1984 United States presidential election in Ohio

The 1984 United States presidential election in Ohio took place on November 6, 1984. All 50 states and the District of Columbia, were part of the 1984 United States presidential election. State voters chose 23 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president of the United States.

1984 United States presidential election in Ohio

November 6, 1984
 
Nominee Ronald Reagan Walter Mondale
Party Republican Democratic
Home state California Minnesota
Running mate George H. W. Bush Geraldine Ferraro
Electoral vote 23 0
Popular vote 2,678,560 1,825,440
Percentage 58.90% 40.14%

County Results

President before election

Ronald Reagan
Republican

Elected President

Ronald Reagan
Republican

Ohio was won by incumbent United States President Ronald Reagan of California, who was running against former Vice President Walter Mondale of Minnesota. Reagan ran for a second time with incumbent Vice President and former C.I.A. Director George H. W. Bush of Texas, and Mondale ran with Representative Geraldine Ferraro of New York, the first major female candidate for the vice presidency.

Partisan background

The presidential election of 1984 was a very partisan election for Ohio, with over 99% of the electorate voting only either Democratic or Republican, though several more parties did appear on the ballot.[1] All but six counties gave a majority to Reagan, and the remaining six--Cuyahoga along with five counties on Ohio's eastern border with Pennsylvania and West Virginia—gave Mondale a majority.

Ohio weighed in for this election as 0.12% more Republican than the national average. As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last election in which Lucas County, Athens County, and Summit County voted for a Republican presidential candidate, the last until 2016 that Ashtabula County voted for a Republican candidate and the last until 2020 that Lorain County voted for a Republican candidate.[2]

Democratic platform

Walter Mondale accepted the Democratic nomination for presidency after pulling narrowly ahead of Senator Gary Hart of Colorado and Rev. Jesse Jackson of Illinois - his main contenders during what would be a very contentious[3] Democratic primary. During the campaign, Mondale was vocal about reduction of government spending, and, in particular, was vocal against heightened military spending on the nuclear arms race against the Soviet Union,[4] which was reaching its peak on both sides in the early 1980s.

Taking a (what was becoming the traditional liberal) stance on the social issues of the day, Mondale advocated for gun control, the right to choose regarding abortion, and strongly opposed the repeal of laws regarding institutionalized prayer in public schools. He also criticized Reagan for his economic marginalization of the poor, stating that Reagan's reelection campaign was "a happy talk campaign," not focused on the real issues at hand.[5]

A very significant political move during this election: the Democratic Party nominated Representative Geraldine Ferraro to run with Mondale as Vice-President. Ferraro is the first female candidate to receive such a nomination in United States history. She said in an interview at the 1984 Democratic National Convention that this action "opened a door which will never be closed again,"[6] speaking to the role of women in politics.

Republican platform

On the campaign trail, Reagan waves to supports during his whistle-stop tour of Ohio. October, 1984.
President Ronald Reagan shaking hands with unidentified members of the crowd while at Bowling Green University in Ohio on September 26, 1984.

By 1984, Reagan was very popular with voters across the nation as the President who saw them out of the economic stagflation of the early and middle 1970s, and into a period of (relative) economic stability.[7]

The economic success seen under Reagan was politically accomplished (principally) in two ways. The first was initiation of deep tax cuts for the wealthy,[8] and the second was a wide-spectrum of tax cuts for crude oil production and refinement, namely, with the 1980 Windfall profits tax cuts.[9] These policies were augmented with a call for heightened military spending,[10] the cutting of social welfare programs for the poor,[11] and the increasing of taxes on those making less than per year.[8] Collectively called "Reaganomics", these economic policies were established through several pieces of legislation passed between 1980 and 1987.

Reaganomics has (along with legislation passed under presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton) been criticized by many analysts as "setting the stage" for economic troubles in the United States after 2007, such as the Great Recession.[12]

Virtually unopposed during the Republican primaries, Reagan ran on a campaign of furthering his economic policies. Reagan vowed to continue his "war on drugs," passing sweeping legislation after the 1984 election in support of mandatory minimum sentences for drug possession.[13] Furthermore, taking a (what was becoming the traditional conservative) stance on the social issues of the day, Reagan strongly opposed legislation regarding comprehension of abortion, and (to a lesser extent) environmentalism,[14] regarding the latter as simply being bad for business.

