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1984 United States presidential election

← 1980 November 6, 1984 1988 →

538 members of the Electoral College
270 electoral votes needed to win
Turnout54.7%[1] Increase 2.1 pp
  File:Vice President Mondale 1977 closeup.jpg
Nominee Walter Mondale Ronald Reagan
Party Democratic Republican
Home state Minnesota California
Running mate Geraldine Ferraro George H.W. Bush
Electoral vote 279 260
States carried 20 + DC 30
Popular vote 49,726,011 44,230,377
Percentage 52.5% 46.7%

1984 United States presidential election in California1984 United States presidential election in Oregon1984 United States presidential election in Washington (state)1984 United States presidential election in Idaho1984 United States presidential election in Nevada1984 United States presidential election in Utah1984 United States presidential election in Arizona1984 United States presidential election in Montana1984 United States presidential election in Wyoming1984 United States presidential election in Colorado1984 United States presidential election in New Mexico1984 United States presidential election in North Dakota1984 United States presidential election in South Dakota1984 United States presidential election in Nebraska1984 United States presidential election in Kansas1984 United States presidential election in Oklahoma1984 United States presidential election in Texas1984 United States presidential election in Minnesota1984 United States presidential election in Iowa1984 United States presidential election in Missouri1984 United States presidential election in Arkansas1984 United States presidential election in Louisiana1984 United States presidential election in Wisconsin1984 United States presidential election in Illinois1984 United States presidential election in Michigan1984 United States presidential election in Indiana1984 United States presidential election in Ohio1984 United States presidential election in Kentucky1984 United States presidential election in Tennessee1984 United States presidential election in Mississippi1984 United States presidential election in Alabama1984 United States presidential election in Georgia1984 United States presidential election in Florida1984 United States presidential election in South Carolina1984 United States presidential election in North Carolina1984 United States presidential election in Virginia1984 United States presidential election in West Virginia1984 United States presidential election in the District of Columbia1984 United States presidential election in Maryland1984 United States presidential election in Delaware1984 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania1984 United States presidential election in New Jersey1984 United States presidential election in New York1984 United States presidential election in Connecticut1984 United States presidential election in Rhode Island1984 United States presidential election in Vermont1984 United States presidential election in New Hampshire1984 United States presidential election in Maine1984 United States presidential election in Massachusetts1984 United States presidential election in Hawaii1984 United States presidential election in Alaska1984 United States presidential election in the District of Columbia1984 United States presidential election in Maryland1984 United States presidential election in Delaware1984 United States presidential election in New Jersey1984 United States presidential election in Connecticut1984 United States presidential election in Rhode Island1984 United States presidential election in Massachusetts1984 United States presidential election in Vermont1984 United States presidential election in New Hampshire
Presidential election results map. blue denotes those won by Mondale/Ferraro. and Red denotes states won by Reagan/Bush and Numbers indicate electoral votes cast by each state and the District of Columbia.

President before election

Ronald Reagan
Republican

Elected President

Walter Mondale
Democratic

The 1984 United States presidential election was the 50th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 6, 1984. Democratic candidate and former Vice President Walter Mondale defeated incumbent Republican President Ronald Reagan, winning 279 electoral votes and 52.5 percent of the popular vote. The election was greatly seen as being connected to the earlier 1980 presidential election, when Reagan had defeated former President Jimmy Carter.

Reagan faced serious opposition in his bid for re-nomination by U.S. Representative Jack Kemp of New York, who flanked Reagan on the right economically. The president would come to defeat him but then struggle to unify the party when facing the Democrats. Mondale notably defeated Colorado Senator Gary Hart and activist Jesse Jackson in the 1984 Democratic primaries before eventually choosing U.S. Representative Geraldine Ferraro of New York as his running mate, the first woman to be on a major party's presidential ticket.

