1972 UCLA Bruins football team
The new quarterback this season was Mark Harmon, a junior college transfer and son of Heisman Trophy winner Tom Harmon. In his first game for the Bruins, Harmon led the wishbone offense and gained a late night upset of top-ranked Nebraska at the Coliseum. An 18-point underdog, UCLA was never behind; Nebraska had five turnovers but fought back to tie the score before halftime at ten and again early in the fourth quarter at seventeen.


1972 UCLA Bruins football team
In their final drive, Harmon drove UCLA into field goal range and Efren Herrera made a 29-yarder in the final half minute for the 20–17 win. It halted the two-time defending national champion Huskers' unbeaten streak at 32 games and vaulted the previously unranked Bruins (2–7–1 in 1971) to eighth in the AP Poll, as Nebraska slid to tenth.


1972 UCLA Bruins football team
Two weeks later, the Bruins lost at home to Michigan, but then won six straight and improved to 8–1 overall. An upset loss to Washington at Husky Stadium in Seattle and an expected one to top-ranked rival USC in the Coliseum ended UCLA's season at 8–3. The Pac-8 runner-up, they were ranked fifteenth in the final AP poll; the conference did not allow a second bowl team until the 1975 season.


1972 UEFA Cup Final
The 1972 UEFA Cup Final was the final of the first UEFA Cup football tournament. It was a two-legged contest played on 3 May and 17 May 1972 between two English clubs, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur. This was the first UEFA club competition final to feature two teams from the same association.


1972 UEFA Cup Final
Tottenham Hotspur won the tie 3–2 on aggregate. A 2–1 victory away from home in the first leg proved decisive for them, with Martin Chivers scoring a remarkable late winner, firing in an unstoppable shot from 25 yards. They then held Wolves to a 1–1 draw in the second leg to win the competition.


1972 UEFA Cup Final, Road to the final
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).


1972 UEFA European Under-18 Championship
The UEFA European Under-18 Championship 1972 Final Tournament was a youth football tournament held in Spain.


1972 UEFA European Under-18 Championship, Qualification, Round 1
For this round  Belgium,  East Germany,  Wales and  Soviet Union received a Bye.


1972 UEFA European Under-18 Championship, Teams
The following teams entered the tournament. Six teams qualified (Q) and ten teams entered without playing qualification matches.


1972 UEFA European Under-23 Championship
The 1972 UEFA European Under-23 Championship, which spanned two years (1970–72) had 23 entrants. Czechoslovakia U-23s won the competition.


1972 UEFA European Under-23 Championship
The 23 national teams were divided into eight groups. The group winners played off against each other on a two-legged home-and-away basis until the winner was decided. There was no finals tournament or 3rd-place playoff.


1972 UEFA European Under-23 Championship, Qualifying Stage, Draw
The allocation of teams into qualifying groups was based on that of UEFA Euro 1972 qualifying tournament with several changes, reflecting the absence of some nations:


1972 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year
The 1972 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 46th year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.


1972 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Summary
The industry continued to suffer from multiple track closures, particularly those with a Greyhound Racing Association (GRA) link. The closures were a combination of the GRA Property Trust's intentions and reduced attendances blamed on competition from betting shops. The performances of Patricias Hope and Sherrys Prince brought enjoyment to the industry, during a turbulent period and both wrote themselves into the history books.


1972 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Summary
The annual National Greyhound Racing Club (NGRC) returns were released, with totalisator turnover at £54,401,529 and attendances recorded at 6,279,898 from 5592 meetings. Government tote tax was reduced from 5% to 4%. The National Greyhound Racing Club and National Greyhound Racing Society amalgamated to form one controlling body called the National Greyhound Racing Club Ltd.


1972 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Tracks
The last meeting was held at the 100,000 capacity West Ham Stadium, on 26 May, the GRA Property Trust sold the venue during a property boom. The prestigious Cesarewitch was transferred to GRA sister track Belle Vue and the Cambridgeshire switched to White City. Trainers Colin West, Ted Parker, Sidney Mann and Kenric Appleton all joined other GRA tracks, while Noreen Collin joined Walthamstow. GRA was losing its status as greyhound racing's most respected company due to the fact that they were actively buying tracks to sell for development and boost their Greyhound Property Trust share prices.


1972 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Tracks
They had recently purchased three tracks Carntyne Stadium, White City Stadium (Liverpool) and Portsmouth Stadium for the sole purpose of selling them for lucrative commercial properties. They also sealed a deal that brought Wimbledon Stadium fully under the GRA banner. Carntyne in Glasgow was the first track to suffer closure during May.


1972 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Tracks
Hendon Greyhound Stadium closed two days after West Ham, to make way for the new Brent Cross Shopping Centre. Milton Keynes Greyhound Stadium (also known as Bletchley or Groveway) joined the NGRC banner after switching from its independent status. Scotland and Glasgow lost two tracks, Carntyne and the White City Stadium, Glasgow which was demolished to make way for the M8 motorway. Two other popular tracks Clapton Stadium and Rayleigh Weir Stadium were both in danger of shutting after being purchased by property developers but they were at least operating for the present. Rayleigh promoter Tom Stanley admitted the offer for the 12 acre Essex site was too good to refuse.


1972 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Tracks
Independent tracks Tams Brig and Pennycross in Plymouth both closed, the former was replaced by a curling rink. Preston suffered a major fire that would require a total rebuild of the stand and tote equipment. To compound issues, government power cuts were frequent in January and February which forced many tracks to cut their racing schedules.


1972 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, News
GRA Director of Racing, Major Percy Brown retired after 40 years in the sport, he had started as Racing Manager in 1931 at Belle Vue, his replacement was Arthur Aldridge. Owlerton Racing Manager Sam Vinter also retired after 40 years’ service. Harringay became the home of Greyhound racing on London Weekend Television's World of Sport for the next decade.


1972 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, News
Catford was the first London stadium to attempt eight dog racing; the track was substantially altered with steep banking on the bends at significant cost. Public acceptance never came through and the experiment would finish by the end of the year. The NGRC also relaxed the rule that previously did not allow any NGRC owner or trainer to attend an independent track. Although they could now attend, they were still not allowed to run their greyhounds on independent tracks.


1972 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, News
Trainer John Coleman departed Romford after being appointed at Wembley. Oxford trainer Bernard Cousins was killed in a car crash along with two of his greyhounds. Dolores Rocket's litter brother Come On Wonder broke the track records at West Ham (550y) and Crayford (700y) before being disqualified and going on to race on the independent circuits winning the Henlow Derby and Ashfield St Leger.


1972 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Competitions
A new event the Sussex Cup was introduced at Brighton.


1972 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Competitions
The Grand National at White City arrived in April and Sherrys Prince qualified for the final amidst huge interest from the greyhound public, this remarkable hurdler went to the traps as 5-4 favourite and recorded his third successive title. The brindle dog whelped in April 1967 was owned by Mrs Joyce Matthews and had been schooled for hurdles in 1969 after finishing his flat career. He ran in 105 hurdle races winning 70 and finishing second 15 times and set 15 track records and all of this was achieved despite a broken hock in the final of the 1970 Scottish Grand National and a serious kidney infection in 1972.


1972 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Competitions
Derby champion Patricias Hope was aimed at both the Welsh Greyhound Derby and Scottish Greyhound Derby in an attempt to emulate the only previous triple crown winners Trev's Perfection and Mile Bush Pride. The white and fawn dog owned by Gordon and Basil Marks and trained by Adam Jackson defeated a first class field at Cardiff that included Super Rory, Decimal Queen and Pall Mall Stakes champion Camira Story. By the end of July Patricias Hope became the third greyhound to achieve the magical Triple Crown feat after winning the Scottish Derby final. Super Rory had broken the track record in the semi-finals but lost yet again to Patricias Hope in the final, the latter was sent back to Ireland for stud duties for six months.


1972 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Competitions
Cricket Bunny trained by Joe Booth denied Don't Gambol a third successive Scurry Gold Cup triumph and then won the Laurels at Wimbledon. The husband and wife team of Nick and Natalie Savva bred litters with a prefix called Westmead, a name that would become synonymous over the next forty years. Their first classic success came with Westmead Lane in the Cesarewitch, an event that was now held over the marathon distance at Belle Vue and not West Ham.


1972 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Competitions
Ramdeen Stuart is bought for 260 guineas at the Shelbourne Park sales, he joined trainer Norman Oliver and by the end of the year won the St Leger at Wembley, the Steward's Cup at Wimbledon over 700 yards, the Scottish St Leger and Ben Truman Stakes.


1972 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Ireland
Newbridge Greyhound Stadium opened in County Kildare four years after the old track had closed at St Conleth's Park. Gay McKenna secured a record fourth Irish Greyhound Derby title with Catsrock Daisy.


1972 UMass Minutemen football team
The 1972 UMass Minutemen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 1972 NCAA College Division football season as a member of the Yankee Conference. The team was coached by Dick MacPherson and played its home games at Alumni Stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts. The 1972 season was the first in which Massachusetts was named the "Minutemen," as the university had changed their nickname from the "Redmen" due to changing attitudes regarding the use of Native American-themed mascots in sports.


1972 UMass Minutemen football team
It was also the last season of the NCAA's University and College Division setup, as they would split athletics into three numbered divisions in 1973, with UMass moving into Division II. Massachusetts performed strongly enough in the regular season to earn a spot in the 1972 Boardwalk Bowl, which at the time served as the NCAA College Division East championship game. The team defeated UC Davis by a score of 35-14, and finished the season with a record of 9–2 overall and 5–0 in conference play.


1972 UNLV Rebels football team
The 1972 UNLV Rebels football team was an American football team that represented the University of Nevada, Las Vegas as an independent during the 1972 NCAA College Division football season. In their fifth year under head coach Bill Ireland, the team compiled an 1–10 record.


