The 1976 United States presidential election in Michigan was held on November2, 1976, as part of the 1976 United States presidential election.

Michigan was won by the incumbent President Gerald Ford, who won his home state with 51.83% of the vote, a victory margin of 5.39 points over Carter, thereby carrying its 21 electoral votes. This result made Michigan about 7.5% more Republican than the nation at large. However, he narrowly lost the general election to Democratic candidate Jimmy Carter. This is currently the only time since 1948 that a Democrat won the presidency without winning Michigan, although Democrats won the popular vote without the state in 2016. Carter also became the first Democrat to win the White House without carrying Macomb County since Woodrow Wilson in 1916. The state would not vote for a losing candidate again until 2000, and for the loser of the popular vote until 2004.

As of the 2024 presidential election, this is the final occasion of only four where Michigan and Pennsylvania voted for different presidential candidates ever since the Democrats and Republicans became the two major parties in U.S. politics. This is also the last time that Michigan voted more Republican than Texas, Oklahoma, or Florida; and that the Democratic candidate lost Michigan but won neighboring Ohio.

Primary election Democratic party

Republican party

General election Results

Results by county County Gerald FordRepublican Jimmy CarterDemocratic Eugene McCarthyIndependent All OthersVarious Margin Total votes cast # % # % # % # % # %Alcona2,32852.87%2,03846.29%310.70%60.14%2906.58%4,403Alger1,72241.38%2,37957.17%471.13%130.31%-657-15.79%4,161Allegan19,33065.59%9,79433.23%2660.90%810.27%9,53632.36%29,471Alpena6,38049.59%6,31049.04%1451.13%310.24%700.55%12,866Antrim4,36958.11%3,03240.33%921.22%250.33%1,33717.78%7,518Arenac2,68749.55%2,69549.70%280.52%130.24%-8-0.15%5,423Baraga1,78849.47%1,77849.20%330.91%150.42%100.27%3,614Barry11,17860.79%6,96737.89%1720.94%710.39%4,21122.90%18,388Bay23,17446.64%25,95852.24%4230.85%1340.27%-2,784-5.60%49,689Benzie3,08561.23%1,89137.53%531.05%90.18%1,19423.70%5,038Berrien40,83561.13%25,16337.67%5690.85%2310.35%15,67223.46%66,798Branch8,25155.74%6,30142.57%1601.08%900.61%1,95013.17%14,802Calhoun30,39053.77%25,22944.64%6831.21%2180.39%5,1619.13%56,520Cass9,89355.15%7,84343.72%1380.77%650.36%2,05011.43%17,939Charlevoix5,14555.57%3,95342.70%1171.26%430.46%1,19212.87%9,258Cheboygan4,89455.13%3,88043.70%810.91%230.26%1,01411.43%8,878Chippewa7,02553.32%6,02245.71%990.75%290.22%1,0037.61%13,175Clare4,87953.46%4,15345.51%680.75%260.28%7267.95%9,126Clinton13,47563.11%7,54935.35%2311.08%980.46%5,92627.76%21,353Crawford2,35954.82%1,88943.90%461.07%90.21%47010.92%4,303Delta7,80945.85%9,02753.00%1550.91%420.25%-1,218-7.15%17,033Dickinson5,92248.63%6,13450.37%970.80%240.20%-212-1.74%12,177Eaton22,12063.65%12,08334.77%4301.24%1170.34%10,03728.88%34,750Emmet5,91058.49%4,01339.72%1291.28%520.51%1,89718.77%10,104Genesee80,00446.67%88,96751.89%1,7901.04%6770.39%-8,963-5.22%171,438Gladwin3,79450.14%3,71949.15%340.45%200.26%750.99%7,567Gogebic3,95338.04%6,34161.02%740.71%240.23%-2,388-22.98%10,392Grand Traverse13,50563.85%7,26334.34%2951.39%870.41%6,24229.51%21,150Gratiot9,52663.01%5,42935.91%1080.71%550.36%4,09727.10%15,118Hillsdale9,30762.23%5,42736.29%1390.93%820.55%3,88025.94%14,955Houghton8,04951.60%7,35247.13%1450.93%540.35%6974.47%15,600Huron9,29761.26%5,72137.70%1180.78%400.26%3,57623.56%15,176Ingham66,72955.92%47,89040.13%3,6363.05%1,0720.90%18,83915.79%119,327Ionia11,73762.46%6,82036.29%1871.00%470.25%4,91726.17%18,791Iosco5,50052.39%4,87546.44%740.70%490.47%6255.95%10,498Iron3,22441.77%4,40157.02%680.88%250.32%-1,177-15.25%7,718Isabella10,57757.66%7,28139.69%3601.96%1270.69%3,29617.97%18,345Jackson32,87356.23%24,72642.30%6141.05%2440.42%8,14713.93%58,457Kalamazoo51,46259.09