Reagan struggled to maintain a lead amid the economic stagnation of the early 1980s. While the 1970s stagflation had been largely corrected, growth was slow and unemployment never dipped below 8%. Foreign policy successes were overshadowed by a growing number of Americans who disapproved of Reagan's handling of the economy. Mondale campaigned on his humble origins and in-depth economic plans. His "Farmer-Labor Platform" focused on the plight of workers, especially blue-collar workers who were beginning to see deindustrialization.

Mondale narrowly won with 279 electoral votes and 20 states plus the District of Columbia. Reagan lost with 260 electoral votes and 30 states, far worse than his performance in 1980. Mondale's victory over Reagan's supply-side model led the Democrats to embrace his Farmer-Labor positions of laborism and protectionism. The Kemp faction of the Republicans would increasingly come into conflict with party leaders over its preference of social conservatism over neoliberal economics. While these strains first appeared in 1984, the Great Realignment of 1989-92 would establish the Farmer-Labor, Liberal, and Republican political order in time for the 21st century.

Nominations

Democratic Primaries

Ever since Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy declined to run for the Democratic nomination in December 1982, former Vice President Walter Mondale stood out as a frontrunner for 1984. Mondale was well established within the Democratic Party, favored by both congressional leaders (bolstered by successful 1982 midterms) and labor leaders under threat of Reagan's anti-union policies. The more liberal faction of the Democrats united around Clergyman Jesse Jackson, who advocated for a "Rainbow Coalition" series of policies focused on marginalized groups like racial minorities, the LGBTQ+ community, and the poor.

Colorado Senator Gary Hart attempted to create a moderate and maverick image to steal away as many conservative and moderate Democratic votes as possible. Relatively new to the national scene, Hart was quick to join Jackson as an anti-establishment figure. California Senator Alan Cranston, an already old figure at 69 years old, ran as a one-issue candidate for a nuclear freeze. Little did Cranston know but his presence in the primary would in the end make Mondale appear as more youthful to the electorate. At the Democratic debates heading into the Iowa Caucuses, Jackson continued to take bold liberal stances and Hart made overtures to the moderate Kemp faction of the Republican Party. Mondale found himself between the two, articulating a "Farmer Labor Policy Architecture".

Mondale campaigning in Austin, Texas.

Mondale's labor-based politics proved very popular as the nation's unemployment rate stubbornly stayed near 10%. While sometimes laughed at as silly (and derided on Saturday Night Live), Mondale's hard-hat photo-ops had a certain appeal with many people searching for a homely figure. In Iowa, Mondale walked away with 60% of the vote and a commanding 30% lead over Hart. The honeymoon ended quickly though with a pyric victory for Hart in New Hampshire, who won 34% of the vote. Super Tuesday turned out to be a slog, with the three major candidates (Mondale, Hart, and Jackson) splitting the states. At the debates, Mondale and Hart argued viciously with Mondale at one point asking Hart, "Where's the beef?", attacking the shallowness of his policy proposals. Jackson outperformed expectations, beating Hart for second in the Pennsylvania and New York Primaries, as well as outright winning the Illinois Primary. Over time though, Mondale pulled ahead. A decisive victory in the California Primary put Mondale officially over the top.

Recognizing his slim majority in delegates, Mondale set to make a historic Vice Presidential nominee pick at the 1984 Democratic National Convention in San Francisco. He met with his two major rivals to hash out their differences and provide a unified front for November. They settled on New York Representative Geraldine Ferraro for Vice President and cabinet posts for both Hart and Jackson. However, Mondale had to further promise primary reforms to more accurately represent the 24.2% of the popular vote Jackson had won. In complete contrast from the Republican Convention, the Democratic Convention was filled with unity and a determination to knock Reagan out of the White House. Keynote Speaker and New York Governor Mario Cuomo galvanized the party with his "A Tale of Two Cities" speech.

Mondale celebrates the triumphal California primary with Jimmy Carter (under whom Mondale had previously served as vice president) at his campaign headquarters.

