1976 United States presidential election in Minnesota
The 1976 United States presidential election in Minnesota took place on November 2, 1976 as part of the 1976 United States presidential election.
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Turnout | 73.01%[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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County Results
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Elections in Minnesota |
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Minnesota was won by the Democratic Party candidate, former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter, won the state over incumbent President Gerald Ford by a landslide margin of 251,045 votes, or approximately 12.88%. Carter went on to win the election nationally, as the country's confidence in the Republican Party had been deeply shaken following the Watergate scandal and the subsequent resignation of Richard Nixon.
Prior to the election, Minnesota was considered as leaning-Carter. The Republican Party of Minnesota had been terribly weakened by the Watergate scandal. That weakened position was further eroded when Jimmy Carter chose Minnesota senator Walter Mondale as his vice-presidential running mate, securing the state for Carter. Mondale later went on to become the Democratic Party nominee for President in 1984, in which he only won one state, Minnesota.[2]
The effect of Watergate on the political landscape in Minnesota can be clearly seen in the results of this election, as well as the landslide DFL victory in the 1974 gubernatorial election. Previously Minnesota had cast its electoral votes for the Republican nominee in twenty of the twenty-nine presidential elections from 1860 to 1972.
As of the 2020 presidential election, Minnesota has not cast a single electoral vote in favor of a Republican since 1972, and no other state has come close to this Democratic-voting streak.[3] As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last election in which Roseau County, Wilkin County, Douglas County, Wadena County, and Pipestone County voted for a Democratic presidential candidate.[4]
Results
1976 United States presidential election in Minnesota[5] | |||||
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Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes | |
Democratic | Jimmy Carter | 1,070,440 | 54.90% | 10 | |
Republican | Gerald Ford (incumbent) | 819,395 | 42.02% | 0 | |
McCarthy ‘76 | Eugene McCarthy | 35,490 | 1.82% | 0 | |
American | Thomas J. Anderson | 13,592 | 0.70% | 0 | |
Socialist Workers | Peter Camejo | 4,149 | 0.21% | 0 | |
Libertarian | Roger MacBride | 3,529 | 0.18% | 0 | |
