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).
This was 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.Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
Georgia was the only state in the Deep South between the 1980 and 1988 presidential elections to support the Democratic nominee. Among white voters, 50% supported Carter, while 47% supported Reagan.
This is currently the most recent election in which the Republican candidate won the election without carrying the state. It is also the most recent election in which the Democratic candidate received a majority of the vote in the state.
Primaries +1980 Democratic primaryCandidateVotesDelegatesJimmy Carter (incumbent)338,77266Ted Kennedy32,3150Jerry Brown7,2550Others6,4380Totals384,78066 +1980 Republican primaryCandidateVotesDeleagtesRonald Reagan146,50034George H.W. Bush25,2936John Anderson16,8530Howard Baker1,5710Others9,9530Totals200,17040
Results
1980 United States presidential election in GeorgiaPartyCandidateRunning mateVotesPercentageElectoral 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 0.99% 0 Other write-ins 884 0.1% 0
Results by county