Recognizing his slim majority in delegates, Mondale set to make a historic Vice Presidential nominee pick at the 1984 Democratic National Convention in San Francisco. He met with his two major rivals to hash out their differences and provide a unified front for November. They settled on New York Representative Geraldine Ferraro for Vice President and cabinet posts for both Hart and Jackson. However, Mondale had to further promise primary reforms to more accurately represent the 24.2% of the popular vote Jackson had won. In complete contrast from the Republican Convention, the Democratic Convention was filled with unity and a determination to knock Reagan out of the White House. Keynote Speaker and New York Governor Mario Cuomo galvanized the party with his "A Tale of Two Cities" speech.

Candidates

Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party (United States)
1984 Democratic Party ticket
Walter Mondale Geraldine Ferraro
for President for Vice President
File:Vice President Mondale 1977 closeup.jpg
42nd
Vice President of the United States
(1977–1981)
U.S. representative
from New York
(1979–1985)
Campaign

Republican Primaries

A flailing economy and compromises made for the watered-down Economic Revitalization Act of 1981 created a rift within the Republican Party. Led by Representative Jack Kemp, a Kemp faction of Republicans called for more conservative economic policies, inspired by the Chicago School, and moderate social policies. President Ronald Reagan had reluctantly compromised on his economic agenda, giving small middle-class tax cuts and a lowered corporate tax rate. His instinctual anti-communist foreign policy and social conservatism held a Reagan faction of Republicans together to support his re-election campaign.

Reagan attending a rally in Cincinnati, Ohio.

After weeks of rumors, Kemp announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination in September 1983. Due to Kemp's history of working closely with Reagan, the press covered the "Republican Civil War" intensely, especially once it heated up. Kemp attacked Reagan relentlessly over poor economic performance while Reagan attacked Kemp over his moderate social policies on gay rights and affirmative action. Both competed on hawkish foreign policy, specifically on anti-communism. The Iowa Caucuses served as a testing ground for the rest of the primaries, as Reagan won the caucuses but only by a 16-point margin. In the New Hampshire Primary, Kemp pulled ahead, winning a 52% of the primary vote.

In the debates leading into March, Reagan tried to focus the conversation on foreign policy. As the incumbent President, Reagan had dealt with the Iranian hostage crisis and embraced a hawkish stance toward the Soviet Union. Kemp tried to steer debate toward economics, where Reagan was failing. A strong Kemp performance in the Northeast and poor economic figures put Reagan on the backfoot. The first quarter of 1984 saw the economy stagnate at 0.4% growth and a stubborn unemployment rate of 9.8%. In early March, news broke of US support for Contras, a right-wing guerilla group that fought the Communist Sandinista government. While national polling disapproved of US involvement, a wide majority of Republican activists supported Reagan.

This supplanted Kemp's appeals to economics with Reagan's record in the 1983 invasion of Grenada and the joint American-British 1982 Falkland War. His successful Lebanon peacekeeping in 1983 additionally bolstered Reagan. A stunning victory in Illinois, paired with Kemp's debate gaffe mixing up Iran and Iraq saw Reagan pull ahead. Reagan's embracing of nationalism and slightly better economic figures by June sealed the primary. The 1984 Republican National Convention in Dallas, however, did not seal the fissure within the party as a significant portion of Kemp Republicans protested and walked out on the second day. While Reagan and Vice President George H.W. Bush would be re-nominated, they struggled to maintain their 1980 electoral coalition.

Candidates

Republican Party (United States)
Republican Party (United States)
1984 Republican Party ticket
Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush
for President for Vice President
40th
President of the United States
(1981–1989)
43rd
Vice President of the United States
(1981–1989)
Campaign

Other parties

National Unity Party nomination

Former Representative
John B. Anderson
from Illinois
(declined to run – April 26, 1984)
(endorsed Mondale – August 27)

The National Unity Party was an outgrowth of John Anderson's presidential campaign from the 1980 presidential election. Anderson hoped that the party would be able to challenge the "two old parties", which he viewed as being tied to various special interest groups and incapable of responsible fiscal reform. The intention was to organize the new party in California, Oregon, Washington, Illinois, the New England states, and others where his previous candidacy had proven to have experienced the most success. The party was also eligible for $5.8 million in Federal election funds, but its qualification depended on it being on the ballot in at least ten states; however, it remained unclear if National Unity could actually obtain the funds, or if it needed to be Anderson himself.

