User:John Kent/1976

The 1972 United States presidential election was the 47th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 5, 1968. President George Wallace, an American Independent, was defeated by Social Freedom candidate and Senator from Idaho Frank Church and his running mate Nelson Rockefeller. Former Senator Charles Mathias of Maryland, who had been unseated by Social Freedom in the 1970 midterms, ran as a Republican, however, the Republicans continued their fall from grace and he only received 10 electoral votes.

President George Wallace, who viewed Curtis LeMay as a potential liability to his campaign, endorsed former California Governor Ronald Reagan as his running mate. LeMay was defeated at the convention, receiving 531 votes to Reagan's 633 and 36 scattered votes for other candidates. LeMay endorsed Mathias for the general election.

In the recently formed Social Freedom Party, Frank Church was seen as the almost certain nominee for President, only being challenged by Governor of New York Nelson Rockefeller, who became Church's running mate. Church ran a spirited campaign, winning every single primary other than that in Minnesota where favorite son candidate Walter Mondale won the delegates for Church. Mondale and Ted Kennedy were both considered as running mates by Church, however, to promote unity, former Republican Nelson Rockefeller and Church's only real opposition was selected.

The Republican Party had almost lost hope, however 12 candidates entered the race, including Senator Charles Mathias, former Vice President Richard Nixon, Governor Jack Williams, Governor Francis Sargent, Senator Edward Brooke and Senator David Stanley. Mathias pulled off a shocking victory, selecting Schweiker as his Vice President. Stanley would later serve as President after winning the 1980 and 1984 elections as an American Independent.

The election campaign was spirited and competitive, with Wallace having an early lead. However, the Segregation Forever Act of 1972 hurt him heavily in the North and West, as it repealed the Civil Rights Acts of 1957, of 1960, of 1964 and of 1968. This boosted Church and Mathias significantly, with Wallace being left in third for the rest of the polls. On election day, Mathias was decimated to a mere 10 electoral votes, and Wallace won 159, exceeding poll expectations. However, the clear winner was Frank Church, who won the election with bigger margins than Wallace himself in 1968.

This was the last Presidential election until 1996 where a President lost re-election, and the last until now where a Vice President lost re-nomination. The Republicans promised to "rebuild and regrow" after this election.