Iowa — 1976 presidential election
Recent presidential results
Akashicstate1976 presidential electionIowa · PresidentFordR+1.0
How it voted
Share of the 1976 vote
| Gerald Ford ✓Republican | 49.5% | 632,863 |
|---|---|---|
| Jimmy CarterDemocratic | 48.5% | 619,931 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 2.1% | 26,512 |
1976presidential margin
D+60R+60
99 counties, each filled by 1976 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
Iowa cast 8 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (99 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Adair County, IA | Republican | R+0.7 |
| Adams County, IA | Democratic | D+4.1 |
| Allamakee County, IA | Republican | R+17.1 |
| Appanoose County, IA | Democratic | D+5.9 |
| Audubon County, IA | Democratic | D+3.0 |
| Benton County, IA | Democratic | D+4.7 |
| Black Hawk County, IA | Republican | R+2.4 |
| Boone County, IA | Democratic | D+9.6 |
| Bremer County, IA | Republican | R+19.2 |
| Buchanan County, IA | Republican | R+5.8 |
| Buena Vista County, IA | Republican | R+9.4 |
| Butler County, IA | Republican | R+25.0 |
| Calhoun County, IA | Republican | R+3.4 |
| Carroll County, IA | Democratic | D+12.9 |
| Cass County, IA | Republican | R+22.8 |
| Cedar County, IA | Republican | R+12.2 |
| Cerro Gordo County, IA | Democratic | D+2.6 |
| Cherokee County, IA | Republican | R+8.5 |
| Chickasaw County, IA | Democratic | D+1.0 |
| Clarke County, IA | Democratic | D+14.4 |
| Clay County, IA | Republican | R+9.1 |
| Clayton County, IA | Republican | R+11.6 |
| Clinton County, IA | Republican | R+2.7 |
| Crawford County, IA | Democratic | D+0.3 |
| Dallas County, IA | Democratic | D+11.5 |
| Davis County, IA | Democratic | D+19.3 |
| Decatur County, IA | Democratic | D+16.3 |
| Delaware County, IA | Republican | R+13.3 |
| Des Moines County, IA | Democratic | D+10.9 |
| Dickinson County, IA | Republican | R+10.3 |
| Dubuque County, IA | Democratic | D+7.9 |
| Emmet County, IA | Republican | R+2.7 |
| Fayette County, IA | Republican | R+11.6 |
| Floyd County, IA | Democratic | D+3.1 |
| Franklin County, IA | Republican | R+6.4 |
| Fremont County, IA | Republican | R+4.8 |
| Greene County, IA | Democratic | D+4.7 |
| Grundy County, IA | Republican | R+26.5 |
| Guthrie County, IA | Democratic | D+4.1 |
| Hamilton County, IA | Democratic | D+0.3 |
| Hancock County, IA | Republican | R+2.5 |
| Hardin County, IA | Republican | R+2.2 |
| Harrison County, IA | Republican | R+3.8 |
| Henry County, IA | Democratic | D+0.4 |
| Howard County, IA | Democratic | D+5.3 |
| Humboldt County, IA | Republican | R+6.8 |
| Ida County, IA | Republican | R+15.9 |
| Iowa County, IA | Republican | R+7.5 |
| Jackson County, IA | Democratic | D+2.8 |
| Jasper County, IA | Democratic | D+6.3 |
| Jefferson County, IA | Republican | R+5.1 |
