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 Presidential election results map.Blue denotes states won by Carter/Mondale andred denotes those won by Ford/Dole.Pink represents the sole electoral vote forReagan/Dole by aWashingtonfaithless elector. Numbers indicateelectoral votes cast by each state and the District of Columbia. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 2, 1976. TheDemocratic ticket of formerGeorgiagovernorJimmy Carter andMinnesotasenatorWalter Mondale narrowly defeated theRepublican ticket of incumbent presidentGerald Ford andKansassenatorBob Dole. This was the first presidential election since1932 in which the incumbent was defeated, as well as the only one of the six presidential elections from1968 to1988 to have the Democratic Party ticket win.
Ford ascended to the presidency whenRichard Nixon resigned in 1974 in the wake of theWatergate scandal, which badly damaged the Republican Party and its electoral prospects. Ford previously served as Nixon's second vice president after his first vice president,Spiro Agnew, resigned in 1973 for takingbribes while he was thegovernor ofMaryland prior to becoming vice president.
Ford promised to continue Nixon's political agenda and govern as a moderate Republican, causing considerable backlash from the conservative wing of his party. This spurred former California governorRonald Reagan to mount a significantchallenge against him in theRepublican primaries, in which Ford narrowly prevailed.[2] Carter was unknown outside of his home state of Georgia at the start of theDemocratic primaries, but he emerged as the front-runner after his victories in the first set of primaries. Campaigning as a political moderate within his own party and as a Washington outsider, Carter defeated numerous opponents to clinch the Democratic nomination.[3]
Ford pursued a "Rose Garden strategy" in which he sought to portray himself as an experienced leader focused on fulfilling his role as chief executive.[4] On the other hand, Carter emphasized his status as a reformer who was "untainted" by Washington.[5] Saddled with a poor economy, thefall ofSouth Vietnam, and the political fallout from the Watergate scandal, including his unpopularpardon of Richard Nixon, Ford trailed by a wide margin in polls taken after Carter's formal nomination in July 1976. Ford's polling rebounded after a strong performance in the first presidential debate, and the race was close on election day.
Carter won the election with 297Electoral College votes and took 50.1% of the popular vote. He carried several Midwestern and Northeastern states along with every state in theDeep South, becoming the first Democrat to accomplish this feat sinceFranklin D. Roosevelt in1944. Carter's narrow victories inOhio andWisconsin, which carried a combined 36 electoral votes, were crucial to his win.[6] Meanwhile, Ford swept theWest Coast andMountain states and took 48.0% of the popular vote. Ford became the first president ever to fail to win a national election as president or vice president. His loss to Carter was due in part to the backlash against Republican candidates nationwide in the wake of the Watergate scandal, a trend that became apparent in the1974 elections.
With voters 30 years of age or older (born in 1946 or earlier) estimated by theexit poll to comprise 69% of the electorate, theGreatest Generation and theSilent Generation constituted the majority of the voting public.[7][b]
Carter became the first non-incumbent president representing aSouthern state to be elected sinceZachary Taylor in1848. As of 2024, this is the last election in which the Democratic ticket won the majority of states in the South or the states ofAlabama,Mississippi,South Carolina, andTexas (mainly due to Carter's southern roots), as well as the most recent election in which the losing candidate carried more states than the winning candidate. As a result of his loss, Ford became the most recent person to serve as president without ever being elected to the office, and the first sinceChester A. Arthur to do so.
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Personal 76th Governor of Georgia 39th President of the United States Tenure   | ||
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The surprise winner of the 1976 Democratic presidential nomination was Jimmy Carter, a formerstate senator and governor of Georgia. When the primaries began, Carter was little-known at the national level, and many political pundits regarded a number of better-known candidates, such as SenatorHenry M. Jackson from Washington, RepresentativeMorris Udall from Arizona, GovernorGeorge Wallace of Alabama, and California GovernorJerry Brown, as the favorites for the nomination. However, in the wake of theWatergate scandal, Carter realized that his status as a Washington outsider, political centrist, and moderate reformer could give him an advantage over his better-known establishment rivals. Carter also took advantage of the record number of state primaries and caucuses in 1976 to eliminate his better-known rivals one-by-one.
Henry M. Jackson made a fateful decision not to compete in the early Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary, which Jimmy Carter won after liberals split their votes among four other candidates. Though Jackson went on to win the Massachusetts and New York primaries, he was forced to quit the race on May 1, after losing the critical Pennsylvania primary to Carter by twelve percentage points. Carter then defeated Governor Wallace, his main conservative challenger, by a wide margin in the North Carolina primary, forcing Wallace to end his campaign. Representative Udall, a liberal, then became Carter's main challenger. He finished second to Carter in the New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New York, Michigan, South Dakota, and Ohio primaries, and won the caucuses in his home state of Arizona, while running even with Carter in the New Mexico caucuses. However, the fact that Udall finished second to Carter in most of these races meant that Carter steadily accumulated more delegates for the nomination than Udall did.
