1976 United States presidential election in South Carolina

The 1976 United States presidential election in South Carolina took place on November 2, 1976. All 50 states and the District of Columbia were part of the 1976 United States presidential election. South Carolina voters chose eight electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president. Despite fluctuating polls, Carter would carry South Carolina by a margin of 13.04 points over Ford.

Ford managed to carry just three of South Carolina's counties, whereas Richard Nixon had carried all 46 counties four years earlier. , this is the last time that the Democratic nominee carried South Carolina, the last time a Democrat won Horry, Spartanburg, Berkeley, Beaufort, Dorchester, Florence, Pickens, Kershaw, and Newberry counties,Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016and the last time a Democrat swept every congressional district in the state.

Campaign Both major party nominees, Democrat former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter, with running mate Walter Mondale, and Republican President Gerald Ford with running mate Senator Bob Dole, campaigned in the state during the fall campaign. Ford did not target the state in late September at the beginning of his re-election campaign, but did visit Columbia in late October as polling day approached, when he was joined by Carter two days subsequently. After Ford’s visit, it was said he was not a factor in South Carolina and that the election hinged on approval or disapproval of Carter. Carter himself campaigned more extensively with his eldest son Jack working in the Sixth Congressional District, and other members of his “Peanut Brigade” touring most major population centers.

Among white voters, 55% supported Ford while 44% supported Carter.

Predictions SourceRatingAs ofThe Atlanta ConstitutionSeptember 13, 1976The Charlotte ObserverOctober 19, 1976The Times and DemocratOctober 26, 1976Kansas City TimesOctober 26, 1976Daily NewsOctober 27, 1976Sun HeraldOctober 31, 1976Austin American-StatesmanOctober 31, 1976

Results 1976 United States presidential election in South CarolinaPartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes Democratic Jimmy Carter 450,825 56.17% 8 Republican Gerald Ford (incumbent) 346,140 43.13% 0 Independent Thomas Anderson 2,997 0.37% 0 American Lester Maddox 1,951 0.24% 0 Write-ins Write-ins 681 0.08% 0 Totals 802,594 99.99% 8 Voter turnout –

