United States presidential election, 1976

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United States presidential election, 1976
2 November 1976
	Winner	Runner up
Nominee	Jimmy Carter	Gerald Ford
Party	Democratic	Republican
Home State	Georgia	Michigan
Running mate	Walter Mondale	Bob Dole
Electoral Vote	297	240
States Carried	23+DC	27
Popular Vote	40,831,881	39,148,634
Percentage	50.1%	48.0%
Presidential election results map. Red denotes states won by Carter/Mondale, Blue denotes those won by Ford/Dole. Light blue is the electoral vote for "Ronald Reagan" by a Washington "faithless elector". Numbers indicate the number of electoral votes allotted to each state.
Before Election Gerald Ford Republican		After Election Jimmy Carter Democratic

The United States presidential election of 1976 followed the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon in the wake of the Watergate scandal. It pitted incumbent President Gerald Ford, the Republican candidate, against the relatively unknown former governor of Georgia, Jimmy Carter, the Democratic candidate. Ford was saddled with a slow economy and paid a political price for his pardon of Nixon. Carter ran as a Washington "outsider" and reformer and won a narrow victory. He was the first presidential candidate elected directly from the Deep South since 1848. Eugene McCarthy ran as an independent candidate.

Nominations

Democratic Party Nomination

Due to the absence of any clear front-runner for the nomination, a record number of Democrats competed for their party's presidential nomination in 1976. Most of these candidates would drop out early in the race. The candidates were:

• Birch Bayh, U.S senator from Indiana
• Lloyd Bentsen, U.S. senator from Texas
• Jerry Brown, Governor of California
• Robert Byrd, U.S. senator from West Virginia ("favorite son" candidate)
• Hugh L. Carey, Governor of New York
• Jimmy Carter, former Governor of Georgia
• César Chávez, labor activist from California
• Frank Church, U.S. senator from Idaho
• Fred R. Harris, former U.S. senator from Oklahoma, former candidate for the 1972 nomination, and former chairman of the Democratic National Committee
• Hubert H. Humphrey, U.S. senator from Minnesota and former Vice President and 1968 presidential nominee and candidate for the 1952, 1960 and 1972 nominations
• Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson, U.S. senator from Washington, former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and former candidate for the 1972 nomination
• Barbara Jordan, U.S. representative from Texas
• Edward M. Kennedy, U.S. senator from Massachusetts
• Eugene McCarthy, former U.S. senator and candidate for the 1968 and 1972 nominations from Minnesota
• Ellen McCormack, pro-life activist from New York
• Walter F. Mondale, U.S. senator and candidate for the 1972 nomination from Minnesota
• Jennings Randolph, U.S. senator from West Virginia
• Terry Sanford, former Governor of North Carolina
• Milton Shapp, Governor of Pennsylvania
• Sargent Shriver, former ambassador to France, first director of the Peace Corps and the Office of Economic Opportunity, and 1972 vice-presidential nominee
• Adlai Stevenson III, U.S. senator from Illinois ("favorite son" candidate)
• Morris "Mo" Udall, U.S. representative from Arizona
• George Wallace, Governor of Alabama, former candidate for the 1972 nomination, and 1968 American Independent Party presidential nominee

The 1976 campaign featured a record number of state primaries and caucuses, and it was the first presidential campaign in which the primary system was dominant. However, most of the Democratic candidates failed to realize the significance of the increased number of primaries, or the importance of creating momentum by winning the early contests. The one candidate who did see the opportunities in the new nominating system was Jimmy Carter, a former state senator and governor of Georgia. Carter, who was virtually unknown at the national level, would never have gotten the Democratic nomination under the old, boss-dominated nominating system, but given the public disgust with political corruption following Nixon's resignation, Carter realized that his obscurity and "fresh face" could be an asset in the primaries. Carter's plan was to run in all of the primaries and caucuses, beginning with the Iowa caucus, and build up momentum by winning "somewhere" each time primary elections were held. Carter startled many political experts by finishing second in the Iowa caucuses (where he came in second to "uncommitted"). Carter then won the New Hampshire primary, thus proving that a Southerner could win in the North. He then proceeded to slowly but steadily accumulate delegates in primaries around the nation. He also knocked his key rivals out of the race one by one. He defeated George Wallace in the North Carolina primary, thus eliminating his main rival in the South. He defeated Senator Henry "Scoop" Jackson in Pennsylvania, thus forcing Jackson to quit the race. In the Wisconsin primary Carter scored an impressive come-from-behind victory over Arizona Congressman Morris Udall, thus eliminating Udall as a serious contender. As Carter closed in on the nomination, an "ABC" (Anybody But Carter) movement started among Northern and Western liberal Democrats who worried that Carter's Southern upbringing would make him too conservative for the Democratic Party. The leaders of the "ABC" movement - Idaho Senator Frank Church and California Governor Jerry Brown - both announced their candidacies for the Democratic nomination and defeated Carter in several late primaries. However, their campaigns both started too late to prevent Carter from gathering the remaining delegates he needed to capture the nomination.

