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 County Results
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The 1976 United States presidential election in Wisconsin took place on November 2, 1976, as part of the1976 United States presidential election.Jimmy Carter won the state ofWisconsin with 49.50 percent of the vote[1] giving him 11 electoral votes.
In September, President Ford announced he would devote $20,000 to campaigning in Wisconsin. The state was one of ten he considered critical to defeating Carter, but Ford devoted less money to it than any of the others.[2] During his campaign, Ford focused chiefly on the Catholic working-class electorate inSouth Milwaukee, whose hierarchy had been disappointed Carter was not committed – followingRoe v. Wade – to a constitutional amendment banning abortion.[3]
Carter himself responded by visiting white ethnic communities in the state during September.[4] His campaign amongst thePolish-Americans andGreek-Americans in the southeast of the state was strongly aimed at Ford's policy towards thetotalitarian regimes of Eastern Europe and their human rights violations.[5]
In early October, polls showed Wisconsin as a tossup.[6] Aided by a return of traditionally Democratic Catholic voters and a gain amongst nonpartisans, Carter established a lead in mid-October polls.[7] The Georgia Governor would retain this lead to election day, and carry Wisconsin by 1.68 points. This result nonetheless made Wisconsin 0.43% more Republican than the nation at large. Wisconsin was thetipping-point state of the election.[citation needed]
Ronald Reagan would flip Wisconsin back into the Republican column in1980 and1984, but Carter's victory was a sign of things to come for the state, as it would transition into a Democratic-leaning swing state in1988, and would vote Republicanonlytwice since then. This is the third most recent election in which Wisconsin voted for a different candidate than neighboringIowa, a phenomenon that has only been repeated in2004 and2020.
Despite the fact that at the time of this election Wisconsin had been dominated for a decade by very liberal Democrats likeSenatorsGaylord Nelson andWilliam Proxmire, and had been the fifth-best state forGeorge McGovern in his landslide 1972 presidential defeat, Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter won the state on a "nonideological" campaign in the April primaries,[8] despite claiming that price floors for dairy farmers in the nation's leading dairy state would need to be lowered.[9]
Gerald Ford won the GOP primary against the insurgent conservative challenge of Ronald Reagan, saying that his win was largely due to the endorsement ofHenry Kissinger.[10]
| 1976 United States presidential election in Wisconsin[1] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic | Jimmy Carter | 1,040,232 | 49.50% | 11 | |
| Republican | Gerald Ford (incumbent) | 1,004,987 | 47.83% | 0 | |
| Independent | Eugene McCarthy | 34,943 | 1.66% | 0 | |
