1976 United States presidential election in Indiana

none June 2025 September 2023 1976 United States presidential election 1976 United States presidential election in Indiana Indiana presidential no 1972 United States presidential election in Indiana 1972 1980 United States presidential election in Indiana 1980 November 2, 1976 60.1%Madison 1986 330 0.7 pp 200x200px Gerald Ford, second official portrait of the President of the United States, February 1976 (HQ) (cropped closer).jpg Gerald Ford Republican Party (United States) Michigan Bob Dole 13 1,183,958 53.32% Jimmy Carter 1977 cropped.jpg Jimmy Carter Democratic Party (United States) Georgia Walter Mondale 0 1,014,714 45.70% File:1976 United States presidential election in Indiana results map by county.svg 180px County results Ford #F2B3BE 40–50% #E27F90 50–60% #CC2F4A 60–70% #D40000 70–80% Carter #86B6F2 50–60% #4389E3 60–70% President Gerald Ford Republican Party (United States) Jimmy Carter Democratic Party (United States) A presidential election was held in Indiana on November 2, 1976, as part of the 1976 United States presidential election. The Republican ticket of the incumbent president of the United States Gerald Ford and the junior U.S. senator from Kansas Bob Dole defeated the Democratic ticket of the former governor of Georgia Jimmy Carter and the junior U.S. senator from Minnesota Walter Mondale. Carter defeated Ford in the national election with 297 electoral votes.Congressional Quarterly 1985 364, 311 Carter won the Democratic primary by a wide margin over his rivals. The closely-contested Republican primary saw the former governor of California Ronald Reagan defeat Ford in a narrow upset. Ford nevertheless went on to win his party's nomination at the 1976 Republican National Convention. Both major candidates campaigned in Indiana during the fall, with polls showing between 15 and 20 percent of the state's voters still undecided in the final weeks of the campaign.Stoner 2017 424, 418, 449 In the general election, Ford carried most of the counties comprising Northern and Central Indiana, while Carter did well in Southern Indiana counties in the Ohio Valley.Menendez 2009 191–92 Primary elections Republican Party 1976 Republican Party presidential primaries Indiana Republican primary, May 4, 1976McGillivray Scammon 1994 895 Ronald Reagan Republican Party (United States) 323,779 51.29 Gerald Ford Republican Party (United States) 307,513 48.71 631,292 100.00 Democratic Party 1976 Democratic Party presidential primaries Indiana Democratic primary, May 4, 1976McGillivray Scammon 1994 895 Jimmy Carter Democratic Party (United States) 417,480 67.95 George Wallace Democratic Party (United States) 93,121 15.16 Henry M. Jackson (withdrawn) Democratic Party (United States) 72,080 11.73 Ellen McCormack Democratic Party (United States) 31,708 5.16 614,389 100.00 General election Statistics Carter carried Vigo County, Indiana, a national bellwether that supported the national winner in all but two presidential elections during the twentieth century.Menendez 2009 188, 190, 192 Carter's margin in Vigo County (2.3 percentage pointsConrad 1976 38) closely mirrored his national margin over Ford.Congressional Quarterly 1985 364 2020 11 As of 2024, this is the most recent presidential election in which the Democratic ticket carried Dearborn, Dubois, Martin, Ohio, and Owen counties.Sullivan 2016 This was the last election until 2024 in which St. Joseph County, Indiana, did not support the national popular vote winner.Menendez 