The American Vote
Cold War RealignmentMI · 21 EV

1980

Michigan: Reagan carries 21 EV.
Michigan cast its 21 electoral votes for Reagan (Republican). National winner: Ronald Reagan (Republican) — Michigan voted with the national winner this cycle.

What happened in Michigan, 1980

In 1980, Michigan awarded its 21 electoral votes to Reagan of the Republican party. Michigan ended up on the winning side — Ronald Reagan captured the White House that year.

It marked the 3rd consecutive election in which Michigan backed the Republican party, a streak reaching back to 1972. Michigan did not move alone — neighboring Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin broke the same way in 1980. Across the 51 presidential elections Michigan has taken part in, it has most often sided with the Republican party (28 times). The vote fell within the Cold War Realignment — Nixon, Reagan, and the Republican South.

In the national count, Ronald Reagan took 489 of the 538 electoral votes, against Jimmy Carter's 49. Ronald Reagan led the national popular vote with 50.75% of the ballots cast.

The 1980 national map
Michigan full history →
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Michigan in nearby cycles