| American | Lester Maddox | 8,552 | 0.41% | 0 | |
| Independent | Frank Zeidler | 4,298 | 0.20% | 0 | |
| Independent | Roger L. MacBride | 3,814 | 0.18% | 0 | |
| Independent | Peter Camejo | 1,691 | 0.08% | 0 | |
| Independent | Margaret Wright | 943 | 0.04% | 0 | |
| Independent | Gus Hall | 749 | 0.04% | 0 | |
| Independent | Lyndon H. LaRouche | 738 | 0.04% | 0 | |
| Independent | Julius Levin | 389 | 0.02% | 0 | |
| Totals | 2,101,336 | 100.0% | 11 | ||
| County | Jimmy Carter Democratic | Gerald Ford Republican | Eugene McCarthy Independent | Lester Maddox American | Various candidates Other parties | Margin | Total votes cast[11] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 3,089 | 55.28% | 2,377 | 42.54% | 77 | 1.38% | 22 | 0.39% | 23 | 0.41% | 712 | 12.74% | 5,588 |
| Ashland | 4,688 | 58.89% | 3,045 | 38.25% | 131 | 1.65% | 43 | 0.54% | 54 | 0.68% | 1,643 | 20.64% | 7,961 |
| Barron | 8,678 | 52.97% | 7,393 | 45.13% | 205 | 1.25% | 62 | 0.38% | 44 | 0.27% | 1,285 | 7.84% | 16,382 |
| Bayfield | 3,885 | 58.05% | 2,624 | 39.21% | 136 | 2.03% | 18 | 0.27% | 30 | 0.45% | 1,261 | 18.84% | 6,693 |
| Brown | 33,572 | 46.47% | 36,571 | 50.62% | 1,480 | 2.05% | 344 | 0.48% | 276 | 0.38% | -2,999 | -4.15% | 72,243 |
| Buffalo | 3,448 | 53.65% | 2,844 | 44.25% | 83 | 1.29% | 33 | 0.51% | 19 | 0.30% | 604 | 9.40% | 6,427 |
| Burnett | 3,720 | 57.74% | 2,573 | 39.93% | 89 | 1.38% | 31 | 0.48% | 30 | 0.47% | 1,147 | 17.81% | 6,443 |
| Calumet | 6,241 | 47.53% | 6,589 | 50.18% | 221 | 1.68% | 42 | 0.32% | 39 | 0.30% | -348 | -2.65% | 13,132 |
| Chippewa | 11,538 | 57.42% | 8,137 | 40.50% | 270 | 1.34% | 93 | 0.46% | 55 | 0.27% | 3,401 | 16.92% | 20,093 |
| Clark | 7,238 | 52.67% | 6,095 | 44.35% | 204 | 1.48% | 172 | 1.25% | 33 | 0.24% | 1,143 | 8.32% | 13,742 |
| Columbia | 9,457 | 47.52% | 10,075 | 50.63% | 235 | 1.18% | 67 | 0.34% | 66 | 0.33% | -618 | -3.11% | 19,900 |
| Crawford | 3,629 | 50.39% | 3,393 | 47.11% | 128 | 1.78% | 32 | 0.44% | 20 | 0.28% | 236 | 3.28% | 7,202 |
| Dane | 82,321 | 53.96% | 63,466 | 41.60% | 4,629 | 3.03% | 369 | 0.24% | 1,767 | 1.16% | 18,855 | 12.36% | 152,552 |
| Dodge | 13,643 | 43.12% | 17,335 | 54.79% | 464 | 1.47% | 104 | 0.33% | 95 | 0.30% | -3,692 | -11.67% | 31,641 |
| Door | 4,553 | 39.88% | 6,557 | 57.43% | 198 | 1.73% | 46 | 0.40% | 63 | 0.55% | -2,004 | -17.55% | 11,417 |
| Douglas | 13,478 | 64.32% | 6,999 | 33.40% | 326 | 1.56% | 24 | 0.11% | 129 | 0.62% | 6,479 | 30.92% | 20,956 |
| Dunn | 7,882 | 52.53% | 6,751 | 44.99% | 234 | 1.56% | 95 | 0.63% | 42 | 0.28% | 1,131 | 7.54% | 15,004 |
| Eau Claire | 18,263 | 51.66% | 16,388 | 46.36% | 491 | 1.39% | 73 | 0.21% | 138 | 0.39% | 1,875 | 5.30% | 35,353 |
| Florence | 965 | 50.23% | 922 | 48.00% | 28 | 1.46% | 2 | 0.10% | 4 | 0.21% | 43 | 2.23% | 1,921 |
| Fond du Lac | 16,571 | 41.59% | 22,226 | 55.79% | 676 | 1.70% | 224 | 0.56% | 144 | 0.36% | -5,655 | -14.20% | 39,841 |
| Forest | 2,574 | 60.72% | 1,604 | 37.84% | 43 | 1.01% | 12 | 0.28% | 6 | 0.14% | 970 | 22.88% | 4,239 |
