1984 United States presidential debates
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The 1984 United States presidential election debates were held during the 1984 presidential election. Three debates were held between Republican candidate, incumbent president Ronald Reagan and Democratic vice president Walter Mondale under Jimmy Carter, the major candidates. One debate was held with their vice presidential running mates, incumbent vice president George H. W. Bush and congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro.
Debate schedule
| 1984 United States presidential election debates | |||||||||||||||
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| No. | Date & Time | Host | Location | Moderator | Participants | ||||||||||
| Key: P Participant. N Non-invitee. |
Republican | Democratic | |||||||||||||
| President Ronald Reagan of California |
Former Vice President Walter Mondale of Minnesota | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | Sunday, October 7, 1984,
9:00 – 10:30 p.m. EDT[1] |
Center for the Performing Arts | Louisville, Kentucky | Barbara Walters | P | P | |||||||||
| 2 | Sunday, October 21, 1984,
8:00 – 9:30 p.m. EDT[1] |
Music Hall, Municipal Auditorium | Kansas City, Missouri[2] | Edwin Newman | P | P | |||||||||
| 1984 United States vice presidential debate | |||||||||||||||
| No. | Date & Time | Host | Location | Moderator | Participants | ||||||||||
| Key: P Participant. N Non-invitee. |
Republican | Democratic | |||||||||||||
| Vice President George H. W. Bush of Texas |
Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro of New York | ||||||||||||||
| VP | Thursday, October 11, 1984,
9:00 – 10:30 p.m. EDT[1] |
Pennsylvania Hall Civic Center | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Sander Vanocur | P | P | |||||||||
October 7: First presidential debate (Center for the Performing Arts)
| First presidential debate | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Date(s) | October 7, 1984 |
| Venue | Center for the Performing Arts |
| Location | Louisville, Kentucky |
| Participants | Ronald Reagan Walter Mondale |
| Moderator(s) | Barbara Walters of ABC |
The first debate between president Ronald Reagan and former vice president Walter Mondale took place on Sunday, October 7, 1984, at the Center for the Performing Arts in Louisville, Kentucky. The debate was moderated by Barbara Walters of ABC News and featured a panel featuring James Wieghart of New York Daily News, Diane Sawyer of CBS News, and Fred Barnes of New Republic. The topics were economic and domestic policy issues.[3]
Despite trailing far behind Reagan in the polls leading up to the debate, Mondale exceeded expectations and emerged as the clear winner of the first debate. According to a Newsweek/Gallup poll, 54 percent of debate-watchers favored Mondale, while only 35 percent sided with Reagan. President Reagan was perceived as confused and tired during the debate, whereas Mondale demonstrated articulate communication. This praised performance briefly revitalized the Mondale campaign, narrowing Reagan's lead in the polls by seven points. [4][5]
October 11: Vice presidential debate (Pennsylvania Hall Civic Center)
| Vice presidential debate | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Date(s) | October 11, 1984 |
| Venue | Pennsylvania Hall Civic Center |
| Location | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Participants | George H. W. Bush Geraldine Ferraro |
| Moderator(s) | Sander Vanocur of ABC |
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The vice presidential debate between vice president George H. W. Bush and congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro took place on Thursday, October 11, 1984, at the Pennsylvania Hall Civic Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The debate was moderated by Sander Vanocur of ABC News and featured a panel featuring John Mashek of U.S. News & World Report, Jack White of Time, Norma Quarles of NBC News, and Robert Boyd of Knight-Ridder Newspapers. The topics were domestic and foreign affairs.
The result was proclaimed mostly even by newspapers, television, other media, and historians.[6][7] Women voters tended to think Ferraro had won, while men, Bush.[8] Some media, however, either declared Bush or Ferraro the winner. The candidates were both praised for their ability to debate.
Bush, Ferraro experience exchange
Ferraro handled a question about her experience at the debate, after being asked how her three House terms stacked up with Bush's two House terms, career as an ambassador to China and the United Nations, Director of Central Intelligence and four years as vice president. The peak of the experience battle came when, during a discussion of the Carter administration in Iran and the Reagan administration in Lebanon, Bush said, "Let me help you with the difference, Mrs. Ferraro, between Iran and the embassy in Lebanon."[9] Ferraro responded to cap what The New York Times termed "a bristling exchange",[9] "Let me just say first of all, that I almost resent, Vice President Bush, your patronizing attitude that you have to teach me about foreign policy."[6]
October 21: Second presidential debate (Music Hall, Municipal Auditorium)
| Second presidential debate | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Date(s) | October 21, 1984 |
| Venue | Music Hall, Municipal Auditorium |
| Location | Kansas City, Missouri |
| Participants | Ronald Reagan Walter Mondale |
| Moderator(s) | Edwin Newman of NBC (formerly) |
The second and final debate between president Ronald Reagan and former vice president Walter Mondale took place on Sunday, October 21, 1984, at the Music Hall, Municipal Auditors in Kansas City, Kansas. The debate was moderated by Edwin Newman, formerly of NBC News and featured a panel featuring Georgie Anne Geyer of Universal Press Syndicate, Marvin Kalb of NBC News, journalist Henry Trewhitt and Morton Kondracke of New Republic. The topics were defense and foreign policy issues.[3]
The debate is often seen as a victory for Reagan, most famously due to the line "I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience," it was received with laughter from the audience, and Mondale himself. Mondale later said that it was this moment when he realized he would lose the election.[10]
References
- ^ a b c "CPD: 1984 Debates". www.debates.org. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
- ^ https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/speech/debate-between-president-and-former-vice-president-walter-f-mondale-kansas-city
- ^ a b "CPD: 1984 Debates". www.debates.org. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
- ^ Weigel, David (2012-10-10). "When Ronald Reagan Blew a Presidential Debate and Dropped Seven Points in the Polls". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
- ^ "AllPolitics - 1984 Debates Overview". edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
- ^ a b Nelson, Michael, ed. (1991). Historic Documents on Presidential Elections 1787–1988. Congressional Quarterly, Inc. ISBN 0-87187-607-8. pp. 785ff.
- ^ Scala, Dante, J. (2003). Shade, William; Campbell, Ballard C. (eds.). American Presidential Campaigns and Elections. M.E. Sharpe Inc. ISBN 0-7656-8042-4.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) p. 966. - ^ Light, Paul C.; Lake, Celinda (1985). "The Election: Candidates, Strategies and Decisions". In Nelson, Michael (ed.). The Elections of 1984. Congressional Quarterly, Inc. ISBN 0-87187-330-3. pp. 103, 107–108.
- ^ a b Howell Raines (1984-10-12). "Bush and Ferraro Debate: Disagree About Leadership, Foreign Policy and Religion". The New York Times.
- ^ "Vice President Walter Mondale Interview | Debating Our Destiny | May 25, 1990 | PBS". PBS.