As Carter closed in on the nomination, an "ABC" ("Anybody But Carter") movement started among Northern and Western liberal Democrats who worried that Carter's Southern upbringing would make him too conservative for the Democratic Party. The leaders of the "ABC" movement, Idaho SenatorFrank Church and California Governor Jerry Brown, both announced their candidacies for the Democratic nomination, and defeated Carter in several late primaries. However, their campaigns started too late to prevent Carter from gathering the remaining delegates he needed to capture the nomination.
By June 1976, Carter had captured more than enough delegates to win the Democratic nomination. At the1976 Democratic National Convention, Carter easily won the nomination on the first ballot; Udall finished in second place. Carter then chose Minnesota Senator Walter Mondale, a liberal, as his running mate.
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Pre-vice presidency 40th Vice President of the United States 38th President of the United States Tenure Post-presidency  | ||
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| Ronald Reagan | |
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| LN: August 19, 1976 4,760,222 votes | |
The contest for the Republican Party's presidential nomination in 1976 was between two serious candidates: incumbent president Gerald Ford, a member of the party's moderate wing, and former governor of CaliforniaRonald Reagan, a member of the party's conservative wing. The presidential primary campaign between the two men was hard-fought and relatively even; by the start of the Republican Convention in August 1976, the race for the nomination was still too close to call. Ford defeated Reagan by a narrow margin on the first ballot at the1976 Republican National Convention inKansas City, and chose SenatorBob Dole from Kansas as his running mate in the place of incumbent vice presidentNelson Rockefeller, who had announced the previous year that he was not interested in being considered for the vice presidential nomination.[9] The 1976 Republican Convention was the last political convention to open with the presidential nomination still being undecided until the actual balloting at the convention.
The following graph depicts the standing of each candidate in the poll aggregators from January 1976 to Election Day.
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Jimmy Carter (D) | Gerald Ford (R) | Eugene McCarthy (I) | Other | Undecided | Margin | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Election Results | November 2, 1976 | 50.08% | 48.02% | 0.91% | 0.99% | — | 2.06 | ||
| Harris[11] | October 29–31, 1976 | 46% | 45% | 3% | 1% | 5% | 1 | ||
| Gallup[12] | October 28–30, 1976 | 46% | 47% | 2% | 1% | 4% | 1 | ||
| Harris[13] | October 23–26, 1976 | 45% | 44% | 4% | — | 7% | 1 | ||
| Gallup[14] | October 22–25, 1976 | 49% | 44% | 2% | 1% | 4% | 5 | ||
| Harris[15] | October 19–22, 1976 | 45% | 42% | 5% | 1% | 7% | 3 | ||
| Gallup[12] | October 15–18, 1976 | 47% | 41% | 2% | 2% | 8% | 6 | ||
| Gallup[12] | October 8–11, 1976 | 48% | 42% | 2% | 2% | 6% | 6 | ||
| Harris[16] | October 7–11, 1976 | 44% | 40% | 6% | 1% | 9% | 4 | ||
| 47% | 42% | — | — | 11% | 5 | ||||
| Gallup[17] | Sep. 27-Oct. 4, 1976 | 47% | 45% | 1% | 1% | 6% | 2 | ||
| Gallup[18] | September 24–27, 1976 | 51% | 40% | 4% | 1% | 4% | 11 | ||
| Harris[19] | September 24–25, 1976 | 46% | 39% | 5% | 1% | 9% | 7 | ||
| 50% | 41% | — | — | 9% | 9 | ||||
| Gallup[20] | August 27–30, 1976 | 54% | 36% | — | 2% | 8% | 18 | ||
| Gallup[21] | August 20–23, 1976 | 50% | 37% | — | — | 13% | 13 | ||
| Harris[22] | August 18–20, 1976 | 53% | 39% | 6% | — | 2% | 14 | ||
| August 16–19: Republican National Convention | |||||||||
| Gallup[23] | August 6–9, 1976 | 54% | 32% | 6% | 1% | 8% | 22 | ||
| 57% | 32% | — | 3% | 8% | 25 | ||||
| Harris[16] | Jul. 31-Aug. 4, 1976 | 61% | 32% | — | — | 7% | 29 | ||
| Harris[24] | July 16–19, 1976 | 62% | 27% | 5% | — | 6% | 35 | ||
| Gallup[25] | July 16–19, 1976 | 62% | 29% | — | — | 9% | 33 | ||
| July 12–15: Democratic National Convention | |||||||||
| Gallup[26] | June 25–28, 1976 | 53% | 36% | — | — | 11% | 17 | ||
| Gallup[27] | June 11–14, 1976 | 55% | 37% | — | 3% | 5% | 18 | ||
| Harris[28] | June 9–14, 1976 | 53% | 40% | — | — | 7% | 13 | ||
| Gallup[29] | Apr. 30-May 3, 1976 | 52% | 43% | — | — | 5% | 9 | ||
| Harris[30] | April 9–15, 1976 | 47% | 43% | — | — | 10% | 4 | ||
| Gallup[31] | April 9–12, 1976 | 49% | 43% | — | 2% | 6% | 6 | ||
| Gallup[32] | March 26–29, 1976 | 47% | 46% | — | 2% | 5% | 1 | ||
| Gallup[33] | March 19–22, 1976 | 48% | 46% | — | — | 6% | 2 | ||
| Harris[30] | March 13–22, 1976 | 42% | 49% | — | — | 9% | 7 | ||
| Harris[34] | Late January, 1976 | 37% | 48% | — | — | 15% | 11 | ||
| Harris[35] | January 5–14, 1976 | 36% | 49% | — | — | 15% | 13 | ||