2009 192 Results 1976 United States presidential election in IndianaConrad 1976 37–38 Gerald FordBob Dole Republican Party (United States) 1,183,958 53.32 12.79 Jimmy CarterWalter Mondale Democratic Party (United States) 1,014,714 45.70 12.36 Thomas J. AndersonRufus Shackleford American Party (1969) 14,048 0.63 0.63 Peter CamejoWillie Mae Reid Socialist Workers Party (United States) 5,695 0.26 Lyndon LaRoucheRonald W. Evans U.S. Labor Party 1,947 0.09 0.09 2,220,362 100.00 Results by county + 1976 United States presidential election in Indiana by countyConrad 1976 37–38County Gerald FordRepublican Jimmy CarterDemocratic Others Margin Total Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Adams 6,280 55.55% 4,908 43.41% 118 1.04% 1,372 12.14% 11,306 Allen 71,321 60.56% 44,744 37.99% 1,704 1.45% 26,577 22.57% 117,769 Bartholomew 14,771 56.41% 11,203 42.78% 213 0.81% 3,568 13.63% 26,187 Benton 3,093 59.09% 2,071 39.57% 70 1.34% 1,022 19.52% 5,234 Blackford 2,886 47.16% 3,174 51.86% 60 0.98% -288 -4.70% 6,120 Boone 9,214 61.48% 5,686 37.94% 86 0.57% 3,528 23.54% 14,986 Brown 2,466 50.29% 2,381 48.55% 57 1.16% 85 1.74% 4,904 Carroll 4,797 56.48% 3,606 42.46% 90 1.06% 1,191 14.02% 8,493 Cass 10,342 56.73% 7,610 41.74% 279 1.53% 2,732 14.99% 18,231 Clark 12,732 42.82% 16,670 56.07% 329 1.11% -3,938 -13.25% 29,731 Clay 5,674 50.37% 5,433 48.23% 158 1.40% 241 2.14% 11,265 Clinton 8,199 54.80% 6,662 44.52% 102 0.68% 1,537 10.28% 14,963 Crawford 2,181 44.08% 2,721 54.99% 46 0.93% -540 -10.91% 4,948 Daviess 6,829 57.69% 4,952 41.83% 57 0.48% 1,877 15.86% 11,838 Dearborn 6,176 49.04% 6,348 50.40% 71 0.56% -172 -1.36% 12,595 Decatur 5,555 55.63% 4,365 43.72% 65 0.65% 1,190 11.91% 9,985 DeKalb 7,860 55.17% 6,151 43.18% 235 1.65% 1,709 11.99% 14,246 Delaware 26,417 50.72% 25,151 48.29% 519 1.00% 1,266 2.43% 52,087 Dubois 6,383 45.97% 7,385 53.19% 116 0.84% -1,002 -7.22% 13,884 Elkhart 27,291 60.07% 17,581 38.70% 557 1.23% 9,710 21.37% 45,429 Fayette 5,704 50.53% 5,519 48.89% 65 0.58% 185 1.64% 11,288 Floyd 11,259 46.42% 12,744 52.54% 252 1.04% -1,485 -6.12% 24,255 Fountain 4,903 54.16% 4,089 45.17% 60 0.66% 814 8.99% 9,052 Franklin 3,557 51.96% 3,234 47.25% 54 0.79% 323 4.71% 6,845 Fulton 5,083 58.41% 3,488 40.08% 132 1.52% 1,595 18.33% 8,703 Gibson 7,105 45.55% 8,430 54.04% 64 0.41% -1,325 -8.49% 15,599 Grant 16,847 55.14% 13,468 44.08% 239 0.78% 3,379 11.06% 30,554 Greene 6,442 46.54% 7,263 52.47% 138 1.00% -821 -5.93% 13,843 Hamilton 21,828 72.86% 7,857 26.23% 273 0.91% 13,971 46.63% 29,958 Hancock 10,072 61.31% 6,191 37.69% 164 1.00% 3,881 23.62% 16,427 Harrison 4,911 45.90% 5,685 53.14% 103 0.96% -774 -7.24% 10,699 Hendricks 16,725 64.07% 9,066 34.73% 313 1.20% 7,659 29.34% 26,104 Henry 11,620 53.19% 10,137 46.40% 91 0.42% 1,483 6.79% 21,848 Howard 19,571 56.48% 14,815 42.75% 267 0.77% 4,756 13.73% 34,653 Huntington 9,182 57.78% 6,515 41.00% 193 1.21% 2,667 16.78% 15,890 Jackson 7,615 49.58% 7,610 49.55% 133 0.87% 5 0.03% 15,358 Jasper 5,398 60.76% 3,286 36.99% 200 2.25% 2,112 23.77% 8,884 Jay 4,606 52.24% 4,124 46.77% 87 0.99% 482 5.47% 8,817 Jefferson 5,573 46.94% 6,139 51.71% 161 1.36% -566 -4.77% 11,873 Jennings 4,505 49.99% 4,430 49.16% 77 0.85% 75 0.83% 9,012 Johnson 16,414 61.36% 10,075 37.66% 260 0.97% 6,339 23.70% 26,749 Knox 9,100 48.25% 9,612 50.97% 148 0.78% -512 -2.72% 18,860 Kosciusko 14,505 65.56% 7,328 33.12% 291 1.32% 7,177 32.44% 22,124 LaGrange 3,876 57.24% 2,835 41.86% 61 0.90% 1,041 15.38% 6,772 Lake 90,119 42.36% 120,700 56.74% 1,922 0.90% -30,581 -14.38% 212,741 LaPorte 21,989 54.09% 18,217 44.81% 449 1.10% 3,772 9.28% 40,655 Lawrence 9,278 53.20% 7,908 45.34% 254 1.46% 1,370 7.86% 17,440 Madison 32,437 51.63% 29,811 47.45% 572 0.91% 2,626 4.18% 62,820 Marion 177,767 54.60% 145,274 44.62% 2,535 0.78% 32,493 9.98% 325,576 Marshall 9,707 59.16% 6,424 39.15% 277 1.69% 3,283 20.01% 16,408 Martin 2,702 48.55% 2,827 50.80% 36 0.65% -125 -2.25% 5,565 Miami 8,263 54.52% 6,257 41.29% 635 4.19% 2,006 13.23% 15,155 Monroe 18,938 53.06% 16,609 46.53% 148 0.41% 2,329 6.53% 35,695 Montgomery 9,509 63.01% 5,320 35.25% 263 1.74% 4,189 27.76% 15,092 Morgan 10,983 59.99% 7,181 39.22% 145 0.79% 3,802 20.77% 18,309 Newton 3,204 58.44% 2,236 40.78% 43 0.78% 968 17.66% 5,483 Noble 6,885 52.91% 5,875 45.15% 253 1.94% 1,010 7.76% 13,013 Ohio 1,027 43.95% 1,300 55.63% 10 0.43% -273 -11.68% 2,337 Orange 4,399 51.90% 4,031 47.56% 46 0.54% 368 4.34% 8,476 Owen 2,896 47.83% 3,103 51.25% 56 0.92% -207 -3.42% 6,055 Parke 3,929 55.00% 3,158 44.20% 57 0.80% 771 10.80% 7,144 Perry 4,088 41.95% 5,620 57.66% 38 0.39% -1,532 -15.71% 9,746 Pike 3,138 44.19% 3,938 55.46% 25 0.35% -800 -11.27% 7,101 Porter 25,489 59.75% 16,468 38.60% 701 1.64% 9,021 21.15% 42,658 Posey 5,136 48.97% 5,298 50.51% 54 0.51% -162 -1.54% 10,488 Pulaski 3,586 54.21% 2,813 42.52% 216 3.27% 773 11.69% 6,615 Putnam 6,063 53.67% 5,116 45.29% 118 1.04% 947 8.38% 11,297 Randolph 6,891 55.93% 5,330 43.26% 99 0.80% 1,561 12.67% 12,320 Ripley 5,293 52.11% 4,792 47.18% 72 0.71% 501 4.93% 10,157 Rush 4,723 60.32% 3,052 38.98% 55 0.70% 1,671 21.34% 7,830 Scott 2,657 38.14% 4,229 60.71% 80 1.15% -1,572 -22.57% 6,966 Shelby 8,918 55.22% 7,098 43.95% 134 0.83% 1,820 11.27% 16,150 Spencer 4,166 46.34% 4,796 53.35% 28 0.31% -630 -7.01% 8,990 St. Joseph 50,358 50.20% 49,156 49.00% 810 0.81% 1,202 1.20% 100,324 Starke 4,354 47.12% 4,753 51.43% 134 1.45% -399 -4.31% 9,241 Steuben 5,079 59.23% 3,323 38.75% 173 2.02% 1,756 20.48% 8,575 Sullivan 3,747 41.61% 5,198 57.72% 61 0.68% -1,451 -16.11% 9,006 Switzerland 1,329 38.07% 2,150 61.59% 12 0.34% -821 -23.52% 3,491 Tippecanoe 29,186 61.33% 17,850 37.51% 551 1.16% 11,336 23.82% 47,587 Tipton 4,776 57.35% 3,428 41.16% 124 1.49% 1,348 16.19% 8,328 Union 1,631 58.25% 1,160 41.43% 9 0.32% 471 16.82% 2,800 Vanderburgh 37,975 51.87% 34,911 47.69% 325 0.44% 3,064 4.18% 73,211 Vermillion 3,674 43.03% 4,791 56.11% 73 0.86% -1,117 -13.08% 8,538 Vigo 23,555 48.46% 24,684 50.78% 371 0.76% -1,129 -2.32% 48,610 Wabash 8,534 59.51% 5,704 39.78% 102 0.71% 2,830 19.73% 14,340 Warren 2,377 55.13% 1,906 44.20% 29 0.67% 471 10.93% 4,312 Warrick 7,200 47.69% 7,804 51.70% 92 0.61% -604 -4.01% 15,096 Washington 3,794 45.61% 4,409 53.01% 115 1.38% -615 -7.40% 8,318 Wayne 16,697 57.20% 12,306 42.16% 188 0.64% 4,391 15.04% 29,191 Wells 5,596 56.33% 4,250 42.78% 88 0.89% 1,346 13.55% 9,934 White 6,287 60.63% 3,963 38.22% 119 1.15% 2,324 22.41% 10,369 Whitley 6,761 54.34% 5,445 43.77% 235 1.89% 1,316 10.57% 12,441 TOTAL 1,183,958 53.32% 1,014,714 45.70% 21,690 0.98% 169,244 7.62% 2,220,362 Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic 10em Blackford Clark Crawford Dearborn Dubois Floyd Gibson Greene Harrison Jefferson Knox Lake Martin Ohio Owen Posey Perry Pike Scott Switzerland Spencer Starke Sullivan Vermillion Vigo Warrick Washington Results by congressional district + 1976 United States presidential election in Indiana by congressional districtPark-Egan n.d. District Ford Carter RepresentativeIndiana 1 1st 38.7% 61.3%Adam Benjamin Jr.Indiana 2 2nd 