1980 United States presidential election

49th quadrennial U.S. presidential election

1980 United States presidential election

* * *

| <- 1976 | November 4, 1980 | 1984 ->

|
|

* * *

538 members of the Electoral College
270 electoral votes needed to win
Turnout| 54.2%[1] 0.6 pp
|  |  |  |

|
|
|

Nominee  | Ronald Reagan | Jimmy Carter | John B. Anderson
Party  | Republican | Democratic | Independent[a]
Home state  | California | Georgia | Illinois
Running mate  | George H. W. Bush | Walter Mondale | Patrick Lucey
Electoral vote  | 489 | 49  | 0
States carried  | 44 | 6 + DC | 0
Popular vote  | 43,903,230 | 35,481,115  | 5,719,850
Percentage  | 50.7% | 41.0%  | 6.6%

* * *

Presidential election results map. Red denotes states won by Reagan/Bush and blue denotes those won by Carter/Mondale. Numbers indicate electoral votes cast by each state.

* * *

| President before election

Jimmy Carter
Democratic

| Elected President

Ronald Reagan
Republican

|

The 1980 United States presidential election was the 49th quadrennial presidential election, held on November 4, 1980. The Republican nominee, former California governor Ronald Reagan, defeated incumbent Democratic President Jimmy Carter in a landslide victory. This was the first election since 1932 in which an elected incumbent president was defeated, as well as the first election since 1888 that saw the defeat of an incumbent Democratic president.

Carter's unpopularity and poor relations with Democratic leaders encouraged an unsuccessful intra-party challenge from Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy. Meanwhile, the Republican primaries were contested between former California Governor Ronald Reagan, former Central Intelligence Agency director George H. W. Bush, Illinois Representative John B. Anderson, and several other candidates. All of Reagan's opponents had dropped out by the end of the primaries, and the Republicans nominated a ticket consisting of Reagan and Bush. Anderson entered the general election as an independent candidate with Patrick Lucey, former Wisconsin governor, as his running mate.

Reagan campaigned for increased defense spending, supply-side economic policies, and a balanced budget. His campaign was aided by Democratic dissatisfaction with Carter, the Iran hostage crisis, and a worsening economy marred by stagflation. Carter attacked Reagan as a dangerous right-wing extremist, and warned that Reagan would cut Medicare and Social Security. The Carter campaign was aided early on by the rally 'round the flag effect from the hostage crisis, but as the crisis lasted to election day, it became a detriment.[2]

Reagan won the election in a landslide, with 489 Electoral College votes to Carter's 49 and 50.7% of the popular vote to Carter's 41.0%. Anderson won 6.6% of the popular vote and no electoral votes. Due to the rise of conservatism following Reagan's victory, historians have considered the election a political realignment that began with Barry Goldwater's presidential campaign in 1964. Until 2024, this is the most recent election in which an incumbent Democratic president was not reelected. Additionally, it is the only time that a Republican nominee defeated a Democratic incumbent in both the popular and the electoral vote.[3] This election began an ongoing pattern in which Rust Belt states Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin voted for the same presidential candidate, with the sole exception of 1988.[4]

## Background

[edit]

Further information: Foreign policy of the Jimmy Carter administration

Throughout the 1970s, the United States underwent a wrenching period of low economic growth, high inflation and interest rates, and intermittent energy crises.[5] By October 1978, Iran—a major oil supplier to the United States at the time—was experiencing a major uprising that severely damaged its oil infrastructure and greatly weakened its capability to produce oil.[6] In January 1979, shortly after Iran's leader Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi fled the country, Iranian opposition figure Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini ended his 14-year exile in France and returned to Iran to establish an Islamic Republic, largely hostile to American interests and influence in the country.[6] In the spring and summer of 1979, inflation was on the rise and various parts of the United States were experiencing energy shortages.[7]

Carter was widely blamed for the return of the long gas lines in the summer of 1979 that were last seen just after the 1973 Yom Kippur War. He planned on delivering his fifth major speech on energy, but he felt that the American people were no longer listening. Carter left for the presidential retreat of Camp David. "For more than a week, a veil of secrecy enveloped the proceedings. Dozens of prominent Democratic Party leaders—members of Congress, governors, labor leaders, academics and clergy—were summoned to the mountaintop retreat to confer with the beleaguered president." His pollster, Pat Caddell, told him that the American people simply faced a crisis of confidence because of the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.; the Vietnam War; and Watergate.[8] On July 15, 1979, Carter gave a nationally televised address in which he identified what he believed to be a "crisis of confidence" among the American people. This came to be known as his "Malaise speech", although Carter never used the word in the speech.[9]

Many expected Senator Ted Kennedy to successfully challenge Carter in the upcoming Democratic primary. Kennedy's official announcement was scheduled for early November. A television interview with Roger Mudd of CBS a few days before the announcement went badly, however. Kennedy gave an "incoherent and repetitive"[10] answer to the question of why he was running, and the polls, which showed him leading Carter by 58–25 in August now had him ahead 49–39.[11] Kennedy was also politically scarred by the 1969 Chappaquiddick incident;[12][13] the controversy had been a major reason for Kennedy's decision to not run for president in 1972 and 1976.[13]

Meanwhile, Carter was given an opportunity for political redemption when the Khomeini regime again gained public attention and allowed the taking of 52 American hostages by a group of Islamist students and militants at the U.S. embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979. Carter's calm approach towards the handling of this crisis resulted in his approval ratings jump in the 60-percent range in some polls, due to a "rally round the flag" effect.[14]

By the beginning of the election campaign, the prolonged Iran hostage crisis had sharpened public perceptions of a national crisis.[15] On April 25, 1980, Carter's ability to use the hostage crisis to regain public acceptance eroded when his high risk attempt to rescue the hostages ended in disaster when eight servicemen were killed. The unsuccessful rescue attempt drew further skepticism towards his leadership skills.[16]

Following the failed rescue attempt, Carter took overwhelming blame for the Iran hostage crisis, in which the followers of the Ayatollah Khomeini burned American flags and chanted anti-American slogans, paraded the captured American hostages in public, and burned Carter in effigy. Carter's critics saw him as an inept leader who had failed to solve the worsening economic problems at home. His supporters defended the president as a decent, well-intentioned man being unfairly criticized for problems that had been escalating for years.[17]

When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in late 1979, Carter seized international leadership in rallying opposition. He cut off American grain sales, which hurt Soviet consumers and annoyed American farmers. In terms of prestige, the Soviets were deeply hurt by the large-scale boycott of their 1980 Summer Olympics. Furthermore, Carter began secret support of the opposition forces in Afghanistan that successfully tied down the Soviet army for a decade. The effect was to end détente and reopen the Cold War.[18][19]

## Nominations

[edit]

### Republican Party

[edit]

Main article: 1980 Republican Party presidential primaries

|  |

This article is part of
a series about

Ronald Reagan

|

* * *

Personal life

* Filmography
* Bibliography
* Death
* Residences
* Birthplace of Ronald Reagan
* Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home
* Rancho del Cielo
* 668 St. Cloud Road

* * *

Speeches

* A Time for Choosing
* States' rights
* Evil Empire
* The boys of Pointe du Hoc
* Tear down this wall!

* * *

33rd Governor of California

* Elections
* 1966
* 1970
* Governorship
* 1969 People's Park protest

* * *

40th President of the United States

* Presidency
* timeline
* Transition
* Inaugurations
* Polls
* Scandals

* * *

Tenure

* Assassination attempt
* Invasion of Grenada
* Bombing of Libya
* Iran–Contra affair
* AIDS
* Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty

* * *

Policies

* Domestic
* Reaganomics
* Foreign
* Reagan Doctrine
* international trips

* * *

Judicial appointments

* Supreme Court candidates
* O'Connor
* Rehnquist
* Scalia
* Bork
* Kennedy

* * *

Presidential campaigns

* 1968
* primaries
* convention
* 1976
* primaries
* convention
* 1980
* election
* primaries
* convention
* debates
* 1984
* election
* primaries
* convention
* debates

* * *

Legacy

* Library
* Accolades
* Eponyms
* Depictions
* music

* * *

* v
* t
* e

|  |

This article is part of
a series about

George H. W. Bush

|

* Family
* Electoral history

* * *

Pre-vice presidency

* U.S. Representative for Texas's 7th

* U.S. Ambassador
* U.N.
* China

* Chair of the RNC

* Director of Central Intelligence

* * *

43rd Vice President of the United States

* Transition
* Tenure
* Reagan administration
* first inauguration
* second inauguration
* Reagan assassination attempt
* Deregulation

* * *

41st President of the United States

* Presidency
* timeline
* Transition
* Inauguration

* * *

Policies

* Environmental
* Foreign
* international trips
* Pardons

* * *

Appointments

* Cabinet
* Judiciary
* Thomas

* * *

Tenure

* Thousand points of light
* foundation
* Invasion of Panama
* Gulf War
* Operation Restore Hope
* NAFTA

* Timeline
* '89
* '90
* '91
* '92–'93

* * *

Presidential campaigns

* 1980
* primaries
* convention

* 1988
* primaries
* convention
* "No new taxes"
* debates
* election

* 1992
* primaries
* convention
* debates
* election

* * *

Vice presidential campaigns

* 1980
* selection
* convention
* election

* 1984
* convention
* election

* * *

Post-presidency

* Presidential library
* Bibliography
* Awards and honors
* Bush School of Government
* Death and state funeral

* * *

* v
* t
* e

Republican Party (United States)1980 Republican Party ticket

Ronald Reagan | George H. W. Bush
for President | for Vice President

33rd
Governor of California
(1967–1975) | 11th
Director of Central Intelligence
(1976–1977)
Campaign

#### Other major candidates

[edit]

The following candidates were frequently interviewed by major broadcast networks and cable news channels, were listed in publicly published national polls, or had held a public office. Reagan received 7,709,793 votes in the primaries.

Candidates in this section are sorted by date of withdrawal from the nomination race

George H. W. Bush | John B. Anderson | Phil Crane | Bob Dole | John Connally
|  |  |  |
Director of
Central Intelligence
(1976–1977) | Representative from
Illinois's 16th district
(1961–1981) | Representative from
Illinois's 12th district
(1973–1993) | Senator from Kansas
(1969–1996) | Secretary of
the Treasury from Texas
(1971–1972)
Campaign | Campaign | Campaign | Campaign | Campaign
SC: May 26, 1980
ER: June 14, 1980
3,070,033 votes | DI: April 24, 1980
1,572,174 votes | W: April 17, 1980
ER: April 17, 1980
97,793 votes | W: March 15, 1980
ER: March 30, 1980
7,204 votes | W: March 9, 1980
ER: March 25, 1980
82,625 votes
Howard Baker | Larry Pressler | Lowell P. Weicker Jr. | Harold Stassen | Ben Fernandez
|  |  |  |
Senator from Tennessee
(1967–1985) | Senator from South Dakota
(1979–1997) | Senator from Connecticut
(1971–1989) | Governor of Minnesota
(1939–1943) | United States Special Envoy to Paraguay from California
(1973)
|  |  |  |
W: March 5, 1980
ER: April 20, 1980
181,153 votes | W: January 8, 1980
ER: March 21, 1980
0 votes | W: May 16, 1979
0 votes | ?: n/a
25,425 votes | ?: n/a
25,520 votes

Former governor Ronald Reagan of California was the odds-on favorite to win his party's nomination for president after nearly beating incumbent President Gerald Ford just four years earlier. Reagan dominated the primaries early, driving from the field Senate Minority Leader Howard Baker from Tennessee, former governor John Connally of Texas, Senator Robert Dole from Kansas, Representative Phil Crane from Illinois, and Representative John Anderson from Illinois, who dropped out of the race to run as an Independent. George H. W. Bush from Texas posed the strongest challenge to Reagan with his victories in the Pennsylvania and Michigan primaries, but it was not enough to turn the tide. Reagan won the nomination on the first round at the 1980 Republican National Convention in Detroit, Michigan, in July, then chose Bush (his top rival) as his running mate. Reagan, Bush, and Dole would all go on to be the nominees in the next four elections. (Reagan in 1984, Bush in 1988 and 1992, and Dole in 1996).