One of the advantages Ford held over Carter as the general election campaign began was his presidential privilege to preside over events celebrating theUnited States Bicentennial; this often resulted in favorable publicity for Ford. These included the Washington, D. C., fireworks display on theFourth of July, which was televised nationally.[36] On July 7, 1976, the President and First Lady served as hosts at a White House state dinner forQueen Elizabeth II andPrince Philip of the United Kingdom, which was televised on thePublic Broadcasting Service (PBS) network. These events were part of Ford's "Rose Garden" strategy to win the election, meaning that instead of appearing as a typical politician, Ford presented himself as a "tested leader" who was busily fulfilling the role of national leader and chief executive. Not until October did Ford leave the White House to actively campaign across the nation.[citation needed]
Carter ran as a reformer who was "untainted" by Washington political scandals,[37] which many voters found attractive in the wake of theWatergate scandal that had led to PresidentRichard Nixon's resignation. Ford, although personally unconnected with Watergate, was seen by many as too close to the discredited Nixon administration, especially after he granted Nixon a presidential pardon for any crimes he might have committed during his term of office. Ford's pardon of Nixon caused his popularity, as measured by public opinion polls, to plummet. Ford's refusal to explain his reasons for pardoning Nixon publicly (he would do so in his memoirs several years later), also hurt his image.[citation needed]
Ford unsuccessfully asked Congress to end the 1950s-era price controls on natural gas, which had caused a dwindling of American natural gas reserves after the1973 oil crisis.[38] Carter stated during his campaign that he opposed the ending of the price controls and thought such a move would be "disastrous".[39]
After the Democratic National Convention, Carter held a 33-point lead over Ford in the polls.[40] However, as the campaign continued, the race greatly tightened. During the campaignPlayboy magazine published a controversial interview with Carter; in the interview, Carter admitted to having "lusted in my heart" for women other than his wife and used the word "screw," which cut into his support among women and evangelical Christians.[41] On September 23, Ford performed well in what was the first televisedpresidential debate since1960. Polls taken after the debate showed that most viewers felt that Ford was the winner. Carter was also hurt by Ford's charges that he lacked the necessary experience to be an effective national leader and that he was vague on many issues.[citation needed]
However, Ford also committed a costly blunder in the campaign that halted his momentum. During the second presidential debate on October 6, Ford stumbled when he asserted that "there is noSoviet domination of Eastern Europe, and there never will be under a Ford administration". He added that he did not "believe that the Poles consider themselves dominated by the Soviet Union", and made the same claim with regard to Yugoslavia and Romania (Yugoslavia was not aWarsaw Pact member).[42] Ford refused to retract his statement for almost a week after the debate, causing his surge in the polls to stall and allowing Carter to maintain a slight lead in the polls.[citation needed]
A vice-presidential debate, the first formal one of its kind,[43] between Bob Dole and Walter Mondale also hurt the Republican ticket when Dole asserted that military unpreparedness on the part of Democratic presidents was responsible for all of the wars the U.S. had fought in the 20th century. Dole, a World War II veteran, noted that in every 20th-century war, from World War I to the Vietnam War, a Democrat had been president. Dole then pointed out that the number of U.S. casualties in "Democrat wars" was roughly equal to the population of Detroit. Many voters felt that Dole's criticism was unfairly harsh, and that his dispassionate delivery made him seem cold. Years later, Dole would remark that he regretted the comment, believing that it had hurt the Republican ticket.[44] One factor that did help Ford in the closing days of the campaign was a series of popular television appearances he did withJoe Garagiola, a retired baseball player for theSt. Louis Cardinals and a well-known announcer forNBC Sports. Garagiola and Ford appeared in a number of shows in several large cities. During the show, Garagiola would ask Ford questions about his life and beliefs; the shows were so informal, relaxed, and laid-back that some television critics labelled them the "Joe and Jerry Show". Ford and Garagiola obviously enjoyed one another's company, and they remained friends after the election was over.[citation needed]
There were three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate during the 1976 general election.[45][46]
| No. | Date | Host | City | Moderator | Panelists | Participants | Viewership (Millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | Thursday, September 23 | Walnut Street Theatre | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Edwin Newman | Elizabeth Drew James P. Gannon Frank Reynolds | Gov. Jimmy Carter Pres. Gerald Ford | 69.7[45] |