1972 US Figure Skating Championships
The 1972 U.S. Figure Skating Championships was held from January 13–16 at the Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, California. Medals were awarded in three colors: gold (first), silver (second), and bronze (third) in four disciplines – men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing – across three levels: senior, junior, and novice.


1972 US Figure Skating Championships
The event determined the U.S. teams for the 1972 Winter Olympics and 1972 World Championships.


1972 US Figure Skating Championships
The 1972 Championships marked the introduction of a significant innovation: the use of a computer to calculate the competition results for the first time at the U.S. Championships. The initial version of the scoring software, called "Hal", was written by volunteer Al Beard in FORTRAN, and ran via a remote terminal link on a time-sharing system donated by Honeywell in Minneapolis, where Beard was employed. Although the computer results were used for public announcements of the results, the rules of the time actually required hand computation of the official results, so this was done after the fact.


1972 US Figure Skating Championships, Senior results, Men
The men's competition saw something of an upset as defending champion John Misha Petkevich had a poor free skating, missing both his triple salchow and triple loop jumps. Kenneth Shelley, on the other hand, had one of the best performances of his career, allowing him to take the title with the first-place votes of 4 of the 7 judges. He became the first skater to win national titles in both senior men and pairs since 1941, and the first in postwar history to qualify for the Winter Olympics in two disciplines.


1972 US Figure Skating Championships, Senior results, Ladies
In compulsory figures, Julie Lynn Holmes took the lead over Janet Lynn. But Lynn easily won the free skating with a faultless performance while Holmes skated cautiously. Second place in the free skating went to Dorothy Hamill, who probably performed the most difficult program but nonetheless could not overcome her deficit in the figures to reach the podium. Suna Murray captured the bronze medal.


1972 US Figure Skating Championships, Senior results, Pairs
The previous years' champions JoJo Starbuck / Kenneth Shelley easily defended their title without serious challenge. The pairs competition this year was notable for the new and innovative lifts performed by the second-place team Melissa Militano / Mark Militano as well as by Starbuck / Shelley. The Militanos also included a throw double axel and side-by-side double axels in their program, elements that only a few top pairs in the world were attempting in this era, but they could not match the speed and unison of the champions.


1972 US Figure Skating Championships, Senior results, Ice dancing (Gold dance)
The previous years' champions Judy Schwomeyer / Jim Sladky easily defended their title without serious challenge.


1972 US Open (tennis)
The 1972 US Open was a tennis tournament that took place on the outdoor grass courts at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, Queens, in New York City, USA. The tournament ran from 28 August until 10 September. It was the 92nd staging of the US Open, and the fourth Grand Slam tennis event of 1972.


1972 US Open (tennis), Finals, Men's singles
Ilie Năstase defeated  Arthur Ashe, 3–6, 6–3, 6–7(1–5), 6–4, 6–3


1972 US Open (tennis), Finals, Men's doubles
Cliff Drysdale /  Roger Taylor defeated  Owen Davidson /  John Newcombe, 6–4, 7–6, 6–3


1972 US Open (tennis), Finals, Women's doubles
Françoise Dürr /  Betty Stöve defeated  Margaret Court /  Virginia Wade, 6–3, 1–6, 6–3


1972 US Open (tennis), Finals, Mixed doubles
Margaret Court /  Marty Riessen defeated  Rosemary Casals /  Ilie Năstase, 6–3, 7–5


1972 US Open – Men's Doubles
John Newcombe and Roger Taylor were the defending US Open men's doubles champions, but did not defend their title as a team.


1972 US Open – Men's Doubles
Sixth-seeded Cliff Drysdale and Roger Taylor won the title by defeating unseeded Owen Davidson and John Newcombe 6–4, 7–6, 6–3 in the final.


1972 US Open – Men's Singles
Ilie Năstase defeated Arthur Ashe 3–6, 6–3, 6–7(1–5), 6–4, 6–3 in the final to win the Men's Singles tennis title at the 1972 US Open. Stan Smith was the defending champion but lost in the quarterfinals to Arthur Ashe.


1972 US Open – Men's Singles
12-time major champion Roy Emerson made his last appearance at a Grand Slam tournament, losing in the 1st round to compatriot Fred Stolle.


1972 US Open – Men's Singles, Seeds
The seeded players are listed below. Ilie Năstase is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated.


1972 US Open – Mixed Doubles
Owen Davidson and Billie Jean King were the defending champions but lost in the semifinals to Ilie Năstase and Rosemary Casals.


1972 US Open – Mixed Doubles
Marty Riessen and Margaret Court won in the final 6–3, 7–5 against Ilie Năstase and Rosemary Casals.<ref>


1972 US Open – Women's Doubles
Rosemary Casals and Judy Dalton were the defending champions but Judy Dalton did not compete this year. Rosemary Casals teamed up with Billie Jean King and lost in semifinals to Françoise Dürr and Betty Stöve.


1972 US Open – Women's Doubles
Françoise Dürr and Betty Stöve won the title by defeating Margaret Court and Virginia Wade 6–3, 1–6, 6–3 in the final.


1972 US Open – Women's Singles
Billie Jean King successfully defended her title, defeating Kerry Melville 6–3, 7–5 in the final to win the Women's Singles tennis title at the 1972 US Open.


1972 US Open – Women's Singles, Seeds
The seeded players are listed below. Billie Jean King is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated.


1972 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
The Men's 1972 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships took place between June 16-18 at Husky Stadium on the campus of University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. It is the only time this championship has been held in the state of Washington. The Women's Championships took place at Citizens Field in Canton, Ohio. The meet was organized by the Amateur Athletic Union.


1972 USAC Championship Car season
The 1972 USAC Championship Car season consisted of ten races, beginning in Avondale, Arizona on March 18 and concluding at the same location on November 4. The USAC National Champion was Joe Leonard and the Indianapolis 500 winner was Mark Donohue. Jim Malloy was killed at Indianapolis in practice; he was 40 years old.


1972 USAC Championship Car season
After sponsoring the USAC Championship Trail in 1970-1971, Marlboro dropped out of the sport for 1972. After only two seasons as title sponsor, the company became angered when rival Viceroy was signed on to sponsor Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing, at the time dubbed the "super team" of the series. Without any exclusivity clause, managers at Marlboro deemed the situation "impractical and untenable," and abruptly quit. Marlboro would not return to Indy car racing until 1986.


1972 USAC Championship Car season, Schedule and results
In the fall of 1971, a tentative schedule held the possibility of returning road courses to the championship schedule. Races at Colorado, Donnybrook, Bridgehampton, Road Atlanta, Mosport, as well as a return to Rafaela, Argentina, and a new "Florida 500" at the proposed "Florida International Raceway", were all part of an early press release. However, all road courses were ultimately left off, the Argentina race was discontinued, and the Florida race course was never built.


1972 USC Trojans baseball team
The 1972 USC Trojans baseball team represented the University of Southern California in the 1972 NCAA University Division baseball season. The team was coached Rod Dedeaux in his 31st season.


1972 USC Trojans baseball team
The Trojans won the College World Series, defeating the Arizona State Sun Devils in the championship game, winning their third of five consecutive national championships, and fourth in five years.


1972 USC Trojans baseball team, Trojans in the 1972 MLB Draft
The following members of the USC baseball program were drafted in the 1972 Major League Baseball Draft.


1972 USC Trojans football team
The 1972 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. The Trojans won all twelve games and were consensus national champions.


1972 USC Trojans football team, Game summaries, Arkansas
Tailback Rod McNeill, who sat out the previous year with a hip injury, led the Trojans with 117 yards on 28 carries while Mike Rae, a backup for two seasons, completed 18 of 24 passes for 269 yards and in the second half completed nine straight passes at one point in his first start.


1972 USC Trojans football team, Game summaries, Oregon
On a very rainy and cold day, the Trojans were held to their lowest score of the season.


1972 USC Trojans football team, NFL Draft
Ten Trojans were selected in the 1973 NFL Draft, with three in the first round.


1972 USLTA Indoor Circuit
The 1972 USLTA Indoor Circuit  was a professional tennis circuit held in the United States that year. It consisted of eight tournaments and was organized by Bill Riordan and sanctioned by the United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA).


1972 USLTA Indoor Circuit
Players who reached at least the quarter-finals of the six top tournaments received ranking points. Ilie Năstase won the first prize of $15,000 from a total bonus pool of $50,000 which was linked to the Boise Cascade Classic series of 13 U.S. indoor tournaments.


1972 USSR Chess Championship
The 1972 Soviet Chess Championship was the 40th edition of USSR Chess Championship. Held from 16 November to 19 December 1972 in Baku. The tournament was won by Mikhail Tal. The final were preceded by semifinals events at Chelyabinsk, Uzhgorod, Kaliningrad and Odessa.


1972 UTEP Miners football team
The 1972 UTEP Miners football team was an American football team that represented the University of Texas at El Paso in the Western Athletic Conference during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. After a 1–5 start to the season, eighth-year head coach Bobby Dobbs resigned and was replaced with offensive coordinator Tommy Hudspeth. The Miners then ended the season with one win and three more losses and finished with an 2–8 record.


1972 Uber Cup
The 1972 Uber Cup was the fifth edition of the Uber Cup, the women's badminton team competition. The tournament took place in the 1971-1972 badminton season, 17 countries competed. Japan won its third title in the Uber Cup, after beating the Indonesia team 6-1 in the Final Round in Tokyo, Japan.


1972 Uber Cup, Teams
17 teams from 4 regions took part in the competition. As defending champion, Japan skipped the qualifications and played directly in the final round of the inter-zone ties (team matches), effectively the semifinals of the tournament.


