The United States presidential election of 1972 was the 47th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 7, 1972. The Democratic nominee, incumbent President Hubert Humphrey, and his running mate, Vice President Edmund Muskie, were re-elected to a second term, defeating the Republican nominee, New York governor Nelson Rockefeller and his running mate, Representative John Ashbrook of Ohio.
As the incumbent president, Humphrey secured the Democratic nomination with no serious opposition. The Republican Party was more fractured; Nelson Rockefeller was consistently competitive in the polls, but faced challenges from a number of more conservative contenders whose popularity each fluctuated, often besting Rockefeller's. Rockefeller effectively secured the nomination by early May as the economy improved, albeit at a persistently laggard rate.
Emphasizing a good economy and his successes in foreign affairs, such as ending the Vietnam War in 1970, continuing the civil rights movement, and the Woodstock Agreement, Humphrey decisively defeated Rockefeller.
Humphrey would go on to win a decisive victory over Rockefeller, winning both the popular vote and theelectoral college.