"[115][116] This response and his admission in another interview that he did not mind if people uttered the word "fuck" led to a media feeding frenzy and critics lamenting the erosion of boundary between politicians and their private intimate lives.[117]
Carter began the race with a sizable lead over Ford, who narrowed the gap during the campaign, but lost to Carter in a narrow defeat on November 2, 1976.[118] Carter won the popular vote by 50.1 percent to 48.0 percent for Ford, and received 297 electoral votes to Ford's 240.[118]

Transition
Main article: Presidential transition of Jimmy Carter
Preliminary planning for Carter's presidential transition had already been underway for months before his election.[119][120] Carter had been the first presidential candidate to allot significant funds and a significant number of personnel to a pre-election transition planning effort, which then became standard practice.[121] He set a mold that influenced all future transitions to be larger, more methodical and more formal than they were.