| P2 | Wednesday, October 6 | Palace of Fine Arts | San Francisco, California | Pauline Frederick | Max Frankel Henry Trewhitt Richard Valeriani | Gov. Jimmy Carter Pres. Gerald Ford | 63.9[45] |
| VP | Friday, October 15 | Alley Theatre | Houston, Texas | James Hoge | Marilyn Berger Hal Bruno Walter Mears | Sen. Bob Dole Sen. Walter Mondale | 43.2[45] |
| P3 | Friday, October 22 | Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall[47] | Williamsburg, Virginia | Barbara Walters | Joseph Kraft Robert Maynard Jack Nelson | Gov. Jimmy Carter Pres. Gerald Ford | 62.7[45] |
Despite his campaign's blunders, President Ford managed to close the remaining gap in the polls, and by election day, the race was judged to be even. It took most of that night and the following morning to determine the winner. It was not until 3:30 am EST thatNBC was able to declare that Carter had carried Mississippi and had thus accumulated more than the 270 electoral votes needed to win. Seconds later,ABC also declared Carter the winner, based on projections for Carter in Wisconsin and Hawaii, whileCBS announced Carter's victory at 3:45 am.[48] Carter defeated Ford by two percentage points in the national popular vote.
The electoral vote was the closest since1916; Carter carried 23 states, with 297 electoral votes, while Ford won 27 states, with 240 electoral votes (one elector, future state SenatorMike Padden from Washington state, pledged to Ford, voted for Reagan[49]). Carter's victory came primarily from his near-sweep of the South (he lost only Virginia and Oklahoma), and his narrow victories in large Northern states such as New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Ford did well in the West, carrying every state in that region, except for Hawaii. The most tightly contested state in the election was Oregon, which Ford won by under 2,000 votes.
By percentage of the vote, the states that secured Carter's victory were Wisconsin (1.68% margin) and Ohio (.27% margin). Had Ford won these states and all other states he carried, he would have won the presidency. The 27 states he won were, and still are, the most states ever carried by a losing candidate for president. Had Ford won the election, the provisions of the22nd Amendment would have disqualified him from running in1980, as he served more than two years of Nixon's second term.
Carter was the first Democratic presidential nominee sinceJohn F. Kennedy in1960 to carry states in the Deep South (Bill Clinton was the only Democrat since 1976 to carry more than one state from the Deep South, doing so in1992), and the only one sinceLyndon B. Johnson in1964 to carry a majority of allsouthern states. Carter performed very strongly in his home state of Georgia, carrying 66.7% of the vote and every county in the state. His winning of 23 states was only the second time in history that the winner of the election won fewer than half the states (after 1960). His 50.1% of the vote was the only time since 1964 that a Democrat managed to obtain an absolute majority of the popular vote in a presidential election untilBarack Obama won 52.9% of the vote in2008. Carter is one of six Democrats since theAmerican Civil War to obtain anabsolute majority of the popular vote, the others beingSamuel J. Tilden,Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lyndon B. Johnson, Barack Obama, andJoe Biden.
This election represents the last time to date thatTexas,Mississippi,Alabama, andSouth Carolina would vote Democratic, and the last timeNorth Carolina would vote Democratic until2008, as well as the last timeFlorida voted Democratic until1996, and the last timeArkansas,Delaware,Kentucky,Louisiana,Missouri,Ohio,Pennsylvania, andTennessee voted Democratic until1992.[50]
This election was the last time that a Democrat won the presidency without winning a number of modernblue states and swing states, specifically California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. This is the only time a Democrat has won without New Mexico, as well as one of only two times it voted for a candidate who lost the popular vote, in addition to2024. Similarly, it is one of only three instances in which a Democrat won without Nevada (the others being the two elections ofGrover Cleveland in1884 and1892). The Democrats did not win withoutIowa again until2020.
It was the first time in exactly 100 years when Florida and Virginia supported different candidates, and the first time since Oklahoma statehood in 1907 when Oklahoma andTennessee did so. It was also the most recent election in which a losing Republican candidate carried any states in theNortheast. As Carter won 319 more counties than Ford, this election would mark the last time a Democrat won a majority of counties. This was the first election since1916 in which the winning candidate won fewer than 300 electoral votes; this would not happen again until2000. Carter also remains the last Democrat to win a presidential election while winning fewer than 300 electoral votes.
