1980 United States presidential election in Wisconsin explained

See main article: 1980 United States presidential election.

Election Name:1980 United States presidential election in Wisconsin
Country:Wisconsin
Flag Year:1913
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1976 United States presidential election in Wisconsin
Previous Year:1976
Next Election:1984 United States presidential election in Wisconsin
Next Year:1984
Election Date:November 4, 1980
Image1:Official Portrait of President Reagan 1981-cropped.jpg
Nominee1:Ronald Reagan
Party1:Republican Party (United States)
Running Mate1:George H. W. Bush
Home State1:California
Electoral Vote1:11
Popular Vote1:1,088,845
Percentage1:47.90%
Nominee2:Jimmy Carter
Party2:Democratic Party (United States)
Home State2:Georgia
Running Mate2:Walter Mondale
Electoral Vote2:0
Popular Vote2:981,584
Percentage2:43.18%
Image3:John B. Anderson in New Jersey (cropped).jpg
Nominee3:John B. Anderson
Party3:Independent (United States)
Home State3:Illinois
Running Mate3:Patrick Lucey
Electoral Vote3:0
Popular Vote3:160,657
Percentage3:7.07%
Map Size:310px
President
Before Election:Jimmy Carter
Before Party:Democratic Party (United States)
After Election:Ronald Reagan
After Party:Republican Party (United States)

The 1980 United States presidential election in Wisconsin took place on November 4, 1980. All 50 states and The District of Columbia, were part of the 1980 United States presidential election. State voters chose eight electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

In the earliest polls in August, Reagan was well ahead of Carter.[1] Independent candidate John B. Anderson, who had recently chosen former Badger State Governor Patrick Lucey as his running mate,[2] was ahead of Carter in some normally Democratic districts of the state.[1] Anderson was the first of the three leading candidates to campaign in the state, doing so alongside his running mate early in September,[3] Reagan campaigned in the state during the first week of October, when he was ahead by 5 points in a recent poll, and argued that his tax cuts are necessary to aid business and an economy affected by stagflation.[4] Carter would not campaign in Wisconsin until the second week of October, when he argued against Reagan’s nuclear and military arms positions, arguing that they could lead to interventions that were “jingoistic”, “macho” and “guided by a desire to push everybody around”.[5]

In October, Reagan continued to lead in Wisconsin, although his lead fell as Anderson’s strength dropped below the 20 percent level where it had been during September.[6] Wisconsin was ultimately won by Reagan his running mate, former C.I.A. Director George H. W. Bush of Texas, against incumbent President Carter by 4.72 points. This was about what had been expected at the beginning of October.[7] This result made Wisconsin almost 5% more Democratic than the nation-at-large.

Primaries

Democratic primary

!Candidate!Votes!Delegates
Jimmy Carter (incumbent)353,66246
Ted Kennedy189,52025
Jerry Brown74,49610
Others11,4910
Totals629,91681

Republican primary

!Candidate!Votes!Delegates
Ronald Reagan364,89815
George H. W. Bush276,16411
John B. Anderson248,62310
Howard Baker3,2980
Others9,9190
Totals902,90237

Results

1980 United States presidential election in Wisconsin
PartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes
RepublicanRonald Reagan1,088,845 47.90%11
DemocraticJimmy Carter (incumbent)981,58443.18%0
IndependentJohn B. Anderson160,6577.07%0
LibertarianEd Clark29,135 1.28%0
IndependentBarry Commoner7,7670.34%0
ConstitutionJohn Rarick1,5190.07%0
Write-Ins1,3370.06%0
IndependentDavid McReynolds808 0.04%0
IndependentGus Hall7720.03%0
IndependentDeirdre Griswold4140.02%0
IndependentClifton DeBerry3830.02%0
Totals2,272,838100.0%11

