Election of 1972 (Every Man a King)

The United States presidential election of 1972 was the 47th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 7, 1972. The Republican Party's nomination was eventually won by Ohio Congressman John Ashbrok, who ran a campaign of conservatism and interventionism against incumbent Democratic president Eugene McCarthy, but was handicapped by his outsider status, limited support from his own party, and the perception of many voters that he was a right-wing extremist. Eugene McCarthy, meanwhile, adopted the values of social traditionalism, respect for American institutions, and a peaceful foreign policy abroad that represented the values the majority of Americans accepted in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Emphasizing a good economy and his successes in foreign affairs, such as coming near to ending American involvement in the Cuban and Vietnam wars and establishing relations with China, McCarthy won the election in a landslide. Overall, McCarthy won 60.7% of the popular vote, almost 18 million more popular votes than Ashbrook, the widest margin of any United States presidential election. Ashbrook only won the electoral votes of Ohio and Oklahoma.

