In the 1972 United States presidential election, President Richard Nixon was opposed by two main candidates: Senator George McGovern, the Democratic nominee, and Representative John G. Schmitz, the nominee of the American Independent Party. Nixon won the election in a landslide victory, carrying 49 of the 50 states and receiving 520 electoral votes, with McGovern winning only Massachusetts and the District of Columbia and receiving 17 electoral votes. Nixon's re-election campaign focused on themes of peace and prosperity, building on his successful foreign policy initiatives and the strong economy at the time. McGovern's campaign emphasized progressive social policies and called for an end to the Vietnam War, but struggled to gain traction amidst rising inflation and Nixon's overwhelming strength as an incumbent president.