1976 Tennessee Republican presidential primary
May 25, 1976
| |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||
County results
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Elections in Tennessee |
|---|
| Government |
The 1976 Tennessee Republican presidential primary was held on May 25, 1976, as part of the Republican Party primaries ahead of the 1976 United States presidential election. It was one of several late-May contests between incumbent President Gerald Ford and former California Governor Ronald Reagan.
Although President Gerald Ford narrowly won the statewide popular vote, receiving about 49.8% to Ronald Reagan’s 49.1%, the state’s delegate rules produced a different outcome. Tennessee Republicans selected delegates largely by congressional district, with three delegates awarded per district, in addition to statewide. Reagan’s campaign performed better at the district level, winning more congressional districts or winning the districts by slightly larger margins. Because delegates were distributed proportionally within districts (rather than strictly statewide), Reagan was able to secure an extra delegate even though Ford’s statewide vote total was slightly higher.[1][2][3]
Results
| Candidate | Votes | % | Delegates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gerald Ford (incumbent) | 120,685 | 49.76% | 21 |
| Ronald Reagan | 118,997 | 49.06% | 22 |
| Uncommitted | 2,764 | 1.14% | |
| Write-ins | 97 | 0.04% | |
| Total | 242,543 | 100.00% | 43 |
See also
- 1976 Republican Party presidential primaries
- 1976 Tennessee Democratic presidential primary
- 1976 New Hampshire Republican presidential primary
- 1976 New Jersey Republican presidential primary
- 1976 United States presidential election in Tennessee
References
- ^ "Ford, Reagan Split Tennessee GOP Delegates" (PDF). The Tennessean. May 26, 1976.
- ^ "FORD TAKES KENTUCKY AND OREGON, LEADS TENNESSEE (Published 1976)". 1976-05-26. Retrieved 2025-09-28.
- ^ a b "LOSER REAGAN WINS DELEGATE MAJORITY". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. May 27, 1976. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
- ^ "1976 Republican Convention Divided Republicans Nominate Ford and Dole".