Reagan's 'Are you better off than you were four years ago?' converted a close race into a 44-state sweep amid inflation, gas lines and the Iran hostage crisis, and brought a Republican Senate with it. Anderson's independent run took 6.6%.
Elected
Ronald Reagan
Republican
Electoral vote
489 of 538
Popular vote
50.7%
43,903,230 votes
Turnout
54.2%
VEP 58.5% · VAP 55.1%
The result
Ronald Reagan
Republican · 50.70% of votes
489
electoral votes
Jimmy Carter
Democratic · 41.00% of votes
49
electoral votes
John B. Anderson
Independent · 6.60% of votes
—
electoral votes
Ed Clark
Libertarian · 1.06% of votes
—
electoral votes
Barry Commoner
Citizens · 0.27% of votes
—
electoral votes
Gus Hall
Communist · 0.05% of votes
—
electoral votes
EV share
Ronald Reagan
Republican
George H. W. Bush
489
43,903,230
50.70%
44
Jimmy Carter
Democratic
Walter Mondale
49
35,480,115
41.00%
7
John B. Anderson
Independent
Patrick Lucey
—
5,719,850
6.60%
—
Ed Clark
Libertarian
David Koch
—
921,128
1.06%
—
Barry Commoner
Citizens
LaDonna Harris
—
233,052
0.27%
—
Gus Hall
Communist
Angela Davis
—
44,933
0.05%
—
86,302,308 votes recorded for the candidates listed.
Results by state
Alabama
Ronald Reagan · 48.8% · runner-up Jimmy Carter 47.5%
9
electoral votes
Alaska
Ronald Reagan · 54.3% · runner-up Jimmy Carter 26.4%
3
electoral votes
Arizona
Ronald Reagan · 60.6% · runner-up Jimmy Carter 28.2%
6
electoral votes
Arkansas
Ronald Reagan · 48.1% · runner-up Jimmy Carter 47.5%
6
electoral votes
California
Ronald Reagan · 52.7% · runner-up Jimmy Carter 35.9%
45
electoral votes
Colorado
Ronald Reagan · 55.1% · runner-up Jimmy Carter 31.1%
7
electoral votes
Connecticut
Ronald Reagan · 48.2% · runner-up Jimmy Carter 38.5%
8
electoral votes
D of Columbia
Jimmy Carter · 74.8% · runner-up Ronald Reagan 13.4%
3
electoral votes
Delaware
Ronald Reagan · 47.2% · runner-up Jimmy Carter 44.8%
3
electoral votes
Florida
Ronald Reagan · 55.5% · runner-up Jimmy Carter 38.5%
17
electoral votes
Georgia
Jimmy Carter · 55.8% · runner-up Ronald Reagan 41.0%
12
electoral votes
Hawaii
Jimmy Carter · 44.8% · runner-up Ronald Reagan 42.9%
4
electoral votes
Alabama
Ronald Reagan
48.8%
9
Jimmy Carter · 47.5%
Alaska
Ronald Reagan
54.3%
3
Jimmy Carter · 26.4%
Arizona
Ronald Reagan
60.6%
6
Jimmy Carter · 28.2%
Arkansas
Ronald Reagan
48.1%
6
Jimmy Carter · 47.5%
California
Ronald Reagan
52.7%
45
Jimmy Carter · 35.9%
Colorado
Ronald Reagan
55.1%
7
Jimmy Carter · 31.1%
Connecticut
Ronald Reagan
48.2%
8
Jimmy Carter · 38.5%
D of Columbia
Jimmy Carter
74.8%
3
Ronald Reagan · 13.4%
Delaware
Ronald Reagan
47.2%
3
Jimmy Carter · 44.8%
Florida
Ronald Reagan
55.5%
