The 1976 United States presidential election in Mississippi was held on November 2, 1976. The Democratic Party candidate Jimmy Carter won the state of Mississippi. He narrowly won the state with 49.56% of the vote, and all seven of the state's electors were pledged to Carter.[1]
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County Results
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In the 1972 election, Mississippi had Richard Nixon's strongest showing in the country, giving him 78% of the vote. Carter managed to carry Mississippi in 1976 by a slim margin of 1.88% against incumbent Republican President Gerald Ford. At that time, Carter’s performance in Mississippi was the narrowest victory for a post-Reconstruction Democratic presidential candidate, as he failed to win a majority of the vote. This was also the first time since 1848 that the state was decided by a single-digit margin.
While Carter performed well in northern Mississippi and in Black majority counties along the Mississippi River, President Ford’s wins in Hinds County (Jackson) and neighboring Rankin County, both of which were won with over sixty percent of the vote, along with a substantial win in Harrison County (Biloxi and Gulfport), kept the race in Mississippi extremely close.
As of the 2024 presidential election[update], this is the last time a Democrat won the state of Mississippi, as well as Hancock County, Neshoba County, DeSoto County, Carroll County, Covington County, Pearl River County, George County, Wayne County, Stone County, Greene County, Perry County, and Webster County.[2]
60% of white voters supported Ford while 36% supported Carter.[3][4]
Predictions
editSource | Rating | As of |
---|---|---|
The Atlanta Constitution[5] | Likely D (Flip) | September 13, 1976 |
Kansas City Times[6] | Lean R | October 26, 1976 |
Daily News[7] | Tossup | October 27, 1976 |
Sun Herald[8] | Lean R | October 31, 1976 |
Austin American-Statesman[9] | Lean R | October 31, 1976 |
Results
edit1976 United States presidential election in Mississippi[1] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes | |
Democratic | Jimmy Carter | 381,309 | 49.56% | 7 | |
Republican | Gerald Ford (incumbent) | 366,845 | 47.68% | 0 | |
Mississippi American | Thomas J. Anderson | 6,678 | 0.87% | 0 | |
Independent | Lester Maddox | 4,861 | 0.63% | 0 | |
Independent | Eugene McCarthy | 4,074 | 0.53% | 0 | |
Independent | Peter Camejo | 2,805 | 0.36% | 0 | |
Independent | Roger MacBride | 2,787 | 0.36% | 0 | |
Totals | 769,363 | 100.0% | 7 |
Results by county
editCounty[10] | Jimmy Carter Democratic |