### Democratic Party

[edit]

Main article: 1980 Democratic Party presidential primaries

|  |

This article is part of
a series about

Jimmy Carter

|

76th Governor of Georgia

* Governorship

* * *

39th President of the United States

* Presidency
* timeline
* Transition
* Inauguration

* * *

Policies

* Environmental
* Foreign
* International trips
* Pardons

* * *

Appointments

* Cabinet
* Judiciary

* * *

Tenure

* Camp David Accords
* Egypt–Israel peace treaty

* Torrijos–Carter Treaties

* Rabbit incident

* Iran hostage crisis
* Operation Eagle Claw

* Moral Equivalent of War speech
* 1979 oil crisis
* Carter Doctrine
* U.S.–China relations

* Timeline
* '77
* '78
* '79
* '80–'81

* * *

Presidential campaigns

* 1976
* Primaries
* Convention
* Debates
* Election

* 1980
* Primaries
* Convention
* Debates
* Election

* * *

Post-presidency

* Presidential Library
* Awards and honors
* Bibliography
* Activities
* Carter Center
* One America Appeal
* UFO incident

* * *

* v
* t
* e

Democratic Party (United States)1980 Democratic Party ticket

Jimmy Carter | Walter Mondale
for President | for Vice President

39th
President of the United States
(1977–1981) | 42nd
Vice President of the United States
(1977–1981)
Campaign

#### Other major candidates

[edit]

The following candidates were frequently interviewed by major broadcast networks, were listed in published national polls, or had held public office. Carter received 10,043,016 votes in the primaries.

Candidates in this section are sorted by date of withdrawal from the nomination race

Ted Kennedy | Jerry Brown | Cliff Finch | William Proxmire
|  |  |
U.S. Senator from Massachusetts
(1962–2009) | Governor of California
(1975–1983) | Governor of Mississippi
(1976–1980) | U.S. Senator from Wisconsin
(1957–1989)
Campaign | Campaign | Campaign | Campaign
W: August 11, 1980
7,381,693 votes | W: April 2, 1980
575,296 votes | ?: N/A
48,032 votes | ?: N/A
0 votes

The three major Democratic candidates in early 1980 were incumbent President Jimmy Carter, Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, and Governor Jerry Brown of California. Brown withdrew on April 2. Carter and Kennedy faced off in 34 primaries. Not counting the 1968 election in which Lyndon Johnson withdrew his candidacy, this was the most tumultuous primary race that an elected incumbent president had encountered since President Taft, during the highly contentious election of 1912.

During the summer of 1980, there was a short-lived "Draft Muskie" movement; Secretary of State Edmund Muskie was seen as a favorable alternative to a deadlocked convention. One poll showed that Muskie would be a more popular alternative to Carter than Kennedy, implying that the attraction was not so much to Kennedy as to the fact that he was not Carter. Muskie was polling even with Ronald Reagan at the time, while Carter was seven points behind.[20] Although the underground "Draft Muskie" campaign failed, it became a political legend.[21]

After defeating Kennedy in 24 of 34 primaries, Carter entered the party's convention in New York in August with 60 percent of the delegates pledged to him on the first ballot. Still, Kennedy refused to drop out. At the convention, after a futile last-ditch attempt by Kennedy to alter the rules to free delegates from their first-ballot pledges, Carter was renominated with 2,129 votes to 1,146 for Kennedy. Vice President Walter Mondale was also renominated. In his acceptance speech, Carter warned that Reagan's conservatism posed a threat to world peace and progressive social welfare programs from the New Deal to the Great Society.[22]

### Other candidates

[edit]

1980 Independent ticket

John B. Anderson | Patrick Lucey
for President | for Vice President

U.S. Representative from Illinois

(1961–1981)

| United States Ambassador to Mexico

(1977–1979)

Campaign

John B. Anderson was defeated in the Republican primaries, but entered the general election as an independent candidate. He campaigned as a liberal Republican alternative to Reagan's conservatism. Anderson's campaign appealed primarily to frustrated anti-Carter voters from Republican and Democratic backgrounds.[23] Anderson's running mate was Patrick Lucey, a Democratic former Governor of Wisconsin and then ambassador to Mexico, appointed by President Carter.

The Libertarian Party nominated Ed Clark for president and David Koch for vice president. They were on the ballot in all 50 states as well as Washington, D.C. The Libertarian Party platform was the only political party in 1980 to contain a plank advocating for the equal rights of homosexual men and women as well as the only party platform to advocate explicitly for "amnesty" for all illegal non-citizens.[24]

The Citizens Party ran biologist Barry Commoner for president and Comanche Native American activist LaDonna Harris for vice president. The Commoner–Harris ticket was on the ballot in twenty-nine states[which?] and in the District of Columbia.[25]

## General election

[edit]

### Polling

[edit]

See also: Nationwide opinion polling for the 1980 United States presidential election

Poll source  | Date(s)
administered  | Ronald
Reagan (R)  | Jimmy
Carter (D)  | John
Anderson (I)  | Other  | Undecided  | Margin

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Gallup[26] | March 31 – April 3, 1978  | 46%  | 50% | \-  | 1%  | 3%  | 4
ABC-Harris[27] | May 14–20,[b] 1978  | 47% | 46%  | \-  | \-  | 7%  | 1
Gallup[28] | July 7–10, 1978  | 43%  | 52% | \-  | 1%  | 4%  | 9
Gallup[29] | December 8–11, 1978  | 35%  | 57% | \-  | 2%  | 5%  | 22
ABC-Harris[30] | December 21–26, 1978  | 38%  | 55% | \-  | \-  | 7%  | 17
Gallup[31] | March 23–26, 1979  | 38%  | 52% | \-  | 3%  | 7%  | 14
ABC-Harris[32] | March, 1979  | 46%  | 49% | \-  | \-  | 5%  | 3
ABC-Harris[33] | May, 1979  | 45%  | 47% | \-  | \-  | 8%  | 2
ABC-Harris[34] | June, 1979  | 51% | 43%  | \-  | \-  | 6%  | 8
Gallup[full citation needed] | June 22–25, 1979  | 49% | 45%  | \-  | 1%  | 5%  | 4
Gallup[35] | July 13–15, 1979  | 52% | 42%  | \-  | 2%  | 4%  | 10
ABC-Harris[36] | July 28–29, 1979  | 51% | 44%  | \-  | \-  | 5%  | 7
Gallup[37] | August 3–6, 1979  | 42%  | 47% | \-  | 4%  | 7%  | 5
ABC-Harris[38] | September 1–5, 1979  | 50% | 45%  | \-  | \-  | 5%  | 5
Gallup[39] | September 7–10, 1979  | 46%  | 47% | \-  | 2%  | 5%  | 1
ABC-Harris[40] | September 26 – October 1, 1979  | 45%  | 52% | \-  | \-  | 3%  | 7
Gallup[39] | October 12–15, 1979  | 42%  | 48% | \-  | 3%  | 7%  | 6
ABC-Harris[41] | November 7–10, 1979  | 42%  | 53% | \-  | \-  | 5%  | 11
Gallup[42] | November 16–19, 1979  | 41%  | 53% | \-  | 1%  | 5%  | 12
Gallup[43] | December 7–9, 1979  | 36%  | 60% | \-  | 1%  | 3%  | 24
ABC-Harris[44] | December 14–16, 1979  | 36%  | 59% | \-  | \-  | 5%  | 23
Gallup[45] | January 4–6, 1980  | 32%  | 63% | \-  | 1%  | 4%  | 31
ABC-Harris[46] | January 22, 1980  | 31%  | 65% | \-  | \-  | 4%  | 34
Gallup[47] | February 1–3, 1980  | 32%  | 59% | \-  | 3%  | 6%  | 27
ABC-Harris[48] | January 31 – February 4, 1980  | 32%  | 64% | \-  | \-  | 4%  | 32
Gallup[49] | February 29 – March 2, 1980  | 34%  | 57% | \-  | 3%  | 6%  | 23
ABC-Harris[48] | March 5–8, 1980  | 40%  | 58% | \-  | \-  | 2%  | 18
ABC-Harris[50] | March 13–15, 1980  | 40%  | 55% | \-  | \-  | 5%  | 15
ABC-Harris[50] | March 26–30, 1980  | 47%  | 50% | \-  | \-  | 3%  | 3
Gallup[51] | March 28–30, 1980  | 43%  | 48% | \-  | 2%  | 7%  | 5
34%  | 39% | 21%  | 1%  | 5%  | 5
ABC-Harris[50] | April 8, 1980  | 48% | 45%  | \-  | \-  | 7%  | 3
38% | 38% | 22%  | \-  | 1%  | 0
Gallup[51] | April 11–13, 1980  | 44%  | 49% | \-  | 1%  | 6%  | 5
34%  | 41% | 18%  | 1%  | 6%  | 7
ABC-Harris[52] | April 25, 1980  | 42% | 33%  | 19%  | \-  | 6%  | 9
Gallup[53] | April 26–27, 1980  | 43%  | 47% | \-  | \-  | 10%  | 4
35%  | 40% | 19%  | \-  | 6%  | 5
ABC-Harris[54] | April 26–30, 1980  | 39% | 33%  | 23%  | \-  | 5%  | 6
Gallup[55] | May 2–5, 1980  | 40%  | 47% | \-  | \-  | 13%  | 7
33%  | 38% | 21%  | \-  | 7%  | 5
Gallup[55] | May 16–18, 1980  | 41%  | 49% | \-  | \-  | 10%  | 8
32%  | 40% | 21%  | \-  | 7%  | 8
Gallup[56] | May 30 – June 2, 1980  | 39%  | 50% | \-  | \-  | 11%  | 11
32%  | 39% | 21%  | \-  | 8%  | 7
ABC-Harris[57] | June 5–9, 1980  | 51% | 44%  | \-  | \-  | 5%  | 7
39% | 34%  | 24%  | \-  | 3%  | 5
Gallup[56][58] | June 13–16, 1980  | 45% | 42%  | \-  | \-  | 13%  | 3
33%  | 35% | 24%  | \-  | 8%  | 2
Gallup[56][58] | June 27–30, 1980  | 47% | 41%  | \-  | \-  | 12%  | 6
37% | 32%  | 22%  | \-  | 9%  | 5
Gallup[59][58] | July 11–14, 1980  | 37% | 34%  | 21%  | \-  | 8%  | 3
Gallup[60] | July 11–13, 1980  | 43%[c] | 34%[d] | 16%  | \-  | 7%  | 9
July 14–17: Republican National Convention
ABC-Harris[61][62] | July 18–21, 1980  | 61% | 33%  | \-  | \-  | 6%  | 28
49% | 23%  | 25%  | \-  | 3%  | 24
Gallup[63] | August 1–3, 1980  | 45% | 31%[e] | 14%  | \-  | 10%  | 14
ABC-Harris[64] | August 5–6, 1980  | 57% | 36%  | \-  | \-  | 7%  | 21
48% | 28%  | 19%  | \-  | 5%  | 20
August 11–14: Democratic National Convention
Gallup[65][66] | August 15–17, 1980  | 40%  | 46% | \-  | \-  | 14%  | 6
39% | 38%  | 14%  | 1%  | 8%  | 1
ABC-Harris[67] | August 14–18, 1980  | 42% | 36%  | 17%  | \-  | 5%  | 6
Gallup[68] | August 15–18, 1980  | 38%  | 39% | 13%  | \-  | 10%  | 1
ABC-Harris[69] | September 3–7, 1980  | 41% | 37%  | 17%  | \-  | 5%  | 4
Gallup[68][70] | September 12–15, 1980  | 41% | 37%  | 15%  | \-  | 7%  | 4
ABC-Harris[71] | September 22, 1980  | 42% | 36%  | 19%  | \-  | 3%  | 6
48% | 46%  | \-  | \-  | 6%  | 2
ABC-Harris[72] | October 3–6, 1980  | 43% | 39%  | 14%  | \-  | 4%  | 4
Gallup[70] | October 10–12, 1980  | 45% | 42%  | 8%  | \-  | 5%  | 3
ABC-Harris[73] | October 14–16, 1980  | 42% | 39%  | 12%  | \-  | 7%  | 3
Gallup[74] | October 17–20, 1980  | 40%  | 41% | 10%  | \-  | 9%  | 1
ABC-Harris[75] | October 22–25, 1980  | 45% | 42%  | 10%  | \-  | 3%  | 3
Washington Post[76] | October 26–27, 1980  | 43% | 39%  | 7%  | \-  | 11%  | 4
Newsweek-Gallup[76] | October 29–30, 1980  | 44% | 43%  | 7%  | 1%  | 5%  | 4
ABC-Harris[citation needed] | October 30 – November 1, 1980  | 45% | 40%  | 10%  | 1%  | 4%  | 5
CBS-New York Times[citation needed] | October 30 – November 1, 1980  | 44% | 43%  | 8%  | \-  | 5%  | 1
Gallup[77] | October 30 – November 1, 1980  | 46% | 43%  | 7%  | 1%  | 3%  | 3
Election Results | Nov. 4, 1980  | 50.75% | 41.01%  | 6.61%  | 1.63%  | \-  | 9.74

