‹ 1972  1980 › ›
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| United States presidential election, 1976 | ||||
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| November 2, 1976 | ||||
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| Nominee | Ted Kennedy | John Connally | ||
| Party | Democrat | Republican | ||
| Home state | Massachusetts | Texas | ||
| Running mate | Jimmy Carter | Ronald Reagan | ||
| Electoral vote | 289 | 249 | ||
| States carried | 30+D.C | 20 | ||
| Percentage | 49.2% | 48.7% | ||
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| Presidential election results map. Red denotes states won by Connally/Baker (20), Blue denotes those won by Kennedy/Bumpers (30+D.C.) | ||||
President before election
Richard Nixon Republican Party Elected President
Edward Kennedy Democratic Party | ||||
The United States presidential election of 1976 was the 49th quadrennial United States presidential election. It was held on November 2, 1976. It pitted Vice President John Connally, the Republican candidate, against Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the Democratic candidate. Connally was saddled with a slow economy but benefited from the recent end of the Vietnam War. Kennedy ran as a strong idealist, proposing wide-ranging domestic reforms.
In the end, Kennedy was elected president by a very narrow margin, managing to carry enough Eastern and Southern States to provide an electoral majority.