Gerald Ford Republican |
Thomas Anderson Mississippi American |
Lester Maddox Independent |
Eugene McCarthy Independent |
Peter Camejo Independent |
Roger MacBride Independent |
Margin | Total votes cast | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
Adams | 6,619 | 47.75% | 6,431 | 46.40% | 80 | 0.58% | 153 | 1.10% | 56 | 0.40% | 227 | 1.64% | 295 | 2.13% | 188 | 1.35% | 13,861 |
Alcorn | 6,995 | 64.95% | 3,430 | 31.85% | 96 | 0.89% | 121 | 1.12% | 59 | 0.55% | 36 | 0.33% | 33 | 0.31% | 3,565 | 33.10% | 10,770 |
Amite | 2,574 | 51.49% | 2,256 | 45.13% | 61 | 1.22% | 45 | 0.90% | 20 | 0.40% | 24 | 0.48% | 19 | 0.38% | 318 | 6.36% | 4,999 |
Attala | 4,068 | 54.80% | 3,146 | 42.38% | 64 | 0.86% | 64 | 0.86% | 35 | 0.47% | 23 | 0.31% | 23 | 0.31% | 922 | 12.42% | 7,423 |
Benton | 2,375 | 74.01% | 790 | 24.62% | 25 | 0.78% | 19 | 0.59% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,585 | 49.39% | 3,209 |
Bolivar | 7,561 | 58.73% | 5,136 | 39.89% | 102 | 0.79% | 20 | 0.16% | 31 | 0.24% | 12 | 0.09% | 13 | 0.10% | 2,425 | 18.84% | 12,875 |
Calhoun | 2,724 | 56.89% | 1,892 | 39.52% | 70 | 1.46% | 34 | 0.71% | 24 | 0.50% | 26 | 0.54% | 18 | 0.38% | 832 | 17.37% | 4,788 |
Carroll | 1,566 | 49.45% | 1,561 | 49.29% | 15 | 0.47% | 13 | 0.41% | 5 | 0.16% | 3 | 0.09% | 4 | 0.13% | 5 | 0.16% | 3,167 |
Chickasaw | 2,891 | 50.52% | 2,581 | 45.10% | 66 | 1.15% | 54 | 0.94% | 47 | 0.82% | 45 | 0.79% | 39 | 0.68% | 310 | 5.42% | 5,723 |
Choctaw | 1,520 | 47.93% | 1,561 | 49.23% | 36 | 1.14% | 18 | 0.57% | 17 | 0.54% | 7 | 0.22% | 12 | 0.38% | -41 | -1.30% | 3,171 |
Claiborne | 2,657 | 68.98% | 1,078 | 27.99% | 36 | 0.93% | 11 | 0.29% | 23 | 0.60% | 13 | 0.34% | 34 | 0.88% | 1,579 | 40.99% | 3,852 |
Clarke | 2,816 | 46.97% | 2,935 | 48.96% | 45 | 0.75% | 66 | 1.10% | 51 | 0.85% | 41 | 0.68% | 41 | 0.68% | -119 | -1.99% | 5,995 |
Clay | 3,514 | 51.40% | 3,017 | 44.13% | 64 | 0.94% | 79 | 1.16% | 61 | 0.89% | 55 | 0.80% | 47 | 0.69% | 497 | 7.27% | 6,837 |
Coahoma | 6,412 | 57.70% | 4,269 | 38.41% | 104 | 0.94% | 109 | 0.98% | 106 | 0.95% | 63 | 0.57% | 50 | 0.45% | 2,143 | 19.29% | 11,113 |
Copiah | 4,267 | 49.35% | 4,108 | 47.51% | 68 | 0.79% | 64 | 0.74% | 43 | 0.50% | 51 | 0.59% | 45 | 0.52% | 159 | 1.84% | 8,646 |
Covington | 2,862 | 51.40% | 2,591 | 46.53% | 33 | 0.59% | 21 | 0.38% | 23 | 0.41% | 19 | 0.34% | 19 | 0.34% | 271 | 4.87% | 5,568 |
DeSoto | 7,756 | 54.19% | 6,240 | 43.60% | 78 | 0.54% | 69 | 0.48% | 88 | 0.61% | 46 | 0.32% | 35 | 0.24% | 1,516 | 10.59% | 14,312 |
