‹ 1972  1980 ›
| ||||
| United States Presidential Election, 1976 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2, 1976 | ||||
|
|
|||
| Nominee | 'Spiro Agnew' | George Wallace | ||
| Party | Republican | Democratic | ||
| Home state | Maryland | Alabama | ||
| Running mate | Howard Baker | Frank Church | ||
| Electoral vote | 468 | 69 | ||
| States carried | 42 | 8+D.C. | ||
| Popular vote | 57.3% | 34.6% | ||
| ||||
| Blue donates to states won by Wallace/Church. Red donates to states won by Agnew/Baker | ||||
The 1976 United States presidential election was the 48th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 1976. Republican Vice President Spiro Agnew of Maryland defeated Democrat George Wallace of Alabama. A strong economy, positive approval ratings for Nixon, and the end of the Vietnamese War led to a landslide win for Agnew. Wallace attempted to win by running on FDR's New Deal ideas. Agnew's campaign accused Wallace of socialism, while Democrats in the party denounced Wallace for his ardent support for segregation. Ultimately, Wallace failed to energize his base, leading the second straight landslide for Republicans.
Republican candidates[]
As he was the sitting Vice President, Agnew entered the race as the clear favorite. However, Reagan became a formattable foe, polling a close second in each poll released. A strong showing in New Hampshire made Agnew the clear favorite to win the nomination. Agnew chose one of his campaign rivals, Howard Baker, who only polled at one percent while withdrawing during the primaries, as his running mate.