United States Presidential Election, 1980

This is a revision of the United States presidential election of 1980, the year of Republican Ronald Reagan’s landslide election against incumbent Democratic President Jimmy Carter.

In the 1980 election of the current timeline, Reagan received close to 51% of the popular vote compared to over 41% for Carter and around 7% for Independent John Anderson, and with Reagan winning 44 states. This revised version of history makes the 1980 landslide much wider. In this revision, Reagan has 66.7% of the popular vote compared to Carter’s 28.1%, for a victory margin of over 38%, with Anderson receiving only 4.1%. Reagan wins everything except Rhode Island and the District of Columbia, for a total of 49 states.

I’m doing this because Reagan deserves a greater victory than Nixon, since Reagan was a Republican in the true sense of the word who loved this country, compared to Nixon, who was a Republican In Name Only (RINO), or a moderate Republican with views leaning toward socialism and/or leftism in many ways. The 1980 presidential election will stand as one of the biggest landslides in the 20th century, second only to Reagan’s landslide reelection in 1984.

The revised election below is organized state-by-state in alphabetical order, for a total of 50 states plus the District of Columbia.

United States presidential election, 1980 (results estimated)​

Alabama​

Ronald Reagan (R): 1,015,088 (75%)
Jimmy Carter (D): 287,234 (21.2%)
John Anderson (I): 16,481 (1.2%)
Other: 34,526 (2.6%)
Total: 1,353,329

Alaska​

Reagan: 104,508 (65.3%)
Carter: 35,644 (22.3%)
Anderson: 7,155 (4.5%)
Other: 12,638 (7.9%)
Total: 159,945

Arizona​

Reagan: 581,244 (66.2%)
Carter: 218,621 (24.9%)
Anderson: 57,509 (6.6%)
Other: 20,022 (2.3%)
Total: 877,396

Arkansas​

Reagan: 610,381 (71.8%)
Carter: 204,307 (24%)
Anderson: 22,796 (2.7%)
Other: 12,908 (1.5%)
Total: 850,392

California​

Reagan: 6,120,194 (64.7%)
Carter: 2,975,770 (31.4%)
Anderson: 281,178 (3%)
Other: 86,682 (0.9%)
Total: 9,463,824

Colorado​

Reagan: 822,817 (66.7%)
Carter: 337,311 (27.4%)
Anderson: 59,405 (4.8%)
Other: 13,442 (1.1%)
Total: 1,232,975

Connecticut​

Reagan: 870,903 (61.9%)
Carter: 466,199 (33.1%)
Anderson: 56,837 (4%)
Other: 14,060 (1%)
Total: 1,407,999

Delaware​

Reagan: 147,382 (60.7%)
Carter: 82,930 (34.2%)
Anderson: 10,061 (4.1%)
Other: 2,430 (1%)
Total: 242,803

District of Columbia​

Carter: 126,571 (72.2%)
Reagan: 46,147 (26.3%)
Anderson: 1,774 (1%)
Other: 897 (0.5%)
Total: 175,389

Florida​

Reagan: 2,772,346 (74.9%)
Carter: 755,751 (20.4%)
Anderson: 141,061 (3.8%)
Other: 30,348 (0.8%)
Total: 3,699,506

Georgia​

Reagan: 1,257,661 (77.7%)
Carter: 310,085 (19.2%)
Anderson: 35,975 (2.2%)
Other: 14,810 (0.9%)
Total: 1,618,531

Hawaii​

Reagan: 186,305 (61%)
Carter: 103,437 (33.9%)
Anderson: 12,303 (4%)
Other: 3,207 (1.1%)
Total: 305,252

Idaho​

Reagan: 316,121 (71%)
Carter: 106,497 (23.9%)
Anderson: 16,761 (3.8%)
Other: 5,732 (1.3%)
Total: 445,111

Illinois​

Reagan: 3,369,625 (66.2%)
Carter: 1,487,601 (29.2%)
Anderson: 189,307 (3.7%)
Other: 44,421 (0.9%)
Total: 5,090,954

Indiana​

Reagan: 1,566,201 (69.4%)
Carter: 549,221 (24.3%)
Anderson: 111,643 (4.9%)
Other: 30,118 (1.3%)
Total: 2,257,183

Iowa​

Reagan: 850,149 (63.7%)
Carter: 382,963 (28.7%)
Anderson: 83,916 (6.3%)
Other: 16,833 (1.3%)
Total: 1,333,861

Kansas​

Reagan: 712,794 (70.9%)
Carter: 204,783 (20.4%)
Anderson: 68,712 (6.8%)
Other: 18,814 (1.9%)
Total: 1,005,103

Kentucky​

Reagan: 874,353 (66.5%)
Carter: 396,585 (30.2%)
Anderson: 31,533 (2.4%)
Other: 11,814 (0.9%)
Total: 1,314,285

Louisiana​

Reagan: 1,114,769 (71.3%)
Carter: 397,894 (25.5%)
Anderson: 30,479 (1.9%)
Other: 20,252 (1.3%)
Total: 1,563,394