Republican victory

Reagan won the election in Ohio with a decisive 18 point landslide, making Ohio slightly more Republican than the nation overall. Reagan won all but six of Ohio's counties, but, amongst the state's population centers, scored particularly strong wins in Hamilton and Franklin Counties, home to Cincinnati and Columbus and their closer-in suburbs, respectively; he won over 60% in both and won each by a raw vote margin of over 100,000 votes. Mondale's wins were limited to Cuyahoga, which he won with less than 60% of the vote, and a series of counties in Appalachian Ohio, along the border with Pennsylvania and West Virginia: Mahoning, Trumbull, Jefferson, Belmont, and Monroe. Unlike Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956 and Nixon in 1972, Reagan was unable to capture the state's largest county, Cuyahoga; however, Mondale was unable to retain Athens County (home to Ohio University), despite that it had voted Democratic in the last three straight elections (including for McGovern). While Pennsylvania and much of the Upper Midwest shifted more Democratic in this election, Ohio voted in line with the nation, presaging its role as the only large Midwestern state (and indeed as the only large state outside the South) to vote Republican in 2000, 2004, and 2020.

Results

1984 United States presidential election in Ohio
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Republican Ronald Reagan 2,678,560 58.90% 23
Democratic Walter Mondale 1,825,440 40.14% 0
Not Designated Dennis Serrette 12,090 0.27% 0
Not Designated Lyndon LaRouche 10,693 0.24% 0
Not Designated David Bergland 5,886 0.13% 0
Not Designated Gus Hall 4,438 0.10% 0
Not Designated Melvin Mason 4,344 0.10% 0
Not Designated Edward Winn 3,565 0.08% 0
Not Designated Larry Holmes 2,565 0.06% 0
Other write-ins 34 >0.01% 0
Prohibition Earl Dodge(write-in) 4 >0.01% 0
Totals 4,547,619 100.0% 23