| Grant | 9,639 | 43.41% | 12,016 | 54.11% | 416 | 1.87% | 57 | 0.26% | 79 | 0.36% | -2,377 | -10.70% | 22,207 |
| Green | 5,632 | 43.17% | 7,085 | 54.31% | 169 | 1.30% | 112 | 0.86% | 48 | 0.37% | -1,453 | -11.14% | 13,046 |
| Green Lake | 3,411 | 39.69% | 5,020 | 58.41% | 111 | 1.29% | 33 | 0.38% | 20 | 0.23% | -1,609 | -18.72% | 8,595 |
| Iowa | 4,252 | 49.00% | 4,195 | 48.34% | 139 | 1.60% | 62 | 0.71% | 30 | 0.35% | 57 | 0.66% | 8,678 |
| Iron | 2,399 | 63.13% | 1,340 | 35.26% | 43 | 1.13% | 4 | 0.11% | 14 | 0.37% | 1,059 | 27.87% | 3,800 |
| Jackson | 3,735 | 51.42% | 3,406 | 46.89% | 73 | 1.00% | 22 | 0.30% | 28 | 0.39% | 329 | 4.53% | 7,264 |
| Jefferson | 12,577 | 43.65% | 15,528 | 53.89% | 454 | 1.58% | 131 | 0.45% | 122 | 0.42% | -2,951 | -10.24% | 28,812 |
| Juneau | 4,512 | 49.71% | 4,242 | 46.73% | 96 | 1.06% | 201 | 2.21% | 26 | 0.29% | 270 | 2.98% | 9,077 |
| Kenosha | 27,585 | 53.82% | 22,349 | 43.61% | 832 | 1.62% | 248 | 0.48% | 236 | 0.46% | 5,236 | 10.21% | 51,250 |
| Kewaunee | 4,607 | 49.65% | 4,447 | 47.93% | 135 | 1.45% | 64 | 0.69% | 26 | 0.28% | 160 | 1.72% | 9,279 |
| La Crosse | 16,674 | 40.02% | 24,188 | 58.06% | 564 | 1.35% | 101 | 0.24% | 132 | 0.32% | -7,514 | -18.04% | 41,659 |
| Lafayette | 3,839 | 46.91% | 4,131 | 50.48% | 121 | 1.48% | 62 | 0.76% | 30 | 0.37% | -292 | -3.57% | 8,183 |
| Langlade | 4,134 | 46.29% | 4,630 | 51.85% | 122 | 1.37% | 25 | 0.28% | 19 | 0.21% | -496 | -5.56% | 8,930 |
| Lincoln | 5,800 | 49.48% | 5,672 | 48.38% | 176 | 1.50% | 42 | 0.36% | 33 | 0.28% | 128 | 1.10% | 11,723 |
| Manitowoc | 19,819 | 53.90% | 16,039 | 43.62% | 504 | 1.37% | 293 | 0.80% | 116 | 0.32% | 3,780 | 10.28% | 36,771 |
| Marathon | 24,934 | 51.94% | 21,898 | 45.62% | 811 | 1.69% | 218 | 0.45% | 140 | 0.29% | 3,036 | 6.32% | 48,001 |
| Marinette | 8,482 | 48.68% | 8,591 | 49.30% | 236 | 1.35% | 70 | 0.40% | 46 | 0.26% | -109 | -0.62% | 17,425 |
| Marquette | 2,516 | 48.30% | 2,607 | 50.05% | 50 | 0.96% | 19 | 0.36% | 17 | 0.33% | -91 | -1.75% | 5,209 |
| Menominee | 766 | 68.27% | 324 | 28.88% | 24 | 2.14% | 1 | 0.09% | 7 | 0.62% | 442 | 39.39% | 1,122 |
| Milwaukee | 249,739 | 54.75% | 192,008 | 42.09% | 7,508 | 1.65% | 1,760 | 0.39% | 5,145 | 1.13% | 57,731 | 12.66% | 456,160 |
| Monroe | 6,465 | 46.28% | 7,242 | 51.85% | 177 | 1.27% | 38 | 0.27% | 46 | 0.33% | -777 | -5.57% | 13,968 |
| Oconto | 6,541 | 50.21% | 6,232 | 47.84% | 140 | 1.07% | 75 | 0.58% | 39 | 0.30% | 309 | 2.37% | 13,027 |
| Oneida | 7,216 | 48.31% | 7,347 | 49.19% | 285 | 1.91% | 40 | 0.27% | 48 | 0.32% | -131 | -0.88% | 14,936 |
| Outagamie | 23,079 | 43.95% | 28,363 | 54.02% | 770 | 1.47% | 155 | 0.30% | 140 | 0.27% | -5,284 | -10.07% | 52,507 |
| Ozaukee | 11,271 | 35.36% | 19,817 | 62.17% | 488 | 1.53% | 133 | 0.42% | 168 | 0.53% | -8,546 | -26.81% | 31,877 |
| Pepin | 1,955 | 58.64% | 1,312 | 39.35% | 44 | 1.32% | 19 | 0.57% | 4 | 0.12% | 643 | 19.29% | 3,334 |
| Pierce | 8,039 | 57.16% | 5,676 | 40.36% | 267 | 1.90% | 41 | 0.29% | 41 | 0.29% | 2,363 | 16.80% | 14,064 |