Communist | Gus Hall | 1,092 | 0.06% | 0 | |
People's | Margaret Wright | 635 | 0.03% | 0 | |
U.S. Labor | Lyndon LaRouche | 543 | 0.03% | 0 | |
Socialist Labor | Julius Levin | 370 | 0.02% | 0 | |
Socialist | Frank Zeidler | 354 | 0.02% | 0 | |
Write-ins | Write-ins | 342 | 0.02% | 0 | |
Invalid or blank votes | — | ||||
Totals | 1,978,590 | 100.00% | 10 | ||
Voter turnout | 77% | — |
Results by county
County | James Earl Carter[6] Democratic |
Gerald Rudolph Ford[6] Republican |
Eugene J. McCarthy[6] McCarthy ‘76 |
Thomas J. Anderson[6] American |
Various candidates[6] Other parties |
Margin | Total votes cast | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
Aitkin | 4,308 | 61.99% | 2,476 | 35.63% | 109 | 1.57% | 26 | 0.37% | 30 | 0.43% | 1,832 | 26.36% | 6,949 |
Anoka | 48,173 | 61.51% | 27,863 | 35.58% | 1,298 | 1.66% | 472 | 0.60% | 509 | 0.65% | 20,310 | 25.93% | 78,315 |
Becker | 6,597 | 52.50% | 5,611 | 44.65% | 215 | 1.71% | 104 | 0.83% | 39 | 0.31% | 986 | 7.85% | 12,566 |
Beltrami | 7,540 | 56.76% | 5,214 | 39.25% | 289 | 2.18% | 175 | 1.32% | 67 | 0.50% | 2,326 | 17.51% | 13,285 |
Benton | 6,235 | 56.86% | 4,099 | 37.38% | 285 | 2.60% | 271 | 2.47% | 75 | 0.68% | 2,136 | 19.48% | 10,965 |
Big Stone | 2,581 | 64.41% | 1,332 | 33.24% | 45 | 1.12% | 42 | 1.05% | 7 | 0.17% | 1,249 | 31.17% | 4,007 |
Blue Earth | 12,930 | 50.33% | 11,998 | 46.71% | 582 | 2.27% | 91 | 0.35% | 87 | 0.34% | 932 | 3.63% | 25,688 |
Brown | 5,792 | 41.26% | 7,479 | 53.27% | 330 | 2.35% | 409 | 2.91% | 29 | 0.21% | -1,687 | -12.02% | 14,039 |
Carlton | 9,247 | 66.28% | 4,371 | 31.33% | 239 | 1.71% | 29 | 0.21% | 66 | 0.47% | 4,876 | 34.95% | 13,952 |
Carver | 7,574 | 46.33% | 8,199 | 50.16% | 336 | 2.06% | 201 | 1.23% | 37 | 0.23% | -625 | -3.82% | 16,347 |
Cass | 5,424 | 53.00% | 4,443 | 43.41% | 173 | 1.69% | 159 | 1.55% | 35 | 0.34% | 981 | 9.59% | 10,234 |
Chippewa | 4,648 | 57.77% | 3,254 | 40.44% | 75 | 0.93% | 56 | 0.70% | 13 | 0.16% | 1,394 | 17.33% | 8,046 |
Chisago | 6,625 | 60.96% | 3,874 | 35.65% | 185 | 1.70% | 142 | 1.31% | 41 | 0.38% | 2,751 | 25.32% | 10,867 |
Clay | 10,876 | 50.10% | 10,317 | 47.53% | 319 | 1.47% | 62 | 0.29% | 134 | 0.62% | 559 | 2.58% | 21,708 |
Clearwater | 2,437 | 60.70% | 1,374 | 34.22% | 57 | 1.42% | 115 | 2.86% | 32 | 0.80% | 1,063 | 26.48% | 4,015 |
Cook | 1,018 | 47.79% | 1,034 | 48.54% | 41 | 1.92% | 27 | 1.27% | 10 | 0.47% | -16 | -0.75% | 2,130 |
Cottonwood | 3,813 | 48.52% | 3,906 | 49.70% | 85 | 1.08% | 46 | 0.59% | 9 | 0.11% | -93 | -1.18% | 7,859 |
Crow Wing | 10,653 | 54.45% | 8,072 | 41.26% | 284 | 1.45% | 447 | 2.28% | 108 | 0.55% | 2,581 | 13.19% | 19,564 |
Dakota | 44,253 | 52.63% | 37,542 | 44.65% | 1,500 | 1.78% | 400 | 0.48% | 385 | 0.46% | 6,711 | 7.98% | 84,080 |
