List of 1980 swing states
Encyclopedia
The 1980 U.S. Presidential election
matched incumbent
Democrat
Jimmy Carter
against former Governor of California
Ronald Reagan
. Although Reagan won the electoral vote by a landslide, with Carter carrying only six states and the District of Columbia, the results in many states were very close. Below is a list of states with the lowest margins of victory (less than 2%), sorted by the margin percentages and color-coded for Reagan or Carter:
United States presidential election, 1980
The United States presidential election of 1980 featured a contest between incumbent Democrat Jimmy Carter and his Republican opponent, Ronald Reagan, as well as Republican Congressman John B. Anderson, who ran as an independent...
matched incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
against former Governor of California
Governor of California
The Governor of California is the chief executive of the California state government, whose responsibilities include making annual State of the State addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced...
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
. Although Reagan won the electoral vote by a landslide, with Carter carrying only six states and the District of Columbia, the results in many states were very close. Below is a list of states with the lowest margins of victory (less than 2%), sorted by the margin percentages and color-coded for Reagan or Carter:
- Hawaii- 1.90% 5,767 votes
- Massachusetts- 0.15% 3,829 votes
- Tennessee- 0.29% 4,710 votes
- Arkansas- 0.61% 5,123 votes
- Alabama- 1.30% 17,462 votes
- Mississippi- 1.32% 11,808 votes
- Kentucky- 1.46% 18,857 votes
- South Carolina- 1.53% 13,647 votes