1980 United States presidential election in Illinois

1980 United States presidential election in Illinois
Turnout	76.24%
Reagan 40-50% 50-60% 60-70% 70-80%	Carter 40-50% 50-60%
President before election; Jimmy Carter; Democratic	Elected President ; Ronald Reagan; Republican

The 1980 United States presidential election in Illinois took place on November 4, 1980. All 50 states and The District of Columbia, were part of the 1980 United States presidential election. State voters chose 26 electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president. This would be the last time a Democrat failed to win more than three counties as well as the last time Rock Island County voted Republican, with the county turning sharply to the Democratic party beginning with Reagan's reelection bid and continuing through to the present day.

Illinois had voted Republican in the previous three presidential elections, and early analysis suggested Reagan as a good candidate against Carter in Dixie Southern Illinois.^[1] Nonetheless, at the beginning of the campaign trail an opinion poll suggested Reagan would lose to Carter by 26%,^[2] but the Republican campaign knew carrying a state which Gerald Ford had won four years ago to be essential and the state was heavily targeted by GOP campaigners.^[3] By mid-September, polls were showing Illinois as very close, and Carter was hit by political conflicts in Chicago between mayor Jane F. Byrne and State Senator Richard Daley.^[4]

Carter strategists did target the state in September and hoped that prospective Republican nominee John Anderson – who had run against Reagan in the GOP presidential primaries before launching his own independent presidential campaign – would take enough votes from Reagan to give Carter the state with a smaller proportion of the votes than he won in 1976.^[5] Polls in mid-October^[6] suggested Illinois was "too close to call", and as election day neared, opinions fluctuated especially in the critical southern part of the state.^[7]

Ultimately Illinois – the state where Republican candidate, former California Governor Ronald Reagan was born in the town of Tampico and raised there– was won by him with a 7.93% margin of victory over Democratic candidate, President Jimmy Carter.^[8] Reagan won all but three counties, but Carter's 268 thousand-vote margin in massively populated Cook County meant Illinois voted roughly 1.77% more Democratic than the nation at-large. Despite being the home state of Congressman John B. Anderson, he only won 7.30% of the popular vote, 346,754 votes, and failed to carry any counties.

^ Cattani, Richard J.; 'Is defeat probable for GOP if Reagan wins nomination?'; The Christian Science Monitor; March 5, 1980
^ Shirley, Craig; Rendezvous with Destiny: Ronald Reagan and the Campaign That Changed America, pp. 100, 207 ISBN 1935191934
^ Sperling, Godfrey jr; 'How Reagan plans to beat Carter in November; "Northeast strategy" targets Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, banks on big "blue collar" vote'; Christian Science Monitor; July 16, 1980
^ Smith, Hedrick; 'Reagan Given an Edge in "Big 9" Battleground States: Vital, Once Again The Anderson Factor'; The New York Times, September 14, 1980, p. 32
^ Smith, Hedrick; 'Carter Hopes for Victory in Illinois As Anderson Draws G.O.P. Voters: Inroads by Anderson Carter Strategists Hope for Victory in Illinois as Anderson Draws Votes From Reagan President's Headaches in State'; The New York Times; September 21, 1980, p. 1
^ Smith, Hedrick; 'Poll Finds Illinois Too Close to Call; Both Camps Note Gains by Carter'; The New York Times, October 14, 1980, p. A1
^ Healy, Robert L. 'Ohio, Mich, and Illinois may decide the election'; The Boston Globe, November 1, 1980, p. 1
^ "1980 Presidential General Election Results – Illinois". Dave Leip's U.S. Election Atlas. Retrieved May 17, 2015.

[1] Cattani, Richard J.; 'Is defeat probable for GOP if Reagan wins nomination?'; The Christian Science Monitor; March 5, 1980

[2] Shirley, Craig; Rendezvous with Destiny: Ronald Reagan and the Campaign That Changed America, pp. 100, 207 ISBN 1935191934

[HowReagan-3] Sperling, Godfrey jr; 'How Reagan plans to beat Carter in November; "Northeast strategy" targets Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, banks on big "blue collar" vote'; Christian Science Monitor; July 16, 1980

[4] Smith, Hedrick; 'Reagan Given an Edge in "Big 9" Battleground States: Vital, Once Again The Anderson Factor'; The New York Times, September 14, 1980, p. 32

[5] Smith, Hedrick; 'Carter Hopes for Victory in Illinois As Anderson Draws G.O.P. Voters: Inroads by Anderson Carter Strategists Hope for Victory in Illinois as Anderson Draws Votes From Reagan President's Headaches in State'; The New York Times; September 21, 1980, p. 1

[6] Smith, Hedrick; 'Poll Finds Illinois Too Close to Call; Both Camps Note Gains by Carter'; The New York Times, October 14, 1980, p. A1

[7] Healy, Robert L. 'Ohio, Mich, and Illinois may decide the election'; The Boston Globe, November 1, 1980, p. 1

[8] "1980 Presidential General Election Results – Illinois". Dave Leip's U.S. Election Atlas. Retrieved May 17, 2015.

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