1972 Uber Cup, Teams
From the qualifying rounds, four countries progressed to the inter-zone ties. From the Australasian zone, New Zealand advanced to the next round after beating Australia 4-3. From the Asian zone the Indonesia team advanced to the inter-zone ties with a w/o against Thailand. In the European zone final Denmark defeated England 5-2. From the Pan American zone, Canada beating United States with 6-1


1972 Uber Cup, Final round
Japan won the Uber Cup title for the third consecutive time, after beating Indonesia in the final for the second consecutive time. Indonesia got its point from third singles player Intan Nurtjahja who won the first match of the tie. Japan's Noriko Nakayama, née Noriko Takagi, remained undefeated in Uber Cup singles.


1972 United Bank Classic
The 1972 United Bank Classic, also known as the Denver WCT, was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts in Denver, Colorado in the United States that was part of the 1972 World Championship Tennis circuit. It was the inaugural  edition of the tournament and took place from April 24 through April 30, 1972. First-seeded Rod Laver won the first edition of both the doubles and singles competition. There was criticism by players, including Arthur Ashe, that the playing conditions on the Sporface carpet courts were too fast.


1972 United Bank Classic, Finals, Doubles
Roy Emerson /  Rod Laver defeated  John Newcombe /  Tony Roche, 6–2, 5–7, 7–6


1972 United Bank Classic – Singles
First-seeded Rod Laver won the men's singles title at the 1972 United Bank Classic tennis tournament.


1972 United Kingdom local elections
Local elections were held in borough and district councils in the United Kingdom in 1972, during the life of the Conservative government of Edward Heath. They were the last such elections in England and Wales to be held prior to major structural changes to councils brought about by the Local Government Act 1972.


1972 United Kingdom local elections
The council seats up for election were previously fought in 1969, when the opposition Labour Party had been in government and had suffered poor results. It was therefore expected Labour would make substantial gains in 1972, although the Conservative position in opinion polls had improved somewhat since the 1971 local elections.


1972 United Kingdom local elections
Labour won the bulk of councils, although the continued existence of Conservative aldermen prevented their dominance being as great as the Conservatives' had been in 1969 (aldermen would be abolished by the Local Government Act in 1974 [1978 in Greater London]). The presence of Conservative aldermen deprived Labour of overall control in Cardiff, Huddersfield, Ipswich, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northampton, Oxford, Southampton, Wolverhampton and York.


1972 United Kingdom local elections
Since the 1971 local elections, the average swing from Labour to Conservative was 3.4%, which represented a recovery in votes of nearly a third of Conservative losses incurred between the 1970 and 1971 local elections. Their recovery was lower in areas that had been most badly affected by unemployment (1.4% in Wales, 0.7% in Scotland and 2.1% in England north of a line between Morecambe Bay and the river Wear).


1972 United Kingdom local elections
The Liberal Party's vote share increased 2.5% on 1971. They were strengthened in Liverpool and managed to retain once safe Labour wards in Birmingham, Leeds and Sheffield.


1972 United Kingdom local elections
The Scottish National Party lost votes; Plaid Cymru retained its small vote. The anti-immigration National Front polled 11% in the wards it contested in Bradford (down from 15% in 1971) and 8% of the wards it contested in Leicester.


1972 United Malays National Organisation leadership election
A leadership election was held by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party on 25 June 1972. It was won by incumbent Prime Minister and acting President of UMNO, Abdul Razak Hussein.


1972 United Nations Security Council election
The 1972 United Nations Security Council election was held on 20 October 1972 during the Twenty-seventh session of the United Nations General Assembly, held at United Nations Headquarters in New York City. The General Assembly elected Australia, Austria, Indonesia, Kenya, and Peru, as the five new non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for two-year mandates commencing on 1 January 1973. In addition, Austria, Indonesia and Kenya were elected into the council for the first time.


1972 United Nations Security Council election, Rules
The Security Council has 15 seats, filled by five permanent members and ten non-permanent members. Each year, half of the non-permanent members are elected for two-year terms. A sitting member may not immediately run for re-election.


1972 United Nations Security Council election, Rules
In accordance with the rules whereby the ten non-permanent UNSC seats rotate among the various regional blocs into which UN member states traditionally divide themselves for voting and representation purposes, the five available seats are allocated as follows:


1972 United Nations Security Council election, Rules
To be elected, a candidate must receive a two-thirds majority of those present and voting. If the vote is inconclusive after the first round, three rounds of restricted voting shall take place, followed by three rounds of unrestricted voting, and so on, until a result has been obtained. In restricted voting, only official candidates may be voted on, while in unrestricted voting, any member of the given regional group, with the exception of current Council members, may be voted on.


1972 United Nations Security Council election, Result
The election was managed by then-President of the United Nations General Assembly Stanisław Trepczyński of Poland. The United Nations had 132 member states at this time (for a timeline of UN membership, see Enlargement of the United Nations). There were no nomination prior to the vote. Delegates were to write the names of the five member states they wished elected on the ballot papers. Voting was conducted on a single ballot. Ballots containing more states from a certain region than seats allocated to that region were invalidated.


1972 United States Grand Prix
The 1972 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 8, 1972, at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York. It was race 12 of 12 in both the 1972 World Championship of Drivers and the 1972 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 59-lap race was won by Tyrrell driver Jackie Stewart after he started from pole position. His teammate François Cevert finished second and McLaren driver Denny Hulme came in third. This was the debut race of the future world champion Jody Scheckter.


1972 United States Grand Prix, Summary
Jackie Stewart, having just lost his World Champion's crown to Emerson Fittipaldi, assertedhis intentions to get it back, as he dominated the entire weekend with pole, win and fastest lap and completed a sweep of the North American races. It was the twenty-second victory of the Scot's career, and his fourth in 1972. Teammate François Cevert completed the one-two finish for Tyrrell, five seconds ahead of Denny Hulme's McLaren.


1972 United States Grand Prix, Summary
The then-staggering amount of $275,000 in prize money attracted 31 entries for the last race of the year. Rain and cold winds harried the drivers in qualifying, and Friday's times determined the grid. Stewart took the pole with a time of 1:40.481, ahead of the McLarens of American Peter Revson and Hulme. A third McLaren, driven by South African Jody Scheckter in his F1 debut, was eighth.


1972 United States Grand Prix, Summary
The Goodyear teams seemed to be enjoying quite an advantage, some saying as much as one and a half to two seconds per lap in qualifying. Firestone had intended to close its European Racing Division, and their teams were using up old stock that had been produced some time before. Rob Walker said that his team's tires had been manufactured for the Austrian Grand Prix, one of the hottest races of the year, and he was not surprised that they would not work in the 40-degree temperatures at The Glen! After practice, however, a telegram was received from Firestone HQ in Akron saying that, because of all the letters they had received begging them to continue, they would be racing in the following season.


1972 United States Grand Prix, Summary
Sunday began bright and sunny, but by the time the cars assembled on the grid, the skies were threatening rain. Stewart jumped quickly off the grid and immediately began to pull away from the rest of the field. Mario Andretti charged from his tenth place grid position up the inside of the first corner in his Ferrari, and banged wheels with Carlos Reutemann's Brabham and Revson's McLaren. Andretti continued, to the delight of the crowd, now in seventh behind the Ferraris of Jacky Ickx and Clay Regazzoni. Reutemann followed in eighth with a broken nose, while Revson pitted at the end of the lap to have his front wing straightened.


1972 United States Grand Prix, Summary
Stewart was three seconds clear of Hulme after one lap, and five seconds up after two. Fittipaldi, up to third after the first lap, immediately knew that his car was not right. His right rear tire began deflating on lap five, and when two replacements quickly did the same thing, the team realized that a misaligned suspension was the problem, and he retired. On lap 20, Stewart's lead was 20 seconds, and it was clear that any battle on this day would be for second place.


1972 United States Grand Prix, Summary
With Fittipaldi out and Reutemann forced to stop for a new nose cone, the second Tyrrell of François Cevert was now in third and closing on Hulme. Scheckter was comfortably ahead of Ickx, but the Belgian was quickly being caught by Ronnie Peterson. On Saturday, in the rain, Peterson had crashed his March heavily, and the mechanics initially said that it was unrepairable. They decided to attempt to rebuild it in time for the race, and after starting in 26th position, Peterson was now the most impressive driver on the track, apart from race-leader Stewart.


1972 United States Grand Prix, Summary
At about half-distance, Cevert got by Hulme for second place, and Peterson passed Ickx for fifth. On lap 40, a brief shower suddenly soaked Turn one. Scheckter, running marvellously in fourth place, was caught out by the slippery surface in the downhill, 90-degree right-hander and spun his McLaren up onto the bank. Ickx, in the meantime, repassed Peterson to take the position vacated by Scheckter. Andretti had been struggling with the performance of his tires, but now found them better on the wet track and increased his pace.


1972 United States Grand Prix, Summary
On the last lap, with Stewart coasting home 40 seconds ahead of Cevert, Ickx's Ferrari began trailing smoke. Peterson pulled alongside him and signalled frantically at the back of the car. The Swede's gamesmanship worked, as Peterson beat the Ferrari to the line by just over half a second to take fourth place!


1972 United States Grand Prix, Summary
Revson had passed both Andretti and Mike Hailwood on consecutive laps for sixth place, but with five laps remaining, an ignition wire parted and his brilliant drive ended. When Hailwood was unable to avoid the spinning Marches of Mike Beuttler and Niki Lauda just three laps from the flag, Andretti inherited sixth place and the final point.


1972 United States Grand Prix, Summary
After the finish, the two leading Tyrrells, plus Patrick Depailler's seventh place sister car, entered the pit lane together in a show of strength, having earned team owner Ken Tyrrell a then-record reward of $97,500.


1972 United States House of Representatives election in Alaska
The 1972 United States House of Representatives election in Alaska was held on November 7, 1972, to elect the United States Representative from Alaska's at-large congressional district. Incumbent Democratic Representative Nick Begich went missing shortly before the general election, but still defeated Republican nominee Don Young.


1972 United States House of Representatives election in Alaska, Primary
On February 10, 1972, incumbent Representative Nick Begich announced that he would seek reelection to the House of Representatives. He had considered running for the Democratic senatorial nomination against Republican Senator Ted Stevens, but chose to run for reelection and reaffirmed his intention on March 27.


