1976 United States presidential election in Maine

Summary

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.

1976 United States presidential election in Maine

← 1972 November 2, 1976 1980 →
 
Nominee Gerald Ford Jimmy Carter
Party Republican Democratic
Home state Michigan Georgia
Running mate Bob Dole Walter Mondale
Electoral vote 4 0
Popular vote 236,320 232,279
Percentage 48.91% 48.07%

County Results

President before election

Gerald Ford
Republican

Elected President

Jimmy Carter
Democratic

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.

As of the 2020 presidential election, 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.

Results edit

Electoral results
Presidential candidate Party Home state Popular vote Electoral
vote
Running mate
Count Percentage Vice-presidential candidate Home state Electoral vote
Gerald Ford Republican Michigan 236,320 48.91% 4 Robert Dole Kansas 4
Jimmy Carter Democrat Georgia 232,279 48.07% 0 Walter Mondale Minnesota 0
Eugene McCarthy Independent Minnesota 10,874 2.25% 0 0
Benjamin Bubar Prohibition Maine 3,495 0.72% 0 Earl Dodge Colorado 0
Write-in candidates 179 0.04% 0 0
Thomas J. Anderson Tennessee 27 0.01% 0 Rufus Shackelford Florida 0
Gus Hall New York 14 0.00% 0 Jarvis Tyner Pennsylvania 0
Roger MacBride Virginia 10 0.00% 0 David Bergland California 0
Lester Maddox Georgia 8 0.00% 0 William Dyke Wisconsin 0
Peter Camejo New York 1 0.00% 0 Willie Mae Reid Illinois 0
Julius Levin New Jersey 1 0.00% 0 Constance Blomen 0
Total 483,208 100% 4 4
Needed to win 270 270

Results by congressional district edit

Ford won both of Maine's congressional districts.[2]

District Ford # Ford % Carter # Carter % McCarthy # McCarthy % Bubar # Bubar % Representative
1st 127,019 49.22% 123,598 47.9% 6,025 2.33% 1,281 0.5% David F. Emery
2nd 109,301 48.54% 108,681 48.27% 4,849 2.15% 2,214 0.98% William Cohen

Results by county edit

County Gerald Rudolph Ford[3]
Republican
James Earl Carter[3]
Democratic
Eugene Joseph McCarthy[3]
Independent
Benjamin Calvin Bubar, Jr.[3]
Prohibition
Various candidates[3]
Write-ins
Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # % # % # %
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 16.18% 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 2.77% 14,235
York 27,380 44.95% 31,996 52.52% 1,279 2.10% 222 0.36% 39 0.06% -4,616 -7.58% 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

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas; 1976 Presidential General Election Results – Maine
  2. ^ 1976 General Election: Presidential (Report). Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions. 1976.
  3. ^ a b c d e Our Campaigns; ME US President Race, November 02, 1976