1976 United States presidential election in South Carolina

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1976 United States presidential election in South Carolina
Flag of South Carolina.svg
  1972 November 2, 1976 1980  
  Jimmy Carter 1977 cropped.jpg Gerald Ford presidential portrait (cropped 2).jpg
Nominee Jimmy Carter Gerald Ford
Party Democratic Republican
Home state Georgia Michigan
Running mate Walter Mondale Bob Dole
Electoral vote80
Popular vote450,825346,140
Percentage56.17%43.13%

South Carolina Presidential Election Results 1976.svg
County Results

President before election

Gerald Ford
Republican

Elected President

Jimmy Carter
Democratic

The 1976 United States presidential election in South Carolina took place on November 2, 1976. All 50 states and the District of Columbia were part of the 1976 United States presidential election. South Carolina voters chose eight electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president. Despite fluctuating polls, Carter would carry South Carolina by a margin of 13.04 points over Ford. [1]

Contents

Ford managed to carry just three of South Carolina's counties, whereas Richard Nixon had carried all 46 counties four years earlier. As of the 2024 presidential election , this is the last time that the Democratic nominee carried South Carolina, the last time a Democrat won Horry, Spartanburg, Berkeley, Beaufort, Dorchester, Florence, Pickens, Kershaw, and Newberry, [2] and the last time a Democrat swept every congressional district in the state.

Campaign

Both major party nominees, Democrat former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter, with running mate Walter Mondale, and Republican President Gerald Ford with running mate Senator Bob Dole, campaigned in the state during the fall campaign. Ford did not target the state in late September at the beginning of his re-election campaign, [3] but did visit Columbia in late October as polling day approached, when he was joined by Carter two days subsequently. [4] After Ford’s visit, it was said he was not a factor in South Carolina and that the election hinged on approval or disapproval of Carter. [5] Carter himself campaigned more extensively with his eldest son Jack working in the Sixth Congressional District, and other members of his “Peanut Brigade” touring most major population centers. [6]

Among white voters, 55% supported Ford while 44% supported Carter. [7] [8]

Predictions

SourceRatingAs of
The Atlanta Constitution [9] Lean RSeptember 13, 1976
The Charlotte Observer [10] Likely D (flip)October 19, 1976
The Times and Democrat [11] Tilt D (flip)October 26, 1976
Kansas City Times [12] Lean D (flip)October 26, 1976
Daily News [13] TossupOctober 27, 1976
Sun Herald [14] Likely D (flip)October 31, 1976
Austin American-Statesman [15] TossupOctober 31, 1976

Results

1976 United States presidential election in South Carolina [1]
PartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes
Democratic Jimmy Carter 450,82556.17%8
Republican Gerald Ford (incumbent)346,14043.13%0
Independent Thomas Anderson 2,9970.37%0
American Lester Maddox 1,9510.24%0
Write-ins Write-ins 681 [a] 0.08%0
Totals802,59499.99%8
Voter turnout