This election was the last time until2024 in which the popular vote margin in all 50 states and theDistrict of Columbia swung in the same direction from the previous election, and the most recent in which they all swung Democratic.[51]
This is the last election in which an incumbent president ran with a running mate who was not the incumbent vice president. This is the only election in which all four major presidential and vice presidential candidates would at some point be their party's nominee for president and lose. In addition to Ford losing this election, Carter would lose reelection to Reagan in1980, Mondale would lose to President Reagan in1984, and Dole would lose to PresidentBill Clinton in1996.
| Presidential candidate | Party | Home state | Popular vote | Electoral vote | Running mate | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | Percentage | Vice-presidential candidate | Home state | Electoral vote | ||||
| Jimmy Carter | Democratic | Georgia | 40,831,881 | 50.08% | 297 | Walter Mondale | Minnesota | 297 |
| Gerald Ford (incumbent) | Republican | Michigan | 39,148,634 | 48.02% | 240 | Bob Dole | Kansas | 241 |
| Ronald Reagan | Republican | California | —[c] | —[c] | 1 | |||
| Eugene McCarthy | None | Minnesota | 744,763 | 0.91% | 0 | [d] | [d] | 0 |
| Roger MacBride | Libertarian | Virginia | 172,557 | 0.21% | 0 | David Bergland | California | 0 |
| Lester Maddox | American Independent | Georgia | 170,373 | 0.21% | 0 | William Dyke | Wisconsin | 0 |
| Thomas J. Anderson | American | [e] | 158,724 | 0.19% | 0 | Rufus Shackelford | Florida | 0 |
| Peter Camejo | Socialist Workers | California | 90,986 | 0.11% | 0 | Willie Mae Reid | Illinois | 0 |
| Gus Hall | Communist | New York | 58,709 | 0.07% | 0 | Jarvis Tyner | New York | 0 |
| Margaret Wright | People's | California | 49,016 | 0.06% | 0 | Benjamin Spock | Connecticut | 0 |
| Lyndon LaRouche | U.S. Labor | New York | 40,018 | 0.05% | 0 | R. Wayne Evans | Michigan | 0 |
| Other | 75,119 | 0.09% | — | Other | — | |||
| Total | 81,540,780 | 100% | 538 | 538 | ||||
| Needed to win | 270 | 270 | ||||||
Source (Popular Vote):Leip, David."1976 Presidential Election Results".Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. RetrievedAugust 7, 2005.
Source (Electoral Vote):"Electoral College Box Scores 1789–1996".National Archives and Records Administration. RetrievedAugust 7, 2005.
| Carter | 50.08% | |||
| Ford | 48.02% | |||
| McCarthy | 0.91% | |||
| Others | 0.57% | |||
| Carter | 55.20% | |||
| Ford | 44.61% | |||
| Reagan | 0.19% | |||
Source:[52]
This election represents the second time that the winning candidate has received a majority of the electoral votes while the second-place candidate carried a majority of the states. It had previously happened inthe 1960 election. The "margin" column shows the difference between the two leading candidates, and the "swing" column shows the margin swing from the respective party's nominee from 1972 to 1976.
| States/districts won byFord/Dole | |
| States/districts won byCarter/Mondale | |
| † | At-large results (Maine used the Congressional District Method) |
| Jimmy Carter Democratic | Gerald Ford Republican | Eugene McCarthy Independent | Roger MacBride Libertarian | Margin | Margin Swing[f] | State Total | ||||||||||||
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| State | electoral votes | # | % | electoral votes | # | % | electoral votes | # | % | electoral votes | # | % | electoral votes | # | % | % | # | |
