Western New Yorkers for Carter

Color portrait of President Jimmy Carter, black text above and below on a white background.

Voters elected Democrat Jimmy Carter, a former Georgia State Senator and governor, as the 39th United States President in 1976. In his run for re-election, Carter lost the 1980 election to former California Governor Ronald Reagan. In New York state, Reagan beat Carter taking 46.66 percent of the vote while Carter took 43.99 percent. In Western New York, Carter won three counties — Niagara, Erie, and Monroe. On the eastern side, he took Albany, New York, Bronx, Kings, and Queens counties. The 1980 election is considered a political turning point — suburbs showed their voting power, including in the suburban areas surrounding New York City, which were won by Reagan. After losing the election, Carter returned to his hometown of Plains, Georgia, and his peanut farm.