1980 United States presidential election in Utah
← 1976 November 4, 1980 1984 →
 
Nominee Ronald Reagan Jimmy Carter John B. Anderson
Party Republican Democratic Independent
Home state California Georgia Illinois
Running mate George H. W. Bush Walter Mondale Patrick Lucey
Electoral vote 4 0 0
Popular vote 439,687 124,266 30,284
Percentage 72.77% 20.57% 5.01%
County Results
Reagan
  40-50%
  60-70%
  70-80%
  80-90%

President before election

Jimmy Carter
Democratic

Elected President

Ronald Reagan
Republican

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The 1980 United States presidential election in Utah took place on November 4, 1980. All 50 states and the District of Columbia were part of the election. State voters chose four electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president of the United States.

Utah was won by former Governor of California Ronald Reagan, the Republican nominee, who was running against incumbent President and former Governor of Georgia Jimmy Carter, the Democratic nominee. Reagan ran with former C.I.A. Director George H. W. Bush of Texas, and Carter ran with Walter Mondale, incumbent vice president and former senator from Minnesota. Reagan won the election nationally by a landslide.

Utah weighed in as the most Republican state in the nation in this election.[1] Carter's share of the popular vote remains the worst ever by a Democrat in Utah. Reagan won Carbon County by a mere three votes, but easily beat Carter throughout the rest of the state, who was widely criticized for his inability to understand issues specific to the West (especially water development).[2] Carter’s next best county was Tooele where Reagan obtained 62.03 percent of the vote; Reagan surpassed three-quarters of the vote in seventeen of twenty-nine counties. In spite of Reagan's massive victory in the state, incumbent Democratic governor Scott M. Matheson was comfortably re-elected in the concurrent gubernatorial election - the last time a Democrat has won the Utah governorship to date.

Liberal Republican John B. Anderson ran as an independent candidate with some success in the Northeast, the Pacific Northwest, Colorado[3] and some college towns;[4] however in largely conservative, Mormon Utah, Anderson possessed less appeal, getting 5.01 percent of the vote statewide, and could not exceed 9.42 percent of the vote in any county. Anderson polled a mere three votes and 0.42 percent of the vote in Piute County, and a very low 1.47 percent of the vote out of over 86,000 votes cast in the second most populated county in the state, Utah County.

Results

1980 United States presidential election in Utah[5]
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Republican Ronald Reagan 439,687 72.77% 4
Democratic Jimmy Carter 124,266 20.57% 0
Independent John B. Anderson 30,284 5.01% 0
Libertarian Edward Clark 7,226 1.20% 0
Citizen's Party Barry Commoner 1,009 0.17% 0
American Party Percy Greaves Jr. 965 0.16% 0
American Independent John Rarick 522 0.09% 0
Communist Party Gus Hall 139 0.02% 0
Socialist Workers Party Clifton DeBerry 124 0.02% 0
Totals 604,182 100.0% 4