### Campaign

[edit]

Reagan gained in former Democratic strongholds such as the South and white ethnics dubbed "Reagan Democrats",[78] and exuded upbeat optimism.[79] David Frum says Carter ran an attack-based campaign based on "despair and pessimism" which "cost him the election."[80] Carter emphasized his record as a peacemaker, and said Reagan's election would threaten civil rights and social programs that stretched back to the New Deal. Reagan's platform also emphasized the importance of peace, as well as a prepared self-defense.[79]

Immediately after the conclusion of the primaries,[date missing] a Gallup poll held that Reagan was ahead, with 58% of voters upset by Carter's handling of the presidency.[79] One analysis of the election has suggested that "Both Carter and Reagan were perceived negatively by a majority of the electorate."[81] While the three leading candidates (Reagan, Anderson and Carter) were religious Christians, Carter had the most support of evangelical Christians according to a Gallup poll.[79] However, in the end, Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority lobbying group is credited with giving Reagan two-thirds of the white evangelical vote.[82] According to Carter: "that autumn [1980] a group headed by Jerry Falwell purchased $10 million in commercials on southern radio and TV to brand me as a traitor to the South and no longer a Christian."[83]

The election of 1980 was a key turning point in American politics. It signaled the new electoral power of the suburbs and the Sun Belt. Reagan's success as a conservative would initiate a realigning of the parties, as Rockefeller-style Republicans and conservative Democrats would either leave politics or change party affiliations through the 1980s and 1990s to leave the parties much more ideologically polarized.[17] While during Barry Goldwater's 1964 campaign, many voters saw his warnings about a too-powerful government as hyperbolic and only 30% of the electorate agreed that government was too powerful, by 1980 a majority of Americans believed that government held too much power.[84]

#### Promises

[edit]

Reagan promised a restoration of the nation's military strength, at the same time 60% of Americans polled felt defense spending was too low.[85] Reagan also promised an end to "trust me government" and to restore economic health by implementing a supply-side economic policy. Reagan promised a balanced budget within three years (which he said would be "the beginning of the end of inflation"), accompanied by a 30% reduction in tax rates over those same years. With respect to the economy, Reagan famously said, "A recession is when your neighbor loses his job. A depression is when you lose yours. And recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his."[79] Reagan also criticized the "windfall profit tax" that Carter and Congress enacted that year in regards to domestic oil production and promised to attempt to repeal it as president.[86] The tax was not a tax on profits, but on the difference between the price control-mandated price and the market price.[87]

On the issue of women's rights there was much division, with many feminists frustrated with Carter, the only major-party candidate who supported the Equal Rights Amendment. After a bitter Convention fight between Republican feminists and antifeminists the Republican Party dropped their forty-year endorsement of the ERA.[88] Reagan, however, announced his dedication to women's rights and his intention to, if elected, appoint women to his cabinet and the first female justice to the Supreme Court.[89] He also pledged to work with all 50 state governors to combat discrimination against women and to equalize federal laws as an alternative to the ERA.[79] Reagan was convinced to give an endorsement of women's rights in his nomination acceptance speech.

Carter was criticized by his own aides for not having a "grand plan" for the recovery of the economy, nor did he ever make any campaign promises; he often criticized Reagan's economic recovery plan, but did not create one of his own in response.[79]

#### Events

[edit]

Ronald Reagan campaigning with his wife Nancy and Senator Strom Thurmond in Columbia, South Carolina, October 10, 1980 Ronald Reagan campaigning in Florida

In August, after the Republican National Convention, Ronald Reagan gave a campaign speech at the annual Neshoba County Fair on the outskirts of Philadelphia, Mississippi, where three civil rights workers were murdered in 1964. He was the first presidential candidate ever to campaign at the fair.[90] Reagan famously announced, "Programs like education and others should be turned back to the states and local communities with the tax sources to fund them. I believe in states' rights. I believe in people doing as much as they can at the community level and the private level."[79] Reagan also stated, "I believe we have distorted the balance of our government today by giving powers that were never intended to be given in the Constitution to that federal establishment." He went on to promise to "restore to states and local governments the power that properly belongs to them."[91] President Carter criticized Reagan for injecting "hate and racism" by the "rebirth of code words like 'states' rights'".[92]

Ronald Reagan shaking hands with supporters at a campaign stop in Indiana

Two days later, Reagan appeared at the Urban League convention in New York, where he said, "I am committed to the protection and enforcement of the civil rights of black Americans. This commitment is interwoven into every phase of the plans I will propose."[79] He then said that he would develop "enterprise zones" to help with urban renewal.[79]

The media's main criticism of Reagan centered on his gaffes. When Carter kicked off his general election campaign in Tuscumbia, Reagan—referring to the Southern U.S. as a whole—claimed that Carter had begun his campaign in the birthplace of the Ku Klux Klan. In doing so, Reagan seemed to insinuate that the KKK represented the South, which caused many Southern governors to denounce Reagan's remarks.[93] Additionally, Reagan was widely ridiculed by Democrats for saying that trees caused pollution; he later said that he meant only certain types of pollution and his remarks had been misquoted.[94]

Meanwhile, Carter was burdened by a continued weak economy and the Iran hostage crisis.[85] Inflation, high interest rates, and unemployment continued through the course of the campaign, and the ongoing hostage crisis in Iran became, according to David Frum in How We Got Here: The '70s, a symbol of American impotence during the Carter years.[85] John Anderson's independent candidacy, aimed at eliciting support from liberals, was also seen as hurting Carter more than Reagan,[79] especially in reliably Democratic states such as Massachusetts and New York.

### Presidential debates

[edit]

Main article: 1980 United States presidential debates

Debates among candidates for the 1980 U.S. presidential election  No.  | Date  | Host  | Location  | Panelists  | Moderator  | Participants  | Viewership
(millions)

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

P1  | Sunday, September 21, 1980  | Baltimore Convention Center | Baltimore, Maryland | Carol Loomis
Daniel Greenberg
Charles Corddry
Lee May
Jane Bryant Quinn
Soma Golden  | Bill Moyers | Former Governor Ronald Reagan
Congressman John Anderson | n/a
P1a  | Tuesday, October 28, 1980  | Public Auditorium | Cleveland, Ohio | Marvin Stone
Harry Ellis
William Hilliard
Barbara Walters | Howard K. Smith | Former Governor Ronald Reagan
President Jimmy Carter | 80.6[95]
External videos

Reagan-Carter presidential debate, October 28, 1980 on YouTube

The League of Women Voters, which had sponsored the 1976 Ford/Carter debate series, announced that it would do so again for the next cycle in the spring of 1979. Carter steadfastly refused to participate in a debate if Anderson was included, and Reagan refused to debate without him. A League-sponsored debate was held on September 21, 1980, in the Baltimore Convention Center. Of Carter's refusal to debate, Reagan said: "He [Carter] knows that he couldn't win a debate even if it were held in the Rose Garden before an audience of Administration officials with the questions being asked by Jody Powell".[96] Anderson, who many thought would handily dispatch Reagan, managed only a narrow win, according to many in the media at that time, with Reagan putting up a much stronger performance than expected. Despite the narrow win in the debate, Anderson, who had been as high as 20% in some polls, and at the time of the debate was over 10%, dropped to about 5% soon after. Anderson failed to substantively engage Reagan enough on their social issue differences and on Reagan's advocation of supply-side economics. Instead, Anderson started off by criticizing Carter: "Governor Reagan is not responsible for what has happened over the last four years, nor am I. The man who should be here tonight to respond to those charges chose not to attend," to which Reagan added: "It's a shame now that there are only two of us here debating, because the two that are here are in more agreement than disagreement."[97] In one moment in the debate, Reagan commented on a rumor that Anderson had invited Senator Ted Kennedy to be his running mate by asking the candidate directly, "John, would you really prefer Teddy Kennedy to me?"[98]

As September turned into October, the situation remained essentially the same. Reagan insisted Anderson be allowed to participate in a three-way debate, while Carter remained steadfastly opposed to this. As the standoff continued, the second debate was canceled, as was the vice presidential debate.