Dodge | 3,009 | 45.60% | 3,446 | 52.23% | 67 | 1.02% | 64 | 0.97% | 12 | 0.18% | -437 | -6.62% | 6,598 |
Douglas | 7,097 | 53.30% | 5,910 | 44.38% | 138 | 1.04% | 143 | 1.07% | 28 | 0.21% | 1,187 | 8.91% | 13,316 |
Faribault | 5,049 | 46.61% | 5,577 | 51.48% | 118 | 1.09% | 68 | 0.63% | 21 | 0.19% | -528 | -4.87% | 10,833 |
Fillmore | 4,758 | 43.42% | 5,984 | 54.61% | 135 | 1.23% | 63 | 0.57% | 17 | 0.16% | -1,226 | -11.19% | 10,957 |
Freeborn | 9,470 | 52.56% | 8,220 | 45.62% | 207 | 1.15% | 61 | 0.34% | 60 | 0.33% | 1,250 | 6.94% | 18,018 |
Goodhue | 8,926 | 46.20% | 9,967 | 51.59% | 271 | 1.40% | 108 | 0.56% | 49 | 0.25% | -1,041 | -5.39% | 19,321 |
Grant | 2,624 | 60.49% | 1,635 | 37.69% | 57 | 1.31% | 14 | 0.32% | 8 | 0.18% | 989 | 22.80% | 4,338 |
Hennepin | 257,380 | 53.25% | 211,892 | 43.84% | 9,376 | 1.94% | 1,716 | 0.36% | 3,014 | 0.62% | 45,488 | 9.41% | 483,378 |
Houston | 3,861 | 43.26% | 4,853 | 54.37% | 137 | 1.53% | 53 | 0.59% | 22 | 0.25% | -992 | -11.11% | 8,926 |
Hubbard | 3,196 | 49.25% | 2,985 | 46.00% | 134 | 2.07% | 162 | 2.50% | 12 | 0.18% | 211 | 3.25% | 6,489 |
Isanti | 6,013 | 63.85% | 3,159 | 33.55% | 135 | 1.43% | 84 | 0.89% | 26 | 0.28% | 2,854 | 30.31% | 9,417 |
Itasca | 12,979 | 64.00% | 6,646 | 32.77% | 378 | 1.86% | 155 | 0.76% | 123 | 0.61% | 6,333 | 31.23% | 20,281 |
Jackson | 4,311 | 59.16% | 2,870 | 39.39% | 82 | 1.13% | 13 | 0.18% | 11 | 0.15% | 1,441 | 19.77% | 7,287 |
Kanabec | 3,188 | 60.03% | 1,943 | 36.58% | 78 | 1.47% | 93 | 1.75% | 9 | 0.17% | 1,245 | 23.44% | 5,311 |
Kandiyohi | 9,992 | 58.33% | 6,664 | 38.90% | 254 | 1.48% | 170 | 0.99% | 50 | 0.29% | 3,328 | 19.43% | 17,130 |
Kittson | 2,008 | 55.33% | 1,555 | 42.85% | 41 | 1.13% | 13 | 0.36% | 12 | 0.33% | 453 | 12.48% | 3,629 |
Koochiching | 4,846 | 60.52% | 2,893 | 36.13% | 167 | 2.09% | 67 | 0.84% | 34 | 0.42% | 1,953 | 24.39% | 8,007 |
Lac qui Parle | 3,647 | 60.13% | 2,292 | 37.79% | 58 | 0.96% | 60 | 0.99% | 8 | 0.13% | 1,355 | 22.34% | 6,065 |
Lake | 2,973 | 53.10% | 2,313 | 41.31% | 158 | 2.82% | 132 | 2.36% | 23 | 0.41% | 660 | 11.79% | 5,599 |
Lake of the Woods | 1,105 | 56.23% | 757 | 38.52% | 35 | 1.78% | 52 | 2.65% | 16 | 0.81% | 348 | 17.71% | 1,965 |
Le Sueur | 6,556 | 57.60% | 4,565 | 40.11% | 143 | 1.26% | 75 | 0.66% | 42 | 0.37% | 1,991 | 17.49% | 11,381 |
Lincoln | 2,594 | 60.79% | 1,599 | 37.47% | 40 | 0.94% | 31 | 0.73% | 3 | 0.07% | 995 | 23.32% | 4,267 |
Lyon | 7,122 | 57.17% | 5,036 | 40.42% | 178 | 1.43% | 74 | 0.59% | 48 | 0.39% | 2,086 | 16.74% | 12,458 |
Mahnomen | 1,590 | 60.85% | 905 | 34.63% | 70 | 2.68% | 37 | 1.42% | 11 | 0.42% | 685 | 26.22% | 2,613 |
