1980 United States presidential election in Georgia
← 1976 November 4, 1980 1984 →
 
Nominee Jimmy Carter Ronald Reagan
Party Democratic Republican
Home state Georgia California
Running mate Walter Mondale George H. W. Bush
Electoral vote 12 0
Popular vote 893,733 655,168
Percentage 55.76% 40.95%
County Results
President before election

Jimmy Carter
Democratic

Elected President

Ronald Reagan
Republican

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The 1980 United States presidential election in Georgia took place on November 4, 1980, in Georgia as part of the 1980 United States presidential election. The Democratic Party candidate, incumbent President Jimmy Carter, won his home state of Georgia over former California Governor Ronald Reagan by 238,565 votes, one of just seven victories in the election (other than Georgia, Carter also carried Maryland, Minnesota, Hawaii, West Virginia, the District of Columbia and Rhode Island).

As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last time Georgia voted more Democratic than the nation as a whole. It is also the last time in which the counties of McDuffie, Towns, Gilmer, Whitfield, Union, Rabun, Stephens, Jackson, Banks, Murray, Habersham, Madison, Hall, White, Dawson, Gordon, Paulding, Spalding, Troup, Forsyth, Upson, Coweta, Effingham, Glascock, Bulloch, Houston, Bartow, Oconee, Glynn, Cherokee, Toombs, Thomas, Floyd, Colquitt, Camden, Echols, Charlton, Pierce, Coffee, Bryan, Walton, Ware, Oglethorpe, Evans, Tattnall, Tift, Pike, Harris, Carroll, Appling, Barrow, and Wayne voted for a Democratic presidential candidate.[1] Henry County would not do so again until 2016.

Georgia was the only state in the Deep South between the 1980 and 1988 presidential elections to support the Democratic nominee.[2] 50% of white voters supported Carter while 47% supported Reagan.[3][4]

Primaries

1980 Democratic Primary
Candidate Votes Delegates
Jimmy Carter (incumbent) 338,772 66
Ted Kennedy 32,315 0
Jerry Brown 7,255 0
Others 6,438 0
Totals 384,780 66
1980 Republican Primary
Candidate Votes Deleagtes
Ronald Reagan 146,500 34
George H.W. Bush 25,293 6
John Anderson 16,853 0
Howard Baker 1,571 0
Others 9,953 0
Totals 200,170 40

General election

1980 United States presidential election in Georgia[5]
Party Candidate Running mate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Democratic Jimmy Carter (incumbent) Walter Mondale (incumbent) 890,733 55.76% 12
Republican Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush 654,168 40.95% 0
Independent John B. Anderson Patrick Lucey 36,055 2.26% 0
Libertarian Ed Clark David Koch 15,627 .99% 0
Other write-ins 884 0.1% 0