Anderson initially was against running, hoping that another notable politico would take the party into the 1984 election, and feared that his own candidacy might result in the party being labeled a "personality cult". However, no candidate came forward resulting in Anderson becoming the nominee in waiting. While Anderson had found equal support from the Republicans and Democrats in the 1980 election, the grand majority of the former had since switched back, resulting in the new party being supported principally by those who normally would vote Democratic, which it was feared might make him a spoiler candidate. In light of this, in addition to difficulties in getting on the ballot in his targeted states (Utah and Kentucky were the only two, neither among those he intended to prominently campaign in), Anderson ultimately declined to run. Later he would endorse the Democratic nominee, Walter Mondale.

Anderson had hoped that the party would continue to grow and later field a candidate in 1988 (which he declared would not be him), but it floundered and ultimately dissolved.

Libertarian Party nomination

Burns was the initial frontrunner for the nomination, but withdrew, citing concerns that the party would not be able to properly finance a campaign. The remaining candidates were Bergland; Ravenal, who had worked in the Department of Defense under Robert McNamara and Clark Clifford; and Ruwart. Bergland narrowly won the presidential nomination over Ravenal. His running mate was James A. Lewis. The ticket appeared on 39 state ballots.

Citizens Party nomination

Sonia Johnson ran in the 1984 presidential election, as the presidential candidate of the Citizens Party, Pennsylvania's Consumer Party and California's Peace and Freedom Party. Johnson received 72,161 votes (0.1%) finishing fifth. Her running mate for the Citizens Party was Richard Walton and for the Peace and Freedom Party Emma Wong Mar. One of her campaign managers, Mark Dunlea, later wrote a novel about a first female president, Madame President.

Communist Party nomination

The Communist Party USA ran Gus Hall for president and Angela Davis for vice president.

General election

Campaign

Reagan and Bush campaigning in Austin, Texas
Mondale and Ferraro campaigning in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Mondale immediately set off with large campaign rallies in Pennsylvania and Ohio. To crowds of workers, Mondale promised millions of new jobs through public investment through "roads, rails, and rakes". Reagan, looking to Truman's strategy in 1948, stayed in Washington DC through the summer of 1948 and called on Congress to send him an economic relief plan. Despite resistance from the Kemp faction, Reagan was able to create a coalition with enough moderate Democrats to sign more middle-class tax cuts and state revenue relief. This, paired with Ferraro's underwater approval rating, put Mondale on the backfoot.

On October 7, the two met for their first of two presidential debates in The Kentucky Center. Reagan's age came front and center as he gaffed in multiple instances. Infamously, Reagan asked Barbara Walters, the debate moderator, if they could switch topics to foreign policy. Soon after the debate, economic performance in the third quarter compounded Reagan's troubles. Despite growth picking up to 2.3%, unemployment remained at 8.4%. This helped create a widely held impression that Reagan was out of touch. Mondale played up his humble origins, having served for three years in the army for three years for GI support to go to law school.

This stood in large contrast to Reagan's famous Hollywood days. Initial public support for Reaganomics collapsed as unemployment remained stubbornly high. While Reagan continued to try to gear public attention toward his foreign policy victories, economic woes took center stage.

