Maryland was won by incumbent President Ronald Reagan (R-California), with 52.51% of the popular vote, over former Vice President Walter Mondale (D-Minnesota) by a landslide, with 47.02% of the popular vote, a 5.49% margin.[1] Despite Reagan's victory in the state, it voted 12.73% more Democratic than the nation amidst his 49-state landslide.[2] Maryland weighed in as the Democratic Party's strongest state in the South for the first time, a distinction that it has held in every election since bar 1992 and 1996 (in which it was second to Bill Clinton's native Arkansas), and 1988 (in which it was second to the heavily unionized West Virginia).[3]
Reagan won all but one of the state's 23 counties. The race was close, however, due to Mondale's strong performances in largely African-AmericanBaltimore City and Prince George's County. Reagan also won Montgomery County in the Washington suburbs by only 888 votes out of almost 300,000 cast; this was the last time to date that a Republican has won this county.[4] This also marks the last time the Democratic candidate was held below 60% of the vote in neighboring Prince George's County.[5]