Richard Nixon won a second term in office.
He was reelected in one of the largest electoral landslides in U.S. history in 1972 , when he defeated George McGovern.
The Democratic Party 's nomination was eventually won by Senator George McGovern of South Dakota , who ran an anti-war campaign against Republican incumbent President Richard Nixon , but was handicapped by his outsider status , limited support from his own party , the perception of many voters that he was a left-wing extremist and the scandal that resulted from the stepping down of vice-presidential nominee Thomas Eagleton.
