George McGovern
★ U.S. Senator
- Born
- July 19, 1922
- Died
- October 21, 2012
- Age at death
- 90
- Home state
- South Dakota
- Party
- Democratic
- On the ballot
- 1956–1980
5-3
RecordWin–Loss
Total Popular Votes
McGovern30.1M
Opponents48.1M
Total Electoral Votes
McGovern17
Opponents520
8
Elections run
Between 1956 and 1980, George McGovern ran in 8 elections across 3 offices (U.S. House, U.S. Senate, and President), winning 5 and losing 3. McGovern's biggest single-election total was 29,173,222 votes, in the 1972 U.S. presidential election. McGovern's closest win came in the 1962 U.S. Senate election in South Dakota, decided by 597 votes.
Browse every U.S. Senate election in South Dakota, every U.S. presidential election, or every U.S. House race in South Dakota's District 1.
How many votes has George McGovern received?
George McGovern has received 30,105,567 popular votes across 8 U.S. elections, with a career record of 5–3, plus 17 electoral votes.
Election history
| Year | Office | Result | Votes | Opponent(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | U.S. SenateSouth Dakota | Lost | 129,01839.4% | James Abdnor Wayne Peterson |
| 1974 | U.S. SenateSouth Dakota | Won | 147,92953.04% | Leo K. Thorsness |
| 1972 | Presidentwith Sargent Shriver | Lost | 29,173,222 (37.5%)17 EV | Richard Nixon |
| 1968 | U.S. SenateSouth Dakota | Won | 158,96156.79% | Archie Gubbrud |
| 1962 | U.S. SenateSouth Dakota | Won | 127,45850.12% | Joe Bottum |
| 1960 | U.S. SenateSouth Dakota | Lost | 145,26147.56% | Karl E. Mundt |
| 1958 | U.S. HouseSouth Dakota | Won | 107,20253.44% | Joe Foss |
| 1956 | U.S. HouseSouth Dakota | Won | 116,51652.4% | Harold O Lovre |
Identity & sources. Identity verified against the Congressional Bioguide (M000452) and Wikidata (Q331742). Election results come from official certified totals and the MIT Election Data and Science Lab; see methodology.
Cite this profile. PolitiFinder, “George McGovern: election history & vote totals.” https://politifinder.com/p/george-mcgovern. Accessed [date].