How Did Jimmy Carter Fare At The Re-elections In 1980?

Jimmy Carter received around 35.5 million votes or 41 per cent of the votes which were cast and still lost the election. The reason was that the President had his support distributed far and wide and did not enjoy support that was concentrated in any geographic area. His opponent Ronal Reagan received 43.9 million of the votes cast or 51per cent of the total votes. The result of Jimmy Carter's electorate being fractured was that Reagan won a landslide of 91 percent of the electoral vote.

There were a number of reasons attributed to the defeat of President Jimmy Carter, not least of which was the Iranian Hostage Crisis. The President was seen as being ineffective in solving the impasses decisively. The failed rescue mission also added to a loss of popularity and the state of the economy did not help his cause in any way.