Marshall | 3,744 | 57.70% | 2,605 | 40.14% | 78 | 1.20% | 45 | 0.69% | 17 | 0.26% | 1,139 | 17.55% | 6,489 |
Martin | 5,672 | 45.42% | 6,484 | 51.92% | 160 | 1.28% | 155 | 1.24% | 17 | 0.14% | -812 | -6.50% | 12,488 |
McLeod | 6,249 | 47.21% | 6,519 | 49.24% | 198 | 1.50% | 140 | 1.06% | 132 | 1.00% | -270 | -2.04% | 13,238 |
Meeker | 5,295 | 54.25% | 4,097 | 41.97% | 255 | 2.61% | 89 | 0.91% | 25 | 0.26% | 1,198 | 12.27% | 9,761 |
Mille Lacs | 5,172 | 59.65% | 3,212 | 37.05% | 145 | 1.67% | 105 | 1.21% | 36 | 0.42% | 1,960 | 22.61% | 8,670 |
Morrison | 8,176 | 61.50% | 4,590 | 34.53% | 256 | 1.93% | 195 | 1.47% | 77 | 0.58% | 3,586 | 26.97% | 13,294 |
Mower | 12,837 | 59.74% | 8,163 | 37.99% | 290 | 1.35% | 81 | 0.38% | 116 | 0.54% | 4,674 | 21.75% | 21,487 |
Murray | 3,685 | 57.59% | 2,605 | 40.71% | 86 | 1.34% | 17 | 0.27% | 6 | 0.09% | 1,080 | 16.88% | 6,399 |
Nicollet | 5,777 | 47.18% | 6,071 | 49.58% | 258 | 2.11% | 85 | 0.69% | 54 | 0.44% | -294 | -2.40% | 12,245 |
Nobles | 6,034 | 56.21% | 4,503 | 41.95% | 135 | 1.26% | 42 | 0.39% | 21 | 0.20% | 1,531 | 14.26% | 10,735 |
Norman | 2,946 | 58.78% | 1,983 | 39.57% | 47 | 0.94% | 20 | 0.40% | 16 | 0.32% | 963 | 19.21% | 5,012 |
Olmsted | 14,676 | 37.02% | 24,060 | 60.69% | 487 | 1.23% | 329 | 0.83% | 95 | 0.24% | -9,384 | -23.67% | 39,647 |
Otter Tail | 11,881 | 48.47% | 12,113 | 49.42% | 312 | 1.27% | 117 | 0.48% | 87 | 0.35% | -232 | -0.95% | 24,510 |
Pennington | 3,787 | 54.50% | 3,023 | 43.51% | 58 | 0.83% | 62 | 0.89% | 18 | 0.26% | 764 | 11.00% | 6,948 |
Pine | 5,442 | 61.24% | 3,057 | 34.40% | 170 | 1.91% | 182 | 2.05% | 36 | 0.41% | 2,385 | 26.84% | 8,887 |
Pipestone | 3,272 | 51.12% | 3,018 | 47.15% | 87 | 1.36% | 19 | 0.30% | 5 | 0.08% | 254 | 3.97% | 6,401 |
Polk | 9,078 | 56.62% | 6,552 | 40.86% | 190 | 1.18% | 163 | 1.02% | 51 | 0.32% | 2,526 | 15.75% | 16,034 |
Pope | 3,746 | 61.14% | 2,251 | 36.74% | 58 | 0.95% | 61 | 1.00% | 11 | 0.18% | 1,495 | 24.40% | 6,127 |
Ramsey | 133,682 | 58.62% | 86,480 | 37.92% | 4,908 | 2.15% | 970 | 0.43% | 2,027 | 0.89% | 47,202 | 20.70% | 228,067 |
Red Lake | 1,748 | 67.23% | 737 | 28.35% | 42 | 1.62% | 59 | 2.27% | 14 | 0.54% | 1,011 | 38.88% | 2,600 |
Redwood | 4,525 | 46.07% | 4,926 | 50.15% | 151 | 1.54% | 200 | 2.04% | 20 | 0.20% | -401 | -4.08% | 9,822 |
Renville | 5,762 | 54.64% | 4,482 | 42.50% | 166 | 1.57% | 116 | 1.10% | 19 | 0.18% | 1,280 | 12.14% | 10,545 |
Rice | 10,590 | 54.01% | 8,311 | 42.39% | 419 | 2.14% | 112 | 0.57% | 175 | 0.89% | 2,279 | 11.62% | 19,607 |
Rock | 2,769 | 48.25% | 2,892 | 50.39% | 47 | 0.82% | 15 | 0.26% | 16 | 0.28% | -123 | -2.14% | 5,739 |
Roseau | 3,215 | 55.90% | 2,382 | 41.42% | 50 | 0.87% | 87 | 1.51% | 17 | 0.30% | 833 | 14.48% | 5,751 |