Candidates gallery

Senator Birch Bayh of Indiana	Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas	Governor Jerry Brown of California	Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia
Former Governor Jimmy Carter of Georgia	Governor Hugh Carey of New York	Senator Frank Church of Idaho	Former Senator and DNC Chairman Fred R. Harris of Oklahoma
Senator and former Vice President Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota	Senator and former DNC Chairman Henry M. Jackson of Washington	Representative Barbara Jordan of Texas	Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts
Former Senator Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota	Mrs. Ellen McCormack an activist from New York	Senator Walter Mondale of Minnesota	Senator Jennings Randolph of West Virginia
Former Governor Terry Sanford of North Carolina	Governor Milton Shapp of Pennsylvania	Former Peace Corps Director, Ambassador to France and 1972 V.P. Nominee Sargent Shriver of Maryland	Senator Adlai Stevenson III of Illinois
Representative Mo Udall of Arizona	Governor George Wallace of Alabama

Democratic National Convention

The 1976 Democratic National Convention was held in New York City. By the time the convention opened Carter already had more than enough delegates to win the nomination, and so the major emphasis at the convention was to create an appearance of party unity, which had been lacking in the 1968 and 1972 Democratic Conventions. Carter easily won the nomination on the first ballot; he then chose Senator Walter Mondale of Minnesota, a liberal and a protege of Hubert Humphrey, as his running mate.

The tally at the convention was:

• Jimmy Carter 2278
• Morris "Mo" Udall 329
• Jerry Brown 300
• George Wallace, 57
• Mrs. Ellen McCormack, a housewife 22
• Frank Church, 19
• Hubert Humphrey 10
• Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson, 10
• Fred R. Harris 9
• Milton Shapp 2
• Robert Byrd, Jennings Randolph, Hugh Carey, Cesar Chavez, Edward M. Kennedy and Barbara Jordan, 1 vote each.

The vice presidential tally, in part, was:

• Walter Mondale 2837
• House Speaker Carl Albert 36
• Ronald Dellums 20
• Fritz Efaw 12
• Barbara Jordan 17
• Others 53

Republican Party Nomination

The 1976 Republican National Convention at Kemper Arena in Kansas City. Vice-Presidential Candidate Bob Dole is on the far left, then Nancy Reagan, Governor Ronald Reagan is at the center shaking hands with President Ford, Vice-President Nelson Rockefeller is just to the right of Ford, followed by Susan Ford and First Lady Betty Ford.

Republican candidates

• James L. Buckley, U.S. senator from New York
• Gerald R. Ford, President of the United States from Michigan
• Ronald W. Reagan, former Governor of California
• Elliot L. Richardson, Secretary of Commerce from Massachusetts
• Harold E. Stassen, former Governor of Minnesota and candidate for the 1944, 1948, 1952, 1964 and 1968 nominations from Pennsylvania

Candidates gallery

Senator James Buckley of New York	President Gerald Ford of Michigan	former Governor Ronald Reagan of California	Secretary of Commerce Elliot Richardson of Massachusetts
former Governor Harold E. Stassen of Pennsylvania

The primaries

The contest for the Republican Party's presidential nomination in 1976 was between just two candidates: Gerald Ford, the incumbent President of the United States; and Ronald Reagan, the popular leader of the GOP's conservative wing and the former two-term governor of California.

Incumbent President Ford, appointed to the vice-presidency after the resignation of Spiro Agnew in 1973 and then elevated to the presidency by the resignation of Richard Nixon in August 1974, was the only U.S. president never to have been elected president or vice president. His policy goals were often frustrated by Congress, which was heavily Democratic after the 1974 mid-term election. Liberal Democrats were especially infuriated by President Ford's decision to pardon Nixon for any criminal acts he committed or may have committed as part of the Watergate Scandal. Because Ford had not won a national election as President or Vice-President, he was seen by many politicians as being unusually vulnerable for an incumbent President, and as not having a strong nationwide base of support.