1972 United States House of Representatives election in Alaska, Primary
On April 7, Don Young, a member of the Alaska Senate, stated that he was considering running for the Republican nomination for Alaska's congressional district. At the Republican Party's state convention, the party gave its support to Young, although he had not formally announced his candidacy for the House of Representatives. On May 22, Young announced his candidacy after filing to run in Juneau.


1972 United States House of Representatives election in Alaska, Primary
On June 1, Bruce Dickerson Stevens filed to run for the Republican nomination, but did not actively campaign in the primary.


1972 United States House of Representatives election in Alaska, Primary
On August 22, the open primary was held in which Begich placed first with nearly 70% of the popular vote, Young placed second with 25.60%, and Stevens placed third with less than 5%.


1972 United States House of Representatives election in Alaska, General election
On September 6, 1972, Young challenged Begich to debate him, and Begich accepted on September 14. Four or five debates were planned to be held between Begich and Young, but Begich disappeared on October 16, while traveling by airplane with House Majority Leader Hale Boggs.


1972 United States House of Representatives election in Alaska, General election
On October 19, Young suspended his campaign activities until Begich was found, but later resumed campaigning on October 28. Young stated that he believed that he was "doing what I think is best for the state" as if Begich was never found or discovered to have died then Alaska could not have a representative for six months until a special election was held to fill Begich's vacancy. House Minority Leader Gerald Ford stated that Alaska would possibly risk its seniority in the House of Representatives and House committee assignments if Young was not elected.


1972 United States House of Representatives election in Alaska, General election
However, despite Young and Ford's statements, Begich won reelection with 56.24% of the popular vote against Young's 43.76%. Begich never reappeared and was declared dead in absentia in December 1972. His body was never found.


1972 United States House of Representatives election in District of Columbia
The 1972 congressional election for the Delegate from the District of Columbia was held on November 7, 1972. The winner of the race was Walter E. Fauntroy (D), who won his first re-election after winning the special election in the previous year. All elected members would serve in 93rd United States Congress.


1972 United States House of Representatives election in District of Columbia
The non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives from the District of Columbia is elected for two-year terms, as are all other Representatives and Delegates minus the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, who is elected to a four-year term.


1972 United States House of Representatives election in District of Columbia, Candidates
Walter E. Fauntroy, a Democrat, sought re-election for his second term to the United States House of Representatives. Fauntroy was opposed in this election by Republican challenger William Chin-Lee who received 25.12%, and Statehood Party candidate Charles I. Cassell who received 11.92%. This resulted in Fauntroy being elected with 60.64% of the vote.


1972 United States House of Representatives election in North Dakota
North Dakota was reduced to one seat, to be elected at-large. One of the incumbents ran and won election to represent the state. The other retired to run for Governor.


1972 United States House of Representatives election in Puerto Rico
The election for Resident Commissioner to the United States House of Representatives took place on November 7, 1972, the same day as the larger Puerto Rican general election and the United States elections, 1972.


1972 United States House of Representatives election in Vermont
Incumbent Republican Richard W. Mallary beat Democrat William H. Meyer, 65.0% – 35.0%.


1972 United States House of Representatives election in Wyoming
Incumbent Democrat Teno Roncalio was elected over Republican William Kidd, 51.7% to 48.3%.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections
The 1972 United States House of Representatives elections coincided with the landslide reelection victory of President Richard M. Nixon. Nixon's Republican Party managed to gain a net of twelve House of Representatives seats from the Democratic Party, although the Democrats retained a majority.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections
This was the first election in which citizens at least 18 years of age (instead of 21 and older) could vote, due to the recent passage of the 26th Amendment.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections
As of 2021, this is the last congressional election in which Democrats won a house seat in Alaska.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections, Special elections
Six special elections were also held throughout the year, six before November and one concurrent with the November general election.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections, Alabama
Alabama was reapportioned from 8 to 7 seats and eliminated the old 3rd district, dividing it between the old 2nd and 4th and making compensating boundary changes elsewhere.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections, Alaska
Incumbent Nick Begich won re-election three weeks after having disappeared in a plane crash October 16; challenger Don Young would later win a March special election after Begich was declared dead on December 29.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections, Arizona
Arizona was reapportioned from 3 seats to 4 and carved a new district in the Phoenix suburbs and the northeast from parts of the existing districts.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections, California
California was reapportioned from 38 to 43 seats, adding one seat in the Bay Area, one in the Central Valley, and 3 in southern California; three went to Democrats, two to Republicans. Despite a retirement and two lost renominations, both parties held their seats in this election, bringing the Democrats up from 20 seats to 23 and the Republicans up from 18 seats to 20.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections, Colorado
Colorado was reapportioned from 4 to 5 seats, constructing a new 5th district east and south of Denver.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections, Florida
Florida was reapportioned from 12 to 15 seats, adding a seat in central and two in south Florida.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections, Iowa
Iowa was reapportioned from 7 seats to 6, dividing the old 5th district around Des Moines between its neighbors. Its incumbent, Neal Smith, won again in the south-central Iowa 4th district.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections, Louisiana
Louisiana stayed at eight house seats following the 1970 census, but the Eighth District's boundaries were radically altered. New governor Edwin W. Edwards  ordered the district to take in territory far to the south and east of its traditional base of Alexandria, which included many African-American and progressive white voters. The change was largely regarded as an election deal between Edwards and former Rep. Gillis Long, who finished third in the Democratic Primary in the 1971 Louisiana Governor's Election. Long easily won back the Eighth District seat he lost in 1964.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections, Maryland
Maryland's redistricting eliminated a seat in Baltimore in favor of an additional seat in the DC suburbs.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections, Non-voting delegates
The non-voting delegate to the House of Representatives from the District of Columbia is elected for two-year terms, as are all other Representatives and Delegates minus the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, who is elected to a four-year term.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections, Non-voting delegates, District of Columbia
The election for the Delegate from the District of Columbia featured winner Walter E. Fauntroy (D), who won his first re-election after winning the special election in the previous year.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections, Non-voting delegates, District of Columbia
Walter E. Fauntroy, a Democrat, sought re-election for his second term to the United States House of Representatives. Fauntroy was opposed in this election by Republican challenger William Chin-Lee who received 25.12%, and Statehood Party candidate Charles I. Cassell who received 11.92%. This resulted in Fauntroy being elected with 60.64% of the vote.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections, Non-voting delegates, United States Virgin Islands
Democrat Ron de Lugo was elected as the first delegate from United States Virgin Islands's at-large congressional district.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections in California
The United States House of Representatives elections in California, 1972 was an election for California's delegation to the United States House of Representatives, which occurred as part of the general election of the House of Representatives on November 7, 1972. California gained 5 seats as a result of the 1970 Census, three of which were won by Democrats and two by Republicans. Of California's existing House seats, none switched parties.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections in California, Results
Final results from the Clerk of the House of Representatives:


1972 United States House of Representatives elections in Iowa
Iowa was reapportioned from 7 seats to 6, dividing the old 5th district around Des Moines between its neighbors. Its incumbent, Neal Smith, won again in the south-central Iowa 4th district.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections in Louisiana
Louisiana stayed at eight house seats following the 1970 census, but the Eighth District's boundaries were radically altered. New governor Edwin W. Edwards  ordered the district to take in territory far to the south and east of its traditional base of Alexandria, which included many African-American and progressive white voters. The change was largely regarded as an election deal between Edwards and former Rep. Gillis Long, who finished third in the Democratic Primary in the 1971 Louisiana Governor's Election. Long easily won back the Eighth District seat he lost in 1964.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections in Maine
One of the two Maine incumbents was re-elected and the other retired.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland
The 1972 congressional elections in Maryland were held on November 7, 1972, to determine who will represent the state of Maryland in the United States House of Representatives. Maryland has eight seats in the House, apportioned according to the 1970 United States Census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected served in the 93rd Congress from January 3, 1973 until January 3, 1975.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections in Mississippi
Only 2 of the 5 Mississippi incumbents were re-elected; the other 3 retired. The two Republican freshmen, Thad Cochran and Trent Lott, served Mississippi in the United States Senate together from 1989 to 2007.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina
The 1972 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina were held on November 7, 1972 to select six Representatives for two-year terms from the state of South Carolina. The primary elections were held on August 29 and the runoff elections were held two weeks later on September 12. Five incumbents were re-elected and the only change was in the 6th district where Republican Edward Lunn Young succeeded Democrat John L. McMillan, who was defeated in the Democratic primary. The composition of the state delegation after the elections was four Democrats and two Republicans.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 1st congressional district
Incumbent Democratic Congressman Mendel Jackson Davis of the 1st congressional district, in office since 1971, won the Democratic primary and defeated Republican Sidi Limehouse in the general election.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 2nd congressional district
Incumbent Republican Congressman Floyd Spence of the 2nd congressional district, in office since 1971, was unopposed in his bid for re-election.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 3rd congressional district
Incumbent Democratic Congressman William Jennings Bryan Dorn of the 3rd congressional district, in office since 1951, defeated Republican challenger Ray Ethridge.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 4th congressional district
Incumbent Democratic Congressman James R. Mann of the 4th congressional district, in office since 1969, defeated Republican challenger Wayne N. Whatley.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 5th congressional district
Incumbent Democratic Congressman Thomas S. Gettys of the 5th congressional district, in office since 1964, defeated Republican challenger B. Leonard Phillips.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 6th congressional district
Incumbent Democratic Congressman John L. McMillan of the 6th congressional district, in office since 1939, was defeated in the Democratic primary. Republican Edward Lunn Young defeated Democrat John Jenrette in the general election.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections in South Dakota
Of the 2 South Dakota incumbents, 1 was re-elected and 1 retired.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee
Of the 9 Tennessee incumbents, 7 were re-elected, 1 retired, and 1 lost re-election.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas
Of the 22 Texas incumbents, 19 were re-elected, 1 retired, and 2 lost re-election.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections in Utah
Of the 2 Utah incumbents, 1 was re-elected and 1 lost re-election.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia
The 1972 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia were held on November 7, 1972 to determine who will represent the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States House of Representatives. Virginia had ten seats in the House, apportioned according to the 1970 United States Census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington
Of the 7 Washington incumbents, 6 were re-elected and 1 retired.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections in West Virginia
Of the 5 West Virginia incumbents, 4 were re-elected and 1 lost renomination in a redistricting contest.