17
Jimmy Carter · 38.5%
Georgia
Jimmy Carter
55.8%
12
Ronald Reagan · 41.0%
Hawaii
Jimmy Carter
44.8%
4
Ronald Reagan · 42.9%
Idaho
Ronald Reagan
66.5%
4
Jimmy Carter · 25.2%
Illinois
Ronald Reagan
49.6%
26
Jimmy Carter · 41.7%
Indiana
Ronald Reagan
56.0%
13
Jimmy Carter · 37.7%
Iowa
Ronald Reagan
51.3%
8
Jimmy Carter · 38.6%
Kansas
Ronald Reagan
57.9%
7
Jimmy Carter · 33.3%
Kentucky
Ronald Reagan
49.1%
9
Jimmy Carter · 47.6%
Louisiana
Ronald Reagan
51.2%
10
Jimmy Carter · 45.7%
Maine
Ronald Reagan
45.6%
4
Jimmy Carter · 42.3%
Maryland
Jimmy Carter
47.1%
10
Ronald Reagan · 44.2%
Massachusetts
Ronald Reagan
41.9%
14
Jimmy Carter · 41.7%
Michigan
Ronald Reagan
49.0%
21
Jimmy Carter · 42.5%
Minnesota
Jimmy Carter
46.5%
10
Ronald Reagan · 42.6%
Mississippi
Ronald Reagan
49.4%
7
Jimmy Carter · 48.1%
Missouri
Ronald Reagan
51.2%
12
Jimmy Carter · 44.3%
Montana
Ronald Reagan
56.8%
4
Jimmy Carter · 32.4%
Nebraska
Ronald Reagan
65.9%
5
Jimmy Carter · 26.0%
Nevada
Ronald Reagan
62.5%
3
Jimmy Carter · 26.9%
New Hampshire
Ronald Reagan
57.7%
4
Jimmy Carter · 28.4%
New Jersey
Ronald Reagan
52.0%
17
Jimmy Carter · 38.6%
New Mexico
Ronald Reagan
54.9%
4
Jimmy Carter · 36.7%
New York
Ronald Reagan
46.7%
41
Jimmy Carter · 44.0%
North Carolina
Ronald Reagan
49.3%
13
Jimmy Carter · 47.2%
North Dakota
Ronald Reagan
64.2%
3
Jimmy Carter · 26.3%
Ohio
Ronald Reagan
51.5%
25
Jimmy Carter · 40.9%
Oklahoma
Ronald Reagan
60.5%
8
Jimmy Carter · 35.0%
Oregon
Ronald Reagan
48.3%
6
Jimmy Carter · 38.7%
Pennsylvania
Ronald Reagan
49.6%
27
Jimmy Carter · 42.5%
Rhode Island
Jimmy Carter
47.7%
4
Ronald Reagan · 37.2%
South Carolina
Ronald Reagan
49.4%
8
Jimmy Carter · 48.1%
South Dakota
Ronald Reagan
60.5%
4
Jimmy Carter · 31.7%
Tennessee
Ronald Reagan
48.7%
10
Jimmy Carter · 48.4%
Texas
Ronald Reagan
55.3%
26
Jimmy Carter · 41.4%
Utah
Ronald Reagan
72.8%
4
Jimmy Carter · 20.6%
Vermont
Ronald Reagan
44.4%
3
Jimmy Carter · 38.4%
Virginia
Ronald Reagan
53.0%
11
Jimmy Carter · 40.3%
Washington
Ronald Reagan
49.7%
8
Jimmy Carter · 37.3%
West Virginia
Jimmy Carter
49.8%
6
Ronald Reagan · 45.3%
Wisconsin
Ronald Reagan
47.9%
11
Jimmy Carter · 43.2%
Wyoming
Ronald Reagan
62.6%
3
Jimmy Carter · 28.0%
The state table accounts for 487 of Ronald Reagan's 489 official electoral votes. The remainder reflect split delegations, district allocations, faithless electors or votes not counted, as recorded at the electoral count.
The Congress it seated
97th Congress
1981–1983
Divided government
Senate
46–53 +1
Republican control · Democratic–Republican +1 independent
House
242–192 +1
Democratic control · Democratic–Republican +1 independent