1980 United States presidential election in Washington (state)

The 1980 United States presidential election in Washington was held on November 4, 1980 as part of the 1980 United States presidential election. State voters chose nine representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

1980 United States presidential election in Washington (state)

← 1976November 4, 19801984 →
 
NomineeRonald ReaganJimmy CarterJohn B. Anderson
PartyRepublicanDemocraticIndependent
Home stateCaliforniaGeorgiaIllinois
Running mateGeorge H. W. BushWalter MondalePatrick Lucey
Electoral vote900
Popular vote865,244650,193185,073
Percentage49.66%37.32%10.62%

County Results

President before election

Jimmy Carter
Democratic

Elected President

Ronald Reagan
Republican

Republican candidate Ronald Reagan won the state of Washington with 49.66 percent of the vote. During the previous election in 1976, Reagan, who was not on the ballot in any of the fifty states, received one of Washington's electoral votes by faithless elector Mike Padden.

Reagan won every county in the state except Grays Harbor and Pacific Counties, neither of which ever voted Republican between 1956 and 2012. As of the 2020 presidential election, Reagan's 1980 effort remains the last Republican win in Jefferson County and was the last in Cowlitz County until 2016. [1]

Third-party candidate John B. Anderson did well in Western Washington, gaining many voters from disaffected major-party supporters and exceeding 14 percent of the vote in Kitsap and San Juan Counties.[2] Anderson was less successful east of the Cascades, apart from college-influenced Whitman County. 1980 marks the last time in which Washington state voted more Republican than the nation at-large.[3]

Results

1980 United States presidential election in Washington[2]
PartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes
RepublicanRonald Reagan865,24449.66%9
DemocratJimmy Carter (incumbent)650,19337.32%0
IndependentJohn B. Anderson185,07310.62%0
LibertarianEdward Clark29,2131.68%0
CitizensBarry Commoner9,4030.54%0
Socialist WorkersClifton DeBerry1,1370.07%0
SocialistDavid McReynolds9560.05%0
CommunistGus Hall8340.05%0
Workers WorldDeirdre Griswold3410.02%0
Totals1,742,394100.0%9

Results by county

CountyRonald Reagan
Republican
Jimmy Carter
Democratic
John B. Anderson
Independent
Various candidates
Other parties
MarginTotal votes cast
#%#%#%#%#%
Adams3,24868.01%1,22325.61%2555.34%501.05%2,02542.40%4,776
Asotin3,27549.18%2,72440.91%5398.09%1211.82%5518.27%6,659
Benton28,72864.68%11,56126.03%3,3017.43%8231.85%17,16738.65%44,413
Chelan11,29956.92%6,48332.66%1,6088.10%4602.32%4,81624.26%19,850
Clallam11,51551.65%8,02936.01%2,1729.74%5802.60%3,48615.64%22,296
Clark33,22346.10%30,58442.43%6,4458.94%1,8232.53%2,6393.67%72,075
Columbia1,34964.67%58728.14%1195.70%311.49%76236.53%2,086
Cowlitz13,15445.93%12,56043.86%2,3368.16%5892.06%5942.07%28,639
Douglas5,17159.38%2,83332.53%5646.48%1411.62%2,33826.85%8,709
Ferry1,10852.76%80238.19%1276.05%633.00%30614.57%2,100
Franklin7,32761.26%3,71931.09%6995.84%2161.81%3,60830.17%11,961
Garfield87557.60%50933.51%1228.03%130.86%36624.09%1,519
Grant11,15261.29%5,67331.18%1,0916.00%2801.54%5,47930.11%18,196
Grays Harbor10,22640.19%11,29044.37%3,26712.84%6612.60%-1,064-4.18%25,444
Island10,92658.87%5,42229.21%1,8009.70%4112.21%5,50429.66%18,559
Jefferson3,64544.61%3,27940.13%87610.72%3704.53%3664.48%8,170
King272,56745.42%235,04639.16%76,11912.68%16,4252.74%37,5216.26%600,157
Kitsap29,42048.79%20,89334.65%8,52514.14%1,4582.42%8,52714.14%60,296
Kittitas5,35949.86%4,07537.91%1,0669.92%2482.31%1,28411.95%10,748
Klickitat3,11349.54%2,59641.31%4236.73%1522.42%5178.23%6,284
Lewis13,63659.94%6,96230.60%1,6037.05%5482.41%6,67429.34%22,749
Lincoln3,32462.28%1,59729.92%3576.69%591.11%1,72732.36%5,337
Mason6,74549.10%5,24138.15%1,3539.85%3982.90%1,50410.95%13,737
Okanogan6,46051.71%4,63437.09%1,0308.24%3692.95%1,82614.62%12,493
Pacific3,13239.09%3,72746.52%94511.79%2082.60%-595-7.43%8,012
Pend Oreille2,13655.70%1,39936.48%2215.76%792.06%73719.22%3,835
Pierce90,24751.13%64,44436.51%18,34510.39%3,4751.97%25,80314.62%176,511
San Juan2,36346.97%1,66633.11%72814.47%2745.45%69713.86%5,031
Skagit15,52050.68%11,29936.90%2,8549.32%9503.10%4,22113.78%30,623
Skamania1,41645.75%1,37344.36%2187.04%882.84%431.39%3,095
Snohomish66,15348.68%52,00338.26%14,46510.64%3,2862.42%14,15010.42%135,907
Spokane78,09655.51%49,26335.02%11,2588.00%2,0681.47%28,83320.49%140,685
Stevens7,09461.53%3,58431.08%6015.21%2512.18%3,51030.45%11,530
Thurston26,36948.10%20,50837.41%5,99310.93%1,9533.56%5,86110.69%54,823
Wahkiakum82846.57%75142.24%1488.32%512.87%774.33%1,778
Walla Walla11,22359.14%5,82530.70%1,5918.38%3381.78%5,39828.44%18,977
Whatcom21,37146.40%18,43040.02%4,90610.65%1,3502.93%2,9416.38%46,057
Whitman8,63650.73%5,72633.63%2,33113.69%3311.94%2,91017.10%17,024
Yakima33,81555.21%21,87335.71%4,6727.63%8931.46%11,94219.50%61,253
Totals865,24449.66%650,19337.32%185,07310.62%41,8842.40%215,05112.34%1,742,394

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

See also

References