Saint Louis | 75,040 | 65.78% | 35,331 | 30.97% | 2,256 | 1.98% | 364 | 0.32% | 1,084 | 0.95% | 39,709 | 34.81% | 114,075 |
Scott | 9,912 | 56.34% | 7,154 | 40.66% | 336 | 1.91% | 148 | 0.84% | 43 | 0.24% | 2,758 | 15.68% | 17,593 |
Sherburne | 6,678 | 58.36% | 4,361 | 38.11% | 234 | 2.05% | 119 | 1.04% | 50 | 0.44% | 2,317 | 20.25% | 11,442 |
Sibley | 3,752 | 47.74% | 3,871 | 49.25% | 138 | 1.76% | 84 | 1.07% | 15 | 0.19% | -119 | -1.51% | 7,860 |
Stearns | 25,027 | 52.33% | 19,574 | 40.93% | 1,612 | 3.37% | 1,290 | 2.70% | 318 | 0.66% | 5,453 | 11.40% | 47,821 |
Steele | 6,263 | 45.89% | 7,053 | 51.68% | 174 | 1.28% | 92 | 0.67% | 65 | 0.48% | -790 | -5.79% | 13,647 |
Stevens | 3,171 | 54.78% | 2,484 | 42.91% | 99 | 1.71% | 17 | 0.29% | 18 | 0.31% | 687 | 11.87% | 5,789 |
Swift | 4,428 | 65.48% | 2,190 | 32.39% | 77 | 1.14% | 51 | 0.75% | 16 | 0.24% | 2,238 | 33.10% | 6,762 |
Todd | 6,530 | 58.05% | 4,278 | 38.03% | 186 | 1.65% | 200 | 1.78% | 54 | 0.48% | 2,252 | 20.02% | 11,248 |
Traverse | 2,020 | 62.99% | 1,130 | 35.24% | 41 | 1.28% | 13 | 0.41% | 3 | 0.09% | 890 | 27.75% | 3,207 |
Wabasha | 4,286 | 47.36% | 4,484 | 49.55% | 174 | 1.92% | 71 | 0.78% | 34 | 0.38% | -198 | -2.19% | 9,049 |
Wadena | 3,164 | 49.25% | 3,048 | 47.45% | 80 | 1.25% | 110 | 1.71% | 22 | 0.34% | 116 | 1.81% | 6,424 |
Waseca | 4,002 | 45.45% | 4,582 | 52.04% | 141 | 1.60% | 49 | 0.56% | 31 | 0.35% | -580 | -6.59% | 8,805 |
Washington | 26,454 | 54.45% | 20,716 | 42.64% | 892 | 1.84% | 237 | 0.49% | 284 | 0.58% | 5,738 | 11.81% | 48,583 |
Watonwan | 3,177 | 47.69% | 3,351 | 50.30% | 79 | 1.19% | 47 | 0.71% | 8 | 0.12% | -174 | -2.61% | 6,662 |
Wilkin | 2,103 | 51.17% | 1,882 | 45.79% | 88 | 2.14% | 28 | 0.68% | 9 | 0.22% | 221 | 5.38% | 4,110 |
Winona | 10,939 | 49.92% | 10,436 | 47.62% | 420 | 1.92% | 66 | 0.30% | 53 | 0.24% | 503 | 2.30% | 21,914 |
Wright | 13,379 | 57.02% | 9,314 | 39.69% | 410 | 1.75% | 291 | 1.24% | 70 | 0.30% | 4,065 | 17.32% | 23,464 |
Yellow Medicine | 4,337 | 58.12% | 2,946 | 39.48% | 96 | 1.29% | 67 | 0.90% | 16 | 0.21% | 1,391 | 18.64% | 7,462 |
Totals | 1,070,440 | 54.90% | 819,395 | 42.02% | 35,490 | 1.82% | 13,592 | 0.70% | 11,014 | 0.56% | 251,045 | 12.87% | 1,949,931 |
References
- "Office of the State Of Minnesota Secretary of State". www.sos.state.mn.us. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
- https://www.270towin.com/1984_Election/
- https://www.270towin.com/states/Minnesota
- Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
- "1976 Presidential Election Results, 1976". Dave Leip's U.S. Election Atlas. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
- Our Campaigns; MN US Presidential Election Race, November 02, 1976