| Alabama | 9 | 659,170 | 55.73 | 9 | 504,070 | 42.61 | — | — | — | — | 1,481 | 0.13 | — | 155,100 | 13.11 | 60.00 | 1,182,850 | AL |
| Alaska | 3 | 44,058 | 35.65 | — | 71,555 | 57.90 | 3 | — | — | — | 6,785 | 5.49 | — | −27,497 | −22.25 | 1.26 | 123,574 | AK |
| Arizona | 6 | 295,602 | 39.80 | — | 418,642 | 56.37 | 6 | 19,229 | 2.59 | — | 7,647 | 1.03 | — | −123,040 | −16.57 | 14.69 | 742,719 | AZ |
| Arkansas | 6 | 499,614 | 64.94 | 6 | 268,753 | 34.93 | — | 647 | 0.08 | — | — | — | — | 230,861 | 30.01 | 68.12 | 769,396 | AR |
| California | 45 | 3,742,284 | 47.57 | — | 3,882,244 | 49.35 | 45 | 58,412 | 0.74 | — | 56,388 | 0.72 | — | −139,960 | −1.78 | 11.68 | 7,867,117 | CA |
| Colorado | 7 | 460,353 | 42.58 | — | 584,367 | 54.05 | 7 | 26,107 | 2.41 | — | 5,330 | 0.49 | — | −124,014 | −11.47 | 16.54 | 1,081,135 | CO |
| Connecticut | 8 | 647,895 | 46.90 | — | 719,261 | 52.06 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | −71,366 | −5.17 | 13.27 | 1,381,526 | CT |
| Delaware | 3 | 122,596 | 51.98 | 3 | 109,831 | 46.57 | — | 2,437 | 1.03 | — | — | — | — | 12,765 | 5.41 | 25.82 | 235,834 | DE |
| D.C. | 3 | 137,818 | 81.63 | 3 | 27,873 | 16.51 | — | — | — | — | 274 | 0.16 | — | 109,945 | 65.12 | 8.58 | 168,830 | DC |
| Florida | 17 | 1,636,000 | 51.93 | 17 | 1,469,531 | 46.64 | — | 23,643 | 0.75 | — | 103 | 0.00 | — | 166,469 | 5.28 | 49.40 | 3,150,631 | FL |
| Georgia | 12 | 979,409 | 66.74 | 12 | 483,743 | 32.96 | — | 991 | 0.07 | — | 175 | 0.01 | — | 495,666 | 33.78 | 84.17 | 1,467,458 | GA |
| Hawaii | 4 | 147,375 | 50.59 | 4 | 140,003 | 48.06 | — | — | — | — | 3,923 | 1.35 | — | 7,372 | 2.53 | 27.49 | 291,301 | HI |
| Idaho | 4 | 126,549 | 37.12 | — | 204,151 | 59.88 | 4 | — | — | — | 3,558 | 1.04 | — | −77,602 | −22.76 | 15.44 | 340,932 | ID |
| Illinois | 26 | 2,271,295 | 48.13 | — | 2,364,269 | 50.10 | 26 | 55,939 | 1.19 | — | 8,057 | 0.17 | — | −92,974 | −1.97 | 16.55 | 4,718,833 | IL |
| Indiana | 13 | 1,014,714 | 45.70 | — | 1,183,958 | 53.32 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | −169,244 | −7.62 | 25.15 | 2,220,362 | IN |
| Iowa | 8 | 619,931 | 48.46 | — | 632,863 | 49.47 | 8 | 20,051 | 1.57 | — | 1,452 | 0.11 | — | −12,932 | −1.01 | 16.12 | 1,279,306 | IA |
| Kansas | 7 | 430,421 | 44.94 | — | 502,752 | 52.49 | 7 | 13,185 | 1.38 | — | 3,242 | 0.34 | — | −72,331 | −7.55 | 30.60 | 957,845 | KS |
| Kentucky | 9 | 615,717 | 52.75 | 9 | 531,852 | 45.57 | — | 6,837 | 0.59 | — | 814 | 0.07 | — | 83,865 | 7.19 | 35.79 | 1,167,142 | KY |
| Louisiana | 10 | 661,365 | 51.73 | 10 | 587,446 | 45.95 | — | 6,588 | 0.52 | — | 3,325 | 0.26 | — | 73,919 | 5.78 | 42.75 | 1,278,439 | LA |
| Maine † | 2 | 232,289 | 48.07 | — | 236,320 | 48.91 | 2 | 10,874 | 2.25 | — | 10 | 0.00 | — | −4,041 | −0.84 | 22.14 | 483,208 | ME |
| Maine-1 | 1 | 123,598 | 47.90 | – | 127,019 | 49.22 | 1 | 6,025 | 2.33 | – | – | – | – | −3,421 | −1.32 | — | 258,041 | ME1 |
| Maine-2 | 1 | 108,681 | 48.27 | – | 109,301 | 48.54 | 1 | 4,849 | 2.15 | – | – | – | – | −620 | −0.27 | – | 225,167 | ME2 |
| Maryland | 10 | 759,612 | 53.04 | 10 | 672,661 | 46.96 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 86,951 | 6.07 | 29.97 | 1,432,273 | MD |
| Massachusetts | 14 | 1,429,475 | 56.11 | 14 | 1,030,276 | 40.44 | — | 65,637 | 2.58 | — | 135 | 0.01 | — | 399,199 | 15.67 | 6.70 | 2,547,557 | MA |
| Michigan | 21 | 1,696,714 | 46.44 | — | 1,893,742 | 51.83 | 21 | 47,905 | 1.31 | — | 5,406 | 0.15 | — | −197,028 | −5.39 | 9.00 | 3,653,749 | MI |
