1980 United States presidential election in Delaware

Main article: 1980 United States presidential election

1980 United States presidential election in Delaware

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Nominee Ronald Reagan Jimmy Carter John B. Anderson Party Republican Democratic Anderson Coalition [a] Home state California Georgia Illinois Running mate George H. W. Bush Walter Mondale Patrick Lucey Electoral vote 3 0 0 Popular vote 111,252 105,754 16,288 Percentage 47.21% 44.87% 6.91%

County results State House district results Reagan   40–50%   50–60%   60–70% Carter   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90%

President before election Jimmy Carter Democratic Elected President Ronald Reagan Republican

The 1980 United States presidential election in Delaware took place on November 4, 1980. All 50 states and The District of Columbia were part of the 1980 United States presidential election. State voters chose three electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

The election here was close, with Delaware being won by former California Governor Ronald Reagan by two points. Notably, Reagan won New Castle County by just one vote over Carter. ^[2]

Results

1980 United States presidential election in Delaware ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ronald Reagan	111,252	47.21%
	Democratic	Jimmy Carter (inc.)	105,754	44.87%
	Anderson Coalition	John B. Anderson	16,288	6.91%
	Libertarian	Ed Clark	1,974	0.84%
	American	Percy L. Greaves Jr.	400	0.17%
Total votes			235,668	100.00%

By county

County [3]	Ronald Reagan Republican		Jimmy Carter Democratic		John B. Anderson Independent		All Others Various		Margin		Total votes cast
	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%
Kent	14,882	49.84%	12,884	43.15%	1,831	6.13%	265	0.89%	1,998	6.69%	29,862
New Castle	76,898	45.6566%	76,897	45.6560%	12,828	7.62%	1,804	1.07%	1	0.0006%	168,427
Sussex	19,472	52.09%	15,973	42.73%	1,629	4.36%	305	0.82%	3,499	9.36%	37,379
Totals	111,252	47.21%	105,754	44.87%	18,662	7.92%	5,498	2.34%	235,668

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

• Kent
• New Castle
• Sussex

See also

• United States presidential elections in Delaware

Notes

1. Anderson’s party was listed on this state’s ballot as “Anderson Coalition”. ^[1]

References

1. "1980 Presidential General Election Results – Delaware". Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
2. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
3. Wrightson, Lewis C. (1980). "State of Delaware Official Results of General Election 1980" (PDF). Delaware Department of Elections. p. 2. Retrieved December 17, 2025.