1976 United States presidential election in Massachusetts

1976 United States presidential election in Massachusetts
Turnout	68.9% 0.2 pp
Carter 40-50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%	Ford 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
President before election; Gerald Ford ; Republican	Elected President; Jimmy Carter ; Democratic

Last updated July 14, 2024

The 1976 United States presidential election in Massachusetts took place on November 2, 1976, as part of the 1976 United States presidential election, which was held throughout all 50 states and D.C. Voters chose 14 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

As Carter narrowly defeated Ford nationally to win the presidency, Massachusetts weighed in as 13% more Democratic than the national average in the 1976 election. Massachusetts had been a Democratic-leaning state since 1928, and a Democratic stronghold since 1960, so Carter's win was not unexpected. In 1972, Massachusetts was the only state in the nation to vote for Democrat George McGovern over Republican Richard Nixon in the latter's 49-state landslide. McGovern had carried Massachusetts 54–45, despite losing every other state in the midst of a massive Republican landslide.

Ford for his part performed relatively strongly in the state as a moderate Northern Republican, holding at just over 40% of the vote, while Carter gained only slightly over McGovern- even though Carter was winning nationally while McGovern was losing in a landslide. The state's capital and largest city, Boston, would be one of the few regions in the country where McGovern would actually perform more strongly than Carter in absolute terms. Suffolk County, where Boston is located, had voted for George McGovern in 1972 by a landslide of 66% versus Richard Nixon's 33%, but in 1976, Carter would only win the county with 61% versus Gerald Ford's 35%. Nevertheless, Dukes County, home to Martha's Vineyard, cast only its second-ever Democratic presidential vote, after 1964. This similarly occurred in Franklin County, and Plymouth cast only its third-ever Democratic victory. This is also the state with the most electoral votes that was decided by double digits.

In the 1960s, for three elections straight beginning with John F. Kennedy in 1960, Democrats had won landslides of over 60% of the vote, with Republicans failing to break 40%. Even in the GOP landslide of 1972, Massachusetts had clocked in as a whopping 32% more Democratic than the nation. Thus overall the results of 1976 indicated a slight Republican rebound in the state that would continue into the 1980s. To date, this is the last time that the towns of Chilmark and Conway voted Republican.

Results

1976 United States presidential election in Massachusetts^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage	Electoral votes
	Democratic	Jimmy Carter	1,429,475	56.11%	14
	Republican	Gerald Ford (incumbent)	1,030,276	40.44%	0
	Independent	Eugene McCarthy	65,637	2.58%	0
	Socialist Workers	Peter Camejo	8,138	0.32%	0
	American	Thomas J. Anderson	7,555	0.30%	0
	U.S. Labor	Lyndon LaRouche	4,922	0.19%	0
	Write-ins	Write-ins	1,554	0.06%	0
Totals			2,547,557	100.00%	14
Voter Turnout (Voting age/Registered)					62%/81%

Results by county

County^[3]	Jimmy Carter Democratic		Gerald Ford Republican		Various candidates Other parties		Margin		Total votes cast
County^[3]	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%	Total votes cast
Barnstable	31,568	43.00%	39,295	53.52%	2,554	3.48%	-7,727	-10.52%	73,417
Berkshire	39,337	57.12%	27,462	39.87%	2,072	3.01%	11,875	17.25%	68,871
Bristol	116,318	60.66%	69,957	36.48%	5,494	2.86%	46,361	24.18%	191,769
Dukes	2,513	48.94%	2,365	46.06%	257	5.00%	148	2.88%	5,135
Essex	165,710	54.97%	125,538	41.65%	10,196	3.38%	40,172	13.32%	301,444
Franklin	14,985	48.06%	14,837	47.58%	1,359	4.36%	148	0.48%	31,181
Hampden	110,028	59.38%	70,008	37.78%	5,254	2.84%	40,020	21.60%	185,298
Hampshire	34,947	58.17%	22,219	36.99%	2,909	4.84%	12,728	21.18%	60,075
Middlesex	359,919	55.77%	260,044	40.29%	25,419	3.94%	99,875	15.48%	645,382
Nantucket	1,115	42.46%	1,399	53.27%	112	4.27%	-284	-10.81%	2,626
Norfolk	155,342	51.33%	136,628	45.15%	10,646	3.52%	18,714	6.18%	302,616
Plymouth	83,663	50.88%	74,684	45.42%	6,086	3.70%	8,979	5.46%	164,433
Suffolk	142,010	61.11%	80,623	34.70%	9,739	4.19%	61,387	26.41%	232,372
Worcester	172,320	60.41%	105,217	36.89%	7,707	2.70%	67,103	23.52%	285,244
Totals	1,429,475	56.11%	1,030,276	40.44%	87,806	3.45%	399,199	15.67%	2,547,558

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

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References

↑ REPORT NUMBER P20-322, Voting and Registration in the Election of November 1976, table 5
↑ "1976 Presidential General Election Results - Massachusetts". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
↑ "1976 President General Election". Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts - Elections Division: Elections Result Archive. Retrieved July 8, 2024.

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[1] REPORT NUMBER P20-322, Voting and Registration in the Election of November 1976, table 5

[2] "1976 Presidential General Election Results - Massachusetts". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved February 7, 2013.

[3] "1976 President General Election". Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts - Elections Division: Elections Result Archive. Retrieved July 8, 2024.

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