Results by county

CountyRonald Reagan
Republican
Jimmy Carter
Democratic
John B. Anderson
Independent
Ed Clark
Libertarian
Barry Commoner
Independent
Various candidates
Other parties
MarginTotal 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"%data-sort-type="number"data-sort-type="number"%
Adams3,30450.69%2,77342.54%3184.88%1031.58%80.12%120.18%5318.15%6,518
Ashland3,26237.56%4,46951.46%6857.89%1251.44%1081.24%360.41%-1,207-13.90%8,685
Barron8,79147.05%8,65446.32%8834.73%2871.54%540.29%160.09%1370.73%18,685
Bayfield3,27842.08%3,70547.57%5547.11%1481.90%871.12%170.22%-427-5.49%7,789
Brown47,06756.72%29,79635.91%4,6805.64%1,1271.36%2050.25%1020.12%17,27120.81%82,977
Buffalo3,56948.11%3,27644.16%4045.45%1441.94%170.23%80.11%2933.95%7,418
Burnett3,02744.81%3,20047.37%3935.82%1031.52%240.36%80.12%-173-2.56%6,755
Calumet7,88555.17%5,03635.23%1,0647.44%2321.62%130.09%630.44%2,84919.94%14,293
Chippewa10,53148.06%9,83644.89%1,1605.29%3321.52%280.13%250.11%6953.17%21,912
Clark7,92152.73%6,09140.54%6794.52%3002.00%160.11%160.11%1,83012.19%15,023
Columbia10,47849.90%8,71541.51%1,3736.54%3321.58%480.23%500.24%1,7638.39%20,996
Crawford3,93450.08%3,39243.18%3714.72%1101.40%390.50%100.13%5426.90%7,856
Dane57,54534.17%85,60950.84%19,77211.74%2,2161.32%2,8071.67%4560.27%-28,064-16.67%168,405
Dodge19,43557.70%11,96635.53%1,7095.07%4841.44%340.10%540.16%7,46922.17%33,682
Door7,17055.23%4,96138.21%6555.05%1541.19%260.20%160.12%2,20917.02%12,982
Douglas7,25834.24%11,70355.21%1,7288.15%4001.89%510.24%590.28%-4,445-20.97%21,199
Dunn7,42843.47%7,74345.31%1,5659.16%2351.38%920.54%250.15%-315-1.84%17,088
Eau Claire17,30444.46%17,60245.22%3,4868.96%3891.00%1050.27%360.09%-298-0.76%38,922
Florence1,18752.52%94341.73%863.81%311.37%60.27%70.31%24410.79%2,260
Fond du Lac24,19656.97%15,29336.01%2,1915.16%6681.57%620.15%600.14%8,90320.96%42,470
Forest2,07044.29%2,40251.39%1413.02%551.18%30.06%30.06%-332-7.10%4,674
Grant13,29855.82%8,40635.28%1,6907.09%3681.54%440.18%180.08%4,89220.54%23,824
Green7,71454.03%5,33637.37%9476.63%2451.72%290.20%60.04%2,37816.66%14,277
Green Lake5,86863.42%2,85130.81%3683.98%1511.63%70.08%70.08%3,01732.61%9,252
Iowa4,06845.24%4,15446.20%5466.07%1661.85%480.53%100.11%-86-0.96%8,992
Iron1,81145.04%1,94148.27%2195.45%390.97%70.17%40.10%-130-3.23%4,021
Jackson4,32750.80%3,62942.61%4134.85%1151.35%210.25%120.14%6988.19%8,517
Jefferson16,17453.91%11,33537.78%1,9256.42%4461.49%590.20%610.20%4,83916.13%30,000
Juneau5,59155.14%3,88438.30%4634.57%1691.67%150.15%180.18%1,70716.84%10,140
Kenosha24,48143.82%26,73847.86%3,8026.81%6841.22%640.11%940.17%-2,257-4.04%55,863
Kewaunee5,57757.05%3,70637.91%3183.25%1471.50%150.15%120.12%1,87119.14%9,775
La Crosse23,42751.73%17,30438.21%3,6528.06%4801.06%3710.82%510.11%6,12313.52%45,285
Lafayette4,42151.46%3,59841.88%4505.24%1071.25%80.09%70.08%8239.58%8,591
Langlade4,86649.30%4,49845.57%3693.74%1121.13%160.16%100.10%3683.73%9,871
Lincoln6,47350.75%5,43842.63%6304.94%1921.51%130.10%90.07%1,0358.12%12,755
Manitowoc18,59148.00%17,33044.74%2,0145.20%6531.69%510.13%930.24%1,2613.26%38,732
Marathon25,86848.34%23,28143.50%3,2576.09%9141.71%1020.19%920.17%2,5874.84%53,514
Marinette10,44454.49%7,71840.27%6833.56%2831.48%220.11%170.09%2,72614.22%19,167
Marquette3,16654.78%2,18037.72%2704.67%1262.18%100.17%270.47%98617.06%5,779
Menominee30232.26%54458.12%576.09%111.18%60.64%161.71%-242-25.86%936
Milwaukee183,45039.54%240,17451.76%34,2817.39%3,8430.83%1,1050.24%1,1550.25%-56,724-12.22%464,008
Monroe8,13651.87%6,52141.58%7804.97%2021.29%330.21%120.08%1,61510.29%15,684
