1980Final results
1980 election for President in Illinois
President · Illinois
Ronald Reagan (R) won with 49.6% of the vote, defeating Jimmy Carter (D) by 7.9 points.
Ronald ReaganRepublican · winner
49.6%2,358,049
Jimmy CarterDemocrat
41.7%1,981,413
John B. AndersonIndependent
7.3%346,754
Edward ""ed"" ClarkLibertarian
0.8%38,939
Barry CommonerOther party
0.2%10,692
Gus HallCommunist
0.2%9,711
Deirdre GriswoldWorkers World
0.0%2,257
Clifton DeberrySocialist Workers
0.0%1,302
4,749,721 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1980
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The candidates
Ronald Reagan (R)Jimmy Carter (D)John B. Anderson (I)
Also on the ballot: Edward ""ed"" Clark (Libertarian), 0.8%; Barry Commoner (Other party), 0.2%; Gus Hall (Communist), 0.2%; Deirdre Griswold (Workers World), 0.0%; Clifton Deberry (Socialist Workers), 0.0%