# 1976 United States presidential election in Washington (state)

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The 1976 United States presidential election in Washington was held on November 2, 1976, as part of the 1976 United States presidential election. State voters chose nine representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
Incumbent President Gerald Ford won the state of Washington with 50% of the vote, which made the state 6% more Republican than the nation-at-large, but Ford received only eight of the state's nine electoral votes. Former California Governor Ronald Reagan lost the Republican nomination to Gerald Ford in 1976 and was not on the ballot in any state. However, he was given one electoral vote by Washington faithless elector Mike Padden.
As of 2020, the 1976 election remains the last time that a Democrat would win the presidency without carrying Washington state, or that the state would vote Republican in a close nationwide contest. 1976 was also the last time until 2016 that a presidential candidate would lose an electoral vote to a faithless elector in the state. This was also the last time that Clallam County backed the losing national candidate until 2024.

## Results

1976 United States presidential election in Washington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes |
| | Republican | Gerald Ford (incumbent) | 777,732 | 50.00% | 8 |
| | Democratic | Jimmy Carter | 717,323 | 46.11% | 0 |
| | Independent | Eugene McCarthy | 36,986 | 2.38% | 0 |
| | Right Government | Lester Maddox | 8,585 | 0.55% | 0 |
| | American | Thomas J. Anderson | 5,046 | 0.32% | 0 |
| | Libertarian | Roger MacBride | 5,042 | 0.32% | 0 |
| | Bicentennial Reality | Margaret Wright | 1,124 | 0.07% | 0 |
| | Socialist Workers | Peter Camejo | 905 | 0.06% | 0 |
| | U.S. Labor | Lyndon LaRouche | 903 | 0.06% | 0 |
| | Communist | Gus Hall | 817 | 0.05% | 0 |
| | Socialist Labor | Julius Levin | 713 | 0.05% | 0 |
| | Socialist | Frank Zeidler | 358 | 0.02% | 0 |
| | Republican | Ronald Reagan | 0 | 0.00% | 1 |
| Totals | Totals | Totals | 1,555,534 | 100.00% | 9 |
| Voter turnout (Voting age/Registered voters) | Voter turnout (Voting age/Registered voters) | Voter turnout (Voting age/Registered voters) | | | 60%/75% |