Results by county

County James Earl Carter
Democratic 		Ronald Wilson Reagan
Republican 		John Bayard Anderson
Independent 		Edward E. Clark
Libertarian 		Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # % # %
Appling 2,985 59.62% 1,961 39.17% 41 0.82% 20 0.40% 1,024 20.45% 5,007
Atkinson 1,449 65.21% 747 33.62% 16 0.72% 10 0.45% 702 31.59% 2,222
Bacon 1,622 52.22% 1,427 45.94% 32 1.03% 25 0.80% 195 6.28% 3,106
Baker 1,035 66.18% 510 32.61% 11 0.70% 8 0.51% 525 33.57% 1,564
Baldwin 4,368 52.46% 3,639 43.71% 230 2.76% 89 1.07% 729 8.76% 8,326
Banks 2,091 72.91% 746 26.01% 18 0.63% 13 0.45% 1,345 46.90% 2,868
Barrow 3,876 61.44% 2,284 36.20% 99 1.57% 50 0.79% 1,592 25.23% 6,309
Bartow 7,490 69.01% 3,135 28.89% 135 1.24% 93 0.86% 4,355 40.13% 10,853
Ben Hill 2,544 62.55% 1,459 35.87% 41 1.01% 23 0.57% 1,085 26.68% 4,067
Berrien 2,869 65.15% 1,487 33.76% 24 0.54% 24 0.54% 1,382 31.38% 4,404
Bibb 31,770 66.01% 15,175 31.53% 848 1.76% 337 0.70% 16,595 34.48% 48,130
Bleckley 2,014 58.55% 1,261 36.66% 47 1.37% 118 3.43% 753 21.89% 3,440
Brantley 2,066 69.40% 882 29.63% 17 0.57% 12 0.40% 1,184 39.77% 2,977
Brooks 2,230 58.27% 1,546 40.40% 39 1.02% 12 0.31% 684 17.87% 3,827
Bryan 1,966 60.77% 1,212 37.47% 51 1.58% 6 0.19% 754 23.31% 3,235
Bulloch 4,921 55.16% 3,750 42.04% 160 1.79% 90 1.01% 1,171 13.13% 8,921
Burke 3,047 61.05% 1,871 37.49% 56 1.12% 17 0.34% 1,176 23.56% 4,991
Butts 2,574 66.94% 1,210 31.47% 38 0.99% 23 0.60% 1,364 35.47% 3,845
Calhoun 1,414 67.75% 652 31.24% 16 0.77% 5 0.24% 762 36.51% 2,087
Camden 2,924 65.81% 1,439 32.39% 62 1.40% 18 0.41% 1,485 33.42% 4,443
Candler 1,358 56.09% 1,030 42.54% 24 0.99% 9 0.37% 328 13.55% 2,421
Carroll 8,202 56.66% 5,815 40.17% 294 2.03% 164 1.13% 2,387 16.49% 14,475
Catoosa 4,921 44.50% 5,962 53.91% 121 1.09% 55 0.50% -1,041 -9.41% 11,059
Charlton 1,469 64.26% 779 34.08% 26 1.14% 12 0.52% 690 30.18% 2,286
Chatham 28,413 50.04% 26,499 46.67% 1,244 2.19% 625 1.10% 1,914 3.37% 56,781
Chattahoochee 476 63.30% 256 34.04% 16 2.13% 4 0.53% 220 29.26% 752
Chattooga 4,279 67.60% 1,946 30.74% 61 0.96% 44 0.70% 2,333 36.86% 6,330
Cherokee 6,020 51.55% 5,250 44.96% 230 1.97% 178 1.52% 770 6.59% 11,678
Clarke 10,519 52.86% 8,094 40.68% 1,060 5.33% 226 1.14% 2,425 12.19% 19,899
Clay 909 73.25% 316 25.46% 9 0.73% 7 0.56% 593 47.78% 1,241
Clayton 17,540 46.10% 19,160 50.35% 923 2.43% 428 1.12% -1,620 -4.26% 38,051
Clinch 1,325 71.08% 513 27.52% 18 0.97% 8 0.43% 812 43.56% 1,864
Cobb 39,157 40.87% 51,977 54.25% 3,229 3.37% 1,453 1.52% -12,820 -13.38% 95,816
Coffee 4,038 60.99% 2,499 37.74% 58 0.88% 26 0.39% 1,539 23.24% 6,621
Colquitt 5,353 59.03% 3,593 39.62% 80 0.88% 43 0.47% 1,760 19.41% 9,069
Columbia 5,335 44.69% 6,293 52.71% 248 2.08% 62 0.52% -958 -8.02% 11,938
Cook 2,461 66.80% 1,188 32.25% 25 0.68% 10 0.27% 1,273 34.55% 3,684
Coweta 5,697 54.66% 4,480 42.99% 161 1.54% 84 0.81% 1,217 11.68% 10,422
Crawford 1,673 70.44% 642 27.03% 35 1.47% 25 1.05% 1,031 43.41% 2,375
