Who won South Dakota in the 1976 presidential election?

Ford (Republican) carried South Dakota in 1976, winning its 4 electoral votes.

How many electoral votes did South Dakota have in 1976?

South Dakota cast 4 electoral votes in the 1976 presidential election.

Did South Dakota vote for the national winner in 1976?

No. South Dakota backed Ford, while Jimmy Carter won the presidency nationally.

Cold War RealignmentSD · 4 EV

1976

South Dakota: Ford carries 4 EV.

South Dakota cast its 4 electoral votes for Ford (Republican). National winner: Jimmy Carter (Democratic) — South Dakota voted against the national winner this cycle.

South Dakota in 1976

The 1976 contest saw South Dakota line up behind Ford, delivering 4 electoral votes to the Republican ticket. Nationally the result broke the other way — Jimmy Carter (Democratic) won the presidency, leaving South Dakota among the states he did not carry.

It marked the 3rd consecutive election in which South Dakota backed the Republican party, a streak reaching back to 1968. The region divided — North Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana joined South Dakota for the Republican ticket, while Minnesota did not. Across the 34 presidential elections South Dakota has taken part in, it has most often sided with the Republican party (29 times). The vote fell within the Cold War Realignment — Nixon, Reagan, and the Republican South.

In the national count, Jimmy Carter took 297 of the 538 electoral votes, against Gerald Ford's 240. Jimmy Carter led the national popular vote with 50.08% of the ballots cast.

The 1976 national map

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