Reagan and the conservative wing of the Republican Party faulted Ford for failing to do more to assist South Vietnam (which finally collapsed in April 1975 with the fall of Saigon) and for his signing of the Helsinki Accords, which they took as implicit U.S. acceptance of Soviet domination over Eastern Europe. Conservatives were also infuriated by Ford's negotiations with Panama to hand over the Panama Canal.

Reagan began to criticize Ford openly starting in the summer of 1975, and formally launched his campaign in the autumn. At first it appeared as though Ford would easily win the GOP nomination. Defying expectations, Ford narrowly defeated Reagan in the New Hampshire primary, and then proceeded to beat Reagan in the Florida and Illinois primaries by comfortable margins. By the time of the North Carolina primary in March 1976, Reagan's campaign was nearly out of money, and it was widely believed that another defeat would force Reagan to quit the race. However, assisted by the powerful political organization of right-wing U.S. Senator Jesse Helms, Reagan upset Ford in North Carolina and then proceeded to win a string of impressive victories, including Texas, where he won all 100 delegates. Ford bounced back to win in his native Michigan, and from there the two candidates engaged in an increasingly bitter nip-and-tuck contest for delegates. By the time the Republican Convention opened in August 1976 the race for the nomination was still too close to call.

Republican National Convention

The 1976 Republican National Convention was held in Kansas City. As the convention began Ford was seen as having a slight lead in delegate votes, but still shy of the 1130 delegates he needed to win. Reagan and Ford both competed for the votes of individual delegates and state delegations. In a bid to woo moderate Northern Republicans, Reagan shocked the convention by announcing that if he won the nomination, Senator Richard Schweiker of Pennsylvania, a moderate, would be his running mate. The move backfired, however, as few moderates switched to Reagan, while many conservative delegates were outraged. The key state of Mississippi, which Reagan needed, narrowly voted to support Ford; it was believed that Reagan's choice of Schweiker had led Clarke Reed, Mississippi's Chairman, to switch to Ford. Ford then won the nomination, narrowly, on the first ballot. He chose Senator Robert Dole of Kansas as his running mate. After giving his acceptance speech, President Ford asked Reagan to come and say a few words to the convention; Reagan proceeded to give an eloquent address which virtually overshadowed Ford's speech. The 1976 Republican National Convention was the last time a presidential convention opened without the nominee having already been decided in the primaries.

Primary results

Won by Ford

fifteen states:

1. New Hampshire
2. Massachusetts
3. Vermont
4. Florida
5. Oregon
6. Ohio
7. New York
8. New Jersey
9. Illinois
10. Michigan
11. Wisconsin
12. West Virginia
13. Rhode Island
14. South Dakota
15. Kentucky

Won by Reagan

Twelve states:

1. North Carolina
2. Texas
3. Alabama
4. Georgia
5. Nevada
6. California
7. Indiana
8. Nebraska
9. Arkansas
10. Idaho
11. Montana
12. Washington

Convention tally

• President Ford 1187
• Ronald Reagan 1070
• Elliot L. Richardson 1

President Ford chose Senator Robert J. Dole of Kansas as his running mate, the vice presidential tally, in part, was:

• Bob Dole 1921
• Jesse Helms of North Carolina 103
• Abstaining 103
• Scattering 133

General election

The Fall Campaign

Ford and Carter in debate.

Jimmy Carter ran as an honest reformer who was "untainted" by Washington political scandals, which many voters found attractive in the wake of the Watergate Scandal, which had led to President Nixon's resignation. President Ford, although personally unconnected with Watergate, was seen by many as too close to the discredited Nixon administration, especially after Ford granted Nixon a presidential pardon for any crimes he may have committed during his term of office.

When Carter left the Democratic National Convention, he held a huge 33-point lead over Ford in the polls. However, as the campaign continued the race tightened, and by election day the polls showed the race as too close to call. Carter's decline in the polls, and Ford's surge, is usually credited to three events. First, Carter promised a "blanket pardon" to Vietnam War draft dodgers in a speech before the American Legion, an act which angered many conservatives who viewed the draft dodgers as traitors. Second, Playboy magazine published a controversial interview with Carter; in the interview Carter admitted to having "lusted in his heart" for women other than his wife, which cut into his support among women and evangelical Christians. Finally, on September 24, Ford performed well in what was the first televised presidential debate since 1960. Polls taken after the debate showed that most viewers felt that Ford was the winner.

