1976 United States presidential election

The 1976 United States presidential election happened on November 2, 1976. Jimmy Carter, the Democratic candidate and former Governor of Georgia, won the election. He defeated the incumbent president, Gerald Ford, who was a Republican.

1976 United States presidential election

← 1972 November 2, 1976 1980 →
538 members of the Electoral College 270 electoral votes needed to win
Turnout	53.5%[1] 1.7 pp
Nominee Jimmy Carter Gerald Ford Party Democratic Republican Home state Georgia Michigan Running mate Walter Mondale Bob Dole Electoral vote 297 240[2] States carried 23 + DC 27 Popular vote 40,831,881 39,148,634 Percentage 50.1% 48.0%
Presidential election results map. Blue denotes states won by Carter/Mondale and red denotes those won by Ford/Dole. Pink is the electoral vote for Ronald Reagan by a Washington faithless elector. Numbers indicate the number of electoral votes cast by each state and the District of Columbia.
President before election Gerald Ford Republican Elected President Jimmy Carter Democratic

Jimmy Carter won the election by 297 electoral votes, compared to incumbent president Gerald Ford, who received 240 electoral votes. A faithless elector from Washington voted for Ronald Reagan, who would win the 1980 election.

This election followed the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974 due to the Watergate scandal. It is the last election to have a Democratic candidate to receive a preferable vote in the American South, which is typically known to be Republican; however, Florida is considered a swing state.

Candidates

Democratic Party

Democratic candidates

• Jimmy Carter, former governor of Georgia
• Jerry Brown, governor of California
• George Wallace, governor of Alabama
• Morris Udall, U.S. representative from Arizona
• Henry M. Jackson, U.S. senator from Washington
• Frank Church, U.S. senator from Idaho
• Robert Byrd, U.S. senator from West Virginia
• Sargent Shriver, former U.S. ambassador to France, from Maryland
• Fred R. Harris, former U.S. senator from Oklahoma
• Birch Bayh, U.S. senator from Indiana
• Lloyd Bentsen, U.S. senator from Texas
• Terry Sanford, former governor of North Carolina
• Milton Shapp, governor of Pennsylvania
• Walter Fauntroy, U.S. representative from Washington, D.C.
• Ellen McCormack, housewife

Candidates gallery

• 
  Former Governor Jimmy Carter of Georgia
• 
  Governor Jerry Brown of California
• 
  Governor George Wallace of Alabama
• 
  Senator Henry M. Jackson of Washington
• 
  Senator Frank Church of Idaho
• 
  Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia
• 
  Former Ambassador to France Sargent Shriver of Maryland
• 
  Former Senator Fred Harris of Oklahoma
• 
  Senator Birch Bayh of Indiana
• 
  Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas
• 
  Former Governor Terry Sanford of North Carolina
• 
  Delegate Walter Fauntroy of Washington, D.C.

Republican Party

Republican candidates

• Gerald Ford, President of the United States from Michigan
• Ronald Reagan, former governor of California

Candidates gallery

• 
  President Gerald Ford
• 
  Former Governor Ronald Reagan of California