Results by county CountyJimmy CarterDemocraticGerald FordRepublicanThomas AndersonIndependentLester MaddoxAmericanMarginTotal # % # % # % # % # % Abbeville 4,700 72.06% 1,791 27.46% 19 0.29% 12 0.18% 2,909 44.60% 6,522 Aiken 14,927 47.88% 16,011 51.36% 80 0.26% 155 0.50% -1,084 -3.48% 31,173 Allendale 2,634 71.02% 1,064 28.69% 4 0.11% 7 0.19% 1,570 42.33% 3,709 Anderson 19,002 66.32% 9,496 33.14% 96 0.34% 60 0.21% 9,506 33.18% 28,654 Bamberg 3,330 63.84% 1,849 35.45% 19 0.36% 18 0.35% 1,481 28.39% 5,216 Barnwell 4,083 61.38% 2,569 38.62% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 1,514 22.76% 6,652 Beaufort 6,049 50.29% 5,935 49.34% 25 0.21% 20 0.17% 114 0.95% 12,029 Berkeley 9,741 58.05% 6,981 41.60% 27 0.16% 32 0.19% 2,760 16.45% 16,781 Calhoun 2,055 59.29% 1,382 39.87% 22 0.63% 7 0.20% 673 19.42% 3,466 Charleston 34,328 49.64% 34,010 49.18% 445 0.64% 372 0.54% 318 0.46% 69,155 Cherokee 7,765 66.19% 3,931 33.51% 17 0.14% 19 0.16% 3,834 32.68% 11,732 Chester 5,200 63.32% 2,982 36.31% 18 0.22% 12 0.15% 2,218 27.01% 8,212 Chesterfield 7,687 75.04% 2,537 24.77% 11 0.11% 9 0.09% 5,150 50.27% 10,244 Clarendon 5,489 64.13% 3,040 35.52% 14 0.16% 16 0.19% 2,449 28.61% 8,559 Colleton 5,134 60.24% 3,324 39.00% 34 0.40% 30 0.35% 1,810 21.24% 8,522 Darlington 10,165 60.16% 6,678 39.52% 26 0.15% 28 0.17% 3,487 20.64% 16,897 Dillon 5,089 66.62% 2,527 33.08% 10 0.13% 13 0.17% 2,562 33.54% 7,639 Dorchester 8,046 54.44% 6,695 45.30% 19 0.13% 19 0.13% 1,351 9.14% 14,779 Edgefield 3,216 62.60% 1,879 36.58% 17 0.33% 25 0.49% 1,337 26.02% 5,137 Fairfield 4,153 69.36% 1,817 30.34% 11 0.18% 7 0.12% 2,336 39.02% 5,988 Florence 16,294 54.49% 13,539 45.27% 27 0.09% 44 0.15% 2,755 9.22% 29,904 Georgetown 7,169 63.54% 4,058 35.97% 34 0.30% 22 0.19% 3,111 27.57% 11,283 Greenville 35,943 47.31% 39,099 51.46% 796 1.05% 143 0.19% -3,156 -4.15% 75,981 Greenwood 9,976 62.39% 5,974 37.36% 17 0.11% 24 0.15% 4,002 25.03% 15,991 Hampton 3,923 68.56% 1,773 30.99% 11 0.19% 15 0.26% 2,150 37.57% 5,722 Horry 15,720 62.59% 9,339 37.18% 15 0.06% 43 0.17% 6,381 25.41% 25,117 Jasper 2,903 70.12% 1,221 29.49% 6 0.14% 10 0.24% 1,682 40.63% 4,140 Kershaw 6,211 50.08% 6,126 49.40% 36 0.29% 29 0.23% 85 0.68% 12,402 Lancaster 8,324 62.19% 4,997 37.33% 37 0.28% 27 0.20% 3,327 24.86% 13,385 Laurens 7,440 57.98% 5,300 41.31% 54 0.42% 37 0.29% 2,140 16.67% 12,831 Lee 3,869 61.86% 2,357 37.69% 12 0.19% 16 0.26% 1,512 24.17% 6,254 Lexington 14,339 39.75% 21,442 59.43% 183 0.51% 113 0.31% -7,103 -19.68% 36,077 Marion 5,927 65.74% 3,076 34.12% 7 0.08% 6 0.07% 2,851 31.62% 9,016 Marlboro 5,409 73.32% 1,961 26.58% 2 0.03% 5 0.07% 3,448 46.74% 7,377 McCormick 1,774 73.09% 640 26.37% 5 0.21% 8 0.33% 1,134 46.72% 2,427 Newberry 5,034 50.26% 4,931 49.23% 24 0.24% 27 0.27% 103 1.03% 10,016 Oconee 8,447 68.61% 3,805 30.90% 41 0.33% 19 0.15% 4,642 37.71% 12,312 Orangeburg 13,652 60.40% 8,794 38.90% 108 0.48% 50 0.22% 4,858 21.50% 22,604 Pickens 8,505 51.07% 8,029 48.21% 95 0.57% 26 0.16% 476 2.86% 16,655 Richland 36,855 52.68% 32,727 46.78% 211 0.30% 169 0.24% 4,128 5.90% 69,962 Saluda 2,715 56.11% 2,085 43.09% 25 0.52% 14 0.29% 630 13.02% 4,839 Spartanburg 27,925 57.32% 20,456 41.99% 223 0.46% 113 0.23% 7,469 15.33% 48,717 Sumter 10,471 52.59% 9,332 46.87% 56 0.28% 53 0.27% 1,139 5.72% 19,912 Union 6,363 64.51% 3,463 35.11% 13 0.13% 24 0.24% 2,900 29.40% 9,863 Williamsburg 8,745 62.22% 5,275 37.53% 10 0.07% 25 0.18% 3,470 24.69% 14,055 York 14,099 58.73% 9,843 41.00% 35 0.15% 28 0.12% 4,256 17.73% 24,005Totals450,82556.17%346,14043.13%2,9970.37%1,9510.24%104,68513.04%802,594

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

Allendale Beaufort Berkeley Charleston Clarendon Dorchester Edgefield Fairfield Florence Hampton Jasper Horry Kershaw Lee McCormick Marion Marlboro Orangeburg Newberry Pickens Richland Spartanburg Sumter Williamsburg Abbeville Anderson Bamberg Barnwell Calhoun Cherokee Chester Chesterfield Colleton Darlington Dillon Georgetown Greenwood Lancaster Laurens Oconee Saluda Union York

Results by congressional district Carter won all six congressional districts, including one that elected a republican.

District Carter Ford Representative 53.9% 46.1%Mendel Jackson Davis 52.4% 47.6%Floyd Spence 58.9% 41.1%Butler Derrick 51.7% 48.3%James Mann 60.7% 39.3%Kenneth Lamar Holland 61.8% 38.2%John Jenrette

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