Presidential debates

There were two presidential debates and one vice presidential debate during the 1984 general election.[3]

No. Date Host Location Panelists Moderator Participants Viewership

(Millions)

P1 Sunday, October 7, 1984 The Kentucky Center Louisville, Kentucky James Wieghart

Diane Sawyer

Fred Barnes

Barbara Walters President Ronald Reagan

Vice President Walter Mondale

71.9[3]
VP Thursday, October 11, 1984 Philadelphia Civic Center Philadelphia John Bashek

Jack White

Robert Boyd

Sander Vanocur Vice President George H. W. Bush

Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro

64.7[3]
P2 Sunday, October 21, 1984 Municipal Auditorium (Kansas City, Missouri) Kansas City, Missouri Georgie Anne Geyer

Marvin Kalb

Morton Kondracke

Edwin Newman President Ronald Reagan

Vice President Walter Mondale

69.8 [3]

Results

File:1984 leaning.png
Results by leaning states
File:1984 map corrected.png
Results by state


Walter Mondale was elected president in the November 6 election, winning both the electoral and popular votes. Mondale won 20 states plus DC (but not Maine's second congressional district). Reagan became the 10th U.S. President and 5th Republican President to not win re-election. Mondale won 279 electoral votes, 19 more than Reagan. Of the 94,752,308 total votes cast, Mondale won 49,726,011 (52.48%). Reagan won 44,230,377 (46.68%). Commentators concluded that the economic and political tumult of the 1970s had continued through Reagan's presidency and yielded a 1980-like punishment to the incumbent. Despite getting inflation under control, largely thanks to Federal Reserve Chair Paul Volcker, Reagan's economic policies didn't create the rebound he needed.

High unemployment, especially among blue-collar workers and paired with systemic deindustrialization, helped create a "Farmer-Labor electorate". A coalition of New Deal liberals, organized labor, and farmers guided Mondale to successes in the Midwest, Northeast, and West Coast. Reagan left the Republican Party fractured and without much economic credibility. Supply-side economics was largely rejected but this would not stop the Kemp faction from remaining very conservative economically. Mondale's electoral victory carried over to the Congress, where Democrats retained clear majorities in both chambers. His policies on labor and protectionism were subsequently embraced by party leaders, who saw the Midwest labor base as crucial to keeping the White House.

Statistics

Electoral results
Presidential candidate Party Home state Popular vote Electoral
vote
Running mate
Count Percentage Vice-presidential candidate Home state Electoral vote
Walter Frederick Mondale Democratic Minnesota 49,726,011 52.48% 279 Geraldine Anne Ferraro New York 279
Ronald Wilson Reagan Republican California 44,230,377 46.68% 260 George Herbert Walker Bush Texas 260
David Bergland Libertarian California  228,111 0.25% 0 Jim Lewis Connecticut  0
Lyndon LaRouche Independent Virginia  78,809 0.09% 0 Billy Davis Mississippi  0
Sonia Johnson Citizens Idaho  72,161 0.08% 0 Richard Walton Rhode Island  0
Bob Richards Populist Texas  66,324 0.07% 0 Maureen Salaman California  0
Dennis L. Serrette New Alliance New Jersey  46,853 0.05% 0 Nancy Ross New York  0
Gus Hall Communist New York  36,386 0.04% 0 Angela Davis California  0
Melvin T. Mason Socialist Workers California  24,699 0.03% 0 Matilde Zimmermann New York  0
Larry Holmes Workers World New York  17,985 0.02% 0 Gloria La Riva California  0
Other 49,181 0.05% Other
Total 92,653,233 100% 538 538
Needed to win 270 270

Source for the popular vote:[4]
Source for the electoral vote:[5]

Popular vote
Reagan
52.48%
Mondale
46.68%
Others
0.84%
Electoral vote
Reagan
51.86%
Mondale
48.14%

Results by state

Sources:[6][7]

