Answer:
George McGovern
Step-by-step explanation:
In the 1972 presidential election, the Democratic Party nominee and U.S. Senator George McGovern and the Republican nominee Richard Nixon were the strongest opponents. However, Nixon was the one who won the election by an overwhelming majority: he gained 60.7% of the popular vote, and carried 49 states; he became the first Republican to gain a majority in the South. As for McGovern, he only took 37.5% of the popular vote, and even failed to win his home state of South Dakota.