61.4% 38.6%Floyd FithianIndiana 3 3rd 53.9% 46.1%John BrademasIndiana 4 4th 59.7% 40.3%Dan QuayleIndiana 5 5th 57.2% 42.8%Elwood HillisIndiana 6 6th 58.5% 41.5%David W. EvansIndiana 7 7th 52.6% 47.4%John T. MyersIndiana 8 8th 49.9% 50.1%David L. CornwellIndiana 9 9th 49.0% 51.0%Lee H. HamiltonIndiana 10 10th 55.0% 45.0%Philip SharpIndiana 11 11th 54.6% 45.4%Andrew Jacobs Jr. Hillary Rodham's involvement Hillary Rodham (m. Clinton) was a state organizer for the Carter campaign in Indiana.Groppe Maureen 'Indianoplace'? That's What Hillary Clinton Called Us https://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/behind-closed-doors/2015/10/02/hillary-clinton-indiana-basketball-indianoplace-email/73218878/ Indianapolis Star October 7, 2015 She subsequently served as first lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001, as U.S. senator from New York from 2001 to 2009, and as U.S. secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. Carter would recall Clinton's time as a campaign worker in Indiana during a speech supporting her candidacy in the 2016 United States presidential election. "During my 1976 presidential run, a young woman moved to Indianapolis to help turn out the Indiana vote for me," he said. "Forty years later, I will proudly cast my vote for that same woman to be the next President of the United States."Sheinin Aaron Gould Jimmy Carter Makes Fund Raising Plea for Hillary Clinton Atlanta Journal-Constitution August 30, 2016 August 31, 2016 http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2016/08/30/jimmy-carter-makes-fund-raising-plea-for-hillary-clinton/ https://web.archive.org/web/20160831085042/http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2016/08/30/jimmy-carter-makes-fund-raising-plea-for-hillary-clinton/ See also United States presidential elections in Indiana References Bibliography Congressional Quarterly Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections 2nd 1985 Congressional Quarterly Washington D.C. https://archive.org/details/congressionalqua0000unse Conrad Larry A. 1976 Election Report State of Indiana 1976 Indiana Secretary of State Indianapolis https://indianamemory.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16066coll37/id/1770 Madison James H. The Indiana Way: A State History 1986 Indiana University Press Bloomington https://archive.org/details/indianawaystate00madi McGillivray Alice V. Scammon Richard M. America at the Polls, 1960–1992: Kennedy to Clinton; A Handbook of American Presidential Election Statistics 1994 Congressional Quarterly Washington, D.C. https://archive.org/details/americaatpollsha1960unse Menendez Albert J. The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868–2004 2009 McFarland and Company Jefferson, NC https://archive.org/details/geographyofpresi0000mene Park-Egan Kiernan 1976 Presidential General Election Results, Results by Congressional District n.d. Atlas of U.S. Presidential Election Results https://www.arcgis.com/apps/instant/minimalist/index.html?appid=470d69283c9e42b9ab2d56b9ed42f693 January 8, 2026 Stoner Andrew E. Campaign Crossroads: Presidential Politics in Indiana from Lincoln to Obama 2017 Indiana Historical Society Press Indianapolis https://archive.org/details/campaigncrossroa0000ston Sullivan Robert David How the Red and Blue Map Evolved over the Past Century https://www.americamagazine.org/unconventional-wisdom/2016/06/29/how-red-and-blue-map-evolved-over-past-century/ America June 29, 2016 1976 Indiana Category:1976 Indiana elections