President Carter (left) and former Governor Reagan (right) at the presidential debate on October 28, 1980

With two weeks to go to the election, the Reagan campaign decided at that point that the best thing to do was to accede to all of President Carter's demands. The final debate, featuring only Carter and Reagan, was rescheduled for October 28 in Cleveland, Ohio. The showdown ranked among the highest ratings of any television program in the previous decade. Debate topics included the Iranian hostage crisis and nuclear arms. Carter's campaign sought to portray Reagan as a reckless "war hawk", as well as a "dangerous right-wing radical". But it was President Carter's reference to his consultation with 12-year-old daughter Amy concerning nuclear weapons policy that became the focus of post-debate analysis and fodder for late-night television jokes. President Carter said he had asked Amy what the most important issue in that election was and she said, "the control of nuclear arms." A famous political cartoon, published the day after Reagan's landslide victory, showed Amy Carter sitting in Jimmy's lap with her shoulders shrugged asking "the economy? the hostage crisis?"[citation needed]

When President Carter criticized Reagan's record, which included voting against Medicare and Social Security benefits, former Governor Reagan audibly sighed and replied: "There you go again".[99]

In his closing remarks, Reagan asked viewers: "Are you better off now than you were four years ago? Is it easier for you to go and buy things in the stores than it was four years ago? Is there more or less unemployment in the country than there was four years ago? Is America as respected throughout the world as it was? Do you feel that our security is as safe, that we're as strong as we were four years ago? And if you answer all of those questions 'yes', why then, I think your choice is very obvious as to whom you will vote for. If you don't agree, if you don't think that this course that we've been on for the last four years is what you would like to see us follow for the next four, then I could suggest another choice that you have".[100]

After trailing Carter by eight points among registered voters (and by three points among likely voters) right before their debate, Reagan moved into a three-point lead among likely voters immediately afterward.[101]

### Endorsements

[edit]

In September 1980, former Watergate scandal prosecutor Leon Jaworski accepted a position as honorary chairman of Democrats for Reagan.[85] Five months earlier, Jaworski had harshly criticized Reagan as an "extremist"; he said after accepting the chairmanship, "I would rather have a competent extremist than an incompetent moderate."[85]

Former Democratic Senator Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota (who in 1968 had challenged Lyndon B. Johnson from the left, causing the then-President to all but abdicate) endorsed Reagan.[102]

Three days before the election, the National Rifle Association of America endorsed a presidential candidate for the first time in its history, backing Reagan.[103] Reagan had received the California Rifle and Pistol Association's Outstanding Public Service Award. Carter had appointed Abner J. Mikva, a fervent proponent of gun control, to a federal judgeship and had supported the Alaska Lands Bill, closing 40,000,000 acres (160,000 km2) to hunting.[104]

#### General election endorsements

[edit]

List of John B. Anderson endorsements

Anderson had received endorsements from:

Former officeholders

* Former Representative (Arizona's 2nd congressional district) and Interior Secretary Stewart Udall (D-AZ)[105]

Current and former state and local officials and party officeholders
Massachusetts

* Middlesex County Sheriff John J. Buckley (D-MA)[106]
* Former Massachusetts State Representative Francis W. Hatch Jr. (R-MA)[107]
* Former Massachusetts Republican Party chairman Josiah Spaulding (R-MA)[108]

Celebrities, political activists, and political commentators

* Band The Cars[109]
* Actor Stockard Channing[109]
* Band Cheap Trick[109]
* Screenwriter Norman Lear[109]
* Actress Dina Merrill[109]
* Actor Paul Newman[109]
* Actor Cliff Robertson[109]
* Band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers[109]
* Actress Joanne Woodward[109]

Newspapers

* The Hutchinson News in Hutchinson, Kansas[110]
* The Burlington Free Press in Burlington, VT[111]

List of Jimmy Carter endorsements

Carter had received endorsements from:

Newspapers

* The Des Moines Register in Des Moines, Iowa[112]
* The Penn State Daily Collegian in State College, Pennsylvania[113]

List of Barry Commoner endorsements

Commoner had received endorsements from:

Celebrities, political activists, and political commentators

* Montgomery County precinct committeeman and Consumer Party Auditor General candidate Darcy Richardson (D-PA)[114]

List of Clifton DeBerry endorsements

DeBerry had received endorsements from:

Celebrities, political activists and political commentators

* American People's Historical Society director Bernie Sanders of Vermont[115]

List of Ronald Reagan endorsements

Reagan had received endorsements from:

United States Senate

* Arizona Senator Dennis DeConcini (D-AZ)[116]
* Virginia Senator Harry Byrd Jr. (D-VA)[117]
* New York Senator Jacob Javits (R-NY)[118]
* Maryland Senator Charles Mathias (R-MD)[119]
* Former Massachusetts Senator Edward Brooke (R-MA)[120]
* Former Minnesota Senator Eugene McCarthy (D-MN)[102]

United States House of Representatives

* Representative (California's 12th congressional district) Pete McCloskey (R-CA)[121]
* Former Representative (California's 26th congressional district) James Roosevelt (D-CA; son of Franklin Delano Roosevelt)[122]

Governors and State Constitutional officers

* Former Georgia Governor Lester Maddox (D-GA)[123]
* Former Alabama Governor John Malcolm Patterson (D-AL)[124]
* Former Texas Governor Preston Smith (D-TX)[125]
* Former Mississippi Governor John Bell Williams (D-MS)[126]

Current and former state and local officials and party officeholders
Florida

* Fort Lauderdale City Advisory Board member Jim Naugle (D-FL)[127]

New York

* Former New York State Senator Jeremiah B. Bloom (D-NY)[128]

Celebrities, political activists and political commentators

* Former UCLA men's basketball head coach John Wooden[129]
* Retired United States Navy Admiral Elmo Zumwalt (D-VA)[130]

Newspaper endorsements

* The Arizona Republic in Phoenix, Arizona[131]
* The Desert Sun in Palm Springs, California[132]
* The Omaha World-Herald in Omaha, Nebraska[133]
* The Quad-City Times in Davenport, Iowa[134]
* The Record in Stockton, California[135]
* The Repository in Canton, Ohio[136]
* The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio[137]
* The Blade in Toledo, Ohio[138]
* Houston Chronicle in Houston, Texas[139]
* Richmond Times-Dispatch in Richmond, Virginia[140]

### Results

[edit]

The election was held on November 4, 1980.[141] Ronald Reagan and running mate George H. W. Bush defeated the Carter-Mondale ticket by almost 10 percentage points in the popular vote. The electoral college vote was a landslide, with 489 votes (representing 44 states) for Reagan and 49 for Carter (representing six states and Washington, D.C.). Republicans also gained control of the Senate for the first time since 1954.[142]

NBC News projected Reagan as the winner at 8:15 pm EST (5:15 PST), before voting was finished in the West, based on exit polls; it was the first time a broadcast network used exit polling to project a winner, and it took the other broadcast networks by surprise. Carter conceded defeat at 9:50 pm EST.[143][144] Some of Carter's advisors urged him to wait until 11:00 pm EST to allow poll results from the West Coast to come in, but Carter decided to concede earlier in order to avoid the impression that he was sulking. Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill angrily accused Carter of weakening the party's performance in the Senate elections by doing this.[145]

John Anderson won 6.6% of the popular vote but no states.[146] He had the most support in New England, fueled by liberal and moderate Republicans who felt Reagan was too far to the right, and with voters who normally leaned Democratic but were dissatisfied with the Carter administration's policies. His best showing was in Massachusetts, where he won 15% of the vote. This is the first time Massachusetts voted for a Republican nominee since Dwight Eisenhower.

Anderson performed worst in the South, receiving under 2% of the vote in South Carolina, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi. He said he was accused of spoiling the election by receiving votes that might have otherwise been cast for Carter,[146] but 37% of Anderson voters polled preferred Reagan as their second choice.[147] Libertarian Party nominee Ed Clark received 921,299 popular votes (1.06%).

Carter's loss was the worst performance by an incumbent president since Herbert Hoover lost to Franklin Roosevelt by a margin of 18% in 1932, and his 49 Electoral College votes were the fewest won by an incumbent since William Howard Taft won eight in 1912. Carter was the first incumbent Democrat to serve only one full term since James Buchanan. This was the third and most recent presidential election in which the incumbent Democrat lost reelection, after 1840 and 1888. This was the first time since 1840 that an incumbent Democrat lost the popular vote. Reagan had the most lopsided Electoral College victory for a first-time president-elect, with the exception of George Washington's unanimous victory in 1788.[148]

This election was the last time a Republican won the presidency without winning Georgia. It was the first time Massachusetts voted for a Republican candidate since 1956. 1980 is one of only two occurrences of pairs of consecutive elections seeing the incumbent presidents defeated, the other happening in 1892. This is the first time since 1892 that a party was voted out after a single four-year term, and the first for Democrats since 1888. This did not occur again for either party until 2020.

Reagan won 53% of the vote in reliably Democratic South Boston, one example of the so-called Reagan Democrat.[84] Although he won an even larger Electoral College majority in 1984, the 1980 election nonetheless stands as the last time some now very strongly Democratic counties gave a Republican a majority or plurality. Notable examples are Jefferson County in Washington State, Lane County, Oregon, Marin and Santa Cruz Counties in California, McKinley County, New Mexico, and Rock Island County, Illinois.[149] Survey research and post-election polling indicated that the landslide result had been more a repudiation of Carter than an embrace of Reagan. But the public was aware that Reagan would move the nation in a more conservative direction, and was apparently willing to give it a chance to avoid four more years of Carter.[150]

At age 69, Reagan was the oldest non-incumbent to win a presidential election. Thirty-six years later, in 2016, this record was surpassed by Donald Trump at age 70[151] and, four years later, by Joe Biden at 77.[152]

## Results

[edit]

Electoral results  Presidential candidate  | Party  | Home state  | Popular vote  | Electoral
vote  | Running mate

|
|
|
|
|

Count  | Percentage  | Vice-presidential candidate  | Home state  | Electoral vote
Ronald Reagan | Republican | California | 43,903,230  | 50.75%  | 489  |  George H. W. Bush | Texas | 489
Jimmy Carter (incumbent) | Democratic | Georgia | 35,480,115  | 41.01%  | 49  |  Walter Mondale (incumbent) | Minnesota | 49
John B. Anderson | Independent | Illinois | 5,719,850  | 6.61%  | 0  |  Patrick Lucey | Wisconsin | 0
Ed Clark | Libertarian | California | 921,128  | 1.06%  | 0  |  David Koch | Kansas | 0
Barry Commoner | Citizens | Missouri | 233,052  | 0.27%  | 0  |  LaDonna Harris | Oklahoma | 0
Gus Hall | Communist | New York | 44,933  | 0.05%  | 0  |  Angela Davis | California | 0
John Rarick | American Independent | Louisiana | 40,906  | 0.05%  | 0  |  Eileen Shearer | California | 0
Clifton DeBerry | Socialist Workers | California | 38,738  | 0.04%  | 0  |  Matilde Zimmermann | New York | 0
Ellen McCormack | Right to Life | New York | 32,320  | 0.04%  | 0  |  Carroll Driscoll | New Jersey | 0
Maureen Smith | Peace and Freedom | California | 18,116  | 0.02%  | 0  |  Elizabeth Cervantes Barron | California | 0
Other | 77,290  | 0.09%  | —  | Other | —
Total  | 86,509,678  | 100%  | 538  |  | 538
Needed to win  | 270  |  | 270

Source (popular vote): Leip, David. "1980 Presidential Election Results". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved August 7, 2005.

Source (electoral vote): "Electoral College Box Scores 1789–1996". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved August 7, 2005.

| Popular vote

|  |
Reagan |

| 50.75%
Carter |

| 41.01%
Anderson |

| 6.61%
Clark |

| 1.06%
Commoner |

| 0.27%
Others |

| 0.30%

| Electoral vote

|  |
Reagan |

| 90.89%
Carter |

| 9.11%

* Results by county, shaded according to winning candidate's percentage of the vote

* Results by congressional district, shaded according to winning candidate's percentage of the vote

* Change in vote margins at the county level from the 1976 election to the 1980 election.

