Elections / 1980 · President · TN
Tennessee — 1980 presidential election
Recent presidential results
Akashicstate1980 presidential electionTennessee · PresidentReaganR+0.3
How it voted
Share of the 1980 vote
| Ronald Reagan ✓Republican | 48.7% | 787,761 |
|---|---|---|
| Jimmy CarterDemocratic | 48.4% | 783,051 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 2.9% | 46,804 |
1980presidential margin
D+60R+60
95 counties, each filled by 1980 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
Tennessee cast 10 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (95 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Anderson County, TN | Republican | R+15.7 |
| Bedford County, TN | Democratic | D+27.2 |
| Benton County, TN | Democratic | D+24.7 |
| Bledsoe County, TN | Republican | R+10.7 |
| Blount County, TN | Republican | R+30.4 |
| Bradley County, TN | Republican | R+21.3 |
| Campbell County, TN | Republican | R+7.5 |
| Cannon County, TN | Democratic | D+24.8 |
| Carroll County, TN | Republican | R+3.6 |
| Carter County, TN | Republican | R+31.2 |
| Cheatham County, TN | Democratic | D+23.8 |
| Chester County, TN | Republican | R+12.7 |
| Claiborne County, TN | Republican | R+19.9 |
| Clay County, TN | Democratic | D+1.2 |
| Cocke County, TN | Republican | R+51.0 |
| Coffee County, TN | Democratic | D+16.1 |
| Crockett County, TN | Democratic | D+6.6 |
| Cumberland County, TN | Republican | R+24.7 |
| Davidson County, TN | Democratic | D+21.6 |
| Decatur County, TN | Democratic | D+1.0 |
| DeKalb County, TN | Democratic | D+22.7 |
| Dickson County, TN | Democratic | D+28.5 |
| Dyer County, TN | Democratic | D+2.1 |
| Fayette County, TN | Democratic | D+16.6 |
| Fentress County, TN | Republican | R+23.2 |
| Franklin County, TN | Democratic | D+24.9 |
| Gibson County, TN | Democratic | D+17.9 |
| Giles County, TN | Democratic | D+25.2 |
| Grainger County, TN | Republican | R+36.3 |
| Greene County, TN | Republican | R+28.8 |
| Grundy County, TN | Democratic | D+42.2 |
| Hamblen County, TN | Republican | R+24.0 |
| Hamilton County, TN | Republican | R+15.3 |
| Hancock County, TN | Republican | R+41.4 |
| Hardeman County, TN | Democratic | D+17.0 |
| Hardin County, TN | Republican | R+13.3 |
| Hawkins County, TN | Republican | R+18.9 |
| Haywood County, TN | Democratic | D+17.0 |
| Henderson County, TN | Republican | R+30.4 |
| Henry County, TN | Democratic | D+20.6 |
| Hickman County, TN | Democratic | D+25.3 |
| Houston County, TN | Democratic | D+40.1 |
| Humphreys County, TN | Democratic | D+34.8 |
| Jackson County, TN | Democratic | D+42.0 |
| Jefferson County, TN | Republican | R+36.2 |
| Johnson County, TN | Republican | R+52.0 |
| Knox County, TN | Republican | R+17.5 |
| Lake County, TN | Democratic | D+34.9 |
| Lauderdale County, TN | Democratic | D+20.7 |
| Lawrence County, TN | Republican | R+3.3 |
| Lewis County, TN | Democratic | D+33.7 |
| Lincoln County, TN | Democratic | D+30.1 |
| Loudon County, TN | Republican | R+25.9 |
| Macon County, TN | Republican | R+19.7 |
| Madison County, TN | Republican | R+2.5 |
| Marion County, TN | Democratic | D+8.3 |
| Marshall County, TN | Democratic | D+29.9 |
| Maury County, TN | Democratic | D+8.8 |
| McMinn County, TN | Republican | R+17.5 |
| McNairy County, TN | Republican | R+9.4 |
| Meigs County, TN | Republican | R+12.0 |
| Monroe County, TN | Republican | R+14.8 |
| Montgomery County, TN | Democratic | D+14.8 |
| Moore County, TN | Democratic | D+27.7 |
| Morgan County, TN | Republican | R+14.5 |