Legend
States/districts won by Mondale/Ferraro
States/districts won by Reagan/Bush
At-large results (Maine used the Congressional District Method)
Walter Mondale
Democratic
Ronald Reagan
Republican
Margin State Total
State electoral
votes
# % electoral
votes
# % electoral
votes
# % #
Alabama 9 674,883 45.32 808,460 54.29 9 −133,577 −8.97 1,489,152 AL
Alaska 3 69,548 31.09 153,034 68.41 3 −83,486 −37.32 223,702 AK
Arizona 7 389,847 34.69 730,360 64.99 7 −340,513 −30.30 1,123,804 AZ
Arkansas 6 433,332 44.97 527,572 54.75 6 −94,240 −9.78 963,603 AR
California 47 5,168,339 53.82 47 4,365,527 45.46 802,812 8.36 9,603,009 CA
Colorado 8 517,456 39.67 779,901 59.79 8 −262,445 −20.12 1,304,402 CO
Connecticut 8 707,272 46.87 801,735 53.13 8 −94,463 −6.26 1,509,008 CT
Delaware 3 135,275 49.72 135,901 49.95 3 −626 −0.23 272,075 DE
D.C. 3 204,948 87.42 3 28,156 12.01 176,792 75.41 234,441 DC
Florida 21 1,850,136 43.81 2,352,683 55.71 21 −502,547 −11.90 4,223,091 FL
Georgia 12 863,605 47.37 949,656 52.09 12 −86,051 −4.72 1,823,107 GA
Hawaii 4 204,519 55.51 4 162,775 44.18 41,744 11.33 368,437 HI
Idaho 4 137,110 30.22 314,964 69.42 4 −177,854 −39.20 453,709 ID
Illinois 24 2,663,281 54.71 24 2,189,138 44.97 474,143 9.74 4,867,997 IL
Indiana 12 970,736 43.01 1,273,399 56.42 12 −302,663 −13.41 2,257,001 IN
Iowa 8 845,961 63.42 8 482,873 36.20 363,088 27.22 1,333,904 IA
Kansas 7 368,683 35.47 665,751 64.05 7 −297,068 −28.58 1,039,424 KS
Kentucky 9 672,607 48.01 722,621 51.58 9 −50,014 −3.57 1,400,973 KY
Louisiana 10 822,702 46.42 941,446 53.12 10 −118,744 −6.70 1,772,302 LA
Maine 2 313,881 51.93 2 289,643 47.92 24,238 4.01 604,431 ME
Maine-1 1 170,051 52.47 1 152,420 47.03 17,631 5.44 324,092 ME1
Maine-2 1 127,234 46.27 147,087 53.49 1 19,853 −7.22 274,982 ME2
Maryland 10 787,935 47.02 879,918 52.51 10 91,983 5.49 1,675,873 MD
Massachusetts 13 1,239,606 48.43 1,310,936 51.22 13 71,330 2.79 2,559,453 MA
Michigan 20 1,529,638 40.24 2,251,571 59.23 20 721,933 18.99 3,801,658 MI
Minnesota 10 1,036,364 49.72 10 1,032,603 49.54 −3,761 −0.18 2,084,449 MN
Mississippi 7 352,192 37.46 581,477 61.85 7 229,285 24.39 940,192 MS
Missouri 11 848,583 39.98 1,274,188 60.02 11 425,605 20.05 2,122,771 MO
Montana 4 146,742 38.18 232,450 60.47 4 85,708 22.30 384,377 MT
Nebraska 5 187,866 28.81 460,054 70.55 5 272,188 41.74 652,090 NE
Nevada 4 91,655 31.97 188,770 65.85 4 97,115 33.88 286,667 NV
New Hampshire 4 120,395 30.95 267,051 68.66 4 146,656 37.71 388,954 NH
New Jersey 16 1,261,323 39.20 1,933,630 60.09 16 672,307 20.89 3,217,862 NJ
New Mexico 5 201,769 39.23 307,101 59.70 5 105,332 20.48 514,370 NM
New York 36 3,119,609 45.83 3,664,763 53.84 36 545,154 8.01 6,806,810 NY
North Carolina 13 824,287 37.89 1,346,481 61.90 13 522,194 24.00 2,175,361 NC
North Dakota 3 104,429 33.80 200,336 64.84 3 95,907 31.04 308,971 ND
Ohio 23 1,825,440 40.14 2,678,560 58.90 23 853,120 18.76 4,547,619 OH
Oklahoma 8 385,080 30.67 861,530 68.61 8 476,450 37.94 1,255,676 OK
Oregon 7 536,479 43.74 685,700 55.91 7 149,221 12.17 1,226,527 OR
Pennsylvania 25 2,228,131 45.99 2,584,323 53.34 25 356,192 7.35 4,844,903 PA
Rhode Island 4 197,106 48.02 212,080 51.66 4 14,974 3.65 410,492 RI
South Carolina 8 344,470 35.57 615,539 63.55 8 271,069 27.99 968,540 SC
South Dakota 3 116,113 36.53 200,267 63.00 3 84,154 26.47 317,867 SD
Tennessee 11 711,714 41.57 990,212 57.84 11 278,498 16.27 1,711,993 TN
Texas 29 1,949,276 36.11 3,433,428 63.61 29 1,484,152 27.50 5,397,571 TX
Utah 5 155,369 24.68 469,105 74.50 5 313,736 49.83 629,656 UT
Vermont 3 95,730 40.81 135,865 57.92 3 40,135 17.11 234,561 VT
Virginia 12 796,250 37.09 1,337,078 62.29 12 540,828 25.19 2,146,635 VA
Washington 10 807,352 42.86 1,051,670 55.82 10 244,318 12.97 1,883,910 WA
West Virginia 6 328,125 44.60 405,483 55.11 6 77,358 10.51 735,742 WV
Wisconsin 11 995,847 45.02 1,198,800 54.19 11 202,953 9.18 2,212,016 WI
Wyoming 3 53,370 28.24 133,241 70.51 3 79,871 42.27 188,968 WY
TOTALS: 538 49,726,011 52.48 279 44,230,377 46.68 260 5,495,634 5.80 94,752,308 US

