1980
The 1980 U.S. presidential election was won by Ronald Reagan (Republican) with 489 of 538 electoral votes, defeating Jimmy Carter (Democratic). Electoral-vote margin: 440 (489 to 49). Popular-vote margin: 9.7 percentage points. Turnout was 54.2%. The cycle falls in the Cold War Realignment era of American electoral history.
Open the what-if calculator → — flip states and re-count. A toy, not history.
The Reagan era begins
Ronald Reagan swept to a landslide victory over incumbent Jimmy Carter, transforming American politics with a conservative revolution. Carter was battered by the Iranian hostage crisis (444 days), stagflation, and the energy crisis. Reagan's closing question — 'Are you better off than you were four years ago?' — and his reassuring debate performance ('There you go again') dispelled fears that he was an extremist. Independent John Anderson won 6.6% of the popular vote. Reagan's victory realigned working-class Democrats ('Reagan Democrats') toward the GOP.
Iranian hostage crisis; stagflation; energy crisis; Reagan's conservative revolution
Reagan Revolution began; 'Reagan Democrats' realigned; hostages released 20 minutes after his inauguration
This summary was drafted with AI tools and has not yet been checked sentence by sentence. The vote table and the National Archives note on this page come from named sources; where they differ from the summary, rely on them. Tell us about an error.
Independent candidate John B. Anderson received 5,719,437 popular votes for President, but no electoral votes.
National Archives, Electoral College results for 1980, archives.gov, read October 3, 2026. Quoted as published.
States · 51 reporting
State results · 1980
- Massachusetts Reagan by 3,829 · 0.2 pts
- Tennessee Reagan by 4,710 · 0.3 pts
- Arkansas Reagan by 5,123 · 0.6 pts
- South Carolina Reagan by 11,057 · 1.2 pts
- Alabama Reagan by 17,462 · 1.3 pts
IllinoisReagan won it by 7.9 points; its electoral votes took the total to 281, past the 270 needed.
Line up the states the winner carried from widest margin to narrowest and add up their electoral votes: the tipping point is the state that takes the total past a majority.
Scroll the table sideways for every column.
| State | Electoral votes | Ronald Reagan Rep | Jimmy Carter Dem | John B. Anderson Ind | Also named | Margin | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 9 EV | 654,192 48.8% | 636,730 47.4% | 16,481 1.2% | John Rarick 15,010 · 1.1% | 17,462 1.3 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Alaska | 3 EV | 86,112 54.3% | 41,842 26.4% | 11,155 7.0% | Ed Clark 18,479 · 11.7% | 44,270 27.9 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Arizona | 6 EV | 529,688 60.6% | 246,843 28.2% | 76,952 8.8% | Ed Clark 18,784 · 2.1% | 282,845 32.4 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Arkansas | 6 EV | 403,164 48.1% | 398,041 47.5% | 22,468 2.7% | Ed Clark 8,970 · 1.1% | 5,123 0.6 pts | Reagan Rep |
| California | 45 EV | 4,522,994 52.7% | 3,082,943 35.9% | 739,618 8.6% | Ed Clark 148,390 · 1.7% | 1,440,051 16.8 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Colorado | 7 EV | 652,264 55.1% | 368,009 31.1% | 130,633 11.0% | Ed Clark 25,744 · 2.2% | 284,255 24.0 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Connecticut | 8 EV | 677,210 48.2% | 541,732 38.5% | 171,807 12.2% | None | 135,478 9.6 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Delaware | 3 EV | 111,252 47.2% | 105,754 44.9% | 16,288 6.9% | None | 5,498 2.3 pts | Reagan Rep |
| District of Columbia | 3 EV | 23,313 13.4% | 130,231 74.9% | 16,131 9.3% | Barry Commoner 1,826 · 1.1% | 106,918 61.5 pts | Carter Dem |
| Florida | 17 EV | 2,046,951 55.5% | 1,419,475 38.5% | 189,692 5.1% | None | 627,476 17.0 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Georgia | 12 EV | 654,168 41.0% | 890,955 55.8% | 36,055 2.3% | None | 236,787 14.8 pts | Carter Dem |
| Hawaii | 4 EV | 130,112 42.9% | 135,879 44.8% | 32,021 10.6% | Ed Clark 3,269 · 1.1% | 5,767 1.9 pts | Carter Dem |
| Idaho | 4 EV | 290,699 66.5% | 110,192 25.2% | 27,058 6.2% | Ed Clark 8,425 · 1.9% | 180,507 41.3 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Illinois | 26 EV | 2,358,049 49.6% | 1,981,413 41.7% | 346,754 7.3% | None | 376,636 7.9 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Indiana | 13 EV | 1,255,656 56.0% | 844,197 37.7% | 111,639 5.0% | None | 411,459 18.4 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Iowa | 8 EV | 676,026 51.3% | 508,672 38.6% | 115,633 8.8% | None | 167,354 12.7 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Kansas | 7 EV | 566,812 57.9% | 326,150 33.3% | 68,231 7.0% | Ed Clark 14,470 · 1.5% | 240,662 24.6 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Kentucky | 9 EV | 635,274 49.0% | 617,417 47.7% | 31,127 2.4% | None | 17,857 1.4 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Louisiana | 10 EV | 792,853 51.2% | 708,453 45.7% | 26,345 1.7% | None | 84,400 5.5 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Maine | 4 EV | 238,522 45.6% | 220,974 42.3% | 53,327 10.2% | None | 17,548 3.4 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Maryland | 10 EV | 680,606 44.2% | 726,161 47.1% | 119,537 7.8% | None | 45,555 3.0 pts | Carter Dem |