| Minnesota | 10 | 1,070,440 | 54.90 | 10 | 819,395 | 42.02 | — | 35,490 | 1.82 | — | 3,529 | 0.18 | — | 251,045 | 12.87 | 18.38 | 1,949,931 | MN |
| Mississippi | 7 | 381,309 | 49.56 | 7 | 366,846 | 47.68 | — | 4,074 | 0.53 | — | 2,787 | 0.36 | — | 14,463 | 1.88 | 60.45 | 769,360 | MS |
| Missouri | 12 | 998,387 | 51.10 | 12 | 927,443 | 47.47 | — | 24,029 | 1.23 | — | — | — | — | 70,944 | 3.63 | 28.22 | 1,953,600 | MO |
| Montana | 4 | 149,259 | 45.40 | — | 173,703 | 52.84 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | −24,444 | −7.44 | 12.64 | 328,734 | MT |
| Nebraska | 5 | 233,692 | 38.46 | — | 359,705 | 59.19 | 5 | 9,409 | 1.55 | — | 1,482 | 0.24 | — | −126,013 | −20.74 | 20.26 | 607,668 | NE |
| Nevada | 3 | 92,479 | 45.81 | — | 101,273 | 50.17 | 3 | — | — | — | 1,519 | 0.75 | — | −8,794 | −4.36 | 23.00 | 201,876 | NV |
| New Hampshire | 4 | 147,635 | 43.47 | — | 185,935 | 54.75 | 4 | 4,095 | 1.21 | — | 936 | 0.28 | — | −38,300 | −11.28 | 17.84 | 339,618 | NH |
| New Jersey | 17 | 1,444,653 | 47.92 | — | 1,509,688 | 50.08 | 17 | 32,717 | 1.09 | — | 9,449 | 0.31 | — | −65,035 | −2.16 | 22.64 | 3,014,472 | NJ |
| New Mexico | 4 | 201,148 | 48.28 | — | 211,419 | 50.75 | 4 | — | — | — | 1,110 | 0.27 | — | −10,271 | −2.47 | 22.02 | 416,590 | NM |
| New York | 41 | 3,389,558 | 51.95 | 41 | 3,100,791 | 47.52 | — | 4,303 | 0.07 | — | 12,197 | 0.19 | — | 288,767 | 4.43 | 21.77 | 6,525,225 | NY |
| North Carolina | 13 | 927,365 | 55.27 | 13 | 741,960 | 44.22 | — | — | — | — | 2,219 | 0.13 | — | 185,405 | 11.05 | 51.63 | 1,677,906 | NC |
| North Dakota | 3 | 136,078 | 45.80 | — | 153,470 | 51.66 | 3 | 2,952 | 0.99 | — | 256 | 0.09 | — | −17,392 | −5.85 | 20.43 | 297,094 | ND |
| Ohio | 25 | 2,011,621 | 48.92 | 25 | 2,000,505 | 48.65 | — | 58,258 | 1.42 | — | 8,961 | 0.22 | — | 11,116 | 0.27 | 21.87 | 4,111,873 | OH |
| Oklahoma | 8 | 532,442 | 48.75 | — | 545,708 | 49.96 | 8 | 14,101 | 1.29 | — | — | — | — | −13,266 | −1.21 | 48.49 | 1,092,251 | OK |
| Oregon | 6 | 490,407 | 47.62 | — | 492,120 | 47.78 | 6 | 40,207 | 3.90 | — | — | — | — | −1,713 | −0.17 | 9.95 | 1,029,876 | OR |
| Pennsylvania | 27 | 2,328,677 | 50.40 | 27 | 2,205,604 | 47.73 | — | 50,584 | 1.09 | — | — | — | — | 123,073 | 2.66 | 22.64 | 4,620,787 | PA |
| Rhode Island | 4 | 227,636 | 55.36 | 4 | 181,249 | 44.08 | — | 479 | 0.12 | — | 715 | 0.17 | — | 46,387 | 11.28 | 17.47 | 411,170 | RI |
| South Carolina | 8 | 450,825 | 56.17 | 8 | 346,140 | 43.13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 104,685 | 13.04 | 55.70 | 802,594 | SC |
| South Dakota | 4 | 147,068 | 48.91 | — | 151,505 | 50.39 | 4 | — | — | — | 1,619 | 0.54 | — | −4,437 | −1.48 | 7.15 | 300,678 | SD |
| Tennessee | 10 | 825,879 | 55.94 | 10 | 633,969 | 42.94 | — | 5,004 | 0.34 | — | 1,375 | 0.09 | — | 191,910 | 13.00 | 50.95 | 1,476,346 | TN |
| Texas | 26 | 2,082,319 | 51.14 | 26 | 1,953,300 | 47.97 | — | 20,118 | 0.49 | — | 263 | 0.01 | — | 129,019 | 3.17 | 36.13 | 4,071,884 | TX |
| Utah | 4 | 182,110 | 33.65 | — | 337,908 | 62.44 | 4 | 3,907 | 0.72 | — | 2,438 | 0.45 | — | −155,798 | −28.79 | 12.46 | 541,198 | UT |
| Vermont | 3 | 81,044 | 43.14 | — | 102,085 | 54.34 | 3 | 4,001 | 2.13 | — | 4 | 0.00 | — | −21,041 | −11.20 | 15.00 | 187,855 | VT |
| Virginia | 12 | 813,896 | 47.96 | — | 836,554 | 49.29 | 12 | — | — | — | 4,648 | 0.27 | — | −22,658 | −1.34 | 36.38 | 1,697,094 | VA |
| Washington | 9 | 717,323 | 46.11 | — | 777,732 | 50.00 | 8 | 36,986 | 2.38 | — | 5,042 | 0.32 | — | −60,409 | −3.88 | 14.40 | 1,555,534 | WA |