| Polk | 8,485 | 56.85% | 6,159 | 41.27% | 222 | 1.49% | 23 | 0.15% | 35 | 0.23% | 2,326 | 15.58% | 14,924 |
| Portage | 15,912 | 60.65% | 9,520 | 36.28% | 607 | 2.31% | 43 | 0.16% | 155 | 0.59% | 6,392 | 24.37% | 26,237 |
| Price | 4,028 | 54.44% | 3,204 | 43.30% | 103 | 1.39% | 20 | 0.27% | 44 | 0.59% | 824 | 11.14% | 7,399 |
| Racine | 36,740 | 48.54% | 37,088 | 49.00% | 1,222 | 1.61% | 328 | 0.43% | 308 | 0.41% | -348 | -0.46% | 75,686 |
| Richland | 3,634 | 44.05% | 4,466 | 54.14% | 96 | 1.16% | 32 | 0.39% | 21 | 0.25% | -832 | -10.09% | 8,249 |
| Rock | 28,048 | 48.56% | 28,325 | 49.04% | 933 | 1.62% | 246 | 0.43% | 210 | 0.36% | -277 | -0.48% | 57,762 |
| Rusk | 4,050 | 58.21% | 2,724 | 39.15% | 110 | 1.58% | 32 | 0.46% | 41 | 0.59% | 1,326 | 19.06% | 6,957 |
| Sauk | 9,204 | 47.88% | 9,577 | 49.82% | 305 | 1.59% | 92 | 0.48% | 45 | 0.23% | -373 | -1.94% | 19,223 |
| Sawyer | 3,055 | 50.04% | 2,720 | 44.55% | 261 | 4.28% | 18 | 0.29% | 51 | 0.84% | 335 | 5.49% | 6,105 |
| Shawano | 6,751 | 43.63% | 8,505 | 54.97% | 91 | 0.59% | 100 | 0.65% | 25 | 0.16% | -1,754 | -11.34% | 15,472 |
| Sheboygan | 24,226 | 51.65% | 22,332 | 47.62% | 168 | 0.36% | 110 | 0.23% | 65 | 0.14% | 1,894 | 4.03% | 46,901 |
| St. Croix | 10,601 | 55.74% | 7,685 | 40.41% | 557 | 2.93% | 37 | 0.19% | 137 | 0.72% | 2,916 | 15.33% | 19,017 |
| Taylor | 4,101 | 51.90% | 3,591 | 45.45% | 136 | 1.72% | 39 | 0.49% | 34 | 0.43% | 510 | 6.45% | 7,901 |
| Trempealeau | 6,218 | 53.05% | 5,341 | 45.56% | 117 | 1.00% | 25 | 0.21% | 21 | 0.18% | 877 | 7.49% | 11,722 |
| Vernon | 5,534 | 46.54% | 6,132 | 51.56% | 156 | 1.31% | 60 | 0.50% | 10 | 0.08% | -598 | -5.02% | 11,892 |
| Vilas | 3,209 | 38.61% | 4,929 | 59.30% | 108 | 1.30% | 36 | 0.43% | 30 | 0.36% | -1,720 | -20.69% | 8,312 |
| Walworth | 12,418 | 39.67% | 18,091 | 57.79% | 540 | 1.72% | 125 | 0.40% | 133 | 0.42% | -5,673 | -18.12% | 31,307 |
| Washburn | 3,503 | 54.30% | 2,787 | 43.20% | 114 | 1.77% | 28 | 0.43% | 19 | 0.29% | 716 | 11.10% | 6,451 |
| Washington | 14,422 | 42.33% | 18,798 | 55.17% | 509 | 1.49% | 168 | 0.49% | 173 | 0.51% | -4,376 | -12.84% | 34,070 |
| Waukesha | 47,487 | 39.26% | 70,418 | 58.22% | 1,815 | 1.50% | 528 | 0.44% | 705 | 0.58% | -22,931 | -18.96% | 120,953 |
| Waupaca | 6,857 | 38.00% | 10,849 | 60.13% | 202 | 1.12% | 68 | 0.38% | 67 | 0.37% | -3,992 | -22.13% | 18,043 |
| Waushara | 3,485 | 43.04% | 4,449 | 54.94% | 96 | 1.19% | 30 | 0.37% | 38 | 0.47% | -964 | -11.90% | 8,098 |
| Winnebago | 24,485 | 42.16% | 32,149 | 55.35% | 954 | 1.64% | 221 | 0.38% | 273 | 0.47% | -7,664 | -13.19% | 58,082 |
| Wood | 14,728 | 47.58% | 15,479 | 50.00% | 438 | 1.41% | 209 | 0.68% | 103 | 0.33% | -751 | -2.42% | 30,957 |
| Totals | 1,040,232 | 49.50% | 1,004,987 | 47.83% | 34,943 | 1.66% | 8,552 | 0.41% | 12,622 | 0.60% | 35,245 | 1.67% | 2,101,336 |
State and district results of the1976 United States presidential election | ||
|---|---|---|
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