1972 United States House of Representatives elections in Wisconsin
Of the 10 Wisconsin incumbents, 8 were re-elected, 1 retired, and 1 lost re-election.


1972 United States Olympic Trials (track and field)
The Men's 1972 United States Olympic Trials for track and field were held from June 29 to July 9 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, organized by the AAU. These were the first trials with no preliminary events; athletes merely had to meet the qualification standard in their event. This was also the last time the Women's Olympic Trials were held separately, and the ten-day competition in Eugene was held over eleven days.


1972 United States Olympic Trials (track and field)
The women's trials were held separately over two days (July 7–8) in Frederick, Maryland, under less elegant conditions at Governor Thomas Johnson High School. There were no wind readings taken during the events that normally require them; while photo-finish equipment was available in Eugene to separate close finishes, it was not available when needed in Frederick. As a consequence, the women's 100 meter race had to declare a tie for second place and was only able to assess one hand time for the winner.


1972 United States Olympic Trials (track and field)
Willye White, who qualified for her fifth Olympics at this meet, later complained that "We did poorly at the Olympics because of poor conditions; lack of meets, lack of qualified coaches, and lack of fairness. For example, the nationals and Olympic Trials were conducted on tracks that were not superior, and the team was not in Munich early enough to adjust to the climate and time changes."


1972 United States Olympic Trials (track and field)
The pentathlon took place in New Mexico at Los Alamos on June 23 and 24 and allowed two Canadian athletes to participate. The Canadian athletes finished in the first two positions but did not displace the selection of the American team.


1972 United States Senate election in Alabama
The 1972 United States Senate election in Alabama was held on November 7, 1972.


1972 United States Senate election in Alabama
Incumbent Senator John Sparkman was re-elected to a fifth term in office over Postmaster General Winton Blount.


1972 United States Senate election in Alaska
The 1972 United States Senate election in Alaska was held on November 7, 1972. Republican U.S. Senator Ted Stevens, who was first elected to complete the unexpired term of Bob Bartlett was re-elected to a full term in office over Democrat Gene Guess.


1972 United States Senate election in Arkansas
The 1972 United States Senate election in Arkansas took place on November 7, 1972. Incumbent U.S. Senator John L. McClellan was re-elected to a sixth term in office, defeating U.S. Representative David Pryor in a hotly contested primary. In the general election, McClellan easily defeated Republican physician Wayne Babbitt. This was McClellan's final campaign; he died in his sleep in 1977. Pryor was elected Governor of Arkansas in 1974 and won the race to succeed McClellan in 1978.


1972 United States Senate election in Arkansas, Democratic primary, Run-off results
Since no candidate received a majority in the initial primary, a run-off election was held on June 13 between McClellan and Pryor.


1972 United States Senate election in Colorado
The 1972 United States Senate election in Colorado took place on November 7, 1972. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Gordon Allott ran for re-election to a fourth term, but was narrowly defeated by Democratic former State Representative Floyd Haskell. This would be the last time until 2008 that a Democrat was elected to the Class 2 Senate seat from Colorado.


1972 United States Senate election in Colorado, Democratic primary, Results
Floyd Haskell, a former State Representative who had served as a Republican from 1965–67, but had left the party in 1970 over opposition to the Vietnam War, won the primary.


1972 United States Senate election in Delaware
The 1972 United States Senate election in Delaware was held November 7, 1972. Incumbent Republican United States Senator J. Caleb Boggs ran for a third term in the United States Senate. Boggs faced off against Joe Biden, a New Castle County Councilman. Though Boggs was expected to easily win a third term over Biden, the election ended up being the closest Senate election of the year. Biden narrowly defeated Boggs by 3,162 votes, winning his first of seven U.S. Senate elections. This is the only time Biden lost Sussex County in his seven elections to the Senate. Biden would later be elected vice president in 2008 and president in 2020. Biden became the youngest senator since Rush Holt won in West Virginia in 1934.


1972 United States Senate election in Delaware, General election, Campaign
Longtime Delaware political figure and incumbent Republican Senator J. Caleb Boggs was considering retirement, which would likely have left U.S. Representative Pete du Pont and Wilmington Mayor Harry G. Haskell Jr. in a divisive Senate primary fight. To avoid a potential primary, U.S. President Richard Nixon helped convince Boggs to run again with full party support.


1972 United States Senate election in Delaware, General election, Campaign
Aside from Biden, a New Castle County Councilman, no Democrats wanted to challenge Boggs. Biden's campaign had virtually no money and was given no chance of winning. The campaign was managed by Biden's sister, Valerie Biden Owens (who would go on to manage his future campaigns), was staffed by other members of the Biden family, and relied upon handed-out newsprint position papers. Biden did receive some assistance from the AFL–CIO and from Democratic pollster Patrick Caddell.


1972 United States Senate election in Delaware, General election, Campaign
Biden's campaign focused on withdrawal from Vietnam, the environment, civil rights, mass transit, more equitable taxation, health care, the public's dissatisfaction with politics-as-usual, and "change". Biden would  be against giving amnesty to draft dodgers. Despite not supporting the legalization of Marijuana, he would say in a campaign ad that: "the possession of marijuana is a misdemeanor—a minor offense. The police should treat it that way, and devote the greater part of their efforts to heroin. ".


1972 United States Senate election in Delaware, General election, Campaign
During the summer, Biden trailed Boggs by almost 30 percentage points; however, Biden's energy level, attractive young family, and ability to connect with voters' emotions gave him an advantage over the ready-to-retire Boggs. John Marttila would serve as one of his consultants and had previously worked for Robert Drinan's campaign for the US House of Representatives. Biden's campaign was described as having "no money to speak of." and relied on positions papers in newspapers and a few campaign advertisements on the radio.


1972 United States Senate election in Delaware, General election, Campaign
One notable advertisement used by the Biden campaign was a brochure printed in newspaper format that contrasted the world view of the two candidates, e.g., (full page) "To Cale Boggs an unfair tax was the 1948 poll tax"; (opposite page) "To Joe Biden an unfair tax is the 1972 income tax." On November 7, 1972, Biden upset Boggs by a margin of 3,162 votes.


1972 United States Senate election in Delaware, General election, Campaign
Biden would vary his messaging during campaign events throughout the state as well. For example, in the southern parts of the state his pitch would be: “thirty years ago, caring for the environment meant picking up bottles and beer cans on Rehoboth Beach … and now it means saving the beach.”  while in the northern parts of the state in the Wilmington area it would be “in 1950, Cale Boggs promised to keep highways growing; in 1970 Joe Biden promises to keep trees growing.”.


1972 United States Senate election in Delaware, General election, Campaign
A few weeks later on December 18, 1972, Biden’s wife and daughter died in a car crash which injured his sons. Biden was contemplating resigning the Senate and told his brother to talk with governor-elect Sherman W. Tribbitt on his successor. Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield persuaded Biden to stay in the Senate for at least six months. Biden was sworn in at the hospital where his sons were recovering. Biden would hold the seat up until his election as Vice President 36 years later.


1972 United States Senate election in Delaware, General election, Campaign
At the time of the 1972 election, Biden was 29 years old. He turned 30—the minimum age for a U.S. senator—on November 20, 1972, in time for the Senate term beginning January 3, 1973. At the commencement of his Senate term, Biden was the sixth-youngest U.S. Senator in history.


1972 United States Senate election in Delaware, General election, Campaign
A 2004 book contained a story, allegedly from Frank Sheeran, that in the week prior to Election Day an unidentified lawyer approached Sheeran about preventing the distribution of the local paper because Senator Boggs was running an advertisement unflattering to Biden. Sheeran claimed that he organized a work stoppage, and that Teamsters truck drivers refused to cross a picket line, so the papers were not delivered. The credibility of Sheeran's account has been called into serious question. It conflicts directly with articles in the Wilmington News Journal on the strike, published on November 6 and November 22, 1972.


1972 United States Senate election in Delaware, General election, Campaign
The paper was not printed on the days in question because the Printers Union briefly joined the strike. The paper's deliveries were not shut down for a week, but for two days. The picket line did not come down on the day after the election; rather, the Guild remained on strike until November 22.


1972 United States Senate election in Delaware, General election, Campaign
Biden was elected President of the United States in November 2020 at age 77. Because of mail-in voting his victory was not official until November 7, 5 days after conventional voting began and the 48th anniversary of his Senate election over Boggs.


1972 United States Senate election in Georgia
The 1972 United States Senate election in Georgia took place on November 7, 1972, as one of that year's United States Senate elections. It was held concurrently with the 1972 presidential election. This seat had opened up following the death of Richard B. Russell in 1971. Shortly thereafter, Governor of Georgia Jimmy Carter appointed David H. Gambrell to fill Russell's vacant seat. The Democratic Party nominee was Sam Nunn, a conservative Democrat and member of the Georgia House of Representatives, and the Republican Party nominated Fletcher Thompson, the Representative from the Atlanta-area 5th congressional district of Georgia. In the primary, Nunn emerged victorious from a crowded field of Democratic candidates, including Gambrell and former Georgia Governor Ernest Vandiver. Despite President Richard Nixon defeating George McGovern in Georgia in the presidential election on the same day, Nunn defeated Thompson in the general election 54% to 46%.


