1980 United States presidential election in Tennessee

Last updated

1980 United States presidential election in Tennessee
Flag of Tennessee.svg
  1976 November 4, 1980 1984  
  Official Portrait of President Reagan 1981-cropped.jpg Carter cropped.jpg
Nominee Ronald Reagan Jimmy Carter
Party Republican Democratic
Home state California Georgia
Running mate George H. W. Bush Walter Mondale
Electoral vote100
Popular vote787,761783,051
Percentage48.70%48.41%

Tennessee Presidential Election Results 1980.svg
TN-1980-pres-districts.svg

President before election

Jimmy Carter
Democratic

Elected President

Ronald Reagan
Republican

The 1980 United States presidential election in Tennessee took place on November 4, 1980. All 50 states and The District of Columbia were part of the 1980 United States presidential election. Tennessee voters chose 10 electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Contents

Tennessee was won by former California Governor Ronald Reagan (R) by a very slim margin of 0.29% and a margin of just 4,710 votes, [1] partly because of President Jimmy Carter's southern roots. Amidst a national Republican landslide, Tennessee weighed in as 9.5 points more Democratic than the nation at-large, and Carter's 48.41% vote share has not been exceeded by any Democrat since (Bill Clinton would go on to carry the state with smaller pluralities in 1992 and 1996). Carter's strong performance given the national environment stands as a relative anomaly in Tennessee's recent electoral history; had he carried the state, it would have marked the only time since 1924 that a Republican was elected president without winning Tennessee.

Reagan’s victory was the first of three consecutive Republican victories in the state, as Tennessee would not vote Democratic again until Bill Clinton in 1992. Since then, it has become a safe Republican state. As of the 2020 presidential election , this is the last time that Tipton County voted for a Democratic presidential candidate, and the last time that a Republican carried Tennessee with a plurality, rather than a majority. [2]

Among white voters, 55% supported Reagan while 42% supported Carter. [3] [4]

Results

Presidential Candidate Running Mate PartyElectoral Vote (EV)Popular Vote (PV)
Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush Republican 10787,76148.70%
Jimmy Carter (incumbent) Walter Mondale (incumbent) Democratic 0783,05148.41%
John B. Anderson Patrick Lucey Independent 035,9912.22%
Ed Clark David Koch Independent07,1160.44%
Barry Commoner Independent01,1120.07%
Benjamin Bubar Earl Dodge Independent05210.03%
David McReynolds Diane Drufenbrock Independent05190.03%
Gus Hall Angela Davis Independent05030.03%
Clifton DeBerry Matilde Zimmermann Independent04900.03%
Deirdre Griswold Larry HolmesIndependent04000.02%
Write-ins01520.01%