### Results by state

[edit]

Source:[153]

Legend  States/districts won by Reagan/Bush

States/districts won by Carter/Mondale
† | At-large results (Maine used the Congressional District Method)
| Ronald Reagan
Republican  | Jimmy Carter
Democratic  | John Anderson
Independent  | Ed Clark
Libertarian  | Margin  | State Total

|
|
|
|
|
|

State  | electoral
votes  | #  | %  | electoral
votes  | #  | %  | electoral
votes  | #  | %  | electoral
votes  | #  | %  | electoral
votes  | #  | %  | #  |
Alabama | 9  | 654,192  | 48.75  | 9  | 636,730  | 47.45  | \-  | 16,481  | 1.23  | \-  | 13,318  | 0.99  | \-  | 17,462  | 1.30  | 1,341,929  | AL
Alaska | 3  | 86,112  | 54.35  | 3  | 41,842  | 26.41  | \-  | 11,155  | 7.04  | \-  | 18,479  | 11.66  | \-  | 44,270  | 27.94  | 158,445  | AK
Arizona | 6  | 529,688  | 60.61  | 6  | 246,843  | 28.24  | \-  | 76,952  | 8.81  | \-  | 18,784  | 2.15  | \-  | 282,845  | 32.36  | 873,945  | AZ
Arkansas | 6  | 403,164  | 48.13  | 6  | 398,041  | 47.52  | \-  | 22,468  | 2.68  | \-  | 8,970  | 1.07  | \-  | 5,123  | 0.61  | 837,582  | AR
California | 45  | 4,524,858  | 52.69  | 45  | 3,083,661  | 35.91  | \-  | 739,833  | 8.62  | \-  | 148,434  | 1.73  | \-  | 1,441,197  | 16.78  | 8,587,063  | CA
Colorado | 7  | 652,264  | 55.07  | 7  | 367,973  | 31.07  | \-  | 130,633  | 11.03  | \-  | 25,744  | 2.17  | \-  | 284,291  | 24.00  | 1,184,415  | CO
Connecticut | 8  | 677,210  | 48.16  | 8  | 541,732  | 38.52  | \-  | 171,807  | 12.22  | \-  | 8,570  | 0.61  | \-  | 135,478  | 9.63  | 1,406,285  | CT
Delaware | 3  | 111,252  | 47.21  | 3  | 105,754  | 44.87  | \-  | 16,288  | 6.91  | \-  | 1,974  | 0.84  | \-  | 5,498  | 2.33  | 235,668  | DE
D.C. | 3  | 23,313  | 13.41  | \-  | 130,231  | 74.89  | 3  | 16,131  | 9.28  | \-  | 1,104  | 0.63  | \-  | -106,918  | -61.49  | 173,889  | DC
Florida | 17  | 2,046,951  | 55.52  | 17  | 1,419,475  | 38.50  | \-  | 189,692  | 5.14  | \-  | 30,524  | 0.83  | \-  | 627,476  | 17.02  | 3,687,026  | FL
Georgia | 12  | 654,168  | 40.95  | \-  | 890,733  | 55.76  | 12  | 36,055  | 2.26  | \-  | 15,627  | 0.98  | \-  | -236,565  | -14.81  | 1,597,467  | GA
Hawaii | 4  | 130,112  | 42.90  | \-  | 135,879  | 44.80  | 4  | 32,021  | 10.56  | \-  | 3,269  | 1.08  | \-  | -5,767  | -1.90  | 303,287  | HI
Idaho | 4  | 290,699  | 66.46  | 4  | 110,192  | 25.19  | \-  | 27,058  | 6.19  | \-  | 8,425  | 1.93  | \-  | 180,507  | 41.27  | 437,431  | ID
Illinois | 26  | 2,358,049  | 49.65  | 26  | 1,981,413  | 41.72  | \-  | 346,754  | 7.30  | \-  | 38,939  | 0.82  | \-  | 376,636  | 7.93  | 4,749,721  | IL
Indiana | 13  | 1,255,656  | 56.01  | 13  | 844,197  | 37.65  | \-  | 111,639  | 4.98  | \-  | 19,627  | 0.88  | \-  | 411,459  | 18.35  | 2,242,033  | IN
Iowa | 8  | 676,026  | 51.31  | 8  | 508,672  | 38.60  | \-  | 115,633  | 8.78  | \-  | 13,123  | 1.00  | \-  | 167,354  | 12.70  | 1,317,661  | IA
Kansas | 7  | 566,812  | 57.85  | 7  | 326,150  | 33.29  | \-  | 68,231  | 6.96  | \-  | 14,470  | 1.48  | \-  | 240,662  | 24.56  | 979,795  | KS
Kentucky | 9  | 635,274  | 49.07  | 9  | 616,417  | 47.61  | \-  | 31,127  | 2.40  | \-  | 5,531  | 0.43  | \-  | 18,857  | 1.46  | 1,294,627  | KY
Louisiana | 10  | 792,853  | 51.20  | 10  | 708,453  | 45.75  | \-  | 26,345  | 1.70  | \-  | 8,240  | 0.53  | \-  | 84,400  | 5.45  | 1,548,591  | LA
Maine † | 2  | 238,522  | 45.61  | 2  | 220,974  | 42.25  | \-  | 53,327  | 10.20  | \-  | 5,119  | 0.98  | \-  | 17,548  | 3.36  | 523,011  | ME
Maine-1 | 1 | 126,274 | 45.96 | 1 | 117,613 | 42.80 | –  | 30,889 | 11.24 | –  | Unknown | Unknown | –  | 8,661 | 3.15 | 274,776 | ME1
Maine-2 | 1 | 112,248 | 47.15 | 1 | 103,361 | 43.42 | –  | 22,438 | 9.43 | –  | Unknown | Unknown | –  | 8,887 | 3.73 | 238,047 | ME2
Maryland | 10  | 680,606  | 44.18  | \-  | 726,161  | 47.14  | 10  | 119,537  | 7.76  | \-  | 14,192  | 0.92  | \-  | -45,555  | -2.96  | 1,540,496  | MD
Massachusetts | 14  | 1,057,631  | 41.90  | 14  | 1,053,802  | 41.75  | \-  | 382,539  | 15.15  | \-  | 22,038  | 0.87  | \-  | 3,829  | 0.15  | 2,524,298  | MA
Michigan | 21  | 1,915,225  | 48.99  | 21  | 1,661,532  | 42.50  | \-  | 275,223  | 7.04  | \-  | 41,597  | 1.06  | \-  | 253,693  | 6.49  | 3,909,725  | MI
Minnesota | 10  | 873,241  | 42.56  | \-  | 954,174  | 46.50  | 10  | 174,990  | 8.53  | \-  | 31,592  | 1.54  | \-  | -80,933  | -3.94  | 2,051,953  | MN
Mississippi | 7  | 441,089  | 49.42  | 7  | 429,281  | 48.09  | \-  | 12,036  | 1.35  | \-  | 5,465  | 0.61  | \-  | 11,808  | 1.32  | 892,620  | MS
Missouri | 12  | 1,074,181  | 51.16  | 12  | 931,182  | 44.35  | \-  | 77,920  | 3.71  | \-  | 14,422  | 0.69  | \-  | 142,999  | 6.81  | 2,099,824  | MO
Montana | 4  | 206,814  | 56.82  | 4  | 118,032  | 32.43  | \-  | 29,281  | 8.05  | \-  | 9,825  | 2.70  | \-  | 88,782  | 24.39  | 363,952  | MT
Nebraska | 5  | 419,937  | 65.53  | 5  | 166,851  | 26.04  | \-  | 44,993  | 7.02  | \-  | 9,073  | 1.42  | \-  | 253,086  | 39.49  | 640,854  | NE
Nevada | 3  | 155,017  | 62.54  | 3  | 66,666  | 26.89  | \-  | 17,651  | 7.12  | \-  | 4,358  | 1.76  | \-  | 88,351  | 35.64  | 247,885  | NV
New Hampshire | 4  | 221,705  | 57.74  | 4  | 108,864  | 28.35  | \-  | 49,693  | 12.94  | \-  | 2,067  | 0.54  | \-  | 112,841  | 29.39  | 383,999  | NH
New Jersey | 17  | 1,546,557  | 51.97  | 17  | 1,147,364  | 38.56  | \-  | 234,632  | 7.88  | \-  | 20,652  | 0.69  | \-  | 399,193  | 13.42  | 2,975,684  | NJ
New Mexico | 4  | 250,779  | 54.97  | 4  | 167,826  | 36.78  | \-  | 29,459  | 6.46  | \-  | 4,365  | 0.96  | \-  | 82,953  | 18.18  | 456,237  | NM
New York | 41  | 2,893,831  | 46.66  | 41  | 2,728,372  | 43.99  | \-  | 467,801  | 7.54  | \-  | 52,648  | 0.85  | \-  | 165,459  | 2.67  | 6,201,959  | NY
North Carolina | 13  | 915,018  | 49.30  | 13  | 875,635  | 47.18  | \-  | 52,800  | 2.85  | \-  | 9,677  | 0.52  | \-  | 39,383  | 2.12  | 1,855,833  | NC
North Dakota | 3  | 193,695  | 64.23  | 3  | 79,189  | 26.26  | \-  | 23,640  | 7.84  | \-  | 3,743  | 1.24  | \-  | 114,506  | 37.97  | 301,545  | ND
Ohio | 25  | 2,206,545  | 51.51  | 25  | 1,752,414  | 40.91  | \-  | 254,472  | 5.94  | \-  | 49,033  | 1.14  | \-  | 454,131  | 10.60  | 4,283,603  | OH
Oklahoma | 8  | 695,570  | 60.50  | 8  | 402,026  | 34.97  | \-  | 38,284  | 3.33  | \-  | 13,828  | 1.20  | \-  | 293,544  | 25.53  | 1,149,708  | OK
Oregon | 6  | 571,044  | 48.33  | 6  | 456,890  | 38.67  | \-  | 112,389  | 9.51  | \-  | 25,838  | 2.19  | \-  | 114,154  | 9.66  | 1,181,516  | OR
Pennsylvania | 27  | 2,261,872  | 49.59  | 27  | 1,937,540  | 42.48  | \-  | 292,921  | 6.42  | \-  | 33,263  | 0.73  | \-  | 324,332  | 7.11  | 4,561,501  | PA
Rhode Island | 4  | 154,793  | 37.20  | \-  | 198,342  | 47.67  | 4  | 59,819  | 14.38  | \-  | 2,458  | 0.59  | \-  | -43,549  | -10.47  | 416,072  | RI
South Carolina | 8  | 441,207  | 49.57  | 8  | 427,560  | 48.04  | \-  | 14,150  | 1.59  | \-  | 4,975  | 0.56  | \-  | 13,647  | 1.53  | 890,083  | SC
South Dakota | 4  | 198,343  | 60.53  | 4  | 103,855  | 31.69  | \-  | 21,431  | 6.54  | \-  | 3,824  | 1.17  | \-  | 94,488  | 28.83  | 327,703  | SD
Tennessee | 10  | 787,761  | 48.70  | 10  | 783,051  | 48.41  | \-  | 35,991  | 2.22  | \-  | 7,116  | 0.44  | \-  | 4,710  | 0.29  | 1,617,616  | TN
Texas | 26  | 2,510,705  | 55.28  | 26  | 1,881,147  | 41.42  | \-  | 111,613  | 2.46  | \-  | 37,643  | 0.83  | \-  | 629,558  | 13.86  | 4,541,637  | TX
Utah | 4  | 439,687  | 72.77  | 4  | 124,266  | 20.57  | \-  | 30,284  | 5.01  | \-  | 7,226  | 1.20  | \-  | 315,421  | 52.20  | 604,222  | UT
Vermont | 3  | 94,598  | 44.37  | 3  | 81,891  | 38.41  | \-  | 31,760  | 14.90  | \-  | 1,900  | 0.89  | \-  | 12,707  | 5.96  | 213,207  | VT
Virginia | 12  | 989,609  | 53.03  | 12  | 752,174  | 40.31  | \-  | 95,418  | 5.11  | \-  | 12,821  | 0.69  | \-  | 237,435  | 12.72  | 1,866,032  | VA
Washington | 9  | 865,244  | 49.66  | 9  | 650,193  | 37.32  | \-  | 185,073  | 10.62  | \-  | 29,213  | 1.68  | \-  | 215,051  | 12.34  | 1,742,394  | WA
West Virginia | 6  | 334,206  | 45.30  | \-  | 367,462  | 49.81  | 6  | 31,691  | 4.30  | \-  | 4,356  | 0.59  | \-  | -33,256  | -4.51  | 737,715  | WV
Wisconsin | 11  | 1,088,845  | 47.90  | 11  | 981,584  | 43.18  | \-  | 160,657  | 7.07  | \-  | 29,135  | 1.28  | \-  | 107,261  | 4.72  | 2,273,221  | WI
Wyoming | 3  | 110,700  | 62.64  | 3  | 49,427  | 27.97  | \-  | 12,072  | 6.83  | \-  | 4,514  | 2.55  | \-  | 61,273  | 34.67  | 176,713  | WY
TOTALS:  | 538  | 43,903,230  | 50.75  | 489  | 35,480,115  | 41.01  | 49  | 5,719,850  | 6.61  | \-  | 921,128  | 1.06  | \-  | 8,423,115  | 9.74  | 86,509,678  | 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. Reagan won all four votes.[154]

