1976 United States presidential election in South Carolina explained

See main article: 1976 United States presidential election.

Election Name:	1976 United States presidential election in South Carolina
Country:	South Carolina
Type:	presidential
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	1972 United States presidential election in South Carolina
Previous Year:	1972
Next Election:	1980 United States presidential election in South Carolina
Next Year:	1980
Election Date:	November 2, 1976
Image1:	Jimmy Carter 1977 cropped.jpg
Nominee1:	Jimmy Carter
Party1:	Democratic Party (United States)
Home State1:	Georgia
Running Mate1:	Walter Mondale
Electoral Vote1:	8
Popular Vote1:	450,825
Percentage1:	56.17%
Nominee2:	Gerald Ford
Party2:	Republican Party (United States)
Home State2:	Michigan
Running Mate2:	Bob Dole
Electoral Vote2:	0
Popular Vote2:	346,140
Percentage2:	43.13%
Map Size:	325px
President
Before Election:	Gerald Ford
Before Party:	Republican Party (United States)
After Election:	Jimmy Carter
After Party:	Democratic Party (United States)

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.^[1]

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 County, Spartanburg County, Berkeley County, Beaufort County, Dorchester County, Florence County, Pickens County, Kershaw County, and Newberry County,^[2] and the last time a Democrat swept every congressional district in the state. It is also the last occasion South Carolina voted more Democratic than Hawaii, Maryland, Minnesota or Rhode Island.

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,^[3] but did visit Columbia in late October as polling day approached, when he was joined by Carter two days subsequently.^[4] 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.^[5] 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.^[6]

55% of white voters supported Ford while 44% supported Carter.

Predictions

Source	Rating	As of
The Atlanta Constitution^[7]		September 13, 1976
The Charlotte Observer^[8]		October 19, 1976
The Times and Democrat^[9]		October 26, 1976
Kansas City Times^[10]		October 26, 1976
Daily News^[11]		October 27, 1976
Sun Herald^[12]		October 31, 1976
Austin American-Statesman^[13]		October 31, 1976

Results

1976 United States presidential election in South Carolina
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage	Electoral 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

County	Jimmy Carter Democratic		Gerald Ford Republican		Thomas Anderson Independent		Lester Maddox American		Margin		Total
		%		%		%		%		%
	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%		24,005
Totals	450,825	56.17%	346,140	43.13%	2,997	0.37%	1,951	0.24%	104,685	13.04%	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

Works cited

• Book: Black . Earl . Earl Black (political scientist) . Black . Merle . Merle Black . The Vital South: How Presidents Are Elected . . 1992 . 0674941306.

Notes and References

1. Web site: 1976 Presidential General Election Results — South Carolina. 2016-08-24 . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
2. Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
3. News: Bandy. Lee. Ford Starts Southern Swing on Sept. 25. The State. Columbia, South Carolina. September 17, 1976. 11-B.
4. News: Ford in Columbia Today; Carter Tuesday. The Item. Sumter, South Carolina. October 23, 1976. 1A.
5. News: Evans. Novak. Rowland. Robert. Ford Sticks to the Script. The State. Columbia, South Carolina. 1-A.
6. News: Carter, "Peanut Brigade", Coming to S.C.. The Item. Sumter, South Carolina. October 25, 1976. 1A, 4A.
7. News: Joyce. Faye S.. September 13, 1976. Southerners Favour Carter, Poll Shows. 2-A. The Atlanta Constitution.
8. News: Eichel. Henry. October 19, 1976. Buoyed by Poll, Ford to Campaign at S.C. Fair. 1B. The Charlotte Observer.
9. News: Rowland. Ed. October 26, 1976. S.C. Votes Could Go to Republican Again. 1B. The Times and Democrat. Orangeburg, South Carolina.
10. News: Patterson. Kathleen. South Still Hard To Peg. Kansas City Times. Kansas City, Missouri. 10. October 26, 1976.
11. News: Convention Wounds Remain. Daily News. New York City. October 27, 1976. 45.
12. News: October 31, 1976 . Political Science Majors Predict Ford Win. D-11 . Sun Herald. Biloxi, Mississippi.
13. News: October 31, 1976 . Electoral Votes: A Photo Finish — Polls. A1, A6. Austin American-Statesman.