Results by county

County Ronald Wilson Reagan
Republican
Walter Frederick Mondale
Democratic
Various candidates
Other parties
Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # %
Adams 6,113 62.83% 3,534 36.32% 82 0.84% 2,579 26.51% 9,729
Allen 33,506 72.98% 12,176 26.52% 229 0.50% 21,330 46.46% 45,911
Ashland 14,339 74.40% 4,786 24.83% 147 0.76% 9,553 49.57% 19,272
Ashtabula 21,669 52.34% 19,344 46.73% 384 0.93% 2,325 5.62% 41,397
Athens 11,548 52.59% 10,201 46.46% 209 0.95% 1,347 6.13% 21,958
Auglaize 14,766 77.72% 4,102 21.59% 132 0.69% 10,664 56.13% 19,000
Belmont 15,170 43.52% 19,458 55.82% 228 0.65% -4,288 -12.30% 34,856
Brown 8,221 66.28% 4,067 32.79% 116 0.94% 4,154 33.49% 12,404
Butler 76,216 72.92% 27,700 26.50% 598 0.57% 48,516 46.42% 104,514
Carroll 6,703 63.33% 3,771 35.63% 110 1.04% 2,932 27.70% 10,584
Champaign 9,935 73.05% 3,544 26.06% 121 0.89% 6,391 46.99% 13,600
Clark 35,831 62.05% 21,154 36.63% 759 1.31% 14,677 25.42% 57,744
Clermont 35,316 74.63% 11,713 24.75% 290 0.61% 23,603 49.88% 47,319
Clinton 9,603 73.77% 3,332 25.60% 83 0.64% 6,271 48.17% 13,018
Columbiana 24,552 54.43% 20,155 44.68% 403 0.89% 4,397 9.75% 45,110
Coshocton 9,842 68.71% 4,392 30.66% 89 0.62% 5,450 38.05% 14,323
Crawford 14,682 74.08% 4,932 24.88% 206 1.04% 9,750 49.19% 19,820
Cuyahoga 284,094 43.60% 362,626 55.65% 4,913 0.75% -78,532 -12.05% 651,633
Darke 16,379 72.81% 5,904 26.25% 211 0.94% 10,475 46.57% 22,494
Defiance 10,951 67.89% 5,004 31.02% 175 1.08% 5,947 36.87% 16,130
Delaware 19,050 76.23% 5,773 23.10% 166 0.66% 13,277 53.13% 24,989
Erie 19,174 57.83% 13,508 40.74% 472 1.42% 5,666 17.09% 33,154
Fairfield 30,843 75.17% 9,817 23.92% 373 0.91% 21,026 51.24% 41,033
Fayette 6,838 75.80% 2,126 23.57% 57 0.63% 4,712 52.23% 9,021
Franklin 250,360 64.12% 131,530 33.68% 8,584 2.20% 118,830 30.43% 390,474
Fulton 11,412 72.55% 4,217 26.81% 101 0.64% 7,195 45.74% 15,730
Gallia 8,194 65.27% 4,251 33.86% 109 0.87% 3,943 31.41% 12,554
Geauga 22,369 68.29% 9,954 30.39% 431 1.32% 12,415 37.90% 32,754
Greene 34,267 66.27% 17,129 33.12% 316 0.61% 17,138 33.14% 51,712
Guernsey 10,252 66.81% 4,967 32.37% 125 0.81% 5,285 34.44% 15,344
Hamilton 246,288 63.34% 140,350 36.10% 2,177 0.56% 105,938 27.25% 388,815
Hancock 22,169 78.34% 5,758 20.35% 370 1.31% 16,411 58.00% 28,297
Hardin 8,722 69.11% 3,813 30.21% 85 0.67% 4,909 38.90% 12,620
Harrison 4,276 55.45% 3,370 43.70% 66 0.86% 906 11.75% 7,712
Henry 9,317 76.54% 2,779 22.83% 77 0.63% 6,538 53.71% 12,173
Highland 9,000 69.90% 3,784 29.39% 91 0.71% 5,216 40.51% 12,875
Hocking 6,071 64.16% 3,280 34.66% 112 1.18% 2,791 29.49% 9,463
Holmes 5,146 74.11% 1,737 25.01% 61 0.88% 3,409 49.09% 6,944
Huron 14,388 67.96% 6,609 31.22% 174 0.82% 7,779 36.74% 21,171
Jackson 7,411 62.24% 4,369 36.69% 128 1.07% 3,042 25.55% 11,908
Jefferson 17,105 42.47% 22,832 56.69% 340 0.84% -5,727 -14.22% 40,277
Knox 14,062 70.66% 5,730 28.79% 109 0.55% 8,332 41.87% 19,901
Lake 54,587 59.12% 36,711 39.76% 1,027 1.11% 17,876 19.36% 92,325
Lawrence 14,793 55.96% 11,431 43.24% 213 0.81% 3,362 12.72% 26,437
Licking 37,560 72.26% 13,995 26.93% 421 0.81% 23,565 45.34% 51,976
Logan 12,230 76.54% 3,645 22.81% 104 0.65% 8,585 53.73% 15,979
Lorain 57,379 50.77% 52,970 46.87% 2,672 2.36% 4,409 3.90% 113,021
Lucas 100,285 50.25% 97,293 48.76% 1,976 0.99% 2,992 1.50% 199,554
Madison 8,979 74.91% 2,928 24.43% 80 0.67% 6,051 50.48% 11,987
Mahoning 53,424 40.65% 76,514 58.21% 1,500 1.14% -23,090 -17.57% 131,438
Marion 17,392 65.77% 8,827 33.38% 224 0.85% 8,565 32.39% 26,443
Medina 30,690 65.38% 15,897 33.86% 357 0.76% 14,793 31.51% 46,944
Meigs 6,307 63.52% 3,549 35.74% 73 0.74% 2,758 27.78% 9,929
Mercer 11,542 71.49% 4,422 27.39% 180 1.11% 7,120 44.10% 16,144
Miami 26,300 72.42% 9,695 26.70% 320 0.88% 16,605 45.72% 36,315
Monroe 3,302 47.32% 3,611 51.75% 65 0.93% -309 -4.43% 6,978
Montgomery 137,053 58.97% 94,016 40.45% 1,333 0.57% 43,037 18.52% 232,402
Morgan 3,994 67.66% 1,868 31.64% 41 0.69% 2,126 36.02% 5,903
Morrow 8,116 73.50% 2,839 25.71% 87 0.79% 5,277 47.79% 11,042
Muskingum 21,821 67.98% 10,037 31.27% 243 0.76% 11,784 36.71% 32,101
Noble 3,853 67.70% 1,777 31.22% 61 1.07% 2,076 36.48% 5,691
Ottawa 10,920 60.41% 7,053 39.02% 102 0.56% 3,867 21.39% 18,075
Paulding 5,545 65.71% 2,811 33.31% 83 0.98% 2,734 32.40% 8,439
Perry 7,548 65.09% 3,961 34.16% 88 0.76% 3,587 30.93% 11,597
Pickaway 11,942 73.90% 4,110 25.43% 108 0.67% 7,832 48.47% 16,160
Pike 6,318 55.90% 4,895 43.31% 89 0.79% 1,423 12.59% 11,302
Portage 29,536 57.14% 21,719 42.02% 432 0.84% 7,817 15.12% 51,687
Preble 11,065 71.84% 4,198 27.25% 140 0.91% 6,867 44.58% 15,403
Putnam 11,936 78.26% 3,194 20.94% 121 0.79% 8,742 57.32% 15,251
Richland 35,299 68.10% 16,141 31.14% 396 0.76% 19,158 36.96% 51,836
Ross 17,015 66.60% 8,020 31.39% 513 2.01% 8,995 35.21% 25,548
Sandusky 17,214 66.16% 8,564 32.91% 242 0.93% 8,650 33.24% 26,020
Scioto 18,818 56.65% 14,120 42.51% 281 0.85% 4,698 14.14% 33,219
Seneca 16,520 67.04% 7,905 32.08% 217 0.88% 8,615 34.96% 24,642
Shelby 13,509 75.12% 4,315 23.99% 159 0.88% 9,194 51.13% 17,983
Stark 98,434 59.69% 65,157 39.51% 1,325 0.80% 33,277 20.18% 164,916
Summit 115,637 50.99% 109,569 48.32% 1,574 0.69% 6,068 2.68% 226,780
Trumbull 45,623 44.18% 56,902 55.11% 734 0.71% -11,279 -10.92% 103,259
Tuscarawas 19,366 59.13% 13,149 40.14% 239 0.73% 6,217 18.98% 32,754
Union 9,336 77.79% 2,579 21.49% 86 0.72% 6,757 56.30% 12,001
Van Wert 9,570 73.68% 3,338 25.70% 80 0.62% 6,232 47.98% 12,988
Vinton 3,041 59.80% 1,990 39.13% 54 1.06% 1,051 20.67% 5,085
Warren 29,848 76.40% 9,031 23.11% 191 0.49% 20,817 53.28% 39,070
Washington 16,529 66.13% 7,920 31.69% 544 2.18% 8,609 34.45% 24,993
Wayne 24,475 67.79% 11,323 31.36% 305 0.84% 13,152 36.43% 36,103
Williams 10,804 74.11% 3,624 24.86% 150 1.03% 7,180 49.25% 14,578
Wood 29,750 64.74% 15,907 34.62% 297 0.65% 13,843 30.12% 45,954
Wyandot 7,204 74.81% 2,342 24.32% 84 0.87% 4,862 50.49% 9,630
Totals2,678,55958.90%1,825,44040.14%43,6200.96%853,11918.76%4,547,619