Forrest | 7,914 | 41.39% | 10,770 | 56.33% | 167 | 0.87% | 93 | 0.49% | 95 | 0.50% | 42 | 0.22% | 39 | 0.20% | -2,856 | -14.94% | 19,120 |
Franklin | 1,578 | 46.48% | 1,719 | 50.63% | 29 | 0.85% | 31 | 0.91% | 17 | 0.50% | 12 | 0.35% | 9 | 0.27% | -141 | -4.15% | 3,395 |
George | 3,072 | 58.75% | 1,957 | 37.43% | 56 | 1.07% | 39 | 0.75% | 44 | 0.84% | 34 | 0.65% | 27 | 0.52% | 1,115 | 21.32% | 5,229 |
Greene | 2,127 | 56.42% | 1,538 | 40.80% | 16 | 0.42% | 34 | 0.90% | 17 | 0.45% | 15 | 0.40% | 23 | 0.61% | 589 | 15.62% | 3,770 |
Grenada | 3,263 | 46.48% | 3,569 | 50.84% | 72 | 1.03% | 25 | 0.36% | 45 | 0.64% | 29 | 0.41% | 17 | 0.24% | -306 | -4.36% | 7,020 |
Hancock | 3,855 | 49.16% | 3,765 | 48.01% | 47 | 0.60% | 68 | 0.87% | 44 | 0.56% | 35 | 0.45% | 28 | 0.36% | 90 | 1.15% | 7,842 |
Harrison | 16,569 | 44.61% | 19,207 | 51.72% | 361 | 0.97% | 328 | 0.88% | 301 | 0.81% | 207 | 0.56% | 166 | 0.45% | -2,638 | -7.11% | 37,139 |
Hinds | 28,748 | 37.95% | 45,803 | 60.46% | 415 | 0.55% | 261 | 0.34% | 270 | 0.36% | 114 | 0.15% | 145 | 0.19% | -17,055 | -22.51% | 75,756 |
Holmes | 4,616 | 64.08% | 2,438 | 33.85% | 54 | 0.75% | 37 | 0.51% | 23 | 0.32% | 15 | 0.21% | 20 | 0.28% | 2,178 | 30.23% | 7,203 |
Humphreys | 2,172 | 57.55% | 1,445 | 38.29% | 39 | 1.03% | 37 | 0.98% | 40 | 1.06% | 20 | 0.53% | 21 | 0.56% | 727 | 19.26% | 3,774 |
Issaquena | 567 | 59.43% | 325 | 34.07% | 19 | 1.99% | 17 | 1.78% | 16 | 1.68% | 8 | 0.84% | 2 | 0.21% | 242 | 25.36% | 954 |
Itawamba | 4,480 | 66.82% | 2,153 | 32.11% | 25 | 0.37% | 10 | 0.15% | 23 | 0.34% | 6 | 0.09% | 8 | 0.12% | 2,327 | 34.71% | 6,705 |
Jackson | 12,533 | 40.32% | 17,177 | 55.26% | 332 | 1.07% | 394 | 1.27% | 248 | 0.80% | 201 | 0.65% | 197 | 0.63% | -4,644 | -14.94% | 31,082 |
Jasper | 3,109 | 56.39% | 2,356 | 42.74% | 28 | 0.51% | 12 | 0.22% | 4 | 0.07% | 2 | 0.04% | 2 | 0.04% | 753 | 13.65% | 5,513 |
Jefferson | 2,562 | 74.78% | 782 | 22.83% | 21 | 0.61% | 18 | 0.53% | 19 | 0.55% | 11 | 0.32% | 13 | 0.38% | 1,780 | 51.95% | 3,426 |
Jefferson Davis | 2,747 | 58.47% | 1,868 | 39.76% | 25 | 0.53% | 13 | 0.28% | 13 | 0.28% | 15 | 0.32% | 17 | 0.36% | 879 | 18.71% | 4,698 |
Jones | 10,139 | 47.04% | 11,098 | 51.49% | 102 | 0.47% | 81 | 0.38% | 63 | 0.29% | 28 | 0.13% | 41 | 0.19% | -959 | -4.45% | 21,552 |
Kemper | 2,436 | 58.56% | 1,680 | 40.38% | 23 | 0.55% | 14 | 0.34% | 4 | 0.10% | 3 | 0.07% | 0 | 0.00% | 756 | 18.18% | 4,160 |
Lafayette | 4,375 | 52.39% | 3,735 | 44.73% | 57 | 0.68% | 58 | 0.69% | 64 | 0.77% | 40 | 0.48% | 22 | 0.26% | 640 | 7.66% | 8,351 |
Lamar | 3,109 | 41.93% | 4,056 | 54.71% | 97 | 1.31% | 89 | 1.20% | 35 | 0.47% | 7 | 0.09% | 21 | 0.28% | -947 | -12.78% | 7,414 |