| Johnson County, IA | Democratic | D+10.6 |
| Jones County, IA | Republican | R+2.5 |
| Keokuk County, IA | Democratic | D+8.6 |
| Kossuth County, IA | Democratic | D+5.3 |
| Lee County, IA | Democratic | D+4.7 |
| Linn County, IA | Democratic | D+2.3 |
| Louisa County, IA | Republican | R+4.4 |
| Lucas County, IA | Democratic | D+13.5 |
| Lyon County, IA | Republican | R+30.4 |
| Madison County, IA | Democratic | D+7.2 |
| Mahaska County, IA | Republican | R+4.2 |
| Marion County, IA | Democratic | D+6.7 |
| Marshall County, IA | Republican | R+4.7 |
| Mills County, IA | Republican | R+17.3 |
| Mitchell County, IA | Democratic | D+0.3 |
| Monona County, IA | Democratic | D+0.5 |
| Monroe County, IA | Democratic | D+19.5 |
| Montgomery County, IA | Republican | R+24.2 |
| Muscatine County, IA | Republican | R+7.8 |
| O'Brien County, IA | Republican | R+25.5 |
| Osceola County, IA | Republican | R+19.3 |
| Page County, IA | Republican | R+29.7 |
| Palo Alto County, IA | Democratic | D+9.5 |
| Plymouth County, IA | Republican | R+13.0 |
| Pocahontas County, IA | Democratic | D+6.0 |
| Polk County, IA | Democratic | D+7.0 |
| Pottawattamie County, IA | Republican | R+7.7 |
| Poweshiek County, IA | Democratic | D+1.9 |
| Ringgold County, IA | Democratic | D+5.9 |
| Sac County, IA | Republican | R+5.4 |
| Scott County, IA | Republican | R+8.0 |
| Shelby County, IA | Republican | R+7.2 |
| Sioux County, IA | Republican | R+47.4 |
| Story County, IA | Republican | R+7.5 |
| Tama County, IA | Democratic | D+2.2 |
| Taylor County, IA | Republican | R+2.8 |
| Union County, IA | Democratic | D+1.4 |
| Van Buren County, IA | Democratic | D+0.1 |
| Wapello County, IA | Democratic | D+20.1 |
| Warren County, IA | Democratic | D+11.0 |
| Washington County, IA | Republican | R+9.9 |
| Wayne County, IA | Democratic | D+9.1 |
| Webster County, IA | Democratic | D+7.4 |
| Winnebago County, IA | Republican | R+5.8 |
| Winneshiek County, IA | Republican | R+6.6 |
| Woodbury County, IA | Republican | R+7.4 |
| Worth County, IA | Democratic | D+9.8 |
| Wright County, IA | Democratic | D+1.3 |
Iowa results by county
99 counties. Third-party and independent votes are reported by the county source as one combined figure; every named candidate is listed in the complete result below.
| Led by | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adair County | Gerald Ford+32 | 2,32649.3% | 2,29448.6% | 1022.2% | 4,722 |
| Adams County | Jimmy Carter+119 | 1,38847.3% | 1,50751.3% | 421.4% | 2,937 |
| Allamakee County | Gerald Ford+1,080 | 3,64857.9% | 2,56840.7% | 871.4% | 6,303 |
| Appanoose County | Jimmy Carter+388 | 3,03646.3% | 3,42452.2% | 981.5% | 6,558 |
| Audubon County | Jimmy Carter+126 | 1,97847.9% | 2,10450.9% | 511.2% | 4,133 |
| Benton County | Jimmy Carter+500 | 5,01446.8% | 5,51451.5% | 1751.6% | 10,703 |
