# 1976 United States presidential election in Idaho

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vte :
The 1976 United States presidential election in Idaho took place on November 2, 1976, as part of the 1976 United States presidential election. State voters chose four representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
Idaho was won by incumbent President Gerald Ford (R–Michigan), with 59.9 percent of the popular vote, against Jimmy Carter (D–Georgia), with 37.1 percent of the popular vote. Two third party candidates accumulated a portion of the vote greater than one percent: Lester Maddox (AIA–Georgia) and Roger MacBride (L–Vermont). Despite losing in Idaho, Carter went on to win the national election and became the 39th president of the United States. Idaho had previously voted Republican ten times, Democrat ten times, and Populist once.
With 59.88 percent of the popular vote, Idaho would prove to be Ford's second strongest state in the 1976 election after neighboring Utah. Carter became the first ever Democrat to win the White House without carrying Blaine, Boundary, or Butte Counties, as well as the first to do so without carrying Elmore, Idaho, Kootenai, or Shoshone Counties since Grover Cleveland in 1892, and the first to do so without carrying Bannock or Bonner Counties since Woodrow Wilson in 1912.
Despite this, this would prove to be the high water mark for Democrats since Lyndon Johnson last carried the state in 1964: as of 2024, no Democrats have met Carter's 37.12%, the closest being Barack Obama's 36.09% in 2008.

## Results

1976 United States presidential election in Idaho :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Gerald Ford (inc.) | 204,151 | 59.88% |
| | Democratic | Jimmy Carter | 126,549 | 37.12% |
| | American Independent | Lester Maddox | 5,935 | 1.74% |
| | Libertarian | Roger MacBride | 3,558 | 1.04% |
| | U.S. Labor | Lyndon LaRouche | 739 | 0.22% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 340,932 | 100.00% |