Crisp 3,403 63.64% 1,861 34.80% 54 1.01% 29 0.54% 1,542 28.84% 5,347
Dade 1,735 44.16% 2,114 53.81% 62 1.58% 18 0.46% -379 -9.65% 3,929
Dawson 1,072 58.36% 729 39.68% 23 1.25% 13 0.71% 343 18.67% 1,837
Decatur 3,242 51.93% 2,919 46.76% 54 0.86% 28 0.45% 323 5.17% 6,243
DeKalb 82,743 49.43% 74,904 44.74% 7,241 4.33% 2,517 1.50% 7,839 4.68% 167,405
Dodge 4,635 71.83% 1,719 26.64% 56 0.87% 43 0.67% 2,916 45.19% 6,453
Dooly 2,364 67.50% 1,083 30.93% 31 0.89% 24 0.69% 1,281 36.58% 3,502
Dougherty 13,430 50.46% 12,726 47.82% 326 1.22% 133 0.50% 704 2.65% 26,615
Douglas 6,807 47.81% 6,945 48.78% 304 2.14% 182 1.28% -138 -0.97% 14,238
Early 2,110 57.31% 1,538 41.77% 23 0.62% 11 0.30% 572 15.54% 3,682
Echols 515 65.77% 259 33.08% 8 1.02% 1 0.13% 256 32.69% 783
Effingham 2,783 51.76% 2,528 47.02% 38 0.71% 28 0.52% 255 4.74% 5,377
Elbert 4,014 66.23% 1,967 32.45% 50 0.82% 30 0.49% 2,047 33.77% 6,061
Emanuel 3,971 63.53% 2,199 35.18% 45 0.72% 36 0.58% 1,772 28.35% 6,251
Evans 1,456 56.54% 1,090 42.33% 20 0.78% 9 0.35% 366 14.21% 2,575
Fannin 2,526 43.34% 3,196 54.83% 61 1.05% 46 0.79% -670 -11.49% 5,829
Fayette 3,798 36.00% 6,351 60.20% 272 2.58% 128 1.21% -2,553 -24.20% 10,549
Floyd 13,710 58.10% 9,220 39.07% 398 1.69% 268 1.14% 4,490 19.03% 23,596
Forsyth 4,325 55.91% 3,157 40.81% 160 2.07% 94 1.22% 1,168 15.10% 7,736
Franklin 3,528 71.13% 1,387 27.96% 30 0.60% 15 0.30% 2,141 43.17% 4,960
Fulton 118,748 61.62% 64,909 33.68% 6,738 3.50% 2,328 1.21% 53,839 27.94% 192,723
Gilmer 2,246 49.50% 2,170 47.83% 72 1.59% 49 1.08% 76 1.68% 4,537
Glascock 614 53.95% 510 44.82% 7 0.62% 7 0.62% 104 9.14% 1,138
Glynn 7,540 49.69% 7,214 47.54% 296 1.95% 123 0.81% 326 2.15% 15,173
Gordon 5,199 60.86% 3,107 36.37% 141 1.65% 95 1.11% 2,092 24.49% 8,542
Grady 3,023 59.08% 2,018 39.44% 56 1.09% 20 0.39% 1,005 19.64% 5,117
Greene 2,571 71.96% 961 26.90% 29 0.81% 12 0.34% 1,610 45.06% 3,573
Gwinnett 21,958 42.68% 27,185 52.84% 1,497 2.91% 812 1.58% -5,227 -10.16% 51,452
Habersham 4,394 64.80% 2,224 32.80% 100 1.47% 63 0.93% 2,170 32.00% 6,781
Hall 12,124 59.08% 7,760 37.81% 463 2.26% 174 0.85% 4,364 21.27% 20,521
Hancock 2,205 78.50% 573 20.40% 23 0.82% 8 0.28% 1,632 58.10% 2,809
Haralson 3,606 60.50% 2,229 37.40% 71 1.19% 54 0.91% 1,377 23.10% 5,960
Harris 2,807 56.80% 2,001 40.49% 100 2.02% 34 0.69% 806 16.31% 4,942
Hart 4,539 73.03% 1,577 25.37% 59 0.95% 40 0.64% 2,962 47.66% 6,215
Heard 1,348 59.05% 875 38.33% 35 1.53% 25 1.10% 473 20.72% 2,283
Henry 5,635 50.01% 5,326 47.27% 163 1.45% 144 1.28% 309 2.74% 11,268
Houston 10,915 52.74% 9,005 43.51% 536 2.59% 239 1.15% 1,910 9.23% 20,695
Irwin 1,555 59.08% 1,056 40.12% 11 0.42% 10 0.38% 499 18.96% 2,632
Jackson 4,591 66.07% 2,209 31.79% 107 1.54% 42 0.60% 2,382 34.28% 6,949
Jasper 1,546 62.24% 879 35.39% 38 1.53% 21 0.85% 667 26.85% 2,484
Jeff Davis 2,059 62.19% 1,191 35.97% 40 1.21% 21 0.63% 868 26.22% 3,311
Jefferson 3,305 66.39% 1,605 32.24% 44 0.88% 24 0.48% 1,700 34.15% 4,978
