The 1972 American Federal Election was held on November 7th, 1972, in the 333 ridings of the House of Commons. The
Progressive Conservatives, despite seeing an increase in the vote share after a smoother than expected four years in power, failed to gain a clear majority and thus had to continue to rely on the supply and confidence of the
American Heritage Party. The Tory victory, though underwhelming, was expected due to the poorly managed opposition campaign that would later force John Turner to resign. Losing seven seats despite setting out in the polls with a solid lead over the Tories, the
Liberal Party's disastrous showing was the result of Turner's constant bumbles as well as the media savvy Rockefeller's positioning as the candidate of law and order. Having seen the Empire put a man on the moon on a mission launched out of Florida, a crackdown on rioting and unrest, and the final withdrawal of American troops from Malaya after the Commonwealth mission ended in victory over Maoist insurgents, Rockefeller easily cast Turner as too young and inexperienced to tackle the job as Prime Minister.
The
Democratic Party meanwhile remained stagnant under the leadership of George McGovern, who was a largely unknown if not reliably left-wing MP from Algoma. Though McGovern was initially well-received by the press, the fragile coalition between rural populist/trade unionists and the growing left-wing civil rights and urban "new left" wings of the party having both united around the new leader. But McGovern, like his predecessor, had trouble expanding the Democratic Party's vote share outside the traditional rural ridings of the northern provinces and a handful of urban enclaves. This was initially to the benefit of John Turner, but he failed to capitalize on McGovern's less than enthused campaign by castigating the Algoman MP as being the "candidate of acid, abortion, and amnesty," which alienated many young voters who might have been otherwise inclined to vote Liberal in order to force out Rockefeller.
George Wallace, the leader of the American Heritage Party, was shot and paralyzed earlier in the year, resulting in his inability to be physically present for campaigning during much of the election. Though the party's core base of support in the deep south remained strong, the party none the less lost a number of seats in Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia to the Tories, who ran on a moderately pro-civil rights platform that combined support for integration with law and order. This formula, nicknamed "the secret sauce" by Rockefeller, appealed to some suburban voters in the south who were ready to move past the Jim Crow era. Rockefeller deferred most civil rights issues to the provinces as a nod to George Wallace in exchange for his party's continued support, but remained an adamant supporter of integration and inclusivity on the federal level. Rockefeller's brand of Red Tory politics ensured that Hubert Humphrey's "New Frontier" agenda remained intact despite the opposition of many in his party's caucus, and also helped ensure the consistent support of the American Heritage Party's MPs for the duration of his mandate. Losing twelve seats, the American Heritage Party's leader George Wallace remained on as leader initially, before resigning in 1975 due to health problems.