| Massachusetts | 14 EV | 1,057,631 41.9% | 1,053,802 41.7% | 382,539 15.2% | None | 3,829 0.2 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Michigan | 21 EV | 1,915,225 49.0% | 1,661,532 42.5% | 275,223 7.0% | Ed Clark 41,597 · 1.1% | 253,693 6.5 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Minnesota | 10 EV | 873,268 42.6% | 954,173 46.5% | 174,997 8.5% | Ed Clark 31,593 · 1.5% | 80,905 3.9 pts | Carter Dem |
| Mississippi | 7 EV | 441,089 49.5% | 429,281 48.1% | 12,036 1.3% | None | 11,808 1.3 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Missouri | 12 EV | 1,074,181 51.2% | 931,182 44.3% | 77,920 3.7% | None | 142,999 6.8 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Montana | 4 EV | 206,814 56.8% | 118,032 32.4% | 29,281 8.0% | Ed Clark 9,825 · 2.7% | 88,782 24.4 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Nebraska | 5 EV | 419,214 65.6% | 166,424 26.0% | 44,854 7.0% | Ed Clark 9,041 · 1.4% | 252,790 39.5 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Nevada | 3 EV | 155,017 63.6% | 66,666 27.4% | 17,651 7.2% | Ed Clark 4,358 · 1.8% | 88,351 36.3 pts | Reagan Rep |
| New Hampshire | 4 EV | 221,705 57.7% | 108,864 28.4% | 49,693 12.9% | None | 112,841 29.4 pts | Reagan Rep |
| New Jersey | 17 EV | 1,546,557 52.0% | 1,147,364 38.6% | 234,632 7.9% | None | 399,193 13.4 pts | Reagan Rep |
| New Mexico | 4 EV | 250,779 55.0% | 167,826 36.8% | 29,459 6.5% | None | 82,953 18.2 pts | Reagan Rep |
| New York | 41 EV | 2,893,831 46.7% | 2,728,372 44.0% | 467,801 7.5% | None | 165,459 2.7 pts | Reagan Rep |
| North Carolina | 13 EV | 915,018 49.3% | 875,635 47.2% | 52,800 2.8% | None | 39,383 2.1 pts | Reagan Rep |
| North Dakota | 3 EV | 193,695 64.3% | 79,189 26.3% | 23,640 7.9% | Ed Clark 3,743 · 1.2% | 114,506 38.0 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Ohio | 25 EV | 2,206,545 51.5% | 1,752,414 40.9% | 254,472 5.9% | Ed Clark 49,033 · 1.1% | 454,131 10.6 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Oklahoma | 8 EV | 695,570 60.5% | 402,026 35.0% | 38,284 3.3% | Ed Clark 13,828 · 1.2% | 293,544 25.5 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Oregon | 6 EV | 571,044 48.3% | 456,890 38.7% | 112,389 9.5% | Ed Clark 25,838 · 2.2% Barry Commoner 13,642 · 1.2% | 114,154 9.7 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Pennsylvania | 27 EV | 2,261,872 49.6% | 1,937,540 42.5% | 292,921 6.4% | None | 324,332 7.1 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Rhode Island | 4 EV | 154,793 37.2% | 198,342 47.7% | 59,819 14.4% | None | 43,549 10.5 pts | Carter Dem |
| South Carolina | 8 EV | 439,277 49.5% | 428,220 48.2% | 13,868 1.6% | None | 11,057 1.2 pts | Reagan Rep |
| South Dakota | 4 EV | 198,343 60.5% | 103,855 31.7% | 21,431 6.5% | Ed Clark 3,824 · 1.2% | 94,488 28.8 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Tennessee | 10 EV | 787,761 48.7% | 783,051 48.4% | 35,991 2.2% | None | 4,710 0.3 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Texas | 26 EV | 2,510,705 55.3% | 1,881,147 41.4% | 111,613 2.5% | None | 629,558 13.9 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Utah | 4 EV | 439,687 72.8% | 124,266 20.6% | 30,284 5.0% | Ed Clark 7,156 · 1.2% | 315,421 52.2 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Vermont | 3 EV | 94,628 44.4% | 81,952 38.4% | 31,761 14.9% | Barry Commoner 2,316 · 1.1% | 12,676 5.9 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Virginia | 12 EV | 989,609 53.0% | 752,174 40.3% | 95,418 5.1% | None | 237,435 12.7 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Washington | 9 EV | 865,244 49.7% | 650,193 37.3% | 185,073 10.6% | Ed Clark 29,213 · 1.7% | 215,051 12.3 pts | Reagan Rep |
| West Virginia | 6 EV | 334,206 45.3% | 367,462 49.8% | 31,691 4.3% | None | 33,256 4.5 pts | Carter Dem |
| Wisconsin | 11 EV | 1,088,845 47.9% | 981,584 43.2% | 160,657 7.1% | Ed Clark 29,135 · 1.3% | 107,261 4.7 pts | Reagan Rep |
| Wyoming | 3 EV | 110,700 62.6% | 49,427 28.0% | 12,072 6.8% | Ed Clark 4,514 · 2.6% | 61,273 34.7 pts | Reagan Rep |
Shares are of each state’s total vote for president. “Not named”: the figures do not give that candidate a line of their own in that state — for example under 1% of the vote, not on the ballot there, or counted on an unnamed line (see the state’s note). Margin is the leader’s lead over the second-placed candidate.
SourceMIT Election Data and Science Lab, U.S. President 1976–2024 . How these figures were compiled
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