Jenkins 1,632 65.46% 824 33.05% 24 0.96% 13 0.52% 808 32.41% 2,493
Johnson 1,854 61.21% 1,123 37.07% 29 0.96% 23 0.76% 731 24.13% 3,029
Jones 3,239 62.05% 1,828 35.02% 112 2.15% 41 0.79% 1,411 27.03% 5,220
Lamar 2,453 64.08% 1,298 33.91% 42 1.10% 35 0.91% 1,155 30.17% 3,828
Lanier 1,116 69.58% 470 29.30% 9 0.56% 9 0.56% 646 40.27% 1,604
Laurens 7,860 62.76% 4,392 35.07% 147 1.17% 124 0.99% 3,468 27.69% 12,523
Lee 1,670 45.62% 1,942 53.05% 26 0.71% 23 0.63% -272 -7.43% 3,661
Liberty 3,099 66.18% 1,507 32.18% 49 1.05% 28 0.60% 1,592 34.00% 4,683
Lincoln 1,617 66.27% 806 33.03% 10 0.41% 7 0.29% 811 33.24% 2,440
Long 1,202 68.96% 514 29.49% 23 1.32% 4 0.23% 688 39.47% 1,743
Lowndes 5,989 46.38% 6,622 51.29% 214 1.66% 87 0.67% -633 -4.90% 12,912
Lumpkin 1,951 63.24% 1,024 33.19% 83 2.69% 27 0.88% 927 30.05% 3,085
McDuffie 2,667 56.95% 1,928 41.17% 59 1.26% 29 0.62% 739 15.78% 4,683
McIntosh 2,104 69.01% 876 28.73% 38 1.25% 31 1.02% 1,228 40.28% 3,049
Macon 3,025 76.02% 894 22.47% 39 0.98% 21 0.53% 2,131 53.56% 3,979
Madison 2,980 55.17% 2,330 43.14% 59 1.09% 32 0.59% 650 12.03% 5,401
Marion 1,174 66.22% 567 31.98% 16 0.90% 16 0.90% 607 34.24% 1,773
Meriwether 3,876 66.77% 1,838 31.66% 59 1.02% 32 0.55% 2,038 35.11% 5,805
Miller 1,127 54.90% 900 43.84% 19 0.93% 7 0.34% 227 11.06% 2,053
Mitchell 3,566 60.89% 2,231 38.10% 40 0.68% 19 0.32% 1,335 22.80% 5,856
Monroe 2,542 65.85% 1,242 32.18% 43 1.11% 33 0.85% 1,300 33.68% 3,860
Montgomery 1,663 62.99% 948 35.91% 23 0.87% 6 0.23% 715 27.08% 2,640
Morgan 2,276 62.00% 1,323 36.04% 57 1.55% 15 0.41% 953 25.96% 3,671
Murray 3,094 65.82% 1,538 32.72% 42 0.89% 27 0.57% 1,556 33.10% 4,701
Muscogee 23,272 58.82% 15,203 38.42% 811 2.05% 280 0.71% 8,069 20.39% 39,566
Newton 5,611 61.96% 3,206 35.40% 150 1.66% 89 0.98% 2,405 26.56% 9,056
Oconee 2,141 49.03% 2,065 47.29% 106 2.43% 55 1.26% 76 1.74% 4,367
Oglethorpe 1,611 56.41% 1,187 41.56% 44 1.54% 14 0.49% 424 14.85% 2,856
Paulding 4,686 60.72% 2,845 36.87% 97 1.26% 89 1.15% 1,841 23.86% 7,717
Peach 3,415 66.05% 1,642 31.76% 68 1.32% 45 0.87% 1,773 34.29% 5,170
Pickens 2,358 57.84% 1,612 39.54% 73 1.79% 34 0.83% 746 18.30% 4,077
Pierce 1,918 64.25% 1,027 34.41% 21 0.70% 19 0.64% 891 29.85% 2,985
Pike 1,755 56.72% 1,271 41.08% 45 1.45% 23 0.74% 484 15.64% 3,094
Polk 5,421 63.31% 2,949 34.44% 116 1.35% 76 0.89% 2,472 28.87% 8,562
Pulaski 1,997 61.79% 1,153 35.67% 54 1.67% 28 0.87% 844 26.11% 3,232
Putnam 1,951 61.41% 1,166 36.70% 35 1.10% 25 0.79% 785 24.71% 3,177
Quitman 589 70.37% 240 28.67% 2 0.24% 6 0.72% 349 41.70% 837
Rabun 2,327 66.58% 1,070 30.62% 67 1.92% 31 0.89% 1,257 35.97% 3,495
Randolph 1,861 67.85% 879 32.05% 1 0.04% 2 0.07% 982 35.80% 2,743
Richmond 24,104 53.72% 19,619 43.72% 887 1.98% 261 0.58% 4,485 10.00% 44,871
Rockdale 4,395 43.66% 5,300 52.65% 219 2.18% 153 1.52% -905 -8.99% 10,067
Schley 613 56.50% 453 41.75% 9 0.83% 10 0.92% 160 14.75% 1,085
Screven 2,117 57.78% 1,490 40.67% 36 0.98% 21 0.57% 627 17.11% 3,664
