1980 Presidential Election
Maxwell (R-OK): 291, 42.4%
Beaver (D-VA): 155, 29.7%
LD Smith (I-CA): 85, 20.1%
Leinad (L-GA): 7, 7.6%
Beaver, the southern populist Democrat known for his rather conservative stances relative to the national Democratic Party's standard, defeats incumbent president Jimmy Carter in the primary. In response, LD Smith joins the race as an independent to protest the mainly hawkish strings of Mr Beaver. This creates a rather large division in the left-wing vote which allows Maxwell to win in a landslide. Maxwell runs on a message similar to Ronald Reagan's, except without the social conservatism. Maxwell wins most of the upper Atlantic, the Midwest, and the mountain west. Beaver wins most of the south (though many states were narrow in margin) and Minnesota, while LD Smith, runs very well in catholic areas of the country and the west coast. Leinad runs as a libertarian, the new political party dedicated to maximum liberty and minimal government. His message runs strong in the Rockies and west coast. He wins two states, Montana and Alaska.
West: LD Smith: 32%, Maxwell: 31%, Leinad: 22%, Beaver: 15%
Midwest: Maxwell: 46%, Beaver: 33%, LD Smith: 18%, Leinad: 2%
South: Beaver: 42%, Maxwell: 40%, LD Smith: 12%, Leinad: 5%
Northeast: Maxwell: 43%, LD Smith: 27%, Beaver: 22%, Leinad: 7%