#### States that flipped from Democratic to Republican

[edit]

* Alabama
* Arkansas
* Delaware
* Florida
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Massachusetts
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* New York
* North Carolina
* Ohio
* Pennsylvania
* South Carolina
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Wisconsin

### Close states

[edit]

Margin of victory less than 1% (30 electoral votes):

1. Massachusetts, 0.15% (3,829 votes)
2. Tennessee, 0.29% (4,710 votes)
3. Arkansas, 0.61% (5,123 votes)

Margin of victory less than 5% (135 electoral votes):

1. Alabama, 1.30% (17,462 votes)
2. Mississippi, 1.32% (11,808 votes)
3. Kentucky, 1.46% (18,857 votes)
4. South Carolina, 1.53% (13,647 votes)
5. Hawaii, 1.90% (5,767 votes)
6. North Carolina, 2.12% (39,383 votes)
7. Delaware, 2.33% (5,498 votes)
8. New York, 2.67% (165,459 votes)
9. Maryland, 2.96% (45,555 votes)
10. Maine's 1st Congressional District, 3.15% (8,661 votes)
11. Maine, 3.36% (17,548 votes)
12. Maine's 2nd Congressional District, 3.73% (8,887 votes)
13. Minnesota, 3.94% (80,933 votes)
14. West Virginia, 4.51% (33,256 votes)
15. Wisconsin, 4.72% (107,261 votes)

Margin of victory more than 5%, but less than 10% (113 electoral votes):

1. Louisiana, 5.45% (84,400 votes)
2. Vermont, 5.96% (12,707 votes)
3. Michigan, 6.49% (253,693 votes)
4. Missouri, 6.81% (142,999 votes)
5. Pennsylvania, 7.11% (324,332 votes)
6. Illinois, 7.93% (376,636 votes) (tipping-point state)
7. Connecticut, 9.64% (135,478 votes)
8. Oregon, 9.66% (114,154 votes)

#### Statistics

[edit]

[153]

Counties with highest percentage of the vote (Republican)

1. Banner County, Nebraska 90.41%
2. Madison County, Idaho 88.41%
3. McIntosh County, North Dakota 86.01%
4. McPherson County, South Dakota 85.60%
5. Franklin County, Idaho 85.31%

Counties with highest percentage of the vote (Democratic)

1. Macon County, Alabama 80.10%
2. Hancock County, Georgia 78.50%
3. Duval County, Texas 77.91%
4. Jefferson County, Mississippi 77.84%
5. Greene County, Alabama 77.09%

Counties with highest percentage of the vote (Other)

1. Pitkin County, Colorado 27.76%
2. Nantucket, Massachusetts 21.63%
3. Winnebago County, Illinois 21.50%
4. Dukes County, Massachusetts 20.88%
5. Story County, Iowa 19.41%

## Voter demographics

[edit]

The 1980 presidential vote by demographic subgroup

Demographic subgroup  | Carter  | Reagan  | Anderson  | % of
total vote
Total vote  | 41  | 51  | 7  | 100
Ideology
Liberals | 60  | 28  | 11  | 17
Moderates | 43  | 49  | 8  | 46
Conservatives | 23  | 73  | 3  | 33
Party
Democrats | 67  | 27  | 6  | 43
Republicans | 11  | 85  | 4  | 28
Independents | 31  | 55  | 12  | 23
Sex
Men  | 37  | 55  | 7  | 51
Women  | 46  | 47  | 7  | 49
Race
White | 36  | 56  | 7  | 88
Black | 83  | 14  | 3  | 10
Hispanic | 56  | 37  | 7  | 2
Age
18–21 years old  | 45  | 44  | 11  | 6
22–29 years old  | 44  | 44  | 10  | 17
30–44 years old  | 38  | 55  | 7  | 31
45–59 years old  | 39  | 55  | 6  | 23
60 and older  | 41  | 55  | 4  | 18
Family income
Under $10,000  | 52  | 42  | 6  | 13
$10,000–15,000  | 48  | 43  | 8  | 14
$15,000–25,000  | 39  | 54  | 7  | 30
$25,000–50,000  | 33  | 59  | 7  | 24
Over $50,000  | 26  | 66  | 7  | 5
Region
East | 43  | 48  | 8  | 32
Midwest | 42  | 51  | 6  | 20
South | 45  | 52  | 2  | 27
West | 35  | 54  | 9  | 11
Union households
Union | 48  | 45  | 7  | 26
Non-union  | 36  | 56  | 7  | 62

Source: CBS News and The New York Times exit poll from the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research (15,201 surveyed)[155]

## See also

[edit]

* United States portal
* Politics portal
* 1980s portal
* Conservatism portal

* 1980 United States Senate elections
* 1980 United States House of Representatives elections
* 1980 United States gubernatorial elections
* History of the United States (1964–1980)
* History of the United States (1980–1991)
* Anderson v. Celebrezze
* Political activities of the Koch brothers
* Debategate per allegations of Carter's briefing books being leaked to Reagan campaign prior to their debate

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ In some states labeled as National Unity, Anderson Coalition, Anderson Alternative or "Anderson for President"
2. ^ Date is approximate
3. ^ With George Bush
4. ^ With Walter Mondale
5. ^ With Walter Mondale

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[edit]

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147. ^ Kornacki, Steve (April 4, 2011). "The myths that just won't die". Salon. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
148. ^ "The 10 biggest landslides in presidential election history". List Wire. September 30, 2020. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
149. ^ Sullivan, Robert David; 'How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century'; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
150. ^ Brauer, Carl M. (1986). Presidential Transitions: Eisenhower Through Reagan. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 220\. ISBN 0195040511.
151. ^ Peter, Josh. "Joe Biden will become the oldest president in American history, a title previously held by Ronald Reagan". USA Today.
152. ^ "Biden Is the Oldest President to Take the Oath (Published 2021)". The New York Times. January 18, 2021. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
153. ^ a b "1980 Presidential General Election Data - National". Uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
154. ^ Barone, Michael; Ujifusa, Grant (1981). The Almanac of American Politics, 1982.
155. ^ "How Groups Voted in 1980". ropercenter.cornell.edu. Archived from the original on June 25, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2022.

## Further reading

[edit]

### Books

[edit]

* Busch, Andrew E. (2005). Reagan's Victory: The Presidential Election of 1980 and the Rise of the Right. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas. ISBN 0-7006-1407-9.. online review by Michael Barone
* Davies, Gareth, and Julian E. Zelizer, eds. America at the Ballot Box: Elections and Political History (2015) pp. 196–218.
* Ehrman, John (2005). The Eighties: American in the Age of Reagan. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-10662-9.
* Ferguson, Thomas; Joel Rogers (1986). Right Turn: The Decline of the Democrats and the Future of American Politics. New York: Hill and Wang. ISBN 0-8090-8191-1.
* Germond, Jack W.; Jules Witcover (1981). Blue Smoke & Mirrors: How Reagan Won & Why Carter Lost the Election of 1980. New York: Viking. ISBN 0-670-51383-0.
* Hogue, Andrew P. Stumping God: Reagan, Carter, and the Invention of a Political Faith (Baylor University Press; 2012) 343 pages; A study of religious rhetoric in the campaign
* Johnstone, Andrew, and Andrew Priest, eds. US Presidential Elections and Foreign Policy: Candidates, Campaigns, and Global Politics from FDR to Bill Clinton (2017) pp 250–270. online
* Mason, Jim (2011). No Holding Back: The 1980 John B. Anderson Presidential Campaign. Lanham, MD: University Press of America. ISBN 0761852263.
* Pomper, Gerald M.; Baker, Ross K.; Frankovic, Kathleen A.; Jacob, Charles E.; McWilliams, Wilson Carey; Plotkin, Henry A. (1981). Pomper, Marlene M. (ed.). The Election of 1980: Reports and Interpretations. Chatham, NJ: Chatham House. ISBN 0-934540-10-1.
* Shirley, Craig (2009). Rendezvous with Destiny: Ronald Reagan and the Campaign That Changed America. Wilmington, Del.: Intercollegiate Studies Institute. ISBN 978-1-933859-55-2.. online review by Lou Cannon
* Stanley, Timothy. Kennedy vs. Carter: The 1980 Battle for the Democratic Party's Soul (University Press of Kansas, 2010) 298 pages. A revisionist history of the 1970s and their political aftermath that argues that Ted Kennedy's 1980 campaign was more popular than has been acknowledged; describes his defeat by Jimmy Carter in terms of a "historical accident" rather than perceived radicalism.
* Troy, Gil (2005). Morning in America: How Ronald Reagan Invented the 1980s. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-12166-4.
* Ward, Jon (2019). Camelot's End: Kennedy vs. Carter and the Fight that Broke the Democratic Party. New York; Boston: Twelve. ISBN 9781455591381. OCLC 1085989134.
* West, Darrell M. (1984). Making Campaigns Count: Leadership and Coalition-Building in 1980. Westport, Ct.: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-24235-6.

### Journal articles

[edit]

* Himmelstein, Jerome; J. A. McRae Jr. (1984). "Social Conservatism, New Republicans and the 1980 Election". Public Opinion Quarterly. 48 (3): 595–605. doi:10.1086/268860.
* Lipset, Seymour M.; Earl Raab (1981). "Evangelicals and the Elections". Commentary. 71: 25–31.
* Miller, Arthur H.; Martin P. Wattenberg (1984). "Politics from the Pulpit: Religiosity and the 1980 Elections". Public Opinion Quarterly. 48: 300–12. doi:10.1093/poq/48.1b.301. S2CID 144534190.

### Newspaper articles

[edit]

* Knickerbocker, Brad (October 21, 1981). "Did TV change Election '80?". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved November 3, 2020.