| Obion County, TN | Democratic | D+3.2 |
| Overton County, TN | Democratic | D+28.0 |
| Perry County, TN | Democratic | D+27.7 |
| Pickett County, TN | Republican | R+26.7 |
| Polk County, TN | Democratic | D+1.1 |
| Putnam County, TN | Democratic | D+12.5 |
| Rhea County, TN | Republican | R+20.5 |
| Roane County, TN | Republican | R+25.4 |
| Robertson County, TN | Democratic | D+34.3 |
| Rutherford County, TN | Democratic | D+14.6 |
| Scott County, TN | Republican | R+26.7 |
| Sequatchie County, TN | Republican | R+0.1 |
| Sevier County, TN | Republican | R+49.4 |
| Shelby County, TN | Democratic | D+6.2 |
| Smith County, TN | Democratic | D+34.7 |
| Stewart County, TN | Democratic | D+38.8 |
| Sullivan County, TN | Republican | R+7.2 |
| Sumner County, TN | Democratic | D+8.5 |
| Tipton County, TN | Democratic | D+6.3 |
| Trousdale County, TN | Democratic | D+44.4 |
| Unicoi County, TN | Republican | R+33.3 |
| Union County, TN | Republican | R+25.8 |
| Van Buren County, TN | Democratic | D+27.6 |
| Warren County, TN | Democratic | D+23.6 |
| Washington County, TN | Republican | R+19.4 |
| Wayne County, TN | Republican | R+33.7 |
| Weakley County, TN | Democratic | D+2.1 |
| White County, TN | Democratic | D+23.4 |
| Williamson County, TN | Republican | R+13.2 |
| Wilson County, TN | Democratic | D+19.3 |
Nominees: Jimmy Carter (D) · Ronald Reagan (R)
Tennessee's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 1980 contest in context
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | +13.5% |
| 1896 | +6.0% |
| 1900 | +8.1% |
| 1904 | +10.8% |
| 1908 | +6.9% |
| 1912 | +28.9% |
| 1916 | +13.6% |
| 1920 | −2.8% |
| 1924 | +9.3% |
| 1928 | −11.1% |
| 1932 | +34.0% |
| 1936 | +37.9% |
| 1940 | +34.9% |
| 1944 | +21.2% |
| 1948 | +12.3% |
| 1952 | −0.3% |
| 1956 | −0.6% |
| 1960 | −7.1% |
| 1964 | +11.0% |
| 1968 | −9.7% |
| 1972 | −38.0% |
| 1976 | +13.0% |
| 1980 | −0.3% |
| 1984 | −16.3% |
| 1988 | −16.3% |
| 1992 | +4.7% |
| 1996 | +2.4% |
| 2000 | −3.9% |
| 2004 | −14.3% |
| 2008 | −15.0% |
| 2012 | −20.4% |
| 2016 | −26.0% |
| 2020 | −23.2% |
| 2024 | −29.7% |
County-by-county results — 95 counties
| County | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson County | R | 10,194 | 14,235 | 25,736 | |
| Bedford County | D | 5,987 | 3,377 | 9,583 | |
| Benton County | D | 3,811 | 2,281 | 6,193 | |
| Bledsoe County | R | 1,585 | 1,970 | 3,586 | |
| Blount County | R | 9,412 | 17,959 | 28,144 | |
| Bradley County | R | 7,638 | 11,869 | 19,905 | |
| Campbell County | R | 4,752 | 5,537 | 10,450 | |
| Cannon County | D | 2,351 | 1,403 | 3,817 | |
| Carroll County | R | 5,277 | 5,681 | 11,143 | |
| Carter County | R | 6,006 | 11,648 | 18,077 | |
| Cheatham County | D | 3,771 | 2,296 | 6,201 | |
| Chester County | R | 2,123 | 2,751 | 4,940 | |
| Claiborne County | R | 2,844 | 4,289 | 7,263 | |
| Clay County | D | 1,376 | 1,344 | 2,765 | |
| Cocke County | R | 2,139 | 6,802 | 9,144 | |
| Coffee County | D | 7,612 | 5,454 | 13,393 | |
| Crockett County | D | 2,422 | 2,117 | 4,588 | |
| Cumberland County | R | 3,775 | 6,354 | 10,436 | |
| Davidson County | D | 103,741 | 65,772 | 175,606 | |
| Decatur County | D | 2,139 | 2,095 | 4,280 | |
| DeKalb County | D | 2,948 | 1,841 | 4,868 | |
| Dickson County | D | 6,622 | 3,636 | 10,467 | |
| Dyer County | D | 5,713 | 5,475 | 11,407 | |
| Fayette County | D | 4,141 | 2,944 | 7,195 | |
| Fentress County | R | 1,543 | 2,493 | 4,103 | |
| Franklin County | D | 6,760 | 3,995 | 11,090 | |