### Results by county

| County | Gerald Ford Republican | Gerald Ford Republican | Jimmy Carter Democratic | Jimmy Carter Democratic | Eugene McCarthy Independent | Eugene McCarthy Independent | Various candidates Other parties | Various candidates Other parties | Margin | Margin | Total votes cast |
| County | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | Total votes cast |
| Adams | 2,795 | 58.56% | 1,790 | 37.50% | 68 | 1.43% | 115 | 2.41% | 1,005 | 21.06% | 4,773 |
| Asotin | 2,752 | 47.22% | 2,898 | 49.73% | 80 | 1.38% | 87 | 1.50% | -146 | -2.51% | 5,828 |
| Benton | 22,135 | 63.95% | 11,306 | 32.67% | 677 | 1.96% | 441 | 1.28% | 10,829 | 31.28% | 34,611 |
| Chelan | 10,492 | 56.13% | 7,623 | 40.78% | 322 | 1.73% | 219 | 1.17% | 2,869 | 15.35% | 18,692 |
| Clallam | 9,132 | 49.67% | 8,268 | 44.97% | 475 | 2.60% | 418 | 2.29% | 864 | 4.70% | 18,386 |
| Clark | 27,938 | 45.65% | 31,080 | 50.78% | 1,469 | 2.40% | 597 | 0.98% | -3,142 | -5.13% | 61,201 |
| Columbia | 1,153 | 56.69% | 829 | 40.76% | 29 | 1.43% | 23 | 1.13% | 324 | 15.93% | 2,034 |
| Cowlitz | 12,531 | 44.11% | 14,958 | 52.66% | 562 | 1.98% | 293 | 1.03% | -2,427 | -8.55% | 28,406 |
| Douglas | 4,547 | 53.09% | 3,809 | 44.48% | 111 | 1.30% | 83 | 0.97% | 738 | 8.61% | 8,564 |
| Ferry | 776 | 45.86% | 814 | 48.11% | 45 | 2.66% | 55 | 3.25% | -38 | -2.25% | 1,692 |
| Franklin | 5,671 | 54.51% | 4,369 | 42.00% | 192 | 1.85% | 151 | 1.45% | 1,302 | 12.51% | 10,403 |
| Garfield | 892 | 57.18% | 616 | 39.49% | 26 | 1.67% | 23 | 1.48% | 276 | 17.69% | 1,560 |
| Grant | 9,192 | 51.87% | 7,777 | 43.89% | 400 | 2.26% | 305 | 1.73% | 1,415 | 7.98% | 17,721 |
| Grays Harbor | 9,464 | 39.61% | 13,478 | 56.41% | 534 | 2.24% | 331 | 1.39% | -4,014 | -16.80% | 23,893 |
| Island | 7,804 | 55.33% | 5,859 | 41.54% | 280 | 1.99% | 134 | 0.95% | 1,945 | 13.79% | 14,104 |
| Jefferson | 2,794 | 45.86% | 2,913 | 47.82% | 199 | 3.29% | 136 | 2.25% | -119 | -1.96% | 6,092 |
| King | 279,382 | 50.79% | 248,743 | 45.22% | 14,234 | 2.60% | 5,483 | 1.00% | 30,609 | 5.57% | 550,119 |
| Kitsap | 23,124 | 45.56% | 25,701 | 50.64% | 1,179 | 2.33% | 642 | 1.27% | -2,577 | -5.08% | 50,750 |
| Kittitas | 4,765 | 47.57% | 4,858 | 48.50% | 267 | 2.67% | 99 | 0.99% | -93 | -0.93% | 10,017 |
| Klickitat | 2,573 | 44.99% | 2,890 | 50.53% | 126 | 2.21% | 119 | 2.08% | -317 | -5.54% | 5,719 |
| Lewis | 10,933 | 51.65% | 9,026 | 42.64% | 557 | 2.64% | 601 | 2.85% | 1,907 | 9.01% | 21,167 |
| Lincoln | 2,925 | 57.57% | 1,978 | 38.93% | 98 | 1.93% | 71 | 1.40% | 947 | 18.64% | 5,081 |
| Mason | 4,758 | 42.14% | 6,060 | 53.67% | 268 | 2.38% | 178 | 1.58% | -1,302 | -11.53% | 11,291 |
| Okanogan | 5,455 | 47.05% | 5,543 | 47.81% | 338 | 2.92% | 233 | 2.01% | -88 | -0.76% | 11,595 |
| Pacific | 2,781 | 37.84% | 4,278 | 58.20% | 192 | 2.62% | 77 | 1.05% | -1,497 | -20.36% | 7,350 |
| Pend Oreille | 1,516 | 47.82% | 1,533 | 48.36% | 62 | 1.96% | 51 | 1.61% | -17 | -0.54% | 3,170 |
| Pierce | 74,668 | 46.92% | 78,238 | 49.16% | 4,316 | 2.72% | 1,502 | 0.95% | -3,570 | -2.24% | 159,148 |
| San Juan | 1,998 | 53.68% | 1,467 | 39.41% | 152 | 4.12% | 76 | 2.06% | 531 | 14.27% | 3,722 |
| Skagit | 13,060 | 48.66% | 12,718 | 47.39% | 575 | 2.15% | 412 | 1.54% | 342 | 1.27% | 26,837 |
| Skamania | 1,102 | 41.55% | 1,436 | 54.15% | 82 | 3.09% | 30 | 1.13% | -334 | -12.60% | 2,652 |
| Snohomish | 55,375 | 47.95% | 55,623 | 48.16% | 2,470 | 2.14% | 1,731 | 1.50% | -248 | -0.21% | 115,488 |
| Spokane | 68,290 | 53.37% | 55,660 | 43.50% | 2,033 | 1.59% | 1,683 | 1.32% | 12,630 | 9.87% | 127,954 |
| Stevens | 4,719 | 51.81% | 3,824 | 41.98% | 181 | 1.99% | 357 | 3.93% | 895 | 9.83% | 9,109 |
| Thurston | 21,000 | 47.67% | 21,247 | 48.23% | 1,120 | 2.55% | 494 | 1.13% | -247 | -0.56% | 44,056 |
| Wahkiakum | 704 | 41.17% | 942 | 55.09% | 32 | 1.87% | 30 | 1.76% | -238 | -13.92% | 1,710 |
| Walla Walla | 10,883 | 59.15% | 7,012 | 38.11% | 328 | 1.78% | 153 | 0.83% | 3,871 | 21.04% | 18,400 |
| Whatcom | 20,007 | 48.00% | 19,739 | 47.36% | 1,393 | 3.36% | 373 | 0.90% | 268 | 0.64% | 41,679 |
| Whitman | 8,168 | 54.21% | 6,197 | 41.13% | 428 | 2.85% | 215 | 1.43% | 1,971 | 13.08% | 15,068 |
| Yakima | 29,478 | 53.12% | 24,223 | 43.65% | 1,086 | 1.96% | 624 | 1.13% | 5,255 | 9.47% | 55,492 |
| Totals | 777,732 | 50.00% | 717,323 | 46.11% | 36,986 | 2.38% | 23,493 | 1.51% | 60,409 | 3.89% | 1,555,534 |

#### Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

* Asotin
* Clark
* Cowlitz
* Ferry
* Jefferson
* Kitsap
* Kittitas
* Klickitat
* Mason
* Okanogan
* Pend Oreille
* Pierce
* Skamania
* Snohomish
* Thurston
* Wahkiakum