Results by county

CountyRonald Reagan
Republican
Jimmy Carter
Democratic
John B. Anderson
Independent
Ed Clark
Independent
Various candidates
Other parties
MarginTotal votes cast
# %# %# %# %# %# %
Anderson 14,23555.31%10,19439.61%1,1614.51%1020.40%440.17%4,04115.70%25,736
Bedford 3,37735.24%5,98762.48%1591.66%400.42%200.21%-2,610-27.24%9,583
Benton 2,28136.83%3,81161.54%711.15%300.48%00.00%-1,530-24.71%6,193
Bledsoe 1,97054.94%1,58544.20%260.73%40.11%10.03%38510.74%3,586
Blount 17,95963.81%9,41233.44%6202.20%1100.39%430.15%8,54730.37%28,144
Bradley 11,86959.63%7,63838.37%3161.59%680.34%140.07%4,23121.26%19,905
Campbell 5,53752.99%4,75245.47%1201.15%240.23%170.16%7857.52%10,450
Cannon 1,40336.76%2,35161.59%411.07%110.29%110.29%-948-24.83%3,817
Carroll 5,68150.98%5,27747.36%1251.12%420.38%180.16%4043.62%11,143
Carter 11,64864.44%6,00633.22%3261.80%700.39%270.15%5,64231.22%18,077
Cheatham 2,29637.03%3,77160.81%901.45%290.47%150.24%-1,475-23.78%6,201
Chester 2,75155.69%2,12342.98%521.05%90.18%50.10%62812.71%4,940
Claiborne 4,28959.05%2,84439.16%941.29%300.41%60.08%1,44519.89%7,263
Clay 1,34448.61%1,37649.76%270.98%150.54%30.11%-32-1.15%2,765
Cocke 6,80274.39%2,13923.39%1391.52%380.42%260.28%4,66351.00%9,144
Coffee 5,45440.72%7,61256.84%2391.78%660.49%220.16%-2,158-16.12%13,393
Crockett 2,11746.14%2,42252.79%270.59%180.39%40.09%-305-6.65%4,588
Cumberland 6,35460.89%3,77536.17%2272.18%510.49%290.28%2,57924.72%10,436
Davidson 65,77237.45%103,74159.08%4,8342.75%9380.53%3210.18%-37,969-21.63%175,606
DeKalb 1,84137.82%2,94860.56%480.99%190.39%120.25%-1,107-22.74%4,868
Decatur 2,09548.95%2,13949.98%350.82%80.19%30.07%-44-1.03%4,280
Dickson 3,63634.74%6,62263.27%1571.50%370.35%150.14%-2,986-28.53%10,467
Dyer 5,47548.00%5,71350.08%1581.39%490.43%120.11%-238-2.08%11,407
Fayette 2,94440.92%4,14157.55%751.04%240.33%110.15%-1,197-16.63%7,195
Fentress 2,49360.76%1,54337.61%491.19%140.34%40.10%95023.15%4,103
Franklin 3,99536.02%6,76060.96%2512.26%590.53%250.23%-2,765-24.94%11,090
Gibson 6,79240.13%9,82958.08%2271.34%520.31%230.14%-3,037-17.95%16,923
Giles 2,75736.58%4,65361.74%851.13%230.31%190.25%-1,896-25.16%7,537
Grainger 3,25467.12%1,49530.84%661.36%240.50%90.19%1,75936.28%4,848
Greene 10,70463.13%5,82234.34%3381.99%640.38%280.17%4,88228.79%16,956
Grundy 1,13928.34%2,83770.59%330.82%30.07%70.17%-1,698-42.25%4,019
Hamblen 9,74160.60%5,89036.65%3362.09%870.54%190.12%3,85123.95%16,073
Hamilton 57,57556.40%41,91341.05%2,0872.04%3740.37%1430.14%15,66215.35%102,092
Hancock 1,73469.72%70428.31%321.29%100.40%70.28%1,03041.41%2,487
Hardeman 2,93140.68%4,15357.64%731.01%190.26%290.40%-1,222-16.96%7,205
Hardin 4,15255.84%3,16442.56%761.02%310.42%120.16%98813.28%7,435
Hawkins 7,83657.92%5,28339.05%3102.29%630.47%370.27%2,55318.87%13,529
Haywood 2,43540.97%3,44557.97%490.82%110.19%30.05%-1,010-17.00%5,943
Henderson 5,10864.45%2,70234.09%780.98%280.35%100.13%2,40630.36%7,926
Henry 4,29938.49%6,60159.11%2001.79%520.47%160.14%-2,302-20.62%11,168
Hickman 1,90336.39%3,22561.66%781.49%170.33%70.13%-1,322-25.27%5,230
Houston 73829.04%1,75769.15%311.22%60.24%90.35%-1,019-40.11%2,541
Humphreys 1,89731.80%3,97466.61%741.24%180.30%30.05%-2,077-34.81%5,966
Jackson 99528.15%2,48070.16%270.76%270.76%60.17%-1,485-42.01%3,535
Jefferson 6,94466.82%3,18030.60%2011.93%420.40%250.24%3,76436.22%10,392
Johnson 3,71674.99%1,14123.03%661.33%220.44%100.20%2,57551.96%4,955
Knox 66,15356.26%45,63438.81%4,8014.08%5700.48%4270.36%20,51917.45%117,585
Lake 82332.11%1,71867.03%110.43%30.12%80.31%-895-34.92%2,563
Lauderdale 2,81838.95%4,31859.68%731.01%160.22%100.14%-1,500-20.73%7,235