Maine allowed its electoral votes to be split between candidates. Two electoral votes were awarded to the winner of the statewide race and one electoral vote to the winner of each congressional district. Reagan won all four votes.

Voter demographics

The 1984 presidential vote by demographic subgroup
Demographic subgroup Mondale Reagan % of
total vote
Total vote 52 46 100
Ideology
Liberals 89 11 25
Moderates 57 43 42
Conservatives 18 82 33
Party
Democrats 95 5 38
Republicans 7 93 35
Independents 54 46 27
Gender
Men 42 58 47
Women 60 40 53
Race
White 48 52 86
Black 92 8 10
Hispanic 71 29 3
Age
18–24 years old 64 36 11
25–29 years old 60 40 12
30–49 years old 55 45 34
50–64 years old 44 56 23
65 and older 43 57 20
Family income
Under $12,500 67 33 15
$12,500–25,000 63 37 27
$25,000–35,000 58 42 23
$35,000–50,000 52 48 20
Over $50,000 19 81 15
Region
East 57 41 26
Midwest 58 42 30
South 38 62 27
West 60 40 17
Union households
Union 74 26 26

Source: CBS News and The New York Times exit poll from the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research (9,174 surveyed)[8]

  1. ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
  2. ^ "Candidate withdraws from Race". news.google.com. August 27, 1983. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013 – via The Palm Beach Post.
  3. ^ a b c d "CPD: 1984 Debates". www.debates.org. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  4. ^ Leip, David. "1984 Presidential Election Results". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved August 7, 2005.
  5. ^ "Electoral College Box Scores 1789–1996". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved August 7, 2005.
  6. ^ "1984 Presidential General Election Data – National". Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  7. ^ Barone, Michael; Ujifusa, Grant (June 1989). The Almanac of American Politics, 1986. ISBN 978-0-89234-044-6. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  8. ^ "How Groups Voted in 1984". ropercenter.cornell.edu. Retrieved February 1, 2018.