Maine​

Reagan: 330,114 (62.7%)
Carter: 143,669 (27.3%)
Anderson: 42,790 (8.1%)
Other: 10,188 (1.9%)
Total: 526,761

Maryland​

Reagan: 1,038,325 (66%)
Carter: 399,808 (25.4%)
Anderson: 120,901 (7.7%)
Other: 14,372 (0.9%)
Total: 1,573,406

Massachusetts​

Reagan: 1,447,337 (55.3%)
Carter: 897,090 (34.3%)
Anderson: 243,128 (9.3%)
Other: 28,567 (1.1%)
Total: 2,616,122

Michigan​

Reagan: 2,663,236 (65.8%)
Carter: 1,173,743 (29%)
Anderson: 163,613 (4%)
Other: 49,938 (1.2%)
Total: 4,050,530

Minnesota​

Reagan: 1,093,154 (52.9%)
Carter: 887,863 (43%)
Anderson: 63,740 (3.1%)
Other: 21,315 (1%)
Total: 2,066,072

Mississippi​

Reagan: 720,600 (79.5%)
Carter: 166,177 (18.3%)
Anderson: 11,968 (1.3%)
Other: 7,218 (0.8%)
Total: 905,963

Missouri​

Reagan: 1,437,042 (66.4%)
Carter: 638,024 (29.5%)
Anderson: 74,610 (3.4%)
Other: 15,983 (0.7%)
Total: 2,165,659

Montana​

Reagan: 245,064 (65.9%)
Carter: 107,824 (29%)
Anderson: 15,984 (4.3%)
Other: 3,075 (0.8%)
Total: 371,947

Nebraska​

Reagan: 481,327 (73.6%)
Carter: 145,878 (22.3%)
Anderson: 22,420 (3.4%)
Other: 4,398 (0.7%)
Total: 654,023

Nevada​

Reagan: 168,682 (66.9%)
Carter: 64,099 (25.4%)
Anderson: 15,368 (6.1%)
Other: 3,898 (1.5%)
Total: 252,047

New Hampshire​

Reagan: 261,257 (67.2%)
Carter: 105,079 (27%)
Anderson: 18,504 (4.8%)
Other: 3,681 (0.9%)
Total: 388,521

New Jersey​

Reagan: 2,113,478 (66.4%)
Carter: 922,263 (29%)
Anderson: 129,359 (4.1%)
Other: 18,490 (0.6%)
Total: 3,183,590

New Mexico​

Reagan: 289,695 (62.4%)
Carter: 153,668 (33.1%)
Anderson: 16,296 (3.5%)
Other: 4,381 (0.9%)
Total: 464,040

New York​

Reagan: 4,763,712 (63.5%)
Carter: 2,420,303 (32.3%)
Anderson: 246,048 (3.3%)
Other: 71,690 (1%)
Total: 7,501,753

North Carolina​

Reagan: 1,357,452 (72.5%)
Carter: 450,019 (24%)
Anderson: 52,817 (2.8%)
Other: 12,445 (0.7%)
Total: 1,872,733

North Dakota​

Reagan: 210,189 (67.4%)
Carter: 73,015 (23.4%)
Anderson: 23,743 (7.6%)
Other: 5,045 (1.6%)
Total: 311,992

Ohio​

Reagan: 3,030,332 (68.8%)
Carter: 1,039,851 (23.6%)
Anderson: 260,978 (5.9%)
Other: 71,978 (1.6%)
Total: 4,403,139

Oklahoma​

Reagan: 881,755 (75.7%)
Carter: 230,421 (19.8%)
Anderson: 38,334 (3.3%)
Other: 13,849 (1.2%)
Total: 1,164,359

Oregon​

Reagan: 681,628 (57.4%)
Carter: 455,008 (38.3%)
Anderson: 41,808 (3.5%)
Other: 9,417 (0.8%)
Total: 1,187,861

Pennsylvania​

Reagan: 3,254,893 (66.9%)
Carter: 1,345,191 (27.7%)
Anderson: 199,614 (4.1%)
Other: 63,002 (1.3%)
Total: 4,862,700

Rhode Island​

Carter: 203,926 (47.5%)
Reagan: 202,945 (47.3%)
Anderson: 17,616 (4.1%)
Other: 4,580 (1.1%)
Total: 429,067

South Carolina​

Reagan: 657,885 (73%)
Carter: 221,276 (24.6%)
Anderson: 14,282 (1.6%)
Other: 7,188 (0.8%)
Total: 900,631

South Dakota​

Reagan: 222,043 (65.8%)
Carter: 95,977 (28.5%)
Anderson: 15,848 (4.7%)
Other: 3,465 (1%)
Total: 337,333

Tennessee​

Reagan: 1,152,554 (70.6%)
Carter: 432,620 (26.5%)
Anderson: 36,762 (2.3%)
Other: 10,200 (0.6%)
Total: 1,632,136

