1976 U.S. Presidential Election

The 1976 U.S. Presidential Election was between incumbent Gerald Ford (Michigan/Republican) and Jimmy Carter (Georgia/Democrat). Jimmy Carter won the election by capturing 297 votes. A big factor for Carter's victory was Watergate and the resignation of Richard Nixon.

Voting Trends
All of The South (except for Virginia) voted for Jimmy Carter, including his home state of Georgia. The Central States, Oklahoma, Alaska, the Southwest, the Midwest and the Pacific states voted for Gerald Ford. Hawaii voted for Carter. The northeastern states mostly went for Jimmy Carter, with New Jersey being the exception. Most of New England voted for Gerald Ford, with the exception of Massachusetts. The majority of the Rust Belt voted Jimmy Carter, with support of West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Meanwhile Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Michigan voted Ford.

Trivia

 * Gerald Ford's Vice President, Bob Dole, ran in 1996 on the Republican ticket. He would lose to Bill Clinton.
 * Despite losing the election, Gerald Ford won four more states than Jimmy Carter.
 * This would be the last election (as of 2017) where Alabama, Mississippi, Texas and South Carolina would vote Democrat