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| Elections in Arkansas |
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The 1980 United States presidential election in Arkansas took place on November 4, 1980. All fifty states and The District of Columbia were part of the 1980 United States presidential election. State voters chose six electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
The election was very close in Arkansas, with the state being won by former California Governor Ronald Reagan by only 0.6 points.[1]
Despite incumbent Jimmy Carter having won the state four years earlier by 30 percent, Carter's perceived failures in office, including economic downturn in an election year, the Iran hostage crisis, and a riot by Cuban refugees who were temporarily placed in Fort Chaffee in western Arkansas, contributed to his defeat. While insignificant in the overall context of Reagan winning the Electoral College by a significant amount, some analysts have said the combined Democratic ticket in Arkansas in both the presidential and gubernatorial races would have won, if the riot had not occurred.
This is also the last time any candidate won the state with only a plurality as in 1992 it would be the only state in the nation besides the District of Columbia to give native son Bill Clinton a majority of the vote.[2] This is the closest election in the state's history.
53% of white voters supported Reagan while 42% supported Carter.[3][4]
- ^ "1980 Presidential General Election Results – Arkansas". Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
- ^ Moyer, Justin. "The forgotten story of how refugees almost ended Bill Clinton's career". Washington Post.
- ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 295.
- ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 335.
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