Texas​

Reagan: 3,268,663 (71.5%)
Carter: 1,058,470 (23.1%)
Anderson: 210,031 (4.6%)
Other: 37,454 (0.8%)
Total: 4,574,618

Utah​

Reagan: 459,061 (75.3%)
Carter: 114,683 (18.8%)
Anderson: 30,953 (5.1%)
Other: 4,685 (0.8%)
Total: 609,382

Vermont​

Reagan: 137,902 (63.7%)
Carter: 65,225 (30.1%)
Anderson: 11,831 (5.5%)
Other: 1,564 (0.7%)
Total: 216,522

Virginia​

Reagan: 1,348,085 (71.3%)
Carter: 417,146 (22.1%)
Anderson: 114,289 (6%)
Other: 12,058 (0.6%)
Total: 1,891,578

Washington​

Reagan: 1,029,301 (58.8%)
Carter: 631,135 (38.6%)
Anderson: 71,098 (4.1%)
Other: 17,874 (1%)
Total: 1,749,408

West Virginia​

Reagan: 541,228 (66.8%)
Carter: 227,627 (28.1%)
Anderson: 32,916 (4.1%)
Other: 8,246 (1%)
Total: 810,017

Wisconsin​

Reagan: 1,457,459 (63.8%)
Carter: 710,373 (31.1%)
Anderson: 92,965 (4.1%)
Other: 23,180 (1%)
Total: 2,283,977

Wyoming​

Reagan: 147,042 (80.6%)
Carter: 26,066 (14.3%)
Anderson: 7,439 (4.1%)
Other: 1,854 (1%)
Total: 182,401

United States (total)​

Reagan: 60,432,428 (66.7%)
Carter: 25,452,921 (28.1%)
Anderson: 3,692,939 (4.1%)
Other: 959,232 (1.1%)
Total: 90,537,520

Notes​

• Reagan won all counties in 32 states, which is more than half the total number.
• Reagan lost only 39 divisions throughout the country. These include:
  • The District of Columbia (1)
  • Four counties in Alabama (2-5)
    • Greene
    • Lowndes
    • Macon
    • Wilcox
  • San Francisco county, California (6)
  • Costilla county, Colorado (7)
  • Six counties in Kentucky (8-13)
    • Breathitt
    • Elliott
    • Floyd
    • Knott
    • Menifee
    • Morgan
  • Suffolk county, Massachusetts (14)
  • Seven counties in Minnesota (15-21)
    • Carlton
    • Itasca
    • Lake
    • Morrison
    • Ramsey
    • St. Louis
    • Swift
  • Two counties in Mississippi (22-23)
    • Claiborne
    • Jefferson
  • St. Louis city-county, Missouri (24)
  • Two counties in Montana (25-26)
    • Deer Lodge
    • Silver Bow
  • Rio Arriba county, New Mexico (27)
  • Two counties in New York (28-29)
    • Bronx
    • New York (Manhattan)
  • Philadelphia county, Pennsylvania (30)
  • Providence county, Rhode Island (31)
  • Shannon county, South Dakota (32)
  • Stewart county, Tennessee (33)
  • Four counties in Texas (34-37)
    • Brooks
    • Duval
    • Starr
    • Webb
  • Charles City county, Virginia (38)
  • Menominee county, Wisconsin (39)
• Notes for notable divisions that Reagan lost: the District of Columbia is also known as Washington, DC; Boston, Massachusetts is located in Suffolk county; St. Louis, Missouri is both a city and a county; Providence, Rhode Island is located in Providence county.
• Other important notes: in the 1972 election, Nixon narrowly lost Kings county (Brooklyn), New York. This flips to the Republican side in 1980, with Reagan winning Brooklyn by over 10 percentage points. While Reagan fails to win the Bronx and Manhattan in this election, he does make it close, only losing them each by under 4 percentage points.

Here’s an addendum to this presidential election. It involves the five boroughs of New York City. The estimated revised results are as follows:

Staten Island​

Reagan: 95,440 (78.3%)
Carter: 22,205 (18.2%)
Anderson: 3,682 (3%)
Other: 610 (0.5%)
Total: 121,937

Queens​

Reagan: 496,023 (61.4%)
Carter: 299,634 (37.1%)
Anderson: 8,240 (1%)
Other: 3,958 (0.5%)
Total: 807,855

Brooklyn​

Reagan: 444,015 (54.4%)
Carter: 359,732 (44.1%)
Anderson: 8,241 (1%)
Other: 3,916 (0.5%)
Total: 815,904

The Bronx​

Carter: 241,252 (51.2%)
Reagan: 223,246 (47.4%)
Anderson: 4,714 (1%)
Other: 2,168 (0.5%)
Total: 471,380

Manhattan​

Carter: 292,371 (51.2%)
Reagan: 270,712 (47.4%)
Anderson: 5,715 (1%)
Other: 2,686 (0.5%)
Total: 571,484

New York City (total)​

Reagan: 1,529,436 (54.8%)
Carter: 1,215,194 (43.6%)
Anderson: 30,592 (1.1%)
Other: 13,338 (0.5%)
Total: 2,788,560