Oconto8,29258.01%5,35237.44%4403.08%1761.23%200.14%130.09%2,94020.57%14,293
Oneida8,60251.19%7,00841.70%8324.95%3061.82%400.24%170.10%1,5949.49%16,805
Outagamie31,50052.99%21,28435.81%5,7359.65%7491.26%1100.19%630.11%10,21617.18%59,441
Ozaukee21,37161.00%10,77930.77%2,4637.03%3470.99%460.13%270.08%10,59230.23%35,033
Pepin1,54144.40%1,67348.20%1835.27%541.56%120.35%80.23%-132-3.80%3,471
Pierce6,20939.68%7,31246.73%1,75211.20%2931.87%620.40%180.12%-1,103-7.05%15,646
Polk7,20744.23%7,60746.68%1,1026.76%3282.01%350.21%170.10%-400-2.45%16,296
Portage10,46534.09%16,44353.56%2,8519.29%4631.51%3991.30%810.26%-5,978-19.47%30,702
Price4,02849.30%3,59544.00%3944.82%1251.53%200.24%90.11%4335.30%8,171
Racine39,68349.76%33,56542.09%5,1676.48%1,0541.32%1140.14%1590.20%6,1187.67%79,742
Richland4,60153.57%3,41339.74%4134.81%1321.54%200.23%90.10%1,18813.83%8,588
Rock30,96050.60%24,74040.44%4,4087.20%8881.45%1160.19%700.11%6,22010.16%61,182
Rusk3,70447.52%3,58445.98%3404.36%1351.73%220.28%100.13%1201.54%7,795
Sauk9,99249.48%8,45641.87%1,4056.96%2901.44%430.21%90.04%1,5367.61%20,195
Sawyer3,54850.07%3,06543.25%3234.56%1251.76%180.25%70.10%4836.82%7,086
Shawano9,92260.96%5,41033.24%6524.01%2321.43%270.17%330.20%4,51227.72%16,276
Sheboygan23,03647.42%20,97443.18%3,8597.94%5881.21%580.12%600.12%2,0624.24%48,575
St. Croix9,26542.56%10,20346.87%1,8678.58%3641.67%500.23%180.08%-938-4.31%21,767
Taylor4,59651.31%3,73941.74%4034.50%1952.18%180.20%70.08%8579.57%8,958
Trempealeau5,99249.52%5,39044.54%5584.61%1221.01%300.25%90.07%6024.98%12,101
Vernon6,52851.11%5,50143.07%4943.87%1901.49%440.34%160.13%1,0278.04%12,773
Vilas6,03460.80%3,29333.18%4214.24%1401.41%240.24%120.12%2,74127.62%9,924
Walworth19,19456.90%11,34433.63%2,5817.65%5221.55%580.17%310.09%7,85023.27%33,730
Washburn3,19346.41%3,17246.10%3555.16%1241.80%350.51%10.01%210.31%6,880
Washington23,21358.81%12,94432.79%2,6546.72%5611.42%330.08%660.17%10,26926.02%39,471
Waukesha81,05958.25%46,61233.50%9,7787.03%1,3961.00%1490.11%1540.11%34,44724.75%139,148
Waupaca12,56861.71%6,40131.43%1,0725.26%2681.32%420.21%150.07%6,16730.28%20,366
Waushara5,57661.43%2,98732.91%3353.69%1411.55%220.24%160.18%2,58928.52%9,077
Winnebago34,28653.28%24,20337.61%4,7797.43%8441.31%1370.21%1040.16%10,08315.67%64,353
Wood17,98752.19%13,80440.05%2,0105.83%5551.61%840.24%270.08%4,18312.14%34,467
Totals1,088,84547.90%981,58443.18%160,6577.07%29,1351.28%7,7670.34%5,2330.23%107,2614.72%2,273,221

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

See also

Notes and References

  1. ‘Reagan Runs Ahead of Carter, Democratic Study Group says’; Boston Globe, August 9, 1980, p. 12
  2. Weaver, Warren, Jr.; ‘Anderson Chooses Lucey for His Ticket: Praises Ex-Wisconsin Governor as Qualified for the White House’; Special to The New York Times, August 26, 1980, p. A1
  3. ‘Anderson Opens Campaign in Midwest: Are Debates Critical?’; Special to the New York Times, September 2, 1980, p. B8
  4. Nyhan, David; ‘Reagan Aims at Economy for Votes in Key States’; Boston Globe, October 3, 1980, p. 1
  5. Weisman, Steven R.; ‘Carter Presses Issue of “War and Peace”: In Illinois and Wisconsin, He Again Accuses Reagan of Backing Policies of Intervention’; Special to The New York Times, October 7, 1980, p. D21
  6. Broder, David S.; ‘The Post Survey: Reagan's Lead Is Big, But Carter Can Still Win: Reagan Leads; Carter Can Win’; The Washington Post, October 5, 1980, pp. D1, D5
  7. Web site: 1980 Presidential General Election Results – Wisconsin. May 19, 2015. Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas.