# 1976 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania

"none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]]
Elections in Pennsylvania :
Federal government
U.S. President
1789
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1800
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1808
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1820
1824
1828
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2000
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2008
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U.S. Senate
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1812
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1908
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1911
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1932
1934
1938
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1950
1952
1956
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1962
1964
1968
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1974
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1994
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2016
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2028
U.S. House of Representatives
1788
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5th sp
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at-large sp
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at-large sp
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27th sp
1974
12th sp
1976
1st sp
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11th sp
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3rd sp
1982
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2nd sp
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12th sp
2012
2014
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2nd sp
2018
7th sp
15th sp
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2019
12th sp
2020
2022
2024 :
State government
Governor
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1966
1970
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1982
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2018
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2026
Lieutenant Governor
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1966
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
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1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022
Attorney General
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Auditor General
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
State Treasurer
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
State Senate
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
State House of Representatives
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024 :
Elections by year
State elections
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
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2023
2024 :
Philadelphia
Mayoral elections
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1840
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1845
1846
1847
1848
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1850
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1852
1853
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1927
1931
1935
1939
1943
1947
1951
1955
1959
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1967
1971
1975
1979
1983
1987
1991
1995
1999
2003
2007
2011
2015
2019
2023
City Council elections
2015
2019
2022–23 sp.
2023
Other municipal elections
1951
1953
1955
1957
1959
1961
2023 :
Pittsburgh
Mayors
1909
1913
1917
1921
1925
1929
1933
1937
1941
1945
1949
1953
1957
1959
1961
1965
1969
1973
1977
1981
1985
1989
1993
1997
2001
2005
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2017
2021 :
Allentown
Mayors
1977
1981
1985
1989
1993
1997
2001
2005
2009
2013
2017
2019 sp
2021 :
Lancaster
Mayors
2009
2017
2021 :
Harrisburg
Mayors
1969
1973
1977
1981
1985
1989
1993
1997
2001
2005
2009
2013
2017
2021 :
Government :
vte :
The 1976 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania took place on November 2, 1976, and was part of the 1976 United States presidential election. Voters chose 27 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
Pennsylvania voted for the Democratic nominee, former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter, over the Republican nominee, President Gerald Ford. Carter won Pennsylvania by a margin of 2.67%, which made Pennsylvania roughly 0.6% more Democratic than the nation at large.
While Ford won more counties by running up victories in the central region of the state and the Philadelphia suburbs, Carter swept Southwestern Pennsylvania where Pittsburgh is located, Erie County (Erie), Lackawanna County (Scranton), and Philadelphia.
As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last presidential election where the Democratic candidate won Pennsylvania without carrying any of Philadelphia's suburban counties. This is also the final occasion of only four where Pennsylvania and Michigan voted for different presidential candidates ever since the Democrats and Republicans became the two major parties in U.S. politics.

## Campaign

The first presidential debate for the general election was held in Philadelphia at the Walnut Street Theatre on September 23 with President Ford and Jimmy Carter attending the debate. The debate was moderated by Edwin Newman of NBC News and sponsored by the League of Women Voters with 69.7 million people watching

## Results

1976 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes |
| | Democratic | Jimmy Carter | 2,328,677 | 50.40% | 27 |
| | Republican | Gerald Ford (incumbent) | 2,205,604 | 47.73% | 0 |
| | McCarthy '76 | Eugene McCarthy | 50,584 | 1.09% | 0 |
| | Constitutional | Lester Maddox | 25,344 | 0.55% | 0 |
| | Socialist Workers | Peter Camejo | 3,009 | 0.07% | 0 |
| | Write-ins | Write-ins | 2,934 | 0.06% | 0 |
| | Labor | Lyndon LaRouche | 2,744 | 0.06% | 0 |
| | Communist | Gus Hall | 1,891 | 0.04% | 0 |
| Totals | Totals | Totals | 4,620,787 | 100.00% | 27 |

### Results by county

| County | Jimmy Carter Democratic | Jimmy Carter Democratic | Gerald Ford Republican | Gerald Ford Republican | Eugene McCarthy McCarthy ‘76 | Eugene McCarthy McCarthy ‘76 | Lester Maddox Constitutional | Lester Maddox Constitutional | Various candidates Other parties | Various candidates Other parties | Margin | Margin | Total votes cast |
| County | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | Total votes cast |
| Adams | 8,771 | 41.14% | 12,133 | 56.90% | 276 | 1.29% | 73 | 0.34% | 69 | 0.32% | -3,362 | -15.76% | 21,322 |
| Allegheny | 328,343 | 50.68% | 303,127 | 46.79% | 8,625 | 1.33% | 5,205 | 0.80% | 2,557 | 0.39% | 25,216 | 3.89% | 647,857 |
| Armstrong | 15,179 | 52.25% | 13,378 | 46.05% | 290 | 1.00% | 190 | 0.65% | 13 | 0.04% | 1,801 | 6.20% | 29,050 |
| Beaver | 46,117 | 56.83% | 33,593 | 41.40% | 925 | 1.14% | 291 | 0.36% | 224 | 0.28% | 12,524 | 15.43% | 81,150 |
| Bedford | 6,652 | 41.22% | 9,355 | 57.97% | 78 | 0.48% | 42 | 0.26% | 11 | 0.07% | -2,703 | -16.75% | 16,138 |
| Berks | 50,994 | 47.41% | 54,452 | 50.63% | 1,176 | 1.09% | 771 | 0.72% | 160 | 0.15% | -3,458 | -3.22% | 107,553 |
| Blair | 18,397 | 38.84% | 28,290 | 59.73% | 395 | 0.83% | 154 | 0.33% | 130 | 0.27% | -9,893 | -20.89% | 47,366 |
| Bradford | 7,913 | 37.62% | 12,851 | 61.10% | 186 | 0.88% | 71 | 0.34% | 13 | 0.06% | -4,938 | -23.48% | 21,034 |
| Bucks | 79,838 | 47.26% | 85,628 | 50.69% | 2,125 | 1.26% | 1,091 | 0.65% | 241 | 0.14% | -5,790 | -3.43% | 168,923 |
| Butler | 22,611 | 45.04% | 26,366 | 52.52% | 666 | 1.33% | 421 | 0.84% | 134 | 0.27% | -3,755 | -7.48% | 50,198 |
| Cambria | 38,797 | 53.79% | 32,469 | 45.02% | 624 | 0.87% | 133 | 0.18% | 105 | 0.15% | 6,328 | 8.77% | 72,128 |
| Cameron | 1,319 | 44.31% | 1,616 | 54.28% | 25 | 0.84% | 5 | 0.17% | 12 | 0.40% | -297 | -9.97% | 2,977 |
| Carbon | 10,791 | 54.03% | 8,883 | 44.48% | 160 | 0.80% | 108 | 0.54% | 31 | 0.16% | 1,908 | 9.55% | 19,973 |
| Centre | 17,867 | 44.18% | 21,177 | 52.37% | 1,158 | 2.86% | 137 | 0.34% | 98 | 0.24% | -3,310 | -8.19% | 40,437 |
| Chester | 42,712 | 38.13% | 67,686 | 60.42% | 1,166 | 1.04% | 317 | 0.28% | 145 | 0.13% | -24,974 | -22.29% | 112,026 |
| Clarion | 6,585 | 43.29% | 8,360 | 54.96% | 177 | 1.16% | 53 | 0.35% | 35 | 0.23% | -1,775 | -11.67% | 15,210 |
| Clearfield | 13,714 | 49.54% | 13,626 | 49.22% | 190 | 0.69% | 109 | 0.39% | 46 | 0.17% | 88 | 0.32% | 27,685 |
| Clinton | 6,532 | 51.99% | 5,858 | 46.63% | 87 | 0.69% | 69 | 0.55% | 18 | 0.14% | 674 | 5.36% | 12,564 |
| Columbia | 12,051 | 50.37% | 11,508 | 48.10% | 196 | 0.82% | 112 | 0.47% | 58 | 0.24% | 543 | 2.27% | 23,925 |
| Crawford | 14,712 | 48.06% | 15,301 | 49.99% | 305 | 1.00% | 232 | 0.76% | 60 | 0.20% | -589 | -1.93% | 30,610 |
| Cumberland | 23,008 | 35.80% | 39,950 | 62.16% | 793 | 1.23% | 460 | 0.72% | 59 | 0.09% | -16,942 | -26.36% | 64,270 |
| Dauphin | 34,342 | 41.32% | 46,819 | 56.33% | 1,074 | 1.29% | 785 | 0.94% | 102 | 0.12% | -12,477 | -15.01% | 83,122 |
| Delaware | 117,252 | 43.28% | 148,679 | 54.88% | 2,995 | 1.11% | 1,581 | 0.58% | 387 | 0.14% | -31,427 | -11.60% | 270,894 |
| Elk | 6,713 | 51.21% | 6,159 | 46.98% | 178 | 1.36% | 49 | 0.37% | 10 | 0.08% | 554 | 4.23% | 13,109 |
| Erie | 55,385 | 51.55% | 49,641 | 46.20% | 1,303 | 1.21% | 943 | 0.88% | 167 | 0.16% | 5,744 | 5.35% | 107,439 |
| Fayette | 32,232 | 60.54% | 20,021 | 37.60% | 410 | 0.77% | 523 | 0.98% | 58 | 0.11% | 12,211 | 22.94% | 53,244 |
| Forest | 1,017 | 46.50% | 1,135 | 51.90% | 27 | 1.23% | 5 | 0.23% | 3 | 0.14% | -118 | -5.40% | 2,187 |
| Franklin | 14,643 | 41.38% | 20,009 | 56.54% | 311 | 0.88% | 406 | 1.15% | 20 | 0.06% | -5,366 | -15.16% | 35,389 |
| Fulton | 1,737 | 42.87% | 2,219 | 54.76% | 32 | 0.79% | 36 | 0.89% | 28 | 0.69% | -482 | -11.89% | 4,052 |
| Greene | 8,769 | 61.67% | 5,293 | 37.22% | 118 | 0.83% | 30 | 0.21% | 9 | 0.06% | 3,476 | 24.45% | 14,219 |
| Huntingdon | 5,410 | 40.19% | 7,843 | 58.26% | 129 | 0.96% | 70 | 0.52% | 10 | 0.07% | -2,433 | -18.07% | 13,462 |
| Indiana | 14,650 | 47.34% | 15,786 | 51.01% | 345 | 1.11% | 74 | 0.24% | 94 | 0.30% | -1,136 | -3.67% | 30,949 |
| Jefferson | 7,456 | 43.53% | 9,437 | 55.09% | 165 | 0.96% | 56 | 0.33% | 16 | 0.09% | -1,981 | -11.56% | 17,130 |
| Juniata | 3,105 | 43.09% | 3,991 | 55.38% | 55 | 0.76% | 27 | 0.37% | 28 | 0.39% | -886 | -12.29% | 7,206 |
| Lackawanna | 57,685 | 56.12% | 43,354 | 42.17% | 821 | 0.80% | 861 | 0.84% | 76 | 0.07% | 14,331 | 13.95% | 102,797 |
| Lancaster | 35,533 | 32.40% | 72,106 | 65.74% | 1,055 | 0.96% | 642 | 0.59% | 340 | 0.31% | -36,573 | -33.34% | 109,676 |
| Lawrence | 23,337 | 54.73% | 18,546 | 43.49% | 453 | 1.06% | 172 | 0.40% | 132 | 0.31% | 4,791 | 11.24% | 42,640 |
| Lebanon | 11,785 | 35.36% | 20,880 | 62.65% | 359 | 1.08% | 237 | 0.71% | 69 | 0.21% | -9,095 | -27.29% | 33,330 |
| Lehigh | 46,620 | 48.92% | 46,895 | 49.20% | 1,066 | 1.12% | 581 | 0.61% | 146 | 0.15% | -275 | -0.28% | 95,308 |
| Luzerne | 74,655 | 54.89% | 60,058 | 44.16% | 907 | 0.67% | 251 | 0.18% | 138 | 0.10% | 14,597 | 10.73% | 136,009 |
| Lycoming | 18,635 | 44.28% | 22,648 | 53.82% | 358 | 0.85% | 351 | 0.83% | 90 | 0.21% | -4,013 | -9.54% | 42,082 |
| McKean | 6,424 | 37.95% | 10,305 | 60.88% | 110 | 0.65% | 72 | 0.43% | 15 | 0.09% | -3,881 | -22.93% | 16,926 |
| Mercer | 25,041 | 51.91% | 22,469 | 46.58% | 413 | 0.86% | 252 | 0.52% | 60 | 0.12% | 2,572 | 5.33% | 48,235 |
| Mifflin | 6,210 | 44.01% | 7,698 | 54.56% | 102 | 0.72% | 75 | 0.53% | 24 | 0.17% | -1,488 | -10.55% | 14,109 |
| Monroe | 9,544 | 47.33% | 10,228 | 50.72% | 221 | 1.10% | 141 | 0.70% | 31 | 0.15% | -684 | -3.39% | 20,165 |
| Montgomery | 112,644 | 41.24% | 155,480 | 56.92% | 3,358 | 1.23% | 1,233 | 0.45% | 454 | 0.17% | -42,836 | -15.68% | 273,169 |
| Montour | 2,727 | 44.89% | 3,259 | 53.65% | 59 | 0.97% | 26 | 0.43% | 4 | 0.07% | -532 | -8.76% | 6,075 |
| Northampton | 42,514 | 55.24% | 32,926 | 42.78% | 751 | 0.98% | 669 | 0.87% | 101 | 0.13% | 9,588 | 12.46% | 76,961 |
| Northumberland | 18,939 | 48.72% | 19,283 | 49.60% | 306 | 0.79% | 297 | 0.76% | 51 | 0.13% | -344 | -0.88% | 38,876 |
| Perry | 4,605 | 37.38% | 7,454 | 60.50% | 156 | 1.27% | 90 | 0.73% | 15 | 0.12% | -2,849 | -23.12% | 12,320 |
| Philadelphia | 494,579 | 66.28% | 239,000 | 32.03% | 7,864 | 1.05% | 2,178 | 0.29% | 2,576 | 0.35% | 255,579 | 34.25% | 746,197 |
| Pike | 2,775 | 38.83% | 4,241 | 59.35% | 74 | 1.04% | 48 | 0.67% | 8 | 0.11% | -1,466 | -20.52% | 7,146 |
| Potter | 2,983 | 43.29% | 3,828 | 55.55% | 61 | 0.89% | 11 | 0.16% | 8 | 0.12% | -845 | -12.26% | 6,891 |
| Schuylkill | 33,905 | 50.64% | 31,944 | 47.71% | 678 | 1.01% | 319 | 0.48% | 102 | 0.15% | 1,961 | 2.93% | 66,948 |
| Snyder | 3,097 | 31.19% | 6,557 | 66.04% | 134 | 1.35% | 67 | 0.67% | 74 | 0.75% | -3,460 | -34.85% | 9,929 |
| Somerset | 13,452 | 45.32% | 15,960 | 53.76% | 180 | 0.61% | 68 | 0.23% | 25 | 0.08% | -2,508 | -8.44% | 29,685 |
| Sullivan | 1,347 | 45.65% | 1,584 | 53.68% | 18 | 0.61% | 2 | 0.07% | 0 | 0.00% | -237 | -8.03% | 2,951 |
| Susquehanna | 6,075 | 41.38% | 8,331 | 56.74% | 116 | 0.79% | 127 | 0.87% | 33 | 0.22% | -2,256 | -15.36% | 14,682 |
| Tioga | 5,795 | 40.23% | 8,417 | 58.43% | 142 | 0.99% | 30 | 0.21% | 21 | 0.15% | -2,622 | -18.20% | 14,405 |
| Union | 3,405 | 34.39% | 6,309 | 63.71% | 136 | 1.37% | 41 | 0.41% | 11 | 0.11% | -2,904 | -29.32% | 9,902 |
| Venango | 8,653 | 40.60% | 12,270 | 57.58% | 238 | 1.12% | 76 | 0.36% | 74 | 0.35% | -3,617 | -16.98% | 21,311 |
| Warren | 7,412 | 45.84% | 8,508 | 52.62% | 157 | 0.97% | 82 | 0.51% | 11 | 0.07% | -1,096 | -6.78% | 16,170 |
| Washington | 49,317 | 59.24% | 32,827 | 39.43% | 780 | 0.94% | 235 | 0.28% | 92 | 0.11% | 16,490 | 19.81% | 83,251 |
| Wayne | 4,244 | 34.48% | 7,811 | 63.45% | 121 | 0.98% | 120 | 0.97% | 14 | 0.11% | -3,567 | -28.97% | 12,310 |
| Westmoreland | 74,217 | 54.52% | 59,172 | 43.47% | 1,661 | 1.22% | 743 | 0.55% | 341 | 0.25% | 15,045 | 11.05% | 136,134 |
| Wyoming | 3,628 | 38.37% | 5,705 | 60.34% | 83 | 0.88% | 34 | 0.36% | 5 | 0.05% | -2,077 | -21.97% | 9,455 |
| York | 41,281 | 41.30% | 56,912 | 56.94% | 881 | 0.86% | 665 | 0.65% | 205 | 0.20% | -15,631 | -15.64% | 99,944 |
| Totals | 2,328,677 | 50.40% | 2,205,604 | 47.73% | 50,584 | 1.09% | 25,344 | 0.55% | 10,578 | 0.23% | 123,073 | 2.67% | 4,620,787 |

#### Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

* Alleghany
* Armstrong
* Beaver
* Cambria
* Carbon
* Clearfield
* Clinton
* Columbia
* Elk
* Erie
* Fayette
* Greene
* Lackawanna
* Lawrence
* Luzerne
* Mercer
* Northampton
* Schuylkill
* Washington
* Westmoreland