Seminole 1,794 61.10% 1,117 38.04% 16 0.54% 9 0.31% 677 23.06% 2,936
Spalding 7,176 58.19% 4,809 39.00% 248 2.01% 98 0.79% 2,367 19.20% 12,331
Stephens 4,529 67.68% 2,045 30.56% 69 1.03% 49 0.73% 2,484 37.12% 6,692
Stewart 1,440 69.00% 611 29.28% 23 1.10% 13 0.62% 829 39.72% 2,087
Sumter 4,956 61.49% 2,957 36.69% 103 1.28% 44 0.55% 1,999 24.80% 8,060
Talbot 1,635 72.89% 572 25.50% 20 0.89% 16 0.71% 1,063 47.39% 2,243
Taliaferro 670 70.23% 270 28.30% 8 0.84% 6 0.63% 400 41.93% 954
Tattnall 2,864 57.26% 2,082 41.62% 37 0.74% 19 0.38% 782 15.63% 5,002
Taylor 1,845 68.38% 815 30.21% 19 0.70% 19 0.70% 1,030 38.18% 2,698
Telfair 2,700 68.51% 1,173 29.76% 41 1.04% 27 0.69% 1,527 38.75% 3,941
Terrell 2,010 58.77% 1,378 40.29% 21 0.61% 11 0.32% 632 18.48% 3,420
Thomas 5,695 56.05% 4,294 42.26% 117 1.15% 55 0.54% 1,401 13.79% 10,161
Tift 4,572 56.99% 3,280 40.89% 99 1.23% 71 0.89% 1,292 16.11% 8,022
Toombs 3,255 52.53% 2,835 45.75% 68 1.10% 39 0.63% 420 6.78% 6,197
Towns 1,510 49.27% 1,475 48.12% 57 1.86% 23 0.75% 35 1.14% 3,065
Treutlen 1,307 65.22% 668 33.33% 21 1.05% 8 0.40% 639 31.89% 2,004
Troup 7,716 57.46% 5,398 40.20% 191 1.42% 124 0.92% 2,318 17.26% 13,429
Turner 1,990 68.13% 898 30.74% 16 0.55% 17 0.58% 1,092 37.38% 2,921
Twiggs 2,213 74.26% 747 25.07% 8 0.27% 12 0.40% 1,466 49.19% 2,980
Union 1,700 51.34% 1,546 46.69% 43 1.30% 22 0.66% 154 4.65% 3,311
Upson 4,713 61.73% 2,788 36.52% 77 1.01% 57 0.75% 1,925 25.21% 7,635
Walker 6,809 48.18% 7,088 50.16% 171 1.21% 64 0.45% -279 -1.97% 14,132
Walton 4,525 61.96% 2,618 35.85% 112 1.53% 48 0.66% 1,907 26.11% 7,303
Ware 6,307 62.22% 3,715 36.65% 77 0.76% 38 0.37% 2,592 25.57% 10,137
Warren 1,517 65.36% 779 33.56% 20 0.86% 5 0.22% 738 31.80% 2,321
Washington 3,452 64.35% 1,822 33.97% 60 1.12% 30 0.56% 1,630 30.39% 5,364
Wayne 3,843 62.42% 2,213 35.94% 52 0.84% 49 0.80% 1,630 26.47% 6,157
Webster 608 64.68% 312 33.19% 8 0.85% 12 1.28% 296 31.49% 940
Wheeler 1,599 73.15% 550 25.16% 28 1.28% 9 0.41% 1,049 47.99% 2,186
White 2,017 61.36% 1,175 35.75% 58 1.76% 37 1.13% 842 25.62% 3,287
Whitfield 9,691 58.95% 6,404 38.96% 229 1.39% 115 0.70% 3,287 20.00% 16,439
Wilcox 1,780 67.68% 827 31.44% 13 0.49% 10 0.38% 953 36.24% 2,630
Wilkes 2,350 64.86% 1,212 33.45% 31 0.86% 30 0.83% 1,138 31.41% 3,623
Wilkinson 2,365 66.96% 1,116 31.60% 31 0.88% 20 0.57% 1,249 35.36% 3,532
Worth 2,567 54.68% 2,076 44.22% 35 0.75% 17 0.36% 491 10.46% 4,695
Totals 890,733 55.79% 654,168 40.97% 36,055 2.26% 15,627 0.98% 236,565 14.82% 1,596,583

References

  1. ^ Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
  2. ^ Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 23.
  3. ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 295.
  4. ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 335.
  5. ^ "1980 Presidential General Election Results – Georgia". Dave Leip's U.S. Election Atlas. Retrieved May 21, 2015.

Works cited

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