However, Ford also committed a costly blunder in the campaign that halted his momentum. During the second presidential debate on October 6, Ford stumbled when he asserted that "there is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and there never will be under a Ford administration." He added that he did not "believe that the Poles consider themselves dominated by the Soviet Union", and made the same claim with regards to Yugoslavia and Romania. [1] Ford compounded his error by refusing to retract his statement for almost a week after the debate; conservatives who had been lukewarm to Ford's candidacy were particularly appalled. To these conservatives, as well as many political pundits, Ford's insistence that Eastern Europe was not under Soviet control was baffling. As a result of this blunder, Ford's surge stalled and Carter was able to maintain a slight lead in the polls.

A vice presidential debate between Robert Dole and Walter Mondale also hurt the Republican ticket when Dole asserted that military unpreparedness on the part of Democratic presidents was responsible for all of the wars the U.S. had fought in the twentieth century. Dole, a World War II veteran, noted that in every twentieth-century war from World War I to the Vietnam War, a Democrat had been President. Dole then added that the number of U.S. casualties in "Democrat wars" was roughly equal to the population of Detroit. The remark cemented Dole's reputation as a sarcastic, mean-spirited politician; it was a reputation that would haunt him for the rest of his political career.

Gerald Ford (right) watching election returns with Joe Garagiola on election night in 1976.

Despite these Republican missteps, Ford managed to close the remaining gap in the polls and by election day the race was judged to be even. It took most of the November 2nd election night and next morning to determine the winner. Carter defeated Ford by two percentage points in the popular vote. The electoral vote was the closest since 1916; Carter took 23 states with 297 electoral votes, while Ford won 27 states and 240 electoral votes (one elector from Washington state voted for Reagan). Carter's victory came primarily from his near-sweep of the South (he lost only Virginia), and his close victories in large Northern states such as New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Ford did well in the West, carrying every state except Hawaii.

Carter was the first Democrat since John F. Kennedy in 1960 to carry the states of the Deep South, and the first since Lyndon Johnson in 1964 to carry an unquestionable majority of southern states.

Had Ford won the election, the provisions of the 22nd amendment would have disqualified him from running in 1980, because he had served more than two years of Nixon's remaining term.

The 1976 election was the only second time since 1944 that a Democrat managed to obtain a majority of the popular vote in a Presidential Election, as Carter received 50.1% of the vote. Carter is just one of four Democrats to gain a majority of the popular vote since the Civil War, with the others being Franklin Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson & Samuel Tilden. Tilden, although winning the popular vote, was declared to have lost the electoral college vote to Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876 as part of a political deal with Southern Democrats to end Reconstruction.

Results

Source (Popular Vote): Leip, David. 1976 Presidential Election Results. Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections (August 7, 2005).

Source (Electoral Vote): Electoral College Box Scores 1789–1996. Official website of the National Archives. (August 7, 2005).

^(a) Mike Padden, a Republican faithless elector from Washington State, gave Ronald Reagan one electoral vote.
^(b) The running mate of McCarthy varied from state to state, possibly in an effort to attract local voters similar to that tried by the Whigs in 1836, but this reasoning is an unverified theory.
^(c) Research has not yet determined whether Anderson's home state was Tennessee or Texas at the time of the 1976 election.

Voter demographics

Source: CBS News/ New York Times interviews with 12,782 voters as they left the polls, as reported in the New York Times, November 9, 1980, p. 28, and in further analysis. The 1976 data are from CBS News interviews.
^(a) “Size” = share of 1980 national total

Miscellanea

• The 1976 election was the first presidential election since 1932 which resulted in an incumbent President being defeated for re-election as a major party candidate. Four years later, in 1980, this event would occur again when Ronald Reagan would defeat President Carter in the general election and again, in 1992, when Bill Clinton defeated incumbent George H.W. Bush in his bid for re-election.

See also

• History of the United States (1964–1980)
• United States Senate election, 1976

External links

• 1976 popular vote by counties
• 1976 popular vote by states (with bar graphs)

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