| Black Hawk County | Gerald Ford+1,486 | 30,99450.2% | 29,50847.8% | 1,2132.0% | 61,715 |
| Boone County | Jimmy Carter+1,182 | 5,41344.1% | 6,59553.8% | 2552.1% | 12,263 |
| Bremer County | Gerald Ford+2,049 | 6,25258.5% | 4,20339.3% | 2302.2% | 10,685 |
| Buchanan County | Gerald Ford+536 | 4,79452.0% | 4,25846.2% | 1711.9% | 9,223 |
| Buena Vista County | Gerald Ford+899 | 5,12653.6% | 4,22744.2% | 2142.2% | 9,567 |
| Butler County | Gerald Ford+1,704 | 4,20761.8% | 2,50336.8% | 981.4% | 6,808 |
| Calhoun County | Gerald Ford+214 | 3,21551.0% | 3,00147.6% | 841.3% | 6,300 |
| Carroll County | Jimmy Carter+1,239 | 4,09442.6% | 5,33355.5% | 1811.9% | 9,608 |
| Cass County | Gerald Ford+1,723 | 4,58960.8% | 2,86638.0% | 941.2% | 7,549 |
| Cedar County | Gerald Ford+954 | 4,30855.1% | 3,35442.9% | 1602.0% | 7,822 |
| Cerro Gordo County | Jimmy Carter+585 | 10,60447.8% | 11,18950.4% | 4031.8% | 22,196 |
| Cherokee County | Gerald Ford+635 | 3,99353.4% | 3,35844.9% | 1271.7% | 7,478 |
| Chickasaw County | Jimmy Carter+71 | 3,43249.1% | 3,50350.1% | 530.8% | 6,988 |
| Clarke County | Jimmy Carter+596 | 1,73741.9% | 2,33356.2% | 791.9% | 4,149 |
| Clay County | Gerald Ford+772 | 4,54853.5% | 3,77644.4% | 1762.1% | 8,500 |
| Clayton County | Gerald Ford+1,022 | 4,82654.8% | 3,80443.2% | 1772.0% | 8,807 |
| Clinton County | Gerald Ford+655 | 12,40150.5% | 11,74647.9% | 3871.6% | 24,534 |
| Crawford County | Jimmy Carter+24 | 3,87948.8% | 3,90349.1% | 1662.1% | 7,948 |
| Dallas County | Jimmy Carter+1,414 | 5,30843.3% | 6,72254.9% | 2171.8% | 12,247 |
| Davis County | Jimmy Carter+795 | 1,63139.5% | 2,42658.8% | 721.7% | 4,129 |
| Decatur County | Jimmy Carter+766 | 1,93241.0% | 2,69857.3% | 771.6% | 4,707 |
| Delaware County | Gerald Ford+993 | 4,16155.6% | 3,16842.3% | 1522.0% | 7,481 |
| Des Moines County | Jimmy Carter+2,245 | 9,02343.9% | 11,26854.9% | 2451.2% | 20,536 |
| Dickinson County | Gerald Ford+721 | 3,79554.1% | 3,07443.9% | 1412.0% | 7,010 |
| Dubuque County | Jimmy Carter+3,089 | 17,45944.7% | 20,54852.6% | 1,0422.7% | 39,049 |
| Emmet County | Gerald Ford+152 | 2,87250.5% | 2,72047.8% | 951.7% | 5,687 |
| Fayette County | Gerald Ford+1,398 | 6,61854.7% | 5,22043.1% | 2642.2% | 12,102 |
| Floyd County | Jimmy Carter+285 | 4,36147.5% | 4,64650.6% | 1711.9% | 9,178 |
| Franklin County | Gerald Ford+374 | 3,05652.3% | 2,68245.9% | 1051.8% | 5,843 |
| Fremont County | Gerald Ford+199 | 2,16351.8% | 1,96447.0% | 491.2% | 4,176 |
| Greene County | Jimmy Carter+283 | 2,81146.9% | 3,09451.7% | 841.4% | 5,989 |
| Grundy County | Gerald Ford+1,763 | 4,17362.7% | 2,41036.2% | 771.2% | 6,660 |
| Guthrie County | Jimmy Carter+229 | 2,64446.9% | 2,87350.9% | 1242.2% | 5,641 |
| Hamilton County | Jimmy Carter+21 | 3,93249.0% | 3,95349.3% | 1401.7% | 8,025 |
| Hancock County | Gerald Ford+152 | 3,12750.5% | 2,97548.1% | 851.4% | 6,187 |
| Hardin County | Gerald Ford+203 | 4,68250.2% | 4,47948.0% | 1671.8% | 9,328 |
| Harrison County | Gerald Ford+261 | 3,48951.4% | 3,22847.5% | 731.1% | 6,790 |
| Henry County | Jimmy Carter+34 | 3,84848.8% | 3,88249.2% | 1572.0% | 7,887 |
| Howard County | Jimmy Carter+299 | 2,61846.6% | 2,91751.9% | 811.4% | 5,616 |
| Humboldt County | Gerald Ford+398 | 3,07552.6% | 2,67745.8% | 891.5% | 5,841 |
| Ida County | Gerald Ford+722 | 2,59056.9% | 1,86841.0% | 972.1% | 4,555 |
| Iowa County | Gerald Ford+559 | 3,92653.0% | 3,36745.4% | 1181.6% | 7,411 |
| Jackson County | Jimmy Carter+246 | 4,22147.5% | 4,46750.3% | 1982.2% | 8,886 |
| Jasper County | Jimmy Carter+1,055 | 7,72846.0% | 8,78352.3% | 2751.6% | 16,786 |
| Jefferson County | Gerald Ford+369 | 3,74651.7% | 3,37746.6% | 1211.7% | 7,244 |
| Johnson County | Jimmy Carter+4,118 | 16,09041.6% | 20,20852.2% | 2,4126.2% | 38,710 |
| Jones County | Gerald Ford+218 | 4,46350.5% | 4,24548.1% | 1231.4% | 8,831 |
| Keokuk County | Jimmy Carter+562 | 2,92044.9% | 3,48253.5% | 1021.6% | 6,504 |
| Kossuth County | Jimmy Carter+537 | 4,65346.3% | 5,19051.7% | 2032.0% | 10,046 |
| Lee County | Jimmy Carter+822 | 8,19546.9% | 9,01751.6% | 2531.4% | 17,465 |
| Linn County | Jimmy Carter+1,739 | 36,51347.8% | 38,25250.1% | 1,6322.1% | 76,397 |
| Louisa County | Gerald Ford+195 | 2,28451.4% | 2,08947.0% | 681.5% | 4,441 |
| Lucas County | Jimmy Carter+662 | 2,07142.3% | 2,73355.8% | 901.8% | 4,894 |
| Lyon County | Gerald Ford+1,688 | 3,55864.1% | 1,87033.7% | 1262.3% | 5,554 |
| Madison County | Jimmy Carter+428 | 2,68145.4% | 3,10952.6% | 1202.0% | 5,910 |
| Mahaska County | Gerald Ford+429 | 5,26751.4% | 4,83847.2% | 1461.4% | 10,251 |
| Marion County | Jimmy Carter+797 | 5,42945.8% | 6,22652.5% | 2021.7% | 11,857 |
| Marshall County | Gerald Ford+867 | 9,56251.3% | 8,69546.7% | 3732.0% | 18,630 |
| Mills County | Gerald Ford+814 | 2,72257.8% | 1,90840.5% | 801.7% | 4,710 |
| Mitchell County | Jimmy Carter+19 | 2,88749.0% | 2,90649.3% | 991.7% | 5,892 |
| Monona County | Jimmy Carter+25 | 2,63649.1% | 2,66149.6% | 731.4% | 5,370 |
| Monroe County | Jimmy Carter+779 | 1,58139.6% | 2,36059.1% | 551.4% | 3,996 |
| Montgomery County | Gerald Ford+1,444 | 3,67361.5% | 2,22937.3% | 721.2% | 5,974 |
| Muscatine County | Gerald Ford+1,130 | 7,69753.1% | 6,56745.3% | 2321.6% | 14,496 |
| O'Brien County | Gerald Ford+1,911 | 4,64361.9% | 2,73236.4% | 1311.7% | 7,506 |
| Osceola County | Gerald Ford+646 | 1,95558.5% | 1,30939.2% | 772.3% | 3,341 |
| Page County | Gerald Ford+2,478 | 5,34364.1% | 2,86534.4% | 1271.5% | 8,335 |
| Palo Alto County | Jimmy Carter+559 | 2,62344.4% | 3,18253.9% | 991.7% | 5,904 |
| Plymouth County | Gerald Ford+1,306 | 5,59055.8% | 4,28442.8% | 1421.4% | 10,016 |
| Pocahontas County | Jimmy Carter+355 | 2,70045.8% | 3,05551.9% | 1342.3% | 5,889 |
