   Democratic hold   Republican gain   Republican hold   Independent hold
House elections
Overall control	Democratic hold
Seats contested	All 435 voting members
Popular vote margin	Democratic +5.6%
Net seat change	Republican +12
1972 House of Representatives results   Democratic gain   Democratic hold   Republican gain   Republican hold   Independent gain
Gubernatorial elections
Seats contested	20 (18 states, 2 territories)
Net seat change	Democratic +1
1972 gubernatorial election results Territorial races not shown   Democratic gain   Democratic hold   Republican gain   Republican hold

Incumbent Republican President Richard Nixon won re-election, defeating Democratic Senator George McGovern from South Dakota.[3] Nixon won a landslide victory, taking just under 61% of the popular vote and winning every state but Massachusetts and Washington, D.C.. Libertarian John Hospers won the electoral vote of one faithless elector, making him the most recent member of a third party to win an electoral vote. McGovern won the Democratic nomination after defeating Washington Senator Henry M. Jackson, Alabama Governor George Wallace, and New York Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. This was the first presidential election after the McGovern–Fraser Commission (which McGovern himself had chaired) caused an increase in the number of states holding primary elections.[4]

In the House, the Republican Party picked up twelve seats, but Democrats easily retained a majority. In the Senate, the Democratic Party picked up two seats, increasing their majority. The House elections took place after the 1970 United States Census and the subsequent Congressional re-apportionment.

Joe Biden, the 46th President of the United States and 47th Vice President of the United States (2009–2017), first won election to the United States Senate, defeating J. Caleb Boggs in the 1972 United States Senate election in Delaware.

In the gubernatorial elections, Democrats won a net gain of one seat.