## External links

[edit]

* The Election Wall's 1980 Election Video Page
* 1980 popular vote by counties
* 1980 popular vote by states
* 1980 popular vote by states (with bar graphs)
* Campaign commercials from the 1980 election
* How close was the 1980 election? at the Wayback Machine (archived August 25, 2012)—Michael Sheppard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
* (in Russian) Portrayal of 1980 presidential elections in the U.S. by the Soviet television
* Election of 1980 in Counting the Votes Archived March 11, 2016, at the Wayback Machine

* v
* t
* e

(<- 1976) 1980 United States presidential election (1984 ->)

Republican Party|

* Convention
* Primaries
* results

Candidates|

* Nominee: Ronald Reagan
* campaign
* positions
* VP nominee: George H. W. Bush

Other candidates
John B. Anderson
Howard Baker
George H. W. Bush (campaign)
John Connally
Phil Crane
Bob Dole
Ben Fernandez
Harold Stassen

Democratic Party|

* Convention
* Primaries
* results

Candidates|

* Incumbent nominee: Jimmy Carter
* campaign
* Incumbent VP nominee: Walter Mondale

* Other candidates: Jerry Brown
* Ted Kennedy
* campaign
* speech
* Ron Dellums

Independent|

Candidate
John B. Anderson
Running mate
Patrick Lucey

Other independent and third-party candidates

Libertarian Party|

Nominee
Ed Clark
VP nominee
David Koch

Citizens Party|

Nominee
Barry Commoner
VP nominee
LaDonna Harris

Communist Party|

Nominee
Gus Hall
VP nominee
Angela Davis

Peace and Freedom Party|

* Nominee: Maureen Smith
* VP Nominee: Elizabeth Cervantes Barron

Prohibition Party|

Nominee
Ben Bubar
VP nominee
Earl Dodge

Socialist Party|

Nominee
David McReynolds
VP nominee
Diane Drufenbrock

Socialist Workers Party|

Nominee
Andrew Pulley
Alternate nominees
Richard Congress
Clifton DeBerry

Workers World Party|

Nominee
Deirdre Griswold
VP nominee
Gavrielle Holmes

Independents and other candidates|

* Lyndon LaRouche
* Warren Spannaus

Other 1980 elections
House
Senate
Gubernatorial

* v
* t
* e

State and district results of the 1980 United States presidential election

* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* California
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* District of Columbia
* Florida
* Georgia
* Hawaii
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maine
* Maryland
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* New York
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
* Washington
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming

* v
* t
* e

(1979 <-)  1980 United States elections (-> 1981)

President|

* 1980 United States presidential election
* Democratic primaries
* Republican primaries
* Democratic convention
* Republican convention

U.S.
Senate|

* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* California
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Florida
* Georgia
* Hawaii
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maryland
* Missouri
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New York
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Utah
* Vermont
* Washington
* Wisconsin

U.S.
House|

* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arkansas
* Arizona
* California
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* District of Columbia
* Florida
* Georgia
* Hawaii
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maine
* Maryland
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* New York
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
* Washington
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming

Governors|

* Arkansas
* Delaware
* Indiana
* Missouri
* Lt. Gov
* Montana
* New Hampshire
* North Carolina
* Lt. Gov
* North Dakota
* Rhode Island
* Utah
* Vermont
* Washington
* West Virginia

State
legislatures|

* Arizona
* Arizona House
* Arizona Senate
* Iowa Senate
* Minnesota
* House
* Senate

Mayors|

* Baton Rouge, LA
* San Diego, CA
* San Juan, PR

* v
* t
* e

United States presidential elections

Elections by year|

* 1788
* 1792
* 1796
* 1800
* 1804
* 1808
* 1812
* 1816
* 1820
* 1824
* 1828
* 1832
* 1836
* 1840
* 1844
* 1848
* 1852
* 1856
* 1860
* 1864
* 1868
* 1872
* 1876
* 1880
* 1884
* 1888
* 1892
* 1896
* 1900
* 1904
* 1908
* 1912
* 1916
* 1920
* 1924
* 1928
* 1932
* 1936
* 1940
* 1944
* 1948
* 1952
* 1956
* 1960
* 1964
* 1968
* 1972
* 1976
* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1992
* 1996
* 2000
* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024

Elections by state|

* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* California
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* District of Columbia
* Florida
* Georgia
* Hawaii
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maine
* Maryland
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* New York
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
* Washington
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming

Primaries and caucuses|

* Iowa caucuses
* New Hampshire presidential primary
* Nevada presidential caucuses
* South Carolina presidential primary
* Super Tuesday

Nominating conventions|

* List of nominating conventions
* Brokered convention
* Convention bounce
* Superdelegate

Electoral College
and popular vote|

* Results
* summary
* elections in which the winner lost the popular vote
* Electoral College margins
* Electoral College results by state
* electoral vote changes between elections
* electoral vote recipients
* popular votes received
* popular-vote margins
* Electoral Count Act
* Certificate of ascertainment
* Certificate of vote
* Contingent election
* Faithless elector
* Unpledged elector
* Voter turnout

Related|

* Campaign slogans
* Historical election polling
* Election Day
* Major party tickets
* Major party losers
* Presidential debates
* October surprise
* Red states and blue states
* Swing state
* Tipping-point state
* Election recount (2000)
* Guam straw poll
* Vice presidential confirmations:
* 1973
* 1974

* House elections
* Senate elections
* Gubernatorial elections

* v
* t
* e

Notable third-party performances in United States elections

* Third party is endorsed by a major party

Presidential|

* 1788–89*
* 1792*
* 1832
* 1848
* 1856
* 1860
* 1872*
* 1892
* 1896*
* 1912
* 1924
* 1948
* 1960
* 1968
* 1980
* 1992
* 1996

Senatorial (since 1940)|

* California 1940
* Minnesota 1940
* North Dakota 1940
* Wisconsin 1940
* Minnesota 1942
* Minnesota 1942
* Nebraska 1942
* Virginia 1942
* North Dakota 1944
* Wisconsin 1944
* California 1946 (Republican write-in)
* North Dakota 1946
* North Dakota 1946
* Tennessee 1946
* Arkansas 1948
* Alabama 1950
* New Hampshire 1950
* California 1952
* Maine 1952
* New York 1952
* North Dakota 1952
* Virginia 1952
* South Carolina 1954 (Democratic write-in)
* Virginia 1954
* Utah 1958
* Virginia 1958
* Virginia 1960
* Virginia 1964
* Mississippi 1966
* Virginia 1966
* Virginia 1966
* Alabama 1968
* Alaska 1968
* Maryland 1968
* New York 1968
* Connecticut 1970
* Mississippi 1970
* New York 1970
* Virginia 1970
* Louisiana 1972
* Florida 1974
* Hawaii 1974
* Nevada 1974
* New York 1974
* Utah 1974
* Minnesota 1976
* Virginia 1976
* Alabama 1978
* Arkansas 1978
* Maine 1978
* Mississippi 1978
* New York 1980
* Washington 1982
* Tennessee 1984
* Virginia 1990
* Alaska 1992
* Arizona 1992
* Hawaii 1992
* Louisiana 1992
* Ohio 1992
* Arizona 1994
* Minnesota 1994
* Ohio 1994
* Vermont 1994
* Virginia 1994
* Alaska 1996
* Minnesota 1996
* Arizona 2000
* Massachusetts 2000
* Minnesota 2000
* Alaska 2002
* Kansas 2002
* Massachusetts 2002
* Mississippi 2002
* Oklahoma 2002
* Virginia 2002
* Oklahoma 2004
* Connecticut 2006
* Indiana 2006
* Maine 2006
* Vermont 2006*
* Arkansas 2008
* Idaho 2008
* Minnesota 2008
* Oregon 2008
* Alaska 2010 (Republican write-in)
* Florida 2010
* Indiana 2010
* South Carolina 2010
* Utah 2010
* Indiana 2012
* Maine 2012
* Maryland 2012
* Missouri 2012
* Montana 2012
* Vermont 2012*
* Kansas 2014
* South Dakota 2014
* Wyoming 2014
* Alaska 2016
* Arizona 2016
* Idaho 2016
* Indiana 2016
* Kansas 2016
* Maine 2018
* New Mexico 2018
* Vermont 2018*
* Alaska 2020*
* Arkansas 2020
* Minnesota 2020
* Nebraska 2020
* Idaho 2022
* North Dakota 2022
* Utah 2022*

Gubernatorial (since 1940)|

* Minnesota 1940
* Wisconsin 1940
* Connecticut 1942
* Minnesota 1942
* New York 1942
* Wisconsin 1942
* North Dakota 1944
* Wisconsin 1944
* California 1946
* Tennessee 1950
* Maine 1952
* Vermont 1952
* Tennessee 1954
* Nebraska 1956
* Texas 1956
* Utah 1956
* Oklahoma 1958
* Tennessee 1958
* North Dakota 1960
* Tennessee 1962
* Virginia 1965
* Alabama 1966
* Georgia 1966
* Idaho 1966
* Maryland 1966
* New York 1966
* Tennessee 1966
* Alabama 1970
* Arkansas 1970
* New Hampshire 1970
* New York 1970
* Mississippi 1971
* New Hampshire 1972
* Texas 1972
* Washington 1972
* Virginia 1973
* Maine 1974
* Nebraska 1974
* Nevada 1974
* Texas 1974
* Vermont 1974
* Vermont 1976
* Alaska 1978
* California 1978
* Maine 1978
* Rhode Island 1978
* Alaska 1982
* Arizona 1982
* Hawaii 1982
* Alaska 1986
* Arizona 1986
* Illinois 1986
* Maine 1986
* Oklahoma 1986
* Vermont 1986
* Utah 1988
* Alaska 1990
* Connecticut 1990
* Kansas 1990
* Maine 1990
* New York 1990
* Oklahoma 1990
* Oregon 1990
* Utah 1992
* West Virginia 1992
* Alaska 1994
* Connecticut 1994
* Hawaii 1994
* Maine 1994
* New Mexico 1994
* Oklahoma 1994
* Pennsylvania 1994
* Rhode Island 1994
* Vermont 1994
* Alaska 1998
* Maine 1998
* Minnesota 1998
* New York 1998
* Pennsylvania 1998
* Rhode Island 1998
* Kentucky 1999
* New Hampshire 2000
* Vermont 2000
* Arizona 2002
* California 2002
* Maine 2002
* Minnesota 2002
* New Mexico 2002
* New York 2002
* Oklahoma 2002
* Vermont 2002
* Wisconsin 2002
* Alaska 2006
* Illinois 2006
* Maine 2006
* Massachusetts 2006
* Minnesota 2006
* Texas 2006
* Louisiana 2007
* Vermont 2008
* New Jersey 2009
* Colorado 2010
* Idaho 2010
* Maine 2010
* Massachusetts 2010
* Minnesota 2010
* Rhode Island 2010
* Wyoming 2010
* Kentucky 2011
* Virginia 2013
* Alaska 2014*
* Hawaii 2014
* Maine 2014
* Rhode Island 2014
* Wyoming 2014
* Maine 2018
* Kansas 2018
* Indiana 2020
* Vermont 2020*
* Alaska 2022
* Idaho 2022
* Oregon 2022

Territorial Governors (since 1970)|

* U.S. Virgin Islands 1970
* Puerto Rico 1972
* District of Columbia 1974
* U.S. Virgin Islands 1974
* U.S. Virgin Islands 1978
* Puerto Rico 1980
* U.S. Virgin Islands 1986
* Puerto Rico 1988
* U.S. Virgin Islands 1990
* U.S. Virgin Islands 1994
* U.S. Virgin Islands 1998
* Puerto Rico 2000
* Northern Mariana Islands 2001
* U.S. Virgin Islands 2002
* Northern Mariana Islands 2005
* U.S. Virgin Islands 2006
* Northern Mariana Islands 2009
* District of Columbia 2010
* U.S. Virgin Islands 2010
* District of Columbia 2014
* Northern Mariana Islands 2014
* U.S. Virgin Islands 2014
* Puerto Rico 2016
* District of Columbia 2018
* Guam 2018
* Northern Mariana Islands 2018
* U.S. Virgin Islands 2018
* Puerto Rico 2020
* District of Columbia 2022
* Northern Mariana Islands 2022
* U.S. Virgin Islands 2022

State legislative|

* Alaska
* Hawaii
* Louisiana
* West Virginia
* Wyoming

* Portal:Politics
* Third party (U.S. politics)
* List of third-party and independent performances in United States elections
* Third-party and independent members of the United States Congress

* v
* t
* e

Ronald Reagan

* 40th President of the United States (1981–1989)
* 33rd Governor of California (1967–1975)