1972 United States Senate election in Georgia, Primaries
A total of fifteen candidates ran for the Democratic nomination, including incumbent Gambrell, Nunn, former governor Ernest Vandiver, segregationist J.B. Stoner, and civil rights activist Hosea Williams. In the initial round of voting on August 8, 1972, Gambrell finished first with 31.4% of the vote, followed by Nunn with 23.1%. Because no candidate received an outright majority, a runoff was held on August 29, which Nunn won.


1972 United States Senate election in Georgia, General election, Campaign
The 1972 race focused more on candidates than on issues. Both Nunn and Thompson tried to align themselves with politicians who were viewed favorably in Georgia, and to dissociate themselves from those who were viewed unfavorably. Nunn, for example, harshly criticized his own party's nominee for President, George McGovern, pledging not to vote for him in that year's presidential election. Nunn suggested he might cast a write-in vote for George Wallace instead.


1972 United States Senate election in Georgia, General election, Campaign
Thompson, by contrast, tried to associate himself with President Richard Nixon, who was polling far ahead of McGovern in Georgia; he also distributed posters across the state linking Nunn to McGovern. As Jon Nordheimer noted in the New York Times several weeks before the election, "This maneuvering has become so frenzied, in fact, that the relative popularity of the President, Senator McGovern and Governor Wallace might seem to be the only real issues of the campaign."


1972 United States Senate election in Georgia, General election, Campaign
Among the issues that the candidates focused on during the campaign was Jane Fonda's controversial visit to Vietnam. Thompson, then a member of the House Internal Security Committee, tried unsuccessfully to persuade his colleagues on the Committee to issue a subpoena against Fonda to answer his accusation that she had committed treason. Fonda did not testify, but A. William Olson did, to the effect that the United States Department of Justice had found no reason to prosecute Fonda for either treason or for violating the Logan Act.


1972 United States Senate election in Georgia, General election, Campaign
Nunn's campaign was much more organized than was Thompson's. Nunn had support from numerous prominent Democrats from his state, including Gambrell, Carter, and Vandiver. By contrast, Thompson's campaign was "almost literally a one-man effort", and he started the race with virtually no footprint outside of his own district.


1972 United States Senate election in Georgia, General election, Endorsements
Nunn was endorsed by almost every establishment Democrat in Georgia, with the notable exception of Lieutenant Governor Lester Maddox, who did not endorse a candidate in the general election. Maddox did, however, support Nunn in his primary challenge to Gambrell.


1972 United States Senate election in Georgia, General election, Endorsements
Thompson tried to tie himself to Nixon, in the hopes of benefiting from Nixon's expected strong performance in Georgia. Nevertheless, Nixon declined to endorse Thompson when he visited Atlanta several weeks before the election. Some speculated that this may have been because the Nixon campaign was pessimistic about Thompson's chances. Instead of Nixon, both Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater, a former Republican presidential nominee, and Vice President Spiro Agnew threw their support behind Thompson.


1972 United States Senate election in Georgia, Aftermath
By defeating Thompson in the general election, Nunn became the first Democrat to win a Senate race in Georgia despite losing the white vote. Nunn's narrow victory over Thompson reflected a continuing decline in the Democratic Party's influence in Georgia, despite Nixon's landslide victory over McGovern there in the same year. Watergate further reduced the party's popularity in the state in 1974, and in that year's gubernatorial election, Republican gubernatorial candidate Ronnie Thompson lost with only 30% of the vote. When Newt Gingrich first ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 1974, he tried to model his campaign on Nunn's successful one in 1972.


1972 United States Senate election in Idaho
The 1972 United States Senate election in Idaho took place on November 7, 1972. Incumbent Republican Senator Leonard B. Jordan did not run for re-election. Republican U.S. Representative James A. McClure was elected to succeed him over Democrat Bud Davis.


1972 United States Senate election in Illinois
The 1972 United States Senate election in Illinois took place on November 7, 1972. Incumbent Republican United States Senator Charles H. Percy sought re-election to the United States Senate. Percy was opposed by Democratic nominee Roman Pucinski, a United States Congressman from Illinois's 11th congressional district, whom he was able to defeat handily to win a second term. As of 2021, this is the last time a Republican was elected to the U.S. Senate from Illinois during a presidential election year, and the last time an Illinois Republican won a Senate election by double digits.


1972 United States Senate election in Illinois, Election information
The primary (held on March 21) and general election coincided with those for House and state elections.


1972 United States Senate election in Illinois, Election information, Turnout
Turnout in the primaries was 31.40%, with a total of 1,753,727 votes cast.


1972 United States Senate election in Illinois, Election information, Turnout
Turnout during the general election was 51.24%, with 3,184,764 votes cast.


1972 United States Senate election in Illinois, Election information, Turnout
Turnout in both the primary and general election was significantly less than those for coinciding statewide races.


1972 United States Senate election in Illinois, Democratic primary
Congressman Roman Pucinski defeated Dakin Williams in the Democratic primary. Williams was a prosecutor who was the younger brother of playwright Tennessee Williams.


1972 United States Senate election in Illinois, Republican primary
Incumbent Charles H. Percy was renominated without opposition in the Republican primary.


1972 United States Senate election in Iowa
The 1972 United States Senate election in Iowa took place on November 7, 1972. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Jack Miller ran for re-election to a third term but was defeated by Democrat Dick Clark.


1972 United States Senate election in Kansas
The 1972 United States Senate election in Kansas took place on November 7, 1972, concurrently with the U.S. presidential election as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.


1972 United States Senate election in Kansas
Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator James B. Pearson defeated Democratic nominee Arch O. Tetzlaff with 71.42% of the vote.


1972 United States Senate election in Kansas, Bibliography
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1972 United States Senate election in Kentucky
The 1972 United States Senate election in Kentucky took place on November 7, 1972. Incumbent Republican Senator John Sherman Cooper retired, and Democratic State Senator Walter Dee Huddleston narrowly won the open seat over former Republican Governor Louie Nunn.


1972 United States Senate election in Louisiana
The 1972 United States Senate election in Louisiana was held on November 9, 1972.


1972 United States Senate election in Louisiana
Former State Representative J. Bennett Johnston was elected to the Senate to succeed First Lady of Louisiana Elaine Edwards, who had been appointed by her husband on an interim basis following the death of Senator Allen Ellender. Following Johnston's victory in the general election, Elaine Edwards resigned and Governor Edwin Edwards appointed Johnston, so that he could gain seniority in the Senate.


1972 United States Senate election in Louisiana, Democratic primary, Candidates, Deceased
Senator Ellender died July 27, a few weeks before the August 19 primary, but his name remained on the ballot.


1972 United States Senate election in Louisiana, Republican primary, Results
Following Ellender's death, the Republican Party replaced presumptive nominee Charles McLean with attorney and New Orleans mayoral candidate Ben Toledano. Toledano was unopposed for the Republican nomination.


1972 United States Senate election in Louisiana, Independents and third parties, Independent
Following Ellender's death, former Governor John McKeithen joined the race as an independent candidate. He initially hoped to enter the race as a Democrat but was barred by party leaders from entering the primary. He campaigned against the Democratic Party's presidential nominee, George McGovern.


1972 United States Senate election in Louisiana, General election, Campaign
The sudden death of Ellender and the independent candidacy of former Governor McKeithen made this a rare competitive general election in Louisiana. The Republican Party had not seriously contested one of Louisiana's Senate seats since Reconstruction, and Republican leaders believed McKeithen's presence in the race could split the Democratic vote.


1972 United States Senate election in Louisiana, General election, Campaign
McKeithen ran a populist, agrarian campaign against Johnston, citing his own investment in the state's agriculture industry and attempting to portray Johnston as an urban elitist, similar to McKeithen's campaign against former New Orleans Mayor deLesseps Story Morrison in the 1963-64 governor's race. All three major candidates supported President Nixon's handling of the Vietnam War.


1972 United States Senate election in Maine
The 1972 United States Senate election in Maine was held on November 7, 1972. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Margaret Chase Smith ran for re-election to a fifth term, but was defeated by Democrat William Hathaway. As of 2021, this is the last time the Democrats won the Class 2 Senate seat from Maine.


1972 United States Senate election in Massachusetts
The United States Senate election of 1972 in Massachusetts was held on November 7, 1972 with the incumbent Republican Senator Edward Brooke defeating his challengers. As of 2021, this is the last time the Republicans won the Class 2 U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts, and the last time a Republican won a full U.S. Senate term in the state.


1972 United States Senate election in Massachusetts, External links and references
This Massachusetts elections–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .


1972 United States Senate election in Michigan
The 1972 United States Senate election in Michigan was held on November 7, 1972. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator and Senate Minority Whip Robert P. Griffin ran for re-election to a second term, won reelection defeating the Democratic candidate, and Michigan Attorney General Frank J. Kelley. As of 2021, this is the last time the Republicans won the Class 2 Senate seat in Michigan.


1972 United States Senate election in Minnesota
The 1972 United States Senate election in Minnesota took place on November 7, 1972. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Walter Mondale won re-election.


1972 United States Senate election in Mississippi
The 1972 United States Senate election in Mississippi was held on November 7, 1972. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator James Eastland won re-election to his sixth term. As of 2021, this is the last time that the Democrats won the Class 2 Senate seat in Mississippi.


1972 United States Senate election in Mississippi, Republican primary, Campaign
Meredith ran as an anti-Nixon candidate, while Carmichael supported President Nixon's re-election.


1972 United States Senate election in Montana
The 1972 United States Senate election in Montana took place on November 7, 1972. Incumbent United States Senator Lee Metcalf, who was first elected to the Senate in 1960 and was re-elected in 1966, ran for re-election. After winning the Democratic primary, he moved on to the general election, where he faced Hank Hibbard, a State Senator and the Republican nominee. Following a close campaign, Metcalf managed to narrowly win re-election to his third term in the Senate over Hibbard.


