The Democratic presidential primaries were crowded with candidates including several who were nationally know. One, howver, was a plicitical outsider. James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr., a former governor of Georgia, had a no previous experience in the federal governement. He toured the nation meeting voters face to face. Carter made a virtue of this inexperience:
To almost everyone's surprise, Carter won many of the primaries and secured the Democractic nomination for President. This was partly because his informal, down-homestyle appealed to Americans tired of the "Imerial Presidency"
Although the vote was close, Carter won the election. He took 51 percent of the popular vote and 297 electoral votes to Ford's 48 percent and 241 electoral votes. Carter achieved his victory by combining the support of the old Democractic coalition of the industrial Northeast and the Solid south(Except for Virginia). For the first time since 1848, a candidate from the Deep South had been elected President. To a great extent, Carter owed his margin of victory to African American Southern voters.