1976 United States presidential election in Maine

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1976 United States presidential election in Maine
Flag of Maine.svg
  1972 November 2, 1976 1980  
  Gerald Ford presidential portrait (cropped 2).jpg Jimmy Carter 1977 cropped.jpg
Nominee Gerald Ford Jimmy Carter
Party Republican Democratic
Home state Michigan Georgia
Running mate Bob Dole Walter Mondale
Electoral vote40
Popular vote236,320232,279
Percentage48.91%48.07%

Maine Presidential Election Results 1976.svg
Maine Presidential Election Results CD 1976.svg
Maine Presidential Results 1976 by Municipality.svg

President before election

Gerald Ford
Republican

Elected President

Jimmy Carter
Democratic

The 1976 presidential election in Maine took place on November 2, 1976, as part of the 1976 United States presidential election, which took place across all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. Voters chose four representatives, or electors to the electoral college, to vote for president and vice president.

Contents

Maine narrowly voted for incumbent Republican president Gerald Ford over his Democratic opponent, Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter. Ford took 48.91% of the vote to Carter’s 48.07%, a victory margin of 0.84%. [1] The anti-war former Democratic senator from Minnesota, Eugene McCarthy, received 2.21% of the vote in Maine, which possibly helped Ford carry the state, as he most likely siphoned more votes from Carter than Ford.

Despite his narrow loss nationwide, Ford actually managed to carry four of the six New England states. Carter only won the heavily Democratic states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, which made New England Ford's second strongest region in the nation after the West.

As of the 2024 presidential election, this is the last time that a Democrat won the national election without carrying Maine, and the last time until 2020 when a Democrat won without carrying Maine's 2nd congressional district, since the state moved from being a winner take all one four years earlier in 1972.

Results

Electoral results
Presidential candidatePartyHome statePopular voteElectoral
vote
Running mate
CountPercentageVice-presidential candidateHome stateElectoral vote
Gerald Ford (incumbent)Republican Michigan 236,32048.91%4 Robert Dole Kansas 4
Jimmy Carter Democrat Georgia 232,27948.07%0 Walter Mondale Minnesota 0
Eugene McCarthy Independent Minnesota 10,8742.25%00
Benjamin Bubar Prohibition Maine 3,4950.72%0 Earl Dodge Colorado 0
Write-in candidates 1790.04%00
Thomas J. Anderson Tennessee 270.01%0 Rufus Shackelford Florida 0
Gus Hall New York 140.00%0 Jarvis Tyner Pennsylvania 0
Roger MacBride Virginia 100.00%0 David Bergland California 0
Lester Maddox Georgia 80.00%0 William Dyke Wisconsin 0
Peter Camejo New York 10.00%0 Willie Mae Reid Illinois 0
Julius Levin New Jersey 10.00%0 Constance Blomen0
Total483,208100%44
Needed to win270270

Results by congressional district

Ford won both of Maine's congressional districts. [2]

DistrictFordCarterRepresentative
1st 49.22%47.9% David F. Emery
2nd 48.54%48.27% William Cohen

Results by county

County [3] Gerald Ford
Republican
Jimmy Carter
Democratic
Eugene McCarthy
Independent
Benjamin Bubar
Prohibition
Various candidates
Write-ins
MarginTotal votes cast
# %# %# %# %# %# %
Androscoggin 16,33037.40%26,48460.65%6701.53%1750.40%60.01%-10,154-23.25%43,665
Aroostook 15,55048.52%15,48448.31%4951.54%5151.61%70.02%660.21%32,051
Cumberland 48,95949.64%47,00747.66%2,3292.36%3150.32%160.02%1,9521.98%98,626
Franklin 5,79950.94%5,14045.15%3182.79%1181.04%90.08%6595.79%11,384
Hancock 12,06461.40%6,72534.23%5963.03%2411.23%210.11%5,33927.17%19,647
Kennebec 22,53447.53%23,47349.51%1,0022.11%3720.78%260.05%-939-1.98%47,407
Knox 8,31556.24%5,92240.05%4142.80%1290.87%60.04%2,39316.19%14,786
Lincoln 7,55459.03%4,81837.65%3662.86%490.38%100.08%2,73621.38%12,797
Oxford 10,55149.04%10,34048.06%4592.13%1290.60%370.17%2110.98%21,516
Penobscot 29,01652.17%24,67244.36%1,3672.46%5330.96%250.04%4,3447.81%55,613
Piscataquis 4,08450.48%3,72746.07%1732.14%1031.27%30.04%3574.41%8,090
Sagadahoc 5,98850.42%5,52946.56%2872.42%630.53%90.08%4593.86%11,876
Somerset 8,86846.76%9,46549.91%4642.45%1580.83%110.06%-597-3.15%18,966
Waldo 6,28954.06%4,85341.72%3482.99%1311.13%120.10%1,43612.34%11,633
Washington 7,03949.45%6,64446.67%3072.16%2421.70%30.02%3952.78%14,235
York 27,38044.95%31,99652.52%1,2792.10%2220.36%390.06%-4,616-7.57%60,916
Totals236,32048.91%232,27948.07%10,8742.25%3,4950.72%2400.05%4,0410.84%483,208

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

See also

References

  1. Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas; 1976 Presidential General Election Results – Maine
  2. 1976 General Election: Presidential (Report). Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions. 1976.
  3. Our Campaigns; ME US President Race, November 02, 1976