| Gibson County | D | 9,829 | 6,792 | 16,923 | |
| Giles County | D | 4,653 | 2,757 | 7,537 | |
| Grainger County | R | 1,495 | 3,254 | 4,848 | |
| Greene County | R | 5,822 | 10,704 | 16,956 | |
| Grundy County | D | 2,837 | 1,139 | 4,019 | |
| Hamblen County | R | 5,890 | 9,741 | 16,073 | |
| Hamilton County | R | 41,913 | 57,575 | 102,092 | |
| Hancock County | R | 704 | 1,734 | 2,487 | |
| Hardeman County | D | 4,153 | 2,931 | 7,205 | |
| Hardin County | R | 3,164 | 4,152 | 7,435 | |
| Hawkins County | R | 5,283 | 7,836 | 13,529 | |
| Haywood County | D | 3,445 | 2,435 | 5,943 | |
| Henderson County | R | 2,702 | 5,108 | 7,926 | |
| Henry County | D | 6,601 | 4,299 | 11,168 | |
| Hickman County | D | 3,225 | 1,903 | 5,230 | |
| Houston County | D | 1,757 | 738 | 2,541 | |
| Humphreys County | D | 3,974 | 1,897 | 5,966 | |
| Jackson County | D | 2,480 | 995 | 3,535 | |
| Jefferson County | R | 3,180 | 6,944 | 10,392 | |
| Johnson County | R | 1,141 | 3,716 | 4,955 | |
| Knox County | R | 45,634 | 66,153 | 117,585 | |
| Lake County | D | 1,718 | 823 | 2,563 | |
| Lauderdale County | D | 4,318 | 2,818 | 7,235 | |
| Lawrence County | R | 6,082 | 6,532 | 13,477 | |
| Lewis County | D | 2,190 | 1,076 | 3,309 | |
| Lincoln County | D | 5,387 | 2,856 | 8,409 | |
| Loudon County | R | 3,699 | 6,382 | 10,376 | |
| Macon County | R | 1,947 | 2,925 | 4,961 | |
| Madison County | R | 12,986 | 13,667 | 27,187 | |
| Marion County | D | 4,623 | 3,902 | 8,651 | |
| Marshall County | D | 4,277 | 2,282 | 6,666 | |
| Maury County | D | 7,957 | 6,637 | 15,030 | |
| McMinn County | R | 5,460 | 7,825 | 13,547 | |
| McNairy County | R | 3,801 | 4,603 | 8,514 | |
| Meigs County | R | 999 | 1,278 | 2,316 | |
| Monroe County | R | 4,612 | 6,246 | 11,065 | |
| Montgomery County | D | 11,573 | 8,503 | 20,698 | |
| Moore County | D | 993 | 551 | 1,595 | |
| Morgan County | R | 2,094 | 2,823 | 5,015 | |
| Obion County | D | 5,766 | 5,397 | 11,365 | |
| Overton County | D | 3,343 | 1,869 | 5,267 | |
| Perry County | D | 1,401 | 783 | 2,232 | |
| Pickett County | R | 758 | 1,319 | 2,102 | |
| Polk County | D | 2,470 | 2,414 | 4,960 | |
| Putnam County | D | 8,084 | 6,235 | 14,753 | |
| Rhea County | R | 3,070 | 4,689 | 7,889 | |
| Roane County | R | 6,473 | 11,096 | 18,182 | |
| Robertson County | D | 7,381 | 3,560 | 11,126 | |
| Rutherford County | D | 15,213 | 11,208 | 27,350 | |
| Scott County | R | 1,724 | 3,014 | 4,832 | |
| Sequatchie County | R | 1,509 | 1,512 | 3,052 | |
| Sevier County | R | 3,450 | 10,576 | 14,439 | |
| Shelby County | D | 159,240 | 140,157 | 308,517 | |
| Smith County | D | 3,674 | 1,755 | 5,531 | |
| Stewart County | D | 2,274 | 985 | 3,318 | |
| Sullivan County | R | 22,341 | 25,963 | 50,470 | |
| Sumner County | D | 14,150 | 11,876 | 26,735 | |
| Tipton County | D | 4,934 | 4,339 | 9,401 | |
| Trousdale County | D | 1,674 | 629 | 2,354 | |
| Unicoi County | R | 1,880 | 3,828 | 5,844 | |
| Union County | R | 1,435 | 2,453 | 3,951 | |
| Van Buren County | D | 886 | 499 | 1,404 | |
| Warren County | D | 6,021 | 3,680 | 9,904 | |
| Washington County | R | 11,599 | 17,457 | 30,249 | |
| Wayne County | R | 1,633 | 3,418 | 5,297 | |
| Weakley County | D | 5,910 | 5,668 | 11,771 | |
| White County | D | 3,415 | 2,100 | 5,613 | |
| Williamson County | R | 8,815 | 11,597 | 21,095 | |
| Wilson County | D | 11,248 | 7,535 | 19,274 |
Same ballot, 1980TN
Source. MIT Election Data + Science Lab — 1980 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.