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1980 United States presidential election in South Carolina

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1980 United States presidential election in South Carolina

← 1976 November 4, 1980 1984 →
 
Nominee Ronald Reagan Jimmy Carter
Party Republican Democratic
Home state California Georgia
Running mate George H. W. Bush Walter Mondale
Electoral vote 8 0
Popular vote 441,207 427,560
Percentage 49.57% 48.04%

County Results

President before election

Jimmy Carter
Democratic

Elected President

Ronald Reagan
Republican

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

South Carolina was won by former California Governor Ronald Reagan (R) by a very slim margin of 1 point and a half.[1] This remains the third-closest presidential election in South Carolina history after the controversial 1876 election and the transformative 1952 election.

Campaign

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The state weighed in for this election as 8% more Democratic than the national average, just 3% less than four years earlier. As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last election in which the following counties voted for a Democratic presidential candidate: Anderson, Cherokee, Greenwood, Laurens, Oconee, Saluda and York.[2]

64% of white voters supported Reagan while 32% supported Carter.[3][4]

Carter lost in eight of the ten most populous counties.[5]

Predictions

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Source Rating As of
The Times and Democrat[6] Tossup September 23, 1980
Boca Raton News[7] Tossup October 12, 1980
The Charlotte Observer[8] Tossup October 22, 1980
Anderson Independent[9] Tossup October 29, 1980
Fort Worth Star-Telegram[10] Tossup October 31, 1980
The State[11] Tossup November 2, 1980
Daily Press[12] Lean D November 3, 1980

Results

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Electoral results
Presidential candidate Party Home state Popular vote Electoral
vote
Running mate
Count Percentage Vice-presidential candidate Home state Electoral vote
Ronald Reagan Republican California 441,207 49.57% 8 George H. W. Bush Texas 8
Jimmy Carter (incumbent) Democratic Georgia 427,560 48.04% 0 Walter Mondale (incumbent) Minnesota 0
John B. Anderson Independent Illinois 14,150 1.59% 0 Patrick Lucey Wisconsin 0
Ed Clark Libertarian California 4,975 0.56% 0 David Koch New York 0
John Rarick American Independent Louisiana 1,815 0.20% 0 Eileen Shearer California 0
Write-ins 37 0.04% 0 0
Total 890,105 100% 8 8
Needed to win 270 270