Lauderdale | 9,813 | 40.14% | 14,273 | 58.39% | 131 | 0.54% | 134 | 0.55% | 45 | 0.18% | 17 | 0.07% | 33 | 0.13% | -4,460 | -18.25% | 24,446 |
Lawrence | 2,242 | 50.54% | 2,109 | 47.54% | 33 | 0.74% | 19 | 0.43% | 16 | 0.36% | 7 | 0.16% | 10 | 0.23% | 133 | 3.00% | 4,436 |
Leake | 3,415 | 52.47% | 2,952 | 45.36% | 39 | 0.60% | 33 | 0.51% | 27 | 0.41% | 29 | 0.45% | 13 | 0.20% | 463 | 7.11% | 6,508 |
Lee | 8,504 | 52.07% | 7,366 | 45.10% | 229 | 1.40% | 49 | 0.30% | 109 | 0.67% | 52 | 0.32% | 24 | 0.15% | 1,138 | 6.97% | 16,333 |
Leflore | 6,135 | 48.73% | 5,872 | 46.64% | 255 | 2.03% | 74 | 0.59% | 129 | 1.02% | 85 | 0.68% | 39 | 0.31% | 263 | 2.09% | 12,589 |
Lincoln | 4,043 | 38.90% | 6,084 | 58.55% | 72 | 0.69% | 85 | 0.82% | 47 | 0.45% | 37 | 0.36% | 24 | 0.23% | -2,041 | -19.65% | 10,392 |
Lowndes | 6,181 | 42.05% | 8,003 | 54.44% | 275 | 1.87% | 68 | 0.46% | 63 | 0.43% | 55 | 0.37% | 55 | 0.37% | -1,822 | -12.39% | 14,700 |
Madison | 6,240 | 55.14% | 4,838 | 42.75% | 120 | 1.06% | 50 | 0.44% | 31 | 0.27% | 9 | 0.08% | 28 | 0.25% | 1,402 | 12.39% | 11,316 |
Marion | 5,283 | 49.20% | 5,300 | 49.36% | 66 | 0.61% | 28 | 0.26% | 23 | 0.21% | 17 | 0.16% | 20 | 0.19% | -17 | -0.16% | 10,737 |
Marshall | 6,769 | 73.37% | 2,242 | 24.30% | 49 | 0.53% | 47 | 0.51% | 50 | 0.54% | 31 | 0.34% | 38 | 0.41% | 4,527 | 49.07% | 9,226 |
Monroe | 6,097 | 54.27% | 4,737 | 42.17% | 100 | 0.89% | 75 | 0.67% | 91 | 0.81% | 68 | 0.61% | 66 | 0.59% | 1,360 | 12.10% | 11,234 |
Montgomery | 2,410 | 49.93% | 2,278 | 47.19% | 42 | 0.87% | 32 | 0.66% | 33 | 0.68% | 17 | 0.35% | 15 | 0.31% | 132 | 2.74% | 4,827 |
Neshoba | 3,891 | 49.76% | 3,859 | 49.35% | 25 | 0.32% | 23 | 0.29% | 8 | 0.10% | 5 | 0.06% | 8 | 0.10% | 32 | 0.41% | 7,819 |
Newton | 2,741 | 40.97% | 3,813 | 57.00% | 114 | 1.70% | 8 | 0.12% | 8 | 0.12% | 3 | 0.04% | 3 | 0.04% | -1,072 | -16.03% | 6,690 |
Noxubee | 2,121 | 51.28% | 1,860 | 44.97% | 45 | 1.09% | 39 | 0.94% | 36 | 0.87% | 26 | 0.63% | 9 | 0.22% | 261 | 6.31% | 4,136 |
Oktibbeha | 4,339 | 44.62% | 5,194 | 53.41% | 61 | 0.63% | 27 | 0.28% | 46 | 0.47% | 20 | 0.21% | 38 | 0.39% | -855 | -8.79% | 9,725 |
Panola | 5,517 | 60.85% | 3,341 | 36.85% | 70 | 0.77% | 35 | 0.39% | 45 | 0.50% | 31 | 0.34% | 28 | 0.31% | 2,176 | 24.00% | 9,067 |
Pearl River | 5,024 | 51.98% | 4,332 | 44.82% | 56 | 0.58% | 105 | 1.09% | 74 | 0.77% | 32 | 0.33% | 42 | 0.43% | 692 | 7.16% | 9,665 |
Perry | 1,965 | 52.75% | 1,527 | 40.99% | 112 | 3.01% | 39 | 1.05% | 38 | 1.02% | 24 | 0.64% | 20 | 0.54% | 438 | 11.76% | 3,725 |