Life and
politics|

* Birthplace
* Pitney Store
* Boyhood home
* General Electric Showcase House
* 668 St. Cloud Road
* Rancho del Cielo
* Filmography
* Political positions
* Governorship of California
* 1969 People's Park protest
* Tyler Prize
* Rockefeller Commission
* Citizens for the Republic
* Pre-presidential speeches
* Ronald Reagan Speaks Out Against Socialized Medicine, 1961
* "A Time for Choosing", 1964
* States' rights speech, 1980
* Presidential Library and Museum
* Reagan era
* Reagan coalition
* 1989 trip to Japan
* Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Institute
* Death and state funeral

Books|

* An American Life
* The Reagan Diaries

Elections|

| Gubernatorial|

* 1966
* 1970

|

Presidential|

* 1976 campaign
* primaries
* convention
* 1980 campaign
* "Let's make America great again"
* "There you go again"
* primaries
* running mate selection
* convention
* debates
* election
* 1984 campaign
* "Morning in America"
* "Bear in the woods"
* primaries
* convention
* debates
* election

Cultural
depictions|

* Bibliography
* In music
* Let Them Eat Jellybeans! (1981)
* U.S. Postage stamps
* Rap Master Ronnie
* Ed the Happy Clown (1983 comic series)
* Spitting Image (TV series) (1984)
* A Mind Forever Voyaging (1985 game)
* The Dark Knight Returns (1986)
* film adaptation
* Land of Confusion (1986 song)
* Pizza Man (1991 film)
* The Day Reagan Was Shot (2001 film)
* Reagan's War (2002 book)
* The Reagans (2003 film)
* Reagan (2011 documentary)
* The Butler (2013 film)
* Killing Reagan (2015 book)
* Killing Reagan (2016 film)
* Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (2020 game)
* The Reagans (2020 miniseries)
* Reagan (2024 film)
* "What would Reagan do?"

Legacy|

* Namesakes and memorials
* U.S. Capitol statue
* USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76)
* Ronald Reagan Building
* Ronald Reagan Day
* Reagan Day Dinner
* Ronald Reagan Trail
* Accolades

Family|

* Jane Wyman (first wife)
* Nancy Reagan (second wife)
* Maureen Reagan (daughter)
* Michael Reagan (adopted son)
* Patti Davis (daughter)
* Ron Reagan (son)
* Jack Reagan (father)
* Nelle Wilson Reagan (mother)
* Neil Reagan (brother)
* Rex (dog)

* <- Jimmy Carter
* George H. W. Bush ->

* Category

* v
* t
* e

George H. W. Bush

* 41st President of the United States (1989–1993)
* 43rd Vice President of the United States (1981–1989)
* Director of Central Intelligence (1976–1977)
* U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (1971–1973)
* U.S. Representative for TX–7 (1967–1971)

Life and
legacy|

* Walker's Point Estate
* Post-presidency
* Death and state funeral
* Presidential Library
* George H. W. Bush Monument
* Medal of Freedom
* Bush School of Government
* Reagan Award
* George Bush Intercontinental Airport
* George Bush Center for Intelligence
* USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77)

Elections|

| U.S. Senate|

* 1964
* 1970

|

U.S. House|

* 1966
* 1968

Vice Presidential|

* 1980 campaign
* selection
* convention
* election
* transition
* 1984 campaign
* convention
* debate
* election

Presidential|

* 1980 campaign
* primaries
* 1988 campaign
* primaries
* running mate selection
* convention
* "a thousand points of light"
* "Read my lips: no new taxes"
* debates
* election
* 1992 campaign
* primaries
* convention
* debates
* election

Public image|

* Saturday Night Live parodies
* The X-Presidents
* Presidential Reunion (2010 short film)
* Supermarket scanner moment
* The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991)
* What It Takes: The Way to the White House (1993)
* The Silence of the Hams (1994)
* "Two Bad Neighbors" (1996)
* George Bush: The Life of a Lone Star Yankee (1997)
* The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty (2004)
* George H.W. Bush (2008)
* Bad for Democracy (2008)
* Family of Secrets (2009)
* 41: A Portrait of My Father (2014 book)
* Destiny and Power (2015 book)

Bibliography|

* A World Transformed (1998)
* All the Best (1999)

Family|

* Barbara Bush (wife)
* George W. Bush (son
* presidency)
* Pauline Robinson Bush (daughter)
* Jeb Bush (son)
* Neil Bush (son)
* Marvin Bush (son)
* Dorothy Bush Koch (daughter)
* Barbara Bush Coyne (granddaughter)
* Jenna Bush Hager (granddaughter)
* George P. Bush (grandson)
* Lauren Bush (granddaughter)
* Pierce Bush (grandson)
* Prescott Bush (father)
* Dorothy Walker Bush (mother)
* Nancy Walker Bush Ellis (sister)
* Jonathan Bush (brother)
* William H. T. Bush (brother)
* Samuel P. Bush (grandfather)
* George Herbert Walker (grandfather)
* James Smith Bush (great-grandfather)
* Obadiah Bush (great-great-grandfather)
* Millie (family dog)
* Sully (service dog)

* ← Ronald Reagan
* Bill Clinton →

* ← Walter Mondale
* Dan Quayle →

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Jimmy Carter

* 39th President of the United States (1977–1981)
* 76th Governor of Georgia (1971–1975)
* Georgia State Senator (1963–1967)

Presidency
(timeline)|

* Transition
* Inauguration
* Timeline
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* January 1981
* Political positions
* Cabinet
* Judicial appointments
* controversies
* Executive Actions
* Rabbit incident
* Solar power at the White House
* Reagan transition

| Foreign policy|

* Carter Doctrine
* Camp David Accords
* Egypt–Israel peace treaty
* Torrijos–Carter Treaties
* Iran hostage crisis
* International Emergency Economic Powers Act
* Executive Order 12170
* Operation Eagle Claw
* Canadian Caper
* Engagement with Ruhollah Khomeini
* 1979 oil crisis
* Support for Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War
* Algiers Accords
* Iran–United States Claims Tribunal
* Diplomatic relations with China
* Goldwater v. Carter
* Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
* International trips
* 1980 Summer Olympics boycott
* Executive Order 12036
* Refugee Act
* Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
* FISA Court
* Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act of 1978

|

Domestic policy|

* Cannabis policy
* Civil Service Reform Act of 1978
* Senior Executive Service
* Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978
* Department of Education Organization Act
* U.S. Department of Education
* Executive Order 12148
* Federal Emergency Management Agency
* Executive Order 12172
* U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Economic policy|

* Agricultural Trade Act of 1978
* Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1980
* Airline Deregulation Act
* Carter bonds
* Community Reinvestment Act
* DIDMC Act
* Electronic Fund Transfer Act
* Executive Order 12086
* Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
* Federal Reserve Reform Act of 1977
* Financial Institutions Regulatory and Interest Rate Control Act of 1978
* Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council
* National security letter
* Right to Financial Privacy Act
* Food and Agriculture Act of 1977
* Humphrey–Hawkins Full Employment Act
* Motor Carrier Act of 1980
* National Aquaculture Act of 1980
* Staggers Rail Act
* Tax Reduction and Simplification Act of 1977
* Revenue Act of 1978
* Trade Agreements Act of 1979
* Crude Oil Windfall Profit Tax Act of 1980

Energy policy|

* U.S. Department of Energy
* Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
* Energy Security Act
* Synthetic Fuels Corporation
* National Energy Act
* Energy Tax Act
* National Energy Conservation Policy Act
* Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act
* Nuclear Safety, Research, Demonstration, and Development Act of 1980
* Solar Photovoltaic Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1978

Environmental
policy|

* Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act
* Antarctic Conservation Act
* Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977
* Clean Water Act of 1977
* Endangered Species Act Amendments of 1978
* Superfund
* Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
* National Priorities List
* Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977
* Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
* Three Mile Island accident investigation
* Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act

Speeches|

* Moral Equivalent of War
* Island of Stability
* A Crisis of Confidence
* State of the Union Address
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981

Elections|

| Gubernatorial|

* 1966
* 1970

|

Presidential|

* 1976 campaign
* primaries
* running mate selection
* convention
* debates
* election
* 1980 campaign
* primaries
* running mate selection
* convention
* debates
* election

Post-presidency|

* Carter Center
* Presidential Library and Museum
* Habitat for Humanity
* Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project
* The Elders
* Jimmy Carter National Historical Park
* Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter House
* White House
* Nairobi Agreement, 1999
* One America Appeal
* Continuity of Government Commission

Books|

* Everything to Gain (1987)
* The Hornet's Nest (2003)
* Our Endangered Values (2006)
* Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid (2006)
* reaction and commentary
* Beyond the White House (2007)
* We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land (2009)
* White House Diary (2010)
* A Call to Action (2014)
* A Full Life (2015)

Awards
and honors|

* Nobel Peace Prize
* Presidential Medal of Freedom
* Freedom of the City
* Silver Buffalo Award
* Philadelphia Liberty Medal
* United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights
* Hoover Medal
* Christopher Award
* Carter–Menil Human Rights Prize
* Grammy Award

Legacy|

* Jimmy Carter Peanut Statue (1976)
* USS Jimmy Carter
* Jimmy Carter National Historical Park (1987)
* Georgia State Capitol statue (1994)

Related|

* Residences
* Birthplace
* Home
* Mary Prince (nanny)
* UFO incident
* Jimmy Carter (2002 television documentary)
* Man from Plains (2007 documentary)

Family|

* Rosalynn Carter (wife)
* Jack Carter (son)
* Amy Carter (daughter)
* Jason Carter (grandson)
* James Earl Carter Sr. (father)
* Lillian Gordy Carter (mother)
* Gloria Carter Spann (sister)
* Ruth Carter Stapleton (sister)
* Billy Carter (brother)
* Emily Dolvin (aunt)
* Hugh Carter (cousin)
* Hugh Carter Jr. (first cousin once removed)

* ← Gerald Ford
* Ronald Reagan →

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Ted Kennedy

February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009

* United States Senator from Massachusetts, 1962–2009

Electoral
history|

* U.S. Senate elections in Massachusetts: 1962 (special)
* 1964
* 1970
* 1976
* 1982
* 1988
* 1994
* 2000
* 2006
* 1980 United States presidential election (Democratic primaries)
* Ted Kennedy 1980 presidential campaign

Books|

* My Senator and Me: A Dog's-Eye View of Washington, D.C. (2006)
* True Compass (2009)

Speeches|

* The Dream Shall Never Die

Family,
family tree|

* Joan Bennett Kennedy (first wife)
* Victoria Reggie Kennedy (second wife, widow)
* Kara Kennedy (daughter)
* Edward M. Kennedy Jr. (son)
* Patrick J. Kennedy II (son)
* Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. (father)
* Rose Kennedy (mother)
* Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (brother)
* John F. Kennedy (brother
* presidency)
* Rosemary Kennedy (sister)
* Kathleen Kennedy (sister)
* Eunice Kennedy Shriver (sister)
* Patricia Kennedy Lawford (sister)
* Robert F. Kennedy (brother)
* Jean Kennedy Smith (sister)
* Patrick J. Kennedy I (grandfather)
* John F. Fitzgerald (grandfather)

Related|

* Awards and honors
* Political positions
* Kennedy Compound
* Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate
* Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act
* Chappaquiddick incident
* Mary Jo Kopechne
* Friends of Ireland
* Chappaquiddick (2018 film)

* Category

Authority control databases

National|

* United States
* Israel

Other|

* NARA

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[SC]: suspended campaign
*[ER]: endorsed Reagan
*[DI]: declared independent campaign
*[W]: withdrew
*[?]: unknown
*[LA]: Louisiana
*[CA]: California
*[PR]: Puerto Rico