Results by county

County [16] Jimmy Carter
Democratic
Gerald Ford
Republican
Thomas Anderson
Independent
Lester Maddox
American
MarginTotal
#%#%#%#%#%
Abbeville 4,70072.06%1,79127.46%190.29%120.18%2,90944.60%6,522
Aiken 14,92747.88%16,01151.36%800.26%1550.50%-1,084-3.48%31,173
Allendale 2,63471.02%1,06428.69%40.11%70.19%1,57042.33%3,709
Anderson 19,00266.32%9,49633.14%960.34%600.21%9,50633.18%28,654
Bamberg 3,33063.84%1,84935.45%190.36%180.35%1,48128.39%5,216
Barnwell 4,08361.38%2,56938.62%00.00%00.00%1,51422.76%6,652
Beaufort 6,04950.29%5,93549.34%250.21%200.17%1140.95%12,029
Berkeley 9,74158.05%6,98141.60%270.16%320.19%2,76016.45%16,781
Calhoun 2,05559.29%1,38239.87%220.63%70.20%67319.42%3,466
Charleston 34,32849.64%34,01049.18%4450.64%3720.54%3180.46%69,155
Cherokee 7,76566.19%3,93133.51%170.14%190.16%3,83432.68%11,732
Chester 5,20063.32%2,98236.31%180.22%120.15%2,21827.01%8,212
Chesterfield 7,68775.04%2,53724.77%110.11%90.09%5,15050.27%10,244
Clarendon 5,48964.13%3,04035.52%140.16%160.19%2,44928.61%8,559
Colleton 5,13460.24%3,32439.00%340.40%300.35%1,81021.24%8,522
Darlington 10,16560.16%6,67839.52%260.15%280.17%3,48720.64%16,897
Dillon 5,08966.62%2,52733.08%100.13%130.17%2,56233.54%7,639
Dorchester 8,04654.44%6,69545.30%190.13%190.13%1,3519.14%14,779
Edgefield 3,21662.60%1,87936.58%170.33%250.49%1,33726.02%5,137
Fairfield 4,15369.36%1,81730.34%110.18%70.12%2,33639.02%5,988
Florence 16,29454.49%13,53945.27%270.09%440.15%2,7559.22%29,904
Georgetown 7,16963.54%4,05835.97%340.30%220.19%3,11127.57%11,283
Greenville 35,94347.31%39,09951.46%7961.05%1430.19%-3,156-4.15%75,981
Greenwood 9,97662.39%5,97437.36%170.11%240.15%4,00225.03%15,991
Hampton 3,92368.56%1,77330.99%110.19%150.26%2,15037.57%5,722
Horry 15,72062.59%9,33937.18%150.06%430.17%6,38125.41%25,117
Jasper 2,90370.12%1,22129.49%60.14%100.24%1,68240.63%4,140
Kershaw 6,21150.08%6,12649.40%360.29%290.23%850.68%12,402
Lancaster 8,32462.19%4,99737.33%370.28%270.20%3,32724.86%13,385
Laurens 7,44057.98%5,30041.31%540.42%370.29%2,14016.67%12,831
Lee 3,86961.86%2,35737.69%120.19%160.26%1,51224.17%6,254
Lexington 14,33939.75%21,44259.43%1830.51%1130.31%-7,103-19.68%36,077
Marion 5,92765.74%3,07634.12%70.08%60.07%2,85131.62%9,016
Marlboro 5,40973.32%1,96126.58%20.03%50.07%3,44846.74%7,377
McCormick 1,77473.09%64026.37%50.21%80.33%1,13446.72%2,427
Newberry 5,03450.26%4,93149.23%240.24%270.27%1031.03%10,016
Oconee 8,44768.61%3,80530.90%410.33%190.15%4,64237.71%12,312
Orangeburg 13,65260.40%8,79438.90%1080.48%500.22%4,85821.50%22,604
Pickens 8,50551.07%8,02948.21%950.57%260.16%4762.86%16,655
Richland 36,85552.68%32,72746.78%2110.30%1690.24%4,1285.90%69,962
Saluda 2,71556.11%2,08543.09%250.52%140.29%63013.02%4,839
Spartanburg 27,92557.32%20,45641.99%2230.46%1130.23%7,46915.33%48,717
Sumter 10,47152.59%9,33246.87%560.28%530.27%1,1395.72%19,912
Union 6,36364.51%3,46335.11%130.13%240.24%2,90029.40%9,863
Williamsburg 8,74562.22%5,27537.53%100.07%250.18%3,47024.69%14,055
York 14,09958.73%9,84341.00%350.15%280.12%4,25617.73%24,005
Totals450,82556.17%346,14043.13%2,9970.37%1,9510.24%104,68513.04%802,594

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

Notes

  1. These write-in votes were not separated by county, but given only as a state-wide total. [16]

References

  1. 1 2 "1976 Presidential General Election Results — South Carolina". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  2. Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
  3. Bandy, Lee (September 17, 1976). "Ford Starts Southern Swing on Sept. 25". The State . Columbia, South Carolina. p. 11-B.
  4. "Ford in Columbia Today; Carter Tuesday". The Item . Sumter, South Carolina. October 23, 1976. p. 1A.
  5. Evans, Rowland; Novak, Robert. "Ford Sticks to the Script". The State . Columbia, South Carolina. p. 1-A.
  6. "Carter, "Peanut Brigade", Coming to S.C.". The Item . Sumter, South Carolina. October 25, 1976. pp. 1A, 4A.
  7. Black & Black 1992, p. 295.
  8. Black & Black 1992, p. 335.
  9. Joyce, Faye S. (September 13, 1976). "Southerners Favour Carter, Poll Shows". The Atlanta Constitution . p. 2-A.
  10. Eichel, Henry (October 19, 1976). "Buoyed by Poll, Ford to Campaign at S.C. Fair". The Charlotte Observer . p. 1B.
  11. Rowland, Ed (October 26, 1976). "S.C. Votes Could Go to Republican Again". The Times and Democrat . Orangeburg, South Carolina. p. 1B.
  12. Patterson, Kathleen (October 26, 1976). "South Still Hard To Peg". Kansas City Times . Kansas City, Missouri. p. 10.
  13. "Convention Wounds Remain". Daily News . New York City. October 27, 1976. p. 45.
  14. "Political Science Majors Predict Ford Win". Sun Herald . Biloxi, Mississippi. October 31, 1976. p. D-11.
  15. "Electoral Votes: A Photo Finish — Polls". Austin American-Statesman . October 31, 1976. pp. A1, A6.
  16. 1 2 "SC US President Race, November 02, 1976". Our Campaigns.

Works cited