Lawrence 6,53248.47%6,08245.13%2121.57%1581.17%4933.66%4503.34%13,477
Lewis 1,07632.52%2,19066.18%331.00%50.15%50.15%-1,114-33.66%3,309
Lincoln 2,85633.96%5,38764.06%1191.42%340.40%130.15%-2,531-30.10%8,409
Loudon 6,38261.51%3,69935.65%2352.26%400.39%200.19%2,68325.86%10,376
Macon 2,92558.96%1,94739.25%651.31%190.38%50.10%97819.71%4,961
Madison 13,66750.27%12,98647.77%3631.34%1030.38%680.25%6812.50%27,187
Marion 3,90245.10%4,62353.44%931.08%260.30%70.08%-721-8.34%8,651
Marshall 2,28234.23%4,27764.16%781.17%240.36%50.08%-1,995-29.93%6,666
Maury 6,63744.16%7,95752.94%2251.50%1340.89%770.51%-1,320-8.78%15,030
McMinn 7,82557.76%5,46040.30%2001.48%530.39%90.07%2,36517.46%13,547
McNairy 4,60354.06%3,80144.64%760.89%250.29%90.11%8029.42%8,514
Meigs 1,27855.18%99943.13%311.34%60.26%20.09%27912.05%2,316
Monroe 6,24656.45%4,61241.68%1251.13%440.40%380.34%1,63414.77%11,065
Montgomery 8,50341.08%11,57355.91%4902.37%850.41%470.23%-3,070-14.83%20,698
Moore 55134.55%99362.26%342.13%140.88%30.19%-442-27.71%1,595
Morgan 2,82356.29%2,09441.75%701.40%210.42%70.14%72914.54%5,015
Obion 5,39747.49%5,76650.73%1381.21%340.30%300.26%-369-3.24%11,365
Overton 1,86935.49%3,34363.47%380.72%150.28%20.04%-1,474-27.98%5,267
Perry 78335.08%1,40162.77%321.43%130.58%30.13%-618-27.69%2,232
Pickett 1,31962.75%75836.06%120.57%50.24%80.38%56126.69%2,102
Polk 2,41448.67%2,47049.80%450.91%180.36%130.26%-56-1.13%4,960
Putnam 6,23542.26%8,08454.80%3422.32%660.45%260.18%-1,849-12.54%14,753
Rhea 4,68959.44%3,07038.91%931.18%240.30%130.16%1,61920.53%7,889
Roane 11,09661.03%6,47335.60%4812.65%930.51%390.21%4,62325.43%18,182
Robertson 3,56032.00%7,38166.34%1271.14%450.40%130.12%-3,821-34.34%11,126
Rutherford 11,20840.98%15,21355.62%7032.57%1530.56%730.27%-4,005-14.64%27,350
Scott 3,01462.38%1,72435.68%631.30%170.35%140.29%1,29026.70%4,832
Sequatchie 1,51249.54%1,50949.44%230.75%60.20%20.07%30.10%3,052
Sevier 10,57673.25%3,45023.89%3382.34%480.33%270.19%7,12649.36%14,439
Shelby 140,15745.43%159,24051.61%7,1802.33%1,3620.44%5780.19%-19,083-6.18%308,517
Smith 1,75531.73%3,67466.43%691.25%230.42%100.18%-1,919-34.70%5,531
Stewart 98529.69%2,27468.54%421.27%110.33%60.18%-1,289-38.85%3,318
Sullivan 25,96351.44%22,34144.27%1,8743.71%1960.39%960.19%3,6227.17%50,470
Sumner 11,87644.42%14,15052.93%5402.02%1380.52%310.12%-2,274-8.51%26,735
Tipton 4,33946.15%4,93452.48%1091.16%160.17%30.03%-595-6.33%9,401
Trousdale 62926.72%1,67471.11%301.27%140.59%70.30%-1,045-44.39%2,354
Unicoi 3,82865.50%1,88032.17%971.66%180.31%210.36%1,94833.33%5,844
Union 2,45362.09%1,43536.32%451.14%120.30%60.15%1,01825.77%3,951
Van Buren 49935.54%88663.11%110.78%40.28%40.28%-387-27.57%1,404
Warren 3,68037.16%6,02160.79%1481.49%410.41%140.14%-2,341-23.63%9,904
Washington 17,45757.71%11,59938.35%9343.09%1730.57%860.28%5,85819.36%30,249
Wayne 3,41864.53%1,63330.83%781.47%380.72%1302.45%1,78533.70%5,297
Weakley 5,66848.15%5,91050.21%1361.16%510.43%60.05%-242-2.06%11,771
White 2,10037.41%3,41560.84%641.14%280.50%60.11%-1,315-23.43%5,613
Williamson 11,59754.98%8,81541.79%5512.61%1040.49%280.13%2,78213.19%21,095
Wilson 7,53539.09%11,24858.36%3801.97%920.48%190.10%-3,713-19.27%19,274
Totals787,76148.70%783,05148.41%35,9912.22%7,1160.44%3,6970.23%4,7100.29%1,617,616

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

See also

References

  1. "1980 Presidential General Election Results – Tennessee". Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  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. Black & Black 1992, p. 295.
  4. Black & Black 1992, p. 335.

Works cited