| West Virginia | 6 | 435,914 | 58.07 | 6 | 314,760 | 41.93 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 121,154 | 16.14 | 43.36 | 750,674 | WV |
| Wisconsin | 11 | 1,040,232 | 49.50 | 11 | 1,004,987 | 47.83 | — | 34,943 | 1.66 | — | 3,814 | 0.18 | — | 35,245 | 1.68 | 11.35 | 2,101,336 | WI |
| Wyoming | 3 | 62,239 | 39.81 | — | 92,717 | 59.30 | 3 | 624 | 0.40 | — | 89 | 0.06 | — | −30,478 | −19.49 | 19.05 | 156,343 | WY |
| TOTALS: | 538 | 40,831,881 | 50.08 | 297 | 39,148,634 | 48.02 | 240 | 740,460 | 0.91 | — | 172,557 | 0.21 | — | 1,683,247 | 2.06 | 25.21 | 81,531,584 | US |
Maine allowed its electoral votes to be split between candidates. Two electoral votes were awarded to the winner of the statewide race and one electoral vote to the winner of each congressional district. Ford won all four votes.[53]
States where margin of victory was under 1% (34 electoral votes):
States where margin of victory was 1% to 5% (265 electoral votes):
States where margin of victory was 5% to 10% (105 electoral votes):
Counties with Highest Percent of Vote (Democratic)
Counties with Highest Percent of Vote (Republican)
| Social groups and the presidential vote, 1976 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carter | Ford | Size[A 1] | ||||
| Party | ||||||
| Democratic | 77 | 22 | 43 | |||
| Independent | 43 | 54 | 23 | |||
| Republican | 9 | 90 | 28 | |||
| Ideology | ||||||
| Liberal | 70 | 26 | 18 | |||
| Moderate | 51 | 48 | 51 | |||
| Conservative | 29 | 69 | 31 | |||
| Ethnicity | ||||||
| Black | 82 | 16 | 10 | |||
| Hispanic | 74 | 24 | 2 | |||
| White | 47 | 51 | 88 | |||
| Gender | ||||||
| Female | 50 | 48 | 48 | |||
| Male | 50 | 48 | 52 | |||
| Religion | ||||||
| Protestant | 44 | 55 | 46 | |||
| White Protestant | 42 | 57 | 41 | |||
| Catholic | 54 | 44 | 25 | |||
| Jewish | 64 | 34 | 5 | |||
| Family income | ||||||
| Less than US$10,000 | 58 | 40 | 13 | |||
| $10,000–$14,999 | 55 | 43 | 15 | |||
| $15,000–$24,999 | 48 | 50 | 29 | |||
| $25,000–$50,000 | 36 | 62 | 24 | |||
| Over $50,000 | — | — | 5 | |||
| Occupation | ||||||
| Professional ormanager | 41 | 57 | 39 | |||
| Clerical,sales,white-collar | 46 | 53 | 11 | |||
| Blue-collar | 57 | 41 | 17 | |||
| Farmer | — | — | 3 | |||
| Unemployed | 65 | 34 | 3 | |||
| Education | ||||||
| Less thanhigh school | 58 | 39 | 11 | |||
| High school graduate | 54 | 44 | 28 | |||
| Somecollege | 50 | 49 | 28 | |||
| College graduate | 43 | 55 | 27 | |||
| Union membership | ||||||
| Labor union household | 59 | 39 | 28 | |||
| No member of household in union | 43 | 55 | 62 | |||
| Age | ||||||
| 18–21 years old | 48 | 49 | 6 | |||
| 22–29 years old | 51 | 46 | 17 | |||
| 30–44 years old | 49 | 49 | 31 | |||
| 45–59 years old | 48 | 51 | 23 | |||
| 60 years or older | 47 | 52 | 18 | |||
| Region | ||||||
| East | 51 | 47 | 25 | |||
| South | 54 | 45 | 27 | |||
| Midwest | 48 | 50 | 27 | |||
| West | 46 | 51 | 19 | |||
| Community size | ||||||
| City over 250,000 | 58 | 40 | 18 | |||
| Suburb/small city | 51 | 47 | 53 | |||
| Rural/town | 47 | 51 | 29 | |||
Source:CBS News/New York Times interviews with 12,782 voters as they left the polls, as reported inThe New York Times, November 9, 1980, p. 28, and in further analysis. The 1976 data are from CBS News interviews.
42ndVice President of the United States (1977–1981) •U.S. Senator from Minnesota (1964–1976) •Attorney General of Minnesota (1960–1964) | |||||||
| Electoral history |
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| Family and personal life |
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