In the 1980 United States presidential election, Florida was won overwhelmingly by the Republican candidate, former California governor Ronald Reagan, over Democratic incumbent Jimmy Carter. Reagan won by a wide 17.02% margin, a particularly strong performance in this conservative leaning state. John B. Anderson, a liberal Republican congressman from Illinois who ran as an independent candidate, had Florida give him his strongest performance in a southern state by winning 5.14% of the popular vote. Florida, along with Virginia, were one of only two southern states to give Anderson over 5% of the vote. Although Carter lost Florida, he is the last Democrat to win a majority of counties in the state's northern region.
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