This Day In 1970's History: Wednesday November 8, 1972
- With 98% of the vote counted, President Nixon won 45,861,690 votes, or 61%. Senator George McGovern won 28,402,465 votes, or 38%. John Schmitz of the American Party got 1,047,030 votes, or 1%. Dr. Benjamin Spock got 73,678 votes, less than 1%.
President Nixon's victory rivals the record-setting Lyndon Johnson win over Barry Goldwater in 1964. Nixon got 521 electoral votes; McGovern 17 (from Massachusetts and Washington, DC), figures which compare to Franklin Roosevelt's landslide over Alf Landon in 1936. Just ten years ago Richard Nixon lost the race for governor in California and told the press they wouldn't have him to kick around anymore. Nixon plans a top-level shakeup for his second administration. He left for Florida to ponder a series of changes in the cabinet and White House staff. Press secretary Ron Ziegler stated that the President feels the government can be run more efficiently and effectively. All presidential appointees have been asked to submit their resignations -- some of which will be accepted. Defense Secretary Melvin Laird and HUD Secretary George Romney will leave. Attorney General Richard Kleindienst and Secretary of State William Rogers may go too (Rogers may be the next Supreme Court nominee). New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, John Connally and Henry Kissinger are possible replacements for Rogers at the State Department. [CBS]
- George McGovern accepted his defeat, bidding farewell to staff members and reporters in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as the campaign family broke up. McGovern then headed back to Washington, where Sargent Shriver, staffers and supporters greeted him. McGovern said that his cause is just as bright and hopeful as ever, and he thanked the voters of Washington, DC and Massachusetts for their support. [CBS]
- Returns confirmed the accuracy of the opinion polls and the bellwether counties which maintained their records: Crook County (Oregon), Laramie County (Wyoming) and Palo Alto County (Iowa) all went for Nixon, continuing their lengthy streaks of correctly picking presidential winners. [CBS]
- The smallest percentage of eligible voters since 1948 went to the polls this year. The total vote was 77 million, or 55% of the voting-age population. [CBS]
- Senator Robert Dole, the Republican party chairman, interprets the outcome of the election as a referendum on the future of America and as a personal victory for President Nixon. But he acknowledged the lack of victory for the Republican party in congressional and gubernatorial races.
Ticket-splitting has resulted in a 93rd Congress that will be similar to the 92nd. Republicans had a net loss of four Senate seats. Margaret Chase Smith was ousted by Rep. William Hathaway in Maine. In Delaware, incumbent Caleb Boggs was beaten by Joseph Biden. But In North Carolina, Republican Jesse Helms defeated Rep. Nick Galifianakis, and in Oklahoma, Dewey Bartlett won over Democratic Rep. Edward Edmondson. In Virginia, William Lloyd Scott beat incumbent Democrat William Spong. In Iowa, Republican Senator Jack Miller was unseated by Dick Clark, and Democrats also won in South Dakota and Colorado, where Senator Gordon Allott was beaten by Floyd Haskell. In New Mexico, Republican Pete Domenici defeated Jack Daniels. In the House of Representatives, Republicans gained 12 seats, women gained two and the number of blacks increased by three -- Georgia's Andrew Young, Texas's Barbara Jordan and California's Yvonne Burke. Pete McCloskey was re-elected in California. Missing representatives Hale Boggs of Louisiana and Nick Begich of Alaska were both re-elected. [CBS]
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