1972 United States Senate election in Nebraska
The 1972 Nebraska United States Senate  election was held on November 7, 1972 to select the U.S. Senator from the state of Nebraska. Republican U.S. Senator Carl Curtis won re-election.


1972 United States Senate election in New Hampshire
The 1972 United States Senate election in New Hampshire took place on November 7, 1972. Incumbent Democratic Senator Thomas J. McIntyre won re-election to a second full term.


1972 United States Senate election in New Jersey
The 1972 United States Senate election in New Jersey was held on November 7, 1972. Incumbent Republican Clifford P. Case defeated Democratic nominee Paul J. Krebs with 62.46% of the vote. As of 2021, this is the last time the Republicans won a U.S. Senate election in New Jersey.


1972 United States Senate election in New Mexico
The 1972 United States Senate election in New Mexico took place on November 7, 1972. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Clinton Presba Anderson did not run for re-election. Republican Pete Domenici defeated Democrat Jack Daniels to win the open seat.


1972 United States Senate election in North Carolina
The North Carolina United States Senate election of 1972 was held on 7 November 1972 as part of the nationwide elections to the Senate, and coinciding with the 1972 presidential election. The general election was fought between the Republican nominee Jesse Helms and the Democratic nominee Rep. Nick Galifianakis. Helms won the election, becoming the first Republican to win a Senate seat in North Carolina in the twentieth century.


1972 United States Senate election in North Carolina
Three-term Representative Nick Galifianakis defeated two-term incumbent Senator B. Everett Jordan in the second ballot in the Democratic primary. Galifianakis was seen as an anti-establishment liberal in North Carolina, although an opponent of busing.


1972 United States Senate election in Oklahoma
The 1972 United States Senate election in Oklahoma took place on November 7, 1972. The incumbent Democratic Senator, Fred R. Harris, had retired to run for president. The open seat was won by Republican Dewey F. Bartlett, who defeated Democratic nominee Ed Edmondson. His victory underperformed Richard Nixon's, who defeated George McGovern by 49.7% in the state.


1972 United States Senate election in Oregon
The 1972 United States Senate election in Oregon took place on November 7, 1972. Incumbent Republican Senator Mark Hatfield was re-elected to a second term in office, defeating Democrat Wayne Morse.


1972 United States Senate election in Rhode Island
The 1972 United States Senate election in Rhode Island took place on November 7, 1972. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell successfully sought re-election, defeating Republican John Chafee in the closest race of Pell's Senate career. Chafee was elected to Rhode Island's other Senate seat in 1976, and was colleagues with Pell until the latter's retirement in 1996.


1972 United States Senate election in South Carolina
The 1972 South Carolina United States Senate election was held on November 7, 1972 to select the U.S. Senator from the state of South Carolina. Popular incumbent Republican Senator Strom Thurmond easily defeated Democratic challenger Eugene N. Zeigler.


1972 United States Senate election in South Carolina, Democratic primary
The South Carolina Democratic Party held their primary for governor on August 29, 1972. Eugene N. Zeigler, a state senator from Florence, defeated John Bolt Culbertson to become the Democratic nominee in the general election.


1972 United States Senate election in South Carolina, Republican primary
Senator Strom Thurmond faced no opposition from South Carolina Republicans and avoided a primary election.


1972 United States Senate election in South Carolina, General election campaign
The general election campaign was a lackluster affair as Thurmond was heavily favored to win re-election and he outspent Zeigler by a margin of four to one. However, Thurmond's re-election was almost derailed when his hometown newspaper, the Edgefield Advertiser, ran the headline "SEN. THURMOND IS UNPRINCIPLED WITH COLORED OFFSPRING WHILE PARADING AS A DEVOUT SEGREGATIONIST" on the October 11 front page. The Thurmond campaign fiercely denied that he had sired a black child and claimed that it was a dirty trick being played by the Zeigler campaign. While the allegation ultimately proved true, at the time it served to galvanize voters for Thurmond.


1972 United States Senate election in South Dakota
The 1972 United States Senate election in South Dakota took place on November 7, 1972, concurrently with the U.S. presidential election as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.


1972 United States Senate election in South Dakota
Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Karl E. Mundt, who had suffered a severe stroke in 1969, did not run for re-election to a fifth term and was succeeded by Democratic nominee James Abourezk.


1972 United States Senate election in South Dakota
Despite Abourezk's 14 point win, Democratic senator from South Dakota George McGovern, who was running concurrently in the 1972 United States presidential election, lost his home state by a margin of 8.6 points.


1972 United States Senate election in South Dakota, Primary elections, Republican primary, Results
A state convention was held June 26 to determine the party's nominee as no candidate received the 35% required for nomination under the state's primary law. Hirsch was nominated at this convention.


1972 United States Senate election in South Dakota, Bibliography
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1972 United States Senate election in Tennessee
The 1972 United States Senate election in Tennessee took place on November 7, 1972, concurrently with the U.S. presidential election as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Howard Baker won re-election to a second term.


1972 United States Senate election in Texas
The 1972 United States Senate election in Texas was held on November 7, 1972. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator John Tower won re-election to a third term.


1972 United States Senate election in Texas, Democratic primary, Results
Although he received over one million votes, Yarborough was 269 short of a majority. He and Sanders advanced to a runoff election held June 3.


1972 United States Senate election in Virginia
The 1972 United States Senate election in Virginia was held on November 7, 1972. Republican U.S. Representative William L. Scott defeated incumbent Democratic Senator William Spong, Jr.. Scott was the first Republican U.S. Senator from Virginia to be elected in over a century, as the most recent Republican Senator was John F. Lewis, who had held the seat during the Reconstruction era. This is the last time a candidate not named Warner won this seat.


1972 United States Senate election in West Virginia
The 1972 United States Senate election in West Virginia took place on November 7, 1972.


1972 United States Senate election in Wyoming
The 1972 United States Senate election in Wyoming was held on November 7, 1972. Incumbent Republican Senator Clifford Hansen ran for re-election to a second term. He was challenged by Democratic nominee Mike Vinich, a former aide to Congressman Teno Roncalio and a bar owner in Hudson. As Hansen ran for re-election, President Richard Nixon was overwhelmingly defeating Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern in Wyoming. Hansen managed to outperform even Nixon, winning his second term in a landslide over Vinich.


1972 United States Senate elections
The 1972 United States Senate elections coincided with the landslide re-election of Republican President Richard Nixon. Despite Nixon's landslide victory, Democrats increased their majority by two seats. After the elections, Democrats held 56 seats and Republicans held 42 seats, with 1 Conservative and 1 independent senator. These were the first elections in which all citizens at least 18 years of age (instead of 21 and older) could vote due to the 1971 passage of the 26th Amendment.


1972 United States Senate elections
As of 2021, this is the last cycle in which a Republican won a Senate election in New Jersey.


1972 United States Senate elections, Gains and losses
The Democrats picked up open seats in Kentucky and South Dakota, and defeated four incumbent senators: Gordon Allott of Colorado, J. Caleb Boggs of Delaware, Jack Miller of Iowa, and Margaret Chase Smith of Maine.


1972 United States Senate elections, Gains and losses
The Republicans picked up open seats in New Mexico, North Carolina and Oklahoma, and defeated one incumbent, William B. Spong Jr. of Virginia.


1972 United States Senate elections, Race summaries, Special elections during the 92nd Congress
In these special elections, the winner was seated during 1972 or before January 3, 1973; ordered by election date, then state.


1972 United States Senate elections, Race summaries, Elections leading to the next Congress
In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 1973; ordered by state.


1972 United States Senate elections, Colorado
Incumbent Republican Gordon Allott was defeated by Floyd K. Haskell.


1972 United States Senate elections, Delaware
Incumbent Republican J. Caleb Boggs, running for a third term, faced off against future President Joe Biden, then a New Castle County Councilman. Though Boggs was expected to easily win a third term over the then-unknown Biden, it ended up being the closest Senate election in 1972, and Biden narrowly beat out Boggs by a little over three thousand votes, winning what would be his first of seven terms.


1972 United States Senate elections, Delaware
Boggs, a longtime Delaware political figure, was considering retirement which would likely have led to a primary campaign between two Republicans, U.S. Representative Pete du Pont and Wilmington Mayor Harry G. Haskell Jr.. To avoid the anticipated divisive primary fight, U.S. President Richard M. Nixon helped convince Boggs to run again with full party support.


1972 United States Senate elections, Delaware
No other Democrat wanted to run against Boggs besides Biden. Biden's campaign had virtually no money and was given no chance of winning. It was managed by his sister Valerie Biden Owens (who would go on to manage his future campaigns as well) and staffed by other members of his family, and relied upon handed-out newsprint position papers. Biden did receive some assistance from the AFL-CIO and Democratic pollster Patrick Caddell. Biden's campaign issues focused on withdrawal from Vietnam, the environment, civil rights, mass transit, more equitable taxation, health care, the public's dissatisfaction with politics-as-usual, and "change".


1972 United States Senate elections, Delaware
During the summer Biden trailed by almost 30 percentage points, but his energetic campaign, his attractive young family, and his ability to connect with voters' emotions gave the surging Biden an advantage over the ready-to-retire Boggs. Biden won the November 7, 1972 election in an upset by a margin of 3,162 votes.


1972 United States Senate elections, Delaware
At the time of the election Biden was a little less than 30 years old; age 30 is a constitutional requirement for the U.S. Senate, and he reached that on November 20, in time for the Senate term beginning January 3. After his election he became the sixth-youngest senator in history.


1972 United States Senate elections, Georgia
Seven-term Democrat Richard Russell Jr. died January 21, 1971 and Governor of Georgia Jimmy Carter appointed Democrat David H. Gambrell, the chair of the Georgia Democratic Party as interim senator, pending a special election.