Results by county

County Ronald Wilson Reagan
Republican 		James Earl Carter
Democratic 		John Bayard Anderson[6]
Independent 		Edward E. Clark[6]
Libertarian 		Various candidates[6]
Other parties 		Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # % # % # %
Beaver 1,477 68.47% 621 28.79% 43 1.99% 13 0.60% 3 0.14% 856 39.68% 2,157
Box Elder 12,500 82.72% 2,142 14.18% 306 2.03% 125 0.83% 38 0.25% 10,358 68.55% 15,111
Cache 20,251 78.69% 3,639 14.14% 1,494 5.81% 223 0.87% 128 0.50% 16,612 64.55% 25,735
Carbon 4,320 47.67% 4,317 47.63% 309 3.41% 104 1.15% 13 0.14% 3 0.03% 9,063
Daggett 290 69.88% 109 26.27% 10 2.41% 6 1.45% 0 0.00% 181 43.61% 415
Davis 45,695 78.98% 9,065 15.67% 2,253 3.89% 677 1.17% 169 0.29% 36,630 63.31% 57,859
Duchesne 3,827 79.41% 854 17.72% 87 1.81% 13 0.27% 38 0.79% 2,973 61.69% 4,819
Emery 3,076 67.18% 1,315 28.72% 90 1.97% 76 1.66% 22 0.48% 1,761 38.46% 4,579
Garfield 1,578 78.31% 375 18.61% 50 2.48% 9 0.45% 3 0.15% 1,203 59.70% 2,015
Grand 2,362 70.42% 703 20.96% 205 6.11% 60 1.79% 24 0.72% 1,659 49.46% 3,354
Iron 6,207 79.54% 1,242 15.91% 240 3.08% 83 1.06% 32 0.41% 4,965 63.62% 7,804
Juab 1,872 69.31% 720 26.66% 51 1.89% 50 1.85% 8 0.30% 1,152 42.65% 2,701
Kane 1,492 81.35% 256 13.96% 59 3.22% 20 1.09% 7 0.38% 1,236 67.39% 1,834
Millard 3,620 79.79% 795 17.52% 72 1.59% 37 0.82% 13 0.29% 2,825 62.27% 4,537
Morgan 1,985 81.52% 373 15.32% 42 1.72% 28 1.15% 7 0.29% 1,612 66.20% 2,435
Piute 551 76.63% 157 21.84% 3 0.42% 6 0.83% 2 0.28% 394 54.80% 719
Rich 762 81.15% 143 15.23% 18 1.92% 13 1.38% 3 0.32% 619 65.92% 939
Salt Lake 169,411 67.00% 58,472 23.13% 19,547 7.73% 3,881 1.53% 1,524 0.60% 110,939 43.88% 252,835
San Juan 2,774 76.00% 763 20.90% 72 1.97% 18 0.49% 23 0.63% 2,011 55.10% 3,650
Sanpete 5,143 77.76% 1,260 19.05% 112 1.69% 63 0.95% 36 0.54% 3,883 58.71% 6,614
Sevier 5,614 80.79% 1,112 16.00% 117 1.68% 54 0.78% 52 0.75% 4,502 64.79% 6,949
Summit 3,330 65.38% 1,184 23.25% 480 9.42% 79 1.55% 20 0.39% 2,146 42.14% 5,093
Tooele 6,024 62.03% 3,132 32.25% 391 4.03% 133 1.37% 32 0.33% 2,892 29.78% 9,712
Uintah 6,045 82.45% 1,049 14.31% 155 2.11% 67 0.91% 16 0.22% 4,996 68.14% 7,332
Utah 71,859 83.44% 12,166 14.13% 1,264 1.47% 589 0.68% 243 0.28% 59,693 69.31% 86,121
Wasatch 2,799 70.93% 994 25.19% 113 2.86% 32 0.81% 8 0.20% 1,805 45.74% 3,946
Washington 10,181 83.47% 1,678 13.76% 185 1.52% 87 0.71% 66 0.54% 8,503 69.71% 12,197
Wayne 835 76.05% 226 20.58% 15 1.37% 18 1.64% 4 0.36% 609 55.46% 1,098
Weber 43,807 69.98% 15,404 24.61% 2,501 4.00% 662 1.06% 225 0.36% 28,403 45.37% 62,599
Totals 439,687 72.77% 124,266 20.57% 30,284 5.01% 7,226 1.20% 2,759 0.46% 315,421 52.20% 604,222

See also

References

  1. ^ "1980 Presidential Election Statistics". Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  2. ^ Reisner, Marc; Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water; p. 11 ISBN 0140178244
  3. ^ 1980 Presidential Election; Percentage of Vote for John B. Anderson
  4. ^ Menendez, Albert J.; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004, pp. 106-107 ISBN 0786422173
  5. ^ "1980 Presidential General Election Results – Utah". Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  6. ^ a b c Géoelections; Popular Vote for John B. Anderson (.xlsx file for €15)
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