1984 United States presidential election in Oregon

The 1984 United States presidential election in Oregon took place on November 6, 1984. All fifty states and the District of Columbia were part of the 1984 United States presidential election. Voters chose seven electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president of the United States.

1984 United States presidential election in Oregon

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 7 0
Popular vote 685,700 536,479
Percentage 55.91% 43.74%

County Results

President before election

Ronald Reagan
Republican

Elected President

Ronald Reagan
Republican

Oregon 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. To date, it is the last time Oregon has voted for a Republican in a presidential election, and also the last time Lincoln County, Benton County and Hood River County have voted for a Republican presidential nominee.[1]

Partisan background

The presidential election of 1984 was a very partisan election for Oregon, with the Democratic or Republican parties the only parties appearing on the ballot.[2] The vast majority of counties turned out for Reagan, including the typically right-leaning eastern interior and southwestern Rogue Valley. The only exceptions were Lane County in the central west, which had voted Republican in 1980, and three counties along the lower Columbia River, including Portland's highly populated Multnomah County, which has been a Democratic stronghold since voting for Richard Nixon in 1960.[1]

Oregon weighed in for this election as 3% more Democratic than the national average.

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 what he charged was his 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 was 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

Reagan challenging Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall!," from the Brandenburg Gate in June, 1987. Reagan's firm stance with the Soviet Union was an important contributor to his 1984 reelection.

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 1970's, 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 across the board tax cuts, and the second was a wide-spectrum of tax cuts for crude oil production and refinement, namely, with the 1980 Windfall profits tax cuts.[8] These policies were augmented with a call for heightened military spending,[9] the cutting of social welfare programs for the poor,[10] and the increasing of taxes on those making less than $50,000 per year. Collectively called "Reaganomics", these economic policies were established through several pieces of legislation passed between 1980 and 1987.

Some of these new policies also arguably curbed several existing tax loopholes, preferences, and exceptions, but Reaganomics is typically remembered for its trickle down effect of taxing poor Americans more than rich ones. 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.[11]

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.[12] Furthermore, taking a (what was becoming the traditional conservative) stance on the social issues of the day, Reagan strongly opposed legislation regarding comprehension of gay marriage, abortion, and (to a lesser extent) environmentalism,[13] regarding the final as simply being bad for business.

Republican victory

Reagan won the election in Oregon with a decisive 12 point landslide. The election results in Oregon are reflective of a nationwide reconsolidation of base for the Republican Party which took place through the 1980s; called by Reagan the "second American Revolution."[7] This was most evident during the 1984 presidential election. No Republican candidate has received as strong of support in the American Pacific states at large, as Reagan did. This is also the most recent election cycle where Oregon sent Republican electors to the Electoral College.

It is speculated that Mondale lost support with voters nearly immediately during the campaign, namely during his acceptance speech at the 1984 Democratic National Convention. There he stated that he intended to increase taxes. To quote Mondale, "By the end of my first term, I will reduce the Reagan budget deficit by two thirds. Let's tell the truth. It must be done, it must be done. Mr. Reagan will raise taxes, and so will I. He won't tell you. I just did."[5] Despite this claimed attempt at establishing truthfulness with the electorate, this claim to raise taxes badly eroded his chances in what had already begun as an uphill battle against the charismatic Ronald Reagan.

Reagan also enjoyed high levels of bipartisan support during the 1984 presidential election, both in Oregon, and across the nation at large. Many registered Democrats who voted for Reagan (Reagan Democrats) stated that they had chosen to do so because they associated him with the economic recovery, because of his strong stance on national security issues with the Soviet Union, and because they considered the Democrats as "supporting American poor and minorities at the expense of the middle class."[13] These public opinion factors contributed to Reagan's 1984 landslide victory, in Oregon and elsewhere.

Results

1984 United States presidential election in Oregon
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Republican Ronald Reagan 685,700 55.91% 7
Democratic Walter Mondale 536,479 43.74% 0
Write-Ins 4,348 0.35% 0
Totals 1,226,527 100.0% 7

Results by county

County Ronald Wilson Reagan
Republican
Walter Frederick Mondale
Democratic
Various candidates
Write-ins
Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # %
Baker 5,204 66.62% 2,591 33.17% 17 0.22% 2,613 33.45% 7,812
Benton 17,836 52.36% 16,073 47.19% 153 0.45% 1,763 5.18% 34,062
Clackamas 68,630 59.08% 47,254 40.68% 289 0.25% 21,376 18.40% 116,173
Clatsop 7,522 49.86% 7,525 49.88% 38 0.25% -3 -0.02% 15,085
Columbia 7,811 48.50% 8,219 51.03% 75 0.47% -408 -2.53% 16,105
Coos 13,637 49.88% 13,582 49.68% 120 0.44% 55 0.20% 27,339
Crook 3,773 62.22% 2,268 37.40% 23 0.38% 1,505 24.82% 6,064
Curry 5,363 60.84% 3,423 38.83% 29 0.33% 1,940 22.01% 8,815
Deschutes 19,323 62.20% 11,671 37.57% 72 0.23% 7,652 24.63% 31,066
Douglas 25,243 63.11% 14,609 36.53% 144 0.36% 10,634 26.59% 39,996
Gilliam 700 65.24