Results by county

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County[13] Ronald Reagan
Republican
Jimmy Carter
Democratic
John B. Anderson
Independent
Various candidates
Other parties
Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # % # %
Abbeville 2,361 35.60% 4,049 61.05% 111 1.67% 111 1.67% -1,688 -25.45% 6,632
Aiken 18,570 57.37% 13,014 40.21% 601 1.86% 184 0.57% 5,556 17.16% 32,369
Allendale 1,182 29.62% 2,778 69.62% 17 0.43% 13 0.33% -1,596 -40.00% 3,990
Anderson 15,667 44.38% 18,801 53.25% 474 1.34% 363 1.03% -3,134 -8.87% 35,305
Bamberg 2,098 38.69% 3,294 60.75% 17 0.31% 13 0.24% -1,196 -22.06% 5,422
Barnwell 3,228 48.14% 3,399 50.69% 64 0.95% 14 0.21% -171 -2.55% 6,705
Beaufort 8,620 51.62% 7,415 44.40% 513 3.07% 152 0.91% 1,205 7.22% 16,700
Berkeley 12,830 55.63% 9,850 42.71% 292 1.27% 92 0.40% 2,980 12.92% 23,064
Calhoun 1,767 45.86% 2,043 53.02% 31 0.80% 12 0.31% -276 -7.16% 3,853
Charleston 44,111 55.13% 32,727 40.90% 2,222 2.78% 952 1.19% 11,384 14.23% 80,012
Cherokee 5,379 43.32% 6,889 55.48% 86 0.69% 64 0.52% -1,510 -12.16% 12,418
Chester 3,104 37.12% 5,145 61.52% 87 1.04% 27 0.32% -2,041 -24.40% 8,363
Chesterfield 3,478 34.88% 6,393 64.11% 64 0.64% 37 0.37% -2,915 -29.23% 9,972
Clarendon 4,158 40.79% 5,979 58.65% 28 0.27% 29 0.28% -1,821 -17.86% 10,194
Colleton 4,719 44.76% 5,745 54.49% 58 0.55% 21 0.20% -1,026 -9.73% 10,543
Darlington 8,289 48.39% 8,489 49.55% 220 1.28% 133 0.78% -200 -1.16% 17,131
Dillon 3,385 42.31% 4,518 56.48% 59 0.74% 38 0.48% -1,133 -14.17% 8,000
Dorchester 10,893 59.53% 7,237 39.55% 140 0.77% 28 0.15% 3,656 19.98% 18,298
Edgefield 2,415 40.68% 3,465 58.36% 29 0.49% 28 0.47% -1,050 -17.68% 5,937
Fairfield 2,098 33.18% 4,153 65.68% 37 0.59% 35 0.55% -2,055 -32.50% 6,323
Florence 17,069 50.19% 16,391 48.19% 348 1.02% 203 0.60% 678 2.00% 34,011
Georgetown 5,151 42.78% 6,701 55.65% 148 1.23% 42 0.35% -1,550 -12.87% 12,042
Greenville 46,168 57.41% 32,135 39.96% 1,600 1.99% 512 0.64% 14,033 17.45% 80,415
Greenwood 7,290 43.17% 9,283 54.97% 230 1.36% 85 0.50% -1,993 -11.80% 16,888
Hampton 2,217 33.58% 4,329 65.56% 35 0.53% 22 0.33% -2,112 -31.98% 6,603
Horry 14,323 49.62% 13,888 48.12% 528 1.83% 125 0.43% 435 1.50% 28,864
Jasper 1,617 32.54% 3,312 66.65% 32 0.64% 8 0.16% -1,695 -34.11% 4,969
Kershaw 6,652 55.55% 5,103 42.62% 145 1.21% 74 0.62% 1,549 12.93% 11,974
Lancaster 6,410 42.25% 8,283 54.60% 331 2.18% 146 0.96% -1,873 -12.35% 15,170
Laurens 6,036 42.83% 7,856 55.74% 125 0.89% 76 0.54% -1,820 -12.91% 14,093
Lee 2,952 37.48% 4,818 61.17% 18 0.23% 89 1.13% -1,866 -23.69% 7,877
Lexington 28,313 67.60% 12,334 29.45% 762 1.82% 477 1.14% 15,979 38.15% 41,886
McCormick 797 30.60% 1,774 68.10% 22 0.84% 12 0.46% -977 -37.50% 2,605
Marion 3,321 37.73% 5,379 61.12% 75 0.85% 26 0.30% -2,058 -23.39% 8,801
Marlboro 2,585 32.15% 5,378 66.89% 52 0.65% 25 0.31% -2,793 -34.74% 8,040
Newberry 5,568 52.96% 4,825 45.90% 80 0.76% 40 0.38% 743 7.06% 10,513
Oconee 5,651 41.58% 7,677 56.49% 189 1.39% 74 0.54% -2,026 -14.91% 13,591
Orangeburg 11,313 40.79% 16,178 58.33% 141 0.51% 101 0.36% -4,865 -17.54% 27,733
Pickens 9,575 53.42% 7,789 43.46% 402 2.24% 157 0.88% 1,786 9.96% 17,923
Richland 36,337 49.87% 33,158 45.50% 1,812 2.49% 1,562 2.14% 3,179 4.37% 72,869
Saluda 2,450 47.40% 2,651 51.29% 38 0.74% 30 0.58% -201 -3.89% 5,169
Spartanburg 30,092 51.12% 27,245 46.28% 941 1.60% 591 1.00% 2,847 4.84% 58,869
Sumter 10,557 52.45% 9,205 45.74% 250 1.24% 114 0.57% 1,352 6.71% 20,126
Union 4,035 38.59% 6,274 60.00% 93 0.89% 54 0.52% -2,239 -21.41% 10,456
Williamsburg 5,110 38.29% 8,135 60.96% 64 0.48% 35 0.26% -3,025 -22.67% 13,344
York 11,265 46.85% 12,075 50.22% 539 2.24% 164 0.68% -810 -3.37% 24,043
Totals 441,207 49.57% 427,560 48.04% 14,150 1.59% 7,166 0.81% 13,647 1.53% 890,083

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

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References

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  1. ^ "1980 Presidential General Election Results – South Carolina". Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas.
  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. ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 295.
  4. ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 335.
  5. ^ Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 123.
  6. ^ "Visit Might Put Reagan "Over the Top" in S.C.". The Times and Democrat. Orangeburg, South Carolina. The Associated Press. September 23, 1980. p. 9b.
  7. ^ Tyson, Remer (October 12, 1980). "Long Shot Strategy: Reagan's Efforts in South Paying Off". Boca Raton News. p. 12A.
  8. ^ Walser, Jim (October 22, 1980). "Carter, Reagan Battle for S.C.". The Charlotte Observer. Charlotte, North Carolina. Observer Columbia Bureau. p. 1.
  9. ^ Ragan (October 29, 1980). "Riley Leads Carter Vote Drive". Anderson Independent-Mail. p. 1.
  10. ^ Pettys, Dick (October 31, 1980). "Reagan Quietly Undermining Carter's '76 Support". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The Associated Press. p. 8A.
  11. ^ Stucker, Jan (November 2, 1980). "Carter in the Carolinas — A Tale of Two States". The State. Columbia, South Carolina. p. B1.
  12. ^ "Down by the Wire: State by State, It's Just too Close to Call". Daily Press. Victorville, California. November 3, 1980. p. B-1.
  13. ^ "SC US President — November 04, 1980". Our Campaigns.

Works cited

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