Pike | 5,749 | 48.92% | 5,659 | 48.16% | 109 | 0.93% | 103 | 0.88% | 54 | 0.46% | 28 | 0.24% | 49 | 0.42% | 90 | 0.76% | 11,751 |
Pontotoc | 4,066 | 62.64% | 2,245 | 34.59% | 77 | 1.19% | 31 | 0.48% | 26 | 0.40% | 18 | 0.28% | 28 | 0.43% | 1,821 | 28.05% | 6,491 |
Prentiss | 4,431 | 63.51% | 2,362 | 33.85% | 44 | 0.63% | 42 | 0.60% | 46 | 0.66% | 29 | 0.42% | 23 | 0.33% | 2,069 | 29.66% | 6,977 |
Quitman | 2,621 | 64.80% | 1,287 | 31.82% | 34 | 0.84% | 25 | 0.62% | 30 | 0.74% | 23 | 0.57% | 25 | 0.62% | 1,334 | 32.98% | 4,045 |
Rankin | 6,937 | 36.75% | 11,507 | 60.95% | 133 | 0.70% | 125 | 0.66% | 83 | 0.44% | 54 | 0.29% | 39 | 0.21% | -4,570 | -24.20% | 18,878 |
Scott | 3,643 | 48.78% | 3,649 | 48.86% | 61 | 0.82% | 59 | 0.79% | 25 | 0.33% | 14 | 0.19% | 17 | 0.23% | -6 | -0.08% | 7,468 |
Sharkey | 1,283 | 52.39% | 1,024 | 41.81% | 43 | 1.76% | 23 | 0.94% | 33 | 1.35% | 21 | 0.86% | 22 | 0.90% | 259 | 10.58% | 2,449 |
Simpson | 3,600 | 45.23% | 4,291 | 53.91% | 33 | 0.41% | 22 | 0.28% | 11 | 0.14% | 1 | 0.01% | 2 | 0.03% | -691 | -8.68% | 7,960 |
Smith | 2,434 | 42.35% | 3,147 | 54.75% | 32 | 0.56% | 53 | 0.92% | 32 | 0.56% | 20 | 0.35% | 30 | 0.52% | -713 | -12.40% | 5,748 |
Stone | 1,648 | 50.27% | 1,575 | 48.05% | 26 | 0.79% | 9 | 0.27% | 5 | 0.15% | 1 | 0.03% | 14 | 0.43% | 73 | 2.22% | 3,278 |
Sunflower | 4,322 | 53.86% | 3,456 | 43.07% | 69 | 0.86% | 46 | 0.57% | 49 | 0.61% | 47 | 0.59% | 35 | 0.44% | 866 | 10.79% | 8,024 |
Tallahatchie | 2,991 | 56.95% | 2,146 | 40.86% | 37 | 0.70% | 29 | 0.55% | 20 | 0.38% | 17 | 0.32% | 12 | 0.23% | 845 | 16.09% | 5,252 |
Tate | 3,747 | 58.22% | 2,497 | 38.80% | 51 | 0.79% | 57 | 0.89% | 40 | 0.62% | 20 | 0.31% | 24 | 0.37% | 1,250 | 19.42% | 6,436 |
Tippah | 4,260 | 67.90% | 1,887 | 30.08% | 47 | 0.75% | 26 | 0.41% | 25 | 0.40% | 15 | 0.24% | 14 | 0.22% | 2,373 | 37.82% | 6,274 |
Tishomingo | 3,734 | 63.95% | 1,969 | 33.72% | 53 | 0.91% | 28 | 0.48% | 20 | 0.34% | 20 | 0.34% | 15 | 0.26% | 1,765 | 30.23% | 5,839 |
Tunica | 1,695 | 61.50% | 951 | 34.51% | 23 | 0.83% | 24 | 0.87% | 33 | 1.20% | 17 | 0.62% | 13 | 0.47% | 744 | 26.99% | 2,756 |
Union | 5,021 | 65.56% | 2,507 | 32.73% | 52 | 0.68% | 38 | 0.50% | 20 | 0.26% | 9 | 0.12% | 12 | 0.16% | 2,514 | 32.83% | 7,659 |
Walthall | 2,650 | 53.79% | 2,110 | 42.83% | 50 | 1.01% | 40 | 0.81% | 44 | 0.89% | 23 | 0.47% | 10 | 0.20% | 540 | 10.96% | 4,927 |
Warren | 6,299 | 40.11% | 8,699 | 55.39% | 231 | 1.47% | 144 | 0.92% | 152 | 0.97% | 100 | 0.64% | 80 | 0.51% | -2,400 | -15.28% | 15,705 |