### Results by county

| County | Gerald Ford Republican | Gerald Ford Republican | Jimmy Carter Democratic | Jimmy Carter Democratic | Lester Maddox American Independent | Lester Maddox American Independent | Roger MacBride Libertarian | Roger MacBride Libertarian | Lyndon LaRouche U.S. Labor | Lyndon LaRouche U.S. Labor | Margin | Margin | Total votes cast |
| County | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | Total votes cast |
| Ada | 41,135 | 64.39% | 21,125 | 33.07% | 717 | 1.12% | 737 | 1.15% | 175 | 0.27% | 20,010 | 31.32% | 63,889 |
| Adams | 809 | 54.74% | 639 | 43.23% | 15 | 1.01% | 10 | 0.68% | 5 | 0.34% | 170 | 11.51% | 1,478 |
| Bannock | 13,172 | 53.65% | 10,261 | 41.80% | 485 | 1.98% | 577 | 2.35% | 55 | 0.22% | 2,911 | 11.85% | 24,550 |
| Bear Lake | 2,094 | 66.60% | 960 | 30.53% | 74 | 2.35% | 15 | 0.48% | 1 | 0.03% | 1,134 | 36.07% | 3,144 |
| Benewah | 1,458 | 47.58% | 1,549 | 50.55% | 37 | 1.21% | 16 | 0.52% | 4 | 0.13% | -91 | -2.97% | 3,064 |
| Bingham | 7,327 | 60.83% | 4,347 | 36.09% | 219 | 1.82% | 119 | 0.99% | 33 | 0.27% | 2,980 | 24.74% | 12,045 |
| Blaine | 2,176 | 56.13% | 1,604 | 41.37% | 25 | 0.64% | 69 | 1.78% | 3 | 0.08% | 572 | 14.76% | 3,877 |
| Boise | 684 | 58.61% | 433 | 37.10% | 22 | 1.89% | 24 | 2.06% | 4 | 0.34% | 251 | 21.51% | 1,167 |
| Bonner | 4,549 | 51.37% | 4,065 | 45.91% | 161 | 1.82% | 60 | 0.68% | 20 | 0.23% | 484 | 5.46% | 8,855 |
| Bonneville | 15,793 | 66.44% | 7,230 | 30.41% | 414 | 1.74% | 275 | 1.16% | 60 | 0.25% | 8,563 | 36.03% | 23,772 |
| Boundary | 1,458 | 52.15% | 1,217 | 43.53% | 92 | 3.29% | 24 | 0.86% | 5 | 0.18% | 241 | 8.62% | 2,796 |
| Butte | 751 | 51.16% | 663 | 45.16% | 35 | 2.38% | 19 | 1.29% | 0 | 0.00% | 88 | 6.00% | 1,468 |
| Camas | 288 | 62.20% | 160 | 34.56% | 8 | 1.73% | 6 | 1.30% | 1 | 0.22% | 128 | 27.64% | 463 |
| Canyon | 17,263 | 62.91% | 9,460 | 34.47% | 405 | 1.48% | 277 | 1.01% | 36 | 0.13% | 7,803 | 28.44% | 27,441 |
| Caribou | 2,253 | 64.83% | 1,110 | 31.94% | 83 | 2.39% | 24 | 0.69% | 5 | 0.14% | 1,143 | 32.89% | 3,475 |
| Cassia | 4,575 | 66.38% | 1,881 | 27.29% | 368 | 5.34% | 64 | 0.93% | 4 | 0.06% | 2,694 | 39.09% | 6,892 |
| Clark | 334 | 64.48% | 169 | 32.63% | 7 | 1.35% | 6 | 1.16% | 2 | 0.39% | 165 | 31.85% | 518 |
| Clearwater | 1,469 | 44.01% | 1,752 | 52.49% | 71 | 2.13% | 33 | 0.99% | 13 | 0.39% | -283 | -8.48% | 3,338 |
| Custer | 850 | 60.33% | 516 | 36.62% | 40 | 2.84% | 2 | 0.14% | 1 | 0.07% | 334 | 23.71% | 1,409 |
| Elmore | 2,808 | 55.46% | 2,164 | 42.74% | 61 | 1.20% | 26 | 0.51% | 4 | 0.08% | 644 | 12.72% | 5,063 |
| Franklin | 2,720 | 67.80% | 1,157 | 28.84% | 104 | 2.59% | 24 | 0.60% | 7 | 0.17% | 1,563 | 38.96% | 4,012 |
| Fremont | 2,581 | 61.94% | 1,445 | 34.68% | 115 | 2.76% | 21 | 0.50% | 5 | 0.12% | 1,136 | 27.26% | 4,167 |
| Gem | 2,401 | 52.75% | 1,978 | 43.45% | 118 | 2.59% | 52 | 1.14% | 3 | 0.07% | 423 | 9.30% | 4,552 |
| Gooding | 2,909 | 58.54% | 1,923 | 38.70% | 74 | 1.49% | 59 | 1.19% | 4 | 0.08% | 986 | 19.84% | 4,969 |
| Idaho | 3,185 | 55.96% | 2,323 | 40.81% | 122 | 2.14% | 54 | 0.95% | 8 | 0.14% | 862 | 15.15% | 5,692 |
| Jefferson | 3,599 | 65.14% | 1,745 | 31.58% | 157 | 2.84% | 21 | 0.38% | 3 | 0.05% | 1,854 | 33.56% | 5,525 |
| Jerome | 3,188 | 61.81% | 1,800 | 34.90% | 113 | 2.19% | 52 | 1.01% | 5 | 0.10% | 1,388 | 26.91% | 5,158 |
| Kootenai | 10,493 | 57.78% | 7,225 | 39.79% | 306 | 1.69% | 92 | 0.51% | 43 | 0.24% | 3,268 | 17.99% | 18,159 |
| Latah | 6,846 | 54.90% | 5,314 | 42.61% | 96 | 0.77% | 174 | 1.40% | 40 | 0.32% | 1,532 | 12.29% | 12,470 |
| Lemhi | 1,685 | 56.37% | 1,159 | 38.78% | 117 | 3.91% | 25 | 0.84% | 3 | 0.10% | 526 | 17.59% | 2,989 |
| Lewis | 824 | 46.61% | 898 | 50.79% | 21 | 1.19% | 18 | 1.02% | 7 | 0.40% | -74 | -4.18% | 1,768 |
| Lincoln | 909 | 57.75% | 615 | 39.07% | 36 | 2.29% | 13 | 0.83% | 1 | 0.06% | 294 | 18.68% | 1,574 |
| Madison | 4,190 | 72.38% | 1,320 | 22.80% | 153 | 2.64% | 58 | 1.00% | 68 | 1.17% | 2,870 | 49.58% | 5,789 |
| Minidoka | 3,600 | 56.44% | 2,441 | 38.27% | 252 | 3.95% | 80 | 1.25% | 5 | 0.08% | 1,159 | 18.17% | 6,378 |
| Nez Perce | 6,151 | 48.22% | 6,324 | 49.58% | 126 | 0.99% | 110 | 0.86% | 44 | 0.34% | -173 | -1.36% | 12,755 |
| Oneida | 1,065 | 61.14% | 637 | 36.57% | 31 | 1.78% | 7 | 0.40% | 2 | 0.11% | 428 | 24.57% | 1,742 |
| Owyhee | 1,519 | 57.52% | 1,054 | 39.91% | 41 | 1.55% | 21 | 0.80% | 6 | 0.23% | 465 | 17.61% | 2,641 |
| Payette | 3,115 | 57.44% | 2,195 | 40.48% | 75 | 1.38% | 35 | 0.65% | 3 | 0.06% | 920 | 16.96% | 5,423 |
| Power | 1,374 | 49.96% | 1,286 | 46.76% | 52 | 1.89% | 38 | 1.38% | 0 | 0.00% | 88 | 3.20% | 2,750 |
| Shoshone | 3,570 | 51.67% | 3,216 | 46.55% | 77 | 1.11% | 39 | 0.56% | 7 | 0.10% | 354 | 5.12% | 6,909 |
| Teton | 904 | 63.04% | 514 | 35.84% | 12 | 0.84% | 3 | 0.21% | 1 | 0.07% | 390 | 27.20% | 1,434 |
| Twin Falls | 12,659 | 65.82% | 6,085 | 31.64% | 310 | 1.61% | 145 | 0.75% | 34 | 0.18% | 6,574 | 34.18% | 19,233 |
| Valley | 1,374 | 59.33% | 897 | 38.73% | 22 | 0.95% | 20 | 0.86% | 3 | 0.13% | 477 | 20.60% | 2,316 |
| Washington | 2,044 | 53.47% | 1,693 | 44.28% | 66 | 1.73% | 14 | 0.37% | 6 | 0.16% | 351 | 9.19% | 3,823 |
| Totals | 204,151 | 59.88% | 126,549 | 37.12% | 5,935 | 1.74% | 3,558 | 1.04% | 739 | 0.22% | 77,602 | 22.76% | 340,932 |

#### Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

* Benewah
* Clearwater
* Lewis
* Nez Perce