%33,41138.37%1,8582.13%3540.41%18,05120.72%87,085Kalkaska2,28053.13%1,95745.61%400.93%140.33%3237.52%4,291Kent126,80567.22%59,00031.28%2,1611.15%6670.35%67,80535.94%188,633Keweenaw60647.68%65851.77%60.47%10.08%-52-4.09%1,271Lake1,59841.96%2,17957.22%230.60%80.21%-581-15.26%3,808Lapeer12,34955.59%9,50342.78%2481.12%1150.52%2,84612.81%22,215Leelanau4,24062.33%2,43735.82%961.41%300.44%1,80326.51%6,803Lenawee18,39755.02%14,61043.70%3431.03%850.25%3,78711.32%33,435Livingston19,43759.83%12,41538.22%4791.47%1550.48%7,02221.61%32,486Luce1,37955.27%1,09944.05%120.48%50.20%28011.22%2,495Mackinac3,10755.22%2,45243.58%530.94%150.27%65511.64%5,627Macomb132,49951.24%121,17646.86%3,8981.51%1,0300.40%11,3234.38%258,603Manistee5,53254.59%4,47944.20%960.95%270.27%1,05310.39%10,134Marquette12,98449.34%12,83748.78%3931.49%1010.38%1470.56%26,315Mason6,81259.15%4,54139.43%1241.08%390.34%2,27119.72%11,516Mecosta7,28759.63%4,72538.66%1661.36%430.35%2,56220.97%12,221Menominee5,63349.60%5,59649.27%960.85%320.28%370.33%11,357Midland17,63158.57%11,95939.73%3581.19%1530.51%5,67218.84%30,101Missaukee2,94362.87%1,68836.06%300.64%200.43%1,25526.81%4,681Monroe20,67646.36%23,29052.22%4861.09%1450.33%-2,614-5.86%44,597Montcalm10,43960.36%6,68438.65%1310.76%400.23%3,75521.71%17,294Montmorency1,88252.03%1,68446.56%371.02%140.39%1985.47%3,617Muskegon35,54856.06%27,01342.60%6270.99%2190.35%8,53513.46%63,407Newaygo8,25858.78%5,62240.01%1290.92%410.29%2,63618.77%14,050Oakland244,27158.69%164,26639.47%5,9241.42%1,7440.42%80,00519.22%416,205Oceana5,23659.51%3,42738.95%931.06%420.48%1,80920.56%8,798Ogemaw3,21247.07%3,54551.95%530.78%140.21%-333-4.88%6,824Ontonagon2,46243.91%3,10455.36%310.55%100.18%-642-11.45%5,607Osceola4,46762.23%2,60336.26%590.82%490.68%1,86425.97%7,178Oscoda1,54157.56%1,10841.39%240.90%40.15%43316.17%2,677Otsego3,15553.01%2,72445.77%560.94%170.29%4317.24%5,952Ottawa49,19674.12%16,38124.68%6240.94%1690.25%32,81549.44%66,370Presque Isle3,54551.02%3,33447.99%530.76%160.23%2113.03%6,948Roscommon4,60854.85%3,69143.94%841.00%180.21%91710.91%8,401Saginaw46,76555.63%36,28043.15%7640.91%2620.31%10,48512.48%84,071Sanilac10,59762.87%6,04235.84%1650.98%520.31%4,55527.03%16,856Schoolcraft1,93346.53%2,15851.95%491.18%140.34%-225-5.42%4,154Shiawassee15,11354.52%12,20244.02%2911.05%1150.41%2,91110.50%27,721St. Clair26,31152.74%22,73445.57%6361.27%2080.42%3,5777.17%49,889St. Joseph11,78461.07%7,30637.86%1480.77%570.30%4,47823.21%19,295Tuscola12,05959.86%7,93239.38%1080.54%450.22%4,12720.48%20,144Van Buren13,61556.02%10,36642.65%2551.05%660.27%3,24913.37%24,302Washtenaw56,80750.86%50,91745.59%2,9652.65%1,0000.90%5,8905.27%111,689Wayne348,58838.18%548,76760.11%11,5941.27%4,0410.44%-200,179-21.93%912,990Wexford5,67054.96%4,51943.80%1041.01%240.23%1,15111.16%10,317Totals1,893,74251.83%1,696,71446.44%47,9051.31%15,3880.42%197,0285.39%3,653,749

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

Alger Arenac Bay Dickinson Genesee Gogebic Iron Keweenaw Monroe Ogemaw Ontonagon Schoolcraft

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican Washtenaw

By congressional district Ford won 14 out of the state's 19 congressional districts, including 6 which elected Democrats. District Ford Carter Representative 9.4% 90.6%John Conyers54.6%45.4%Marvin L. EschCarl Pursell 59.9% 40.1%Garry E. Brown59.2%40.8%J. Edward HutchinsonDavid Stockman67.8%32.2%Richard Vander VeenHarold S. Sawyer 58.6% 41.3%Bob Carr47.7%52.3%Donald RiegleDale Kildee 55.5% 44.5%J. Bob Traxler 64.1% 35.9%Guy Vander Jagt 58.9% 41.1%Al Cederberg 51.2% 48.8%Philip Ruppe 54.3%45.7%James G. O'Hara David Bonior 11.4% 88.6%Charles Diggs 51.4% 48.6%Lucien Nedzi 47.2% 52.8%William D. Ford 44.7% 55.3%John Dingell 50.2% 49.8%William M. Brodhead 53.9% 46.1%James J. Blanchard 63.2% 36.8%William Broomfield

See also United States presidential elections in Michigan

Notes

References