1980 United States presidential election in Nevada

The 1980 United States presidential election in Nevada took place on November 4, 1980. All 50 states and The District of Columbia were part of the 1980 United States presidential election. State voters chose three electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Main article: 1980 United States presidential election

1980 United States presidential election in Nevada

← 1976 November 4, 1980 1984 →
Turnout	84.6% (of registered voters) 48.15% (of eligible voters)
Nominee Ronald Reagan Jimmy Carter John B. Anderson Party Republican Democratic Independent Home state California Georgia Illinois Running mate George H. W. Bush Walter Mondale Patrick Lucey Electoral vote 3 0 0 Popular vote 155,017 66,666 17,651 Percentage 62.54% 26.89% 7.12%
County Results Reagan   50-60%   60-70%   70-80%
President before election Jimmy Carter Democratic Elected President Ronald Reagan Republican

Nevada was won by Former California Governor Ronald Reagan (R), who won the state with a 36-point landslide.^[1] Reagan's margin of victory was especially impressive as four year earlier, Nevada had been a swing state, only going for Ford by a narrow 4.36%. Nevada swung nearly 32 points to towards the Republicans this election.

Starting with this election, the winner of every presidential election won Nevada, until 2016.

Likely owing to criticism of Carter for his inability to understand specifically Western issues, mainly the region's problems with water supply,^[2] Reagan won the state handily. Starting with this election, the winner of every presidential election won Nevada, until 2016.

Likely owing to criticism of Carter for his inability to understand specifically Western issues, mainly the region's problems with water supply, Nevada came out 26% more Republican than the nation at-large.^[3]

Primaries

1980 Democratic Primary

Candidate	Votes	Delegates
Jimmy Carter (incumbent)	25,159	5
Ted Kennedy	19,296	4
Uncommitted	22,493	5
Totals	66,948	14

1980 Republican Primary

Candidate	Votes	Delegates
Ronald Reagan	39,352	18
George H.W. Bush	3,078	0
Uncommitted	4,965	2
Totals	47,395	20

Results

1980 United States Presidential Election in Nevada^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ronald Reagan	155,017	62.54%
	Democratic	Jimmy Carter (inc.)	66,666	26.89%
	Independent	John Anderson	17,651	7.12%
	Libertarian	Edward E. Clark	4,358	1.76%
		None of These Candidates	4,193	1.69%
Total votes			247,885	100%

Results by county

County	Ronald Reagan Republican		Jimmy Carter Democratic		John B. Anderson Independent		Ed Clark Libertarian		None of These Candidates		Margin		Total[4]
	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%
Carson City	8,389	66.81%	2,769	22.05%	964	7.68%	218	1.74%	216	1.72%	5,620	44.76%	12,556
Churchill	3,841	72.84%	1,055	20.01%	257	4.87%	46	0.87%	74	1.40%	2,786	52.83%	5,273
Clark	76,194	59.80%	38,313	30.07%	8,702	6.83%	2,092	1.64%	2,123	1.67%	37,881	29.73%	127,424
Douglas	5,254	71.55%	1,352	18.41%	511	6.96%	131	1.78%	95	1.29%	3,902	53.14%	7,343
Elko	4,393	70.89%	1,296	20.91%	301	4.86%	119	1.92%	88	1.42%	3,097	49.98%	6,197
Esmeralda	311	66.31%	110	23.45%	29	6.18%	11	2.35%	8	1.71%	201	42.86%	469
Eureka	430	76.24%	103	18.26%	13	2.30%	7	1.24%	11	1.95%	327	57.98%	564
Humboldt	1,950	68.59%	684	24.06%	128	4.50%	42	1.48%	39	1.37%	1,266	44.53%	2,843
Lander	935	65.61%	361	25.33%	64	4.49%	35	2.46%	30	2.11%	574	40.28%	1,425
Lincoln	1,087	68.54%	396	24.97%	38	2.40%	30	1.89%	35	2.21%	691	43.57%	1,586
Lyon	3,709	67.98%	1,288	23.61%	271	4.97%	115	2.11%	73	1.34%	2,421	44.37%	5,456
Mineral	1,628	63.94%	631	24.78%	147	5.77%	53	2.08%	87	3.42%	997	39.16%	2,546
Nye	2,387	64.17%	973	26.16%	204	5.48%	77	2.07%	79	2.12%	1,414	38.01%	3,720
Pershing	877	68.41%	311	24.26%	60	4.68%	16	1.25%	18	1.40%	566	44.15%	1,282
Storey	460	58.75%	222	28.35%	62	7.92%	25	3.19%	14	1.79%	238	30.40%	783
Washoe	41,276	63.54%	15,621	24.05%	5,705	8.78%	1,245	1.92%	1,109	1.71%	25,655	39.49%	64,956
White Pine	1,896	54.77%	1,181	34.11%	195	5.63%	96	2.77%	94	2.72%	715	20.66%	3,462
Totals	155,017	62.54%	66,666	26.89%	17,651	7.12%	4,358	1.76%	4,193	1.69%	88,351	35.65%	247,885

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

• Clark
• Esmeralda
• Nye
• Mineral
• Storey
• White Pine

See also

• United States presidential elections in Nevada

References

1. "1980 Presidential General Election Results – Nevada". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
2. Reisner, Marc; Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water; p. 11 ISBN 0140178244
3. Counting the Votes; Nevada
4. "1980 Primary and General Election Results". Nevada Secretary of State. Retrieved July 9, 2024.