See main article: 1976 United States presidential election.
| Election Name: | 1976 United States presidential election in Maine |
| Country: | Maine |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1972 United States presidential election in Maine |
| Previous Year: | 1972 |
| Next Election: | 1980 United States presidential election in Maine |
| Next Year: | 1980 |
| Election Date: | November 2, 1976 |
| Image1: | Gerald Ford presidential portrait (cropped 2).jpg |
| Nominee1: | Gerald Ford |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Home State1: | Michigan |
| Running Mate1: | Bob Dole |
| Electoral Vote1: | 4 |
| Popular Vote1: | 236,320 |
| Percentage1: | 48.91% |
| Nominee2: | Jimmy Carter |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Home State2: | Georgia |
| Running Mate2: | Walter Mondale |
| Electoral Vote2: | 0 |
| Popular Vote2: | 232,279 |
| Percentage2: | 48.07% |
| Map Size: | 350px |
| President | |
| Before Election: | Gerald Ford |
| Before Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Jimmy Carter |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
The 1976 presidential election in Maine took place on November 2, 1976, as part of the 1976 United States presidential election, which took place across all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. Voters chose four representatives, or electors to the electoral college, to vote for president and vice president.
Maine narrowly voted for incumbent Republican president Gerald Ford over his Democratic opponent, Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter. Ford took 48.91% of the vote to Carter’s 48.07%, a victory margin of 0.84%.[1] The anti-war former Democratic senator from Minnesota, Eugene McCarthy, received 2.21% of the vote in Maine, which possibly helped Ford carry the state, as he most likely siphoned more votes from Carter than Ford.
Despite his narrow loss nationwide, Ford actually managed to carry four of the six New England states. Carter only won the heavily Democratic states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, which made New England Ford's second strongest region in the nation after the West.
, this is the last time that a Democrat won the national election without carrying Maine, and the last time until 2020 when a Democrat won without carrying Maine's 2nd congressional district, since the state moved from being a winner take all one four years earlier in 1972.
Ford won both of Maine's congressional districts.[2]
| District | Ford # | Ford % | Carter # | Carter % | McCarthy # | McCarthy % | Bubar # | Bubar % | Representative | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David F. Emery | |||||||||||
| William Cohen |
| County[3] | Gerald Ford Republican | Jimmy Carter Democratic | Eugene McCarthy Independent | Benjamin Bubar Prohibition | Various candidates Write-ins | Margin | Total votes cast | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| data-sort-type="number" | data-sort-type="number" | % | data-sort-type="number" | data-sort-type="number" | % | data-sort-type="number" | data-sort-type="number" | % | data-sort-type="number" | data-sort-type="number" | % | data-sort-type="number" | data-sort-type="number" | % | data-sort-type="number" | data-sort-type="number" | % | ||||||||||
| Androscoggin | 16,330 | 37.40% | 26,484 | 60.65% | 670 | 1.53% | 175 | 0.40% | 6 | 0.01% | -10,154 | -23.25% | 43,665 | ||||||||||||||
| Aroostook | 15,550 | 48.52% | 15,484 | 48.31% | 495 | 1.54% | 515 | 1.61% | 7 | 0.02% | 66 | 0.21% | 32,051 | ||||||||||||||
| Cumberland | 48,959 | 49.64% | 47,007 | 47.66% | 2,329 | 2.36% | 315 | 0.32% | 16 | 0.02% | 1,952 | 1.98% | 98,626 | ||||||||||||||
| Franklin | 5,799 | 50.94% | 5,140 | 45.15% | 318 | 2.79% | 118 | 1.04% | 9 | 0.08% | 659 | 5.79% | 11,384 | ||||||||||||||
| Hancock | 12,064 | 61.40% | 6,725 | 34.23% | 596 | 3.03% | 241 | 1.23% | 21 | 0.11% | 5,339 | 27.17% | 19,647 | ||||||||||||||
| Kennebec | 22,534 | 47.53% | 23,473 | 49.51% | 1,002 | 2.11% | 372 | 0.78% | 26 | 0.05% | -939 | -1.98% | 47,407 | ||||||||||||||
| Knox | 8,315 | 56.24% | 5,922 | 40.05% | 414 | 2.80% | 129 | 0.87% | 6 | 0.04% | 2,393 | 16.19% | 14,786 | ||||||||||||||
| Lincoln | 7,554 | 59.03% | 4,818 | 37.65% | 366 | 2.86% | 49 | 0.38% | 10 | 0.08% | 2,736 | 21.38% | 12,797 | ||||||||||||||
| Oxford | 10,551 | 49.04% | 10,340 | 48.06% | 459 | 2.13% | 129 | 0.60% | 37 | 0.17% | 211 | 0.98% | 21,516 | ||||||||||||||
| Penobscot | 29,016 | 52.17% | 24,672 | 44.36% | 1,367 | 2.46% | 533 | 0.96% | 25 | 0.04% | 4,344 | 7.81% | 55,613 | ||||||||||||||
| Piscataquis | 4,084 | 50.48% | 3,727 | 46.07% | 173 | 2.14% | 103 | 1.27% | 3 | 0.04% | 357 | 4.41% | 8,090 | ||||||||||||||
| Sagadahoc | 5,988 | 50.42% | 5,529 | 46.56% | 287 | 2.42% | 63 | 0.53% | 9 | 0.08% | 459 | 3.86% | 11,876 | ||||||||||||||
| Somerset | 8,868 | 46.76% | 9,465 | 49.91% | 464 | 2.45% | 158 | 0.83% | 11 | 0.06% | -597 | -3.15% | 18,966 | ||||||||||||||
| Waldo | 6,289 | 54.06% | 4,853 | 41.72% | 348 | 2.99% | 131 | 1.13% | 12 | 0.10% | 1,436 | 12.34% | 11,633 | ||||||||||||||
| Washington | 7,039 | 49.45% | 6,644 | 46.67% | 307 | 2.16% | 242 | 1.70% | 3 | 0.02% | 395 | 2.78% | 14,235 | ||||||||||||||
| York | 27,380 | 44.95% | 31,996 | 52.52% | 1,279 | 2.10% | 222 | 0.36% | 39 | 0.06% | -4,616 | -7.57% | 60,916 | ||||||||||||||
| Totals | 236,320 | 48.91% | 232,279 | 48.07% | 10,874 | 2.25% | 3,495 | 0.72% | 240 | 0.05% | 4,041 | 0.84% | 483,208 | ||||||||||||||