| Polk County | Jimmy Carter+9,601 | 62,31645.2% | 71,91752.2% | 3,5302.6% | 137,763 |
| Pottawattamie County | Gerald Ford+2,510 | 17,26453.1% | 14,75445.4% | 5011.5% | 32,519 |
| Poweshiek County | Jimmy Carter+166 | 4,19448.0% | 4,36049.9% | 1812.1% | 8,735 |
| Ringgold County | Jimmy Carter+196 | 1,54346.3% | 1,73952.1% | 541.6% | 3,336 |
| Sac County | Gerald Ford+351 | 3,34751.5% | 2,99646.1% | 1502.3% | 6,493 |
| Scott County | Gerald Ford+5,250 | 35,02153.1% | 29,77145.1% | 1,1481.7% | 65,940 |
| Shelby County | Gerald Ford+450 | 3,30152.7% | 2,85145.5% | 1091.7% | 6,261 |
| Sioux County | Gerald Ford+6,126 | 9,44873.0% | 3,32225.7% | 1651.3% | 12,935 |
| Story County | Gerald Ford+2,677 | 18,39451.8% | 15,71744.3% | 1,3653.8% | 35,476 |
| Tama County | Jimmy Carter+201 | 4,37948.1% | 4,58050.3% | 1481.6% | 9,107 |
| Taylor County | Gerald Ford+112 | 2,05950.8% | 1,94748.0% | 481.2% | 4,054 |
| Union County | Jimmy Carter+82 | 2,87348.3% | 2,95549.7% | 1202.0% | 5,948 |
| Van Buren County | Jimmy Carter+3 | 1,80449.1% | 1,80749.2% | 601.6% | 3,671 |
| Wapello County | Jimmy Carter+3,463 | 6,78639.3% | 10,24959.4% | 2331.3% | 17,268 |
| Warren County | Jimmy Carter+1,554 | 6,09943.2% | 7,65354.2% | 3562.5% | 14,108 |
| Washington County | Gerald Ford+770 | 4,21854.0% | 3,44844.2% | 1411.8% | 7,807 |
| Wayne County | Jimmy Carter+364 | 1,78144.6% | 2,14553.7% | 691.7% | 3,995 |
| Webster County | Jimmy Carter+1,475 | 9,06845.4% | 10,54352.7% | 3841.9% | 19,995 |
| Winnebago County | Gerald Ford+365 | 3,31552.2% | 2,95046.5% | 811.3% | 6,346 |
| Winneshiek County | Gerald Ford+607 | 4,76552.1% | 4,15845.4% | 2262.5% | 9,149 |
| Woodbury County | Gerald Ford+3,189 | 22,85352.8% | 19,66445.4% | 7701.8% | 43,287 |
| Worth County | Jimmy Carter+435 | 1,96444.4% | 2,39954.2% | 621.4% | 4,425 |
| Wright County | Jimmy Carter+93 | 3,54448.7% | 3,63749.9% | 1011.4% | 7,282 |
Nominees: Jimmy Carter (D) · Gerald Ford (R)
Iowa's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 1976 contest in context
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | −5.3% |
| 1896 | −12.6% |
| 1900 | −18.6% |
| 1904 | −32.7% |
| 1908 | −15.0% |
| 1912 | +13.3% |
| 1916 | −11.4% |
| 1920 | −45.5% |
| 1924 | −38.6% |
| 1928 | −24.2% |
| 1932 | +17.7% |
| 1936 | +11.7% |
| 1940 | −4.4% |
| 1944 | −4.5% |
| 1948 | +2.7% |
| 1952 | −28.2% |
| 1956 | −18.4% |
| 1960 | −13.5% |
| 1964 | +24.0% |
| 1968 | −12.2% |
| 1972 | −17.1% |
| 1976 | −1.0% |
| 1980 | −12.7% |
| 1984 | −7.4% |
| 1988 | +10.2% |
| 1992 | +6.0% |
| 1996 | +10.3% |
| 2000 | +0.3% |
| 2004 | −0.7% |
| 2008 | +9.5% |
| 2012 | +5.8% |
| 2016 | −9.3% |
| 2020 | −8.2% |
| 2024 | −13.2% |
Same ballot, 1976IA
Source. MIT Election Data + Science Lab — 1976 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.