Washington | 9,650 | 53.17% | 7,474 | 41.18% | 346 | 1.91% | 153 | 0.84% | 222 | 1.22% | 136 | 0.75% | 168 | 0.93% | 2,176 | 11.99% | 18,149 |
Wayne | 3,306 | 51.48% | 3,022 | 47.06% | 14 | 0.22% | 36 | 0.56% | 10 | 0.16% | 13 | 0.20% | 21 | 0.33% | 284 | 4.42% | 6,422 |
Webster | 2,218 | 51.81% | 1,943 | 45.39% | 44 | 1.03% | 37 | 0.86% | 15 | 0.35% | 11 | 0.26% | 13 | 0.30% | 275 | 6.42% | 4,281 |
Wilkinson | 2,514 | 65.38% | 1,273 | 33.11% | 16 | 0.42% | 13 | 0.34% | 11 | 0.29% | 7 | 0.18% | 11 | 0.29% | 1,241 | 32.27% | 3,845 |
Winston | 3,956 | 50.77% | 3,659 | 46.96% | 60 | 0.77% | 34 | 0.44% | 37 | 0.47% | 28 | 0.36% | 18 | 0.23% | 297 | 3.81% | 7,792 |
Yalobusha | 2,603 | 57.81% | 1,808 | 40.15% | 32 | 0.71% | 30 | 0.67% | 7 | 0.16% | 14 | 0.31% | 9 | 0.20% | 795 | 17.66% | 4,503 |
Yazoo | 4,053 | 47.85% | 4,255 | 50.23% | 42 | 0.50% | 45 | 0.53% | 31 | 0.37% | 19 | 0.22% | 26 | 0.31% | -202 | -2.38% | 8,471 |
Totals | 381,309 | 49.56% | 366,846 | 47.68% | 6,678 | 0.87% | 4,861 | 0.63% | 4,074 | 0.53% | 2,805 | 0.36% | 2,787 | 0.36% | 14,463 | 1.88% | 769,360 |
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
edit- Adams
- Bolivar
- Carroll
- Coahoma
- Covington
- Desoto
- George
- Greene
- Hancock
- Humphreys
- Marshall
- Lawrence
- Neshoba
- Noxubee
- Quitman
- Sharkey
- Pearl River
- Perry
- Stone
- Tunica
- Wilkinson
- Wayne
- Webster
- Alcorn
- Amite
- Attala
- Benton
- Calhoun
- Chickasaw
- Clarke
- Clay
- Copiah
- Issaquena
- Itawamba
- Jasper
- Jefferson Davis
- Kemper
- Lafayette
- Leake
- Lee
- Leflore
- Madison
- Monroe
- Montgomery
- Panola
- Pike
- Pontotoc
- Prentiss
- Sunflower
- Tallahatchie
- Tate
- Tippah
- Tishomingo
- Union
- Walthall
- Washington
- Yalobusha
- Winston
References
edit- ^ a b "1976 Presidential General Election Results – Mississippi". Retrieved May 18, 2016.
- ^ Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
- ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 295.
- ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 335.
- ^ Joyce, Faye S. (September 13, 1976). "Southerners Favour Carter, Poll Shows". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 2-A.
- ^ Patterson, Kathleen (October 26, 1976). "South Still Hard To Peg". Kansas City Times. Kansas City, Missouri. p. 10.
- ^ "Convention Wounds Remain". Daily News. New York City. October 27, 1976. p. 45.
- ^ "Political Science Majors Predict Ford Win". Sun Herald. Biloxi, Mississippi. October 31, 1976. p. D-11.
- ^ "Electoral Votes: A Photo Finish — Polls". Austin American-Statesman. October 31, 1976. pp. A1, A6.
- ^ "MS US President Race, November 02, 1976". Our Campaigns.