See also

References

  1. "1984 Presidential General Election Results – Ohio". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  2. Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
  3. Kurt Andersen, "A Wild Ride to the End", Time, May 28, 1984
  4. Trying to Win the Peace, by Even Thomas, Time, July 2, 1984
  5. Mondale's Acceptance Speech, 1984, AllPolitics
  6. Martin, Douglas (2011-03-27). "Geraldine A. Ferraro, First Woman on Major Party Ticket, Dies at 75". The New York Times. pp. A1. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  7. Raines, Howell (November 7, 1984). "Reagan Wins By a Landslide, Sweeping at Least 48 States; G.O.P. Gains Strength in House". The New York Times. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  8. "U.S. Federal Individual Income Tax Rates History, 1913–2011 (Nominal and Inflation-Adjusted Brackets)". Tax Foundation. September 9, 2011. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  9. Joseph J. Thorndike (Nov 10, 2005). "Historical Perspective: The Windfall Profit Tax". Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  10. Historical tables, Budget of the United States Government Archived 2012-04-17 at the Wayback Machine, 2013, table 6.1.
  11. Niskanen, William A. (1992). "Reaganomics". In David R. Henderson (ed.). Concise Encyclopedia of Economics (1st ed.). Library of Economics and Liberty. OCLC 317650570, 50016270, 163149563
  12. Jerry Lanson (2008-11-06). "A historic victory. A changed nation. Now, can Obama deliver?". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  13. Alexander, Michelle (2010). The New Jim Crow. New York: The New Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-1595581037.
  14. Prendergast, William B. (1999). The Catholic vote in American politics. Washington DC: Georgetown University Press. pp. 186, 191–193. ISBN 0-87840-724-3.
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