1972 United States Senate elections, Georgia
Sam Nunn, a Democratic member of the Georgia House of Representatives, won both the special and the regular elections. Nunn beat Gambrell in the August 29 special and regular primary run-off elections and he then beat Republican congressman Fletcher Thompson in the November 3 special and regular general elections.


1972 United States Senate elections, Idaho
The incumbent Republican Leonard B. Jordan retired, and was succeeded by James A. McClure.


1972 United States Senate elections, Illinois
Incumbent Republican Charles H. Percy sought re-election. Percy was opposed by: Democratic nominee Roman Pucinski, a Congressman from Illinois's 11th congressional district, Edward C. Gross (SL) and Arnold Becchetti (C). Percy handily won a second term.


1972 United States Senate elections, Iowa
The incumbent Republican Jack Miller was defeated by Dick Clark.


1972 United States Senate elections, Kentucky
The incumbent Republican John Sherman Cooper retired, and was succeeded by Democrat Walter Dee Huddleston.


1972 United States Senate elections, Louisiana
In the midst of his campaign for a seventh term, Allen J. Ellender, the President Pro Tempore and chairman of the Appropriations Committee, suffered a fatal heart attack on July 27, 23 days prior to the Democratic primary. Ellender, first elected in 1936 as the permanent successor to the assassinated Huey P. Long, was slated to face former state senator and 1971 gubernatorial candidate J. Bennett Johnston and minor candidate Frank Allen in the primary.


1972 United States Senate elections, Louisiana
Governor Edwin Washington Edwards, who defeated Johnston by less than 4,500 votes in the 1971 Democratic runoff, nominated his wife, Elaine Edwards, to fill the remainder of Ellender's term, with the agreement Mrs. Edwards would resign immediately following the general election to allow the winner to gain seniority over other new senators.


1972 United States Senate elections, Louisiana
On the same day as Edwards' inauguration on Capitol Hill, the Louisiana Democratic Party rejected a challenge by former Governor John McKeithen to reopen qualifying following Ellender's death, ordering the primary to be held August 19 as scheduled, ignoring an opinion to the contrary by Louisiana Attorney General William J. Guste Jr. Ellender's name was not removed from the ballot and he received 10 percent of the primary vote as a tribute. McKeithen, whose eight-year gubernatorial tenure ended May 9, 1972, ran as an independent with support of the Ellender family, incensed by Johnston's primary challenge.


1972 United States Senate elections, Louisiana
Johnston easily won the Democratic primary, nullifying the need for a September 30 runoff. In the general election, the Shreveport native trounced McKeithen by 32 points to win the first of his four terms. He was sworn in November 13, 1972.


1972 United States Senate elections, Maine
Incumbent Republican Margaret Chase Smith ran for re-election to a fifth term, but was defeated by Democrat William Hathaway, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine's 2nd congressional district.


1972 United States Senate elections, Massachusetts
Incumbent Republican Edward Brooke, first elected in 1966 as the first African-American elected to the Senate by popular vote, defeated his challengers, among them: John J. Droney, the Middlesex County District Attorney.


1972 United States Senate elections, Minnesota
Incumbent Democrat Walter Mondale, who was originally appointed in 1964 (to fill the vacancy create when Hubert Humphrey was elected to the office of Vice President) and elected to a full term in 1966, defeated Republican challenger Phil Hansen.


1972 United States Senate elections, Montana
Incumbent Democrat Lee Metcalf, who was first elected to the Senate in 1960 and was re-elected in 1966, ran for re-election. After winning the Democratic primary, he moved on to the general election, where he faced Hank Hibbard, a State senator and the Republican nominee. Following a close campaign, Metcalf managed to narrowly win re-election to his third term in the Senate over Hibbard.


1972 United States Senate elections, Nebraska
Incumbent Republican Carl Curtis won re-election over former congressman Terry Carpenter.


1972 United States Senate elections, New Mexico
The incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Clinton Presba Anderson retired, and was succeeded by Republican Pete Domenici.


1972 United States Senate elections, North Carolina
The incumbent Democratic senator B. Everett Jordan was defeated in the primary by Nick Galifianakis. Galifianakis went on to lose the election to Jesse Helms, making Helms the first Republican Senator from the state in the 20th century.


1972 United States Senate elections, Oklahoma
The incumbent Democratic Senator Fred R. Harris retired, and was succeeded by Republican Dewey F. Bartlett.


1972 United States Senate elections, South Dakota
The incumbent Republican Karl E. Mundt retired, and was succeeded by James Abourezk.


1972 United States Senate elections, Tennessee
One-term Republican Howard Baker was re-elected. He defeated Democrat Ray Blanton.


1972 United States Senate elections, Vermont (special)
The special election was held January 7, 1972. Incumbent Republican Robert Stafford, appointed in September 1971 to fill the vacancy created by the death of Winston L. Prouty, successfully ran for re-election to the remainder of Prouty's term. Stafford defeated Democratic candidate Randolph T. Major. Bernie Sanders, the Liberty Union candidate, was later elected to this seat in 2006, serving as an Independent.


1972 United States Senate elections, Virginia
The incumbent Democratic senator William B. Spong Jr. was defeated by Republican William L. Scott, making Scott the first Republican Senator from the state since John F. Lewis in 1870.


1972 United States Senate special election in Vermont
The 1972 United States Senate special election in Vermont took place on January 7, 1972. Incumbent Republican Robert Stafford, appointed in September 1971 to fill the vacancy created by the death of Winston L. Prouty, successfully ran for election to the remainder of Prouty's term in the United States Senate. Stafford defeated Democratic candidate Randolph T. Major. Liberty Union candidate Bernie Sanders received 2% of the vote and was later elected to this seat in 2006 as an independent.


1972 United States Virgin Islands constitutional referendum
A constitutional referendum was held in the United States Virgin Islands on 7 November 1972. Federal law passed by the United States Congress suggested that a second Constitutional Convention be called after the failure of the previous proposed constitution.


1972 United States Virgin Islands constitutional referendum
Whilst the new constitution received a majority of votes in favour, turnout was too low and it did not enter into force.


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.


1972 United States elections
Incumbent Republican President Richard Nixon won re-election, defeating Democratic Senator George McGovern from South Dakota. 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.


1972 United States elections
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.


1972 United States elections
Joe Biden, the 46th President of the United States (2021–present) 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 U.S. Senate election in Delaware.


1972 United States elections
In the gubernatorial elections, Democrats won a net gain of one seat.


1972 United States gubernatorial elections
United States gubernatorial elections were held 7 November 1972 in 18 states and two territories, concurrent with the House, Senate elections and presidential election.


1972 United States gubernatorial elections
Gubernatorial elections were also held in Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota, and Texas. In these states, they were the last elections on a two-year cycle, before switching to a four-year term for governors (see 1970 United States gubernatorial elections for more information).


1972 United States gubernatorial elections, Arkansas
In Arkansas, Dale Bumpers was re-elected to another two-year term in a landslide. Arkansas had two-year terms for governors until 1984, when the state switched to four-year terms for governors with Amendment 63.


1972 United States gubernatorial elections, Delaware and Illinois
In Delaware and Illinois, Republicans Russell W. Peterson and Richard B. Ogilvie were defeated by Democrats Sherman Willard Tribbitt and Dan Walker, respectively.


1972 United States gubernatorial elections, Indiana
Indiana changed the rules so that governors could serve two back-to-back four-year terms in 1972, but the amendment didn't take place until November 1972. This ruling in effect said that Edgar Whitcomb was not eligible for another term.


1972 United States gubernatorial elections, Iowa
In Iowa, Republican incumbent governor Robert D. Ray won a third two-year term, defeating Democratic challenger Paul Franzenburg, whom Ray had defeated for governor four years earlier. This was the last gubernatorial election in Iowa where the winner served a two-year term; starting with the 1974 election, governors would serve a four-year term.


1972 United States gubernatorial elections, Kansas
In Kansas, incumbent governor Robert Docking won a fourth two-year term. Beginning with the 1974 election, governors in Kansas would serve a four-year term.


1972 United States gubernatorial elections, Missouri
In Missouri, during Governor Warren Hearnes' term, the rules were changed so that governors were allowed two back-to-back four-year terms. By the 1972 race, Hearnes had served two terms and was term-limited.


1972 United States gubernatorial elections, Montana
In Montana, a new state constitution in 1972 allowed unlimited four-year terms for a governor. Anderson did not run for another term because of health issues, and this bad health was considered the motive behind his suicide in 1989.


1972 United States gubernatorial elections, North Carolina
In North Carolina, governors weren't allowed two consecutive terms in a row until 1977, thus term-limiting Scott.


1972 United States gubernatorial elections, Rhode Island
In Rhode Island, governors served two-year terms until 1994, when the state switched to four-year terms for governors.


1972 United States gubernatorial elections, Texas
In Texas, the defeat of Smith has been considered a casualty of the Sharpstown Scandal. Texas also had a system of governors serving two-year terms until 1974, when the state switched to four-year terms.


1972 United States men's Olympic basketball team
The 1972 United States men's Olympic basketball team represented the United States at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. Led by Tom Henderson and Dwight Jones, the team would go on to win the silver medal. In the final game of the Olympics, Team USA controversially lost for the first time in Summer Olympic Games competition, and ended their 63-game winning streak (the streak began in the 1936 Summer Olympics).


1972 United States men's Olympic basketball team
It is important to note that the Soviet team that defeated the Americans featured international veterans, who had been playing together for years in their domestic pro league and international tournaments, while the American team was barred from sending players that had already played in the NBA, and used collegians instead.


1972 United States presidential election
The 1972 United States presidential election was the 47th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 7, 1972. Incumbent Republican President Richard Nixon from California defeated Democratic U.S. Senator George McGovern of South Dakota. Until the 1984 election, this was the largest margin of victory in the Electoral College for a Republican in a U.S. presidential election, and as of 2020 it remains the largest margin of the popular vote won by any Republican presidential candidate. It was the first time when California had more electoral votes than New York.