Large ticket-splitting in Delaware 1972

[buritobr]

The result of the presidential election in Delaware in 1972 was
Richard Nixon 140,357 (59.6%)
George McGovern 92,283 (39.2%)

The result of the senate election was
Joe Biden 116,006 (50.5%)
Caleb Boggs 112,844 (49.1%)

According to the Wikipedia
"Biden's campaign focused on withdrawal from Vietnam, the environment, civil rights, mass transit, more equitable taxation, health care, the public's dissatisfaction with politics-as-usual, and "change".[1][3] Biden would be against giving amnesty to draft dodgers. Despite not supporting the legalization of Marijuana, he would say in a campaign ad that: "the possession of marijuana is a misdemeanor—a minor offense. The police should treat it that way, and devote the greater part of their efforts to heroin.".[4]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1972_United_States_Senate_election_in_Delaware

These are McGovern issues.

Why there were so many Biden Nixon voters?

[H. Ross Peron]

Because ticket splitting was a very common practice in postwar America.

[If my soul was made of stone]

Elections with far greater amounts of ticket-splitting, for candidates with a greater divergence in ideology, have happened and are far more interesting than this race that just happens to have. For 1972, famed longtime incumbent Margaret Chase Smith getting blown out by a Democrat who would himself get blown out in 1978 is quite amusing. The most fascinating thing about the Biden election to me is how depolarized it was, with every county being very narrow, and Boggs' strongest parts of the state (Dover, northern Wilmington suburbs, the beaches) being far more Dem in the current alignment, while Biden's rural strength has collapsed. Contemporary state legislative seat results in Sussex County are typically the exact opposite of what they were in this election.

[kcguy]

Also, it's my impression that Boggs didn't want to run for re-election and only did it because a prominent Republican (Nixon, maybe?) asked him to.  Boggs didn't run a very energetic campaign, and people weren't overly enthused about giving another 6 years to someone who probably wouldn't give the job his all.

[E-Dawg]

The split was far greater in 1984. State voted 60-40 for Reagan and also 60-40 for Biden on the same night.

[Podgy the Bear]

Also, it's my impression that Boggs didn't want to run for re-election and only did it because a prominent Republican (Nixon, maybe?) asked him to.  Boggs didn't run a very energetic campaign, and people weren't overly enthused about giving another 6 years to someone who probably wouldn't give the job his all.

Boggs was looking to retire in 1972 and Nixon asked him to stay on.  Otherwise, there was a likely fight for the Republican nomination between Pete duPont and Hal Haskell, who was the mayor of Wilmington.

Biden (and other underdog Democrats) also received considerable financial support from unions, primarily from the AFL-CIO.  This is one of the unheralded stories of the 1972 election.  The AFL-CIO, quite powerful in 1972, did not endorse McGovern and focused its then magnified strength for House and Senate candidates.  This helped in areas where union support was strong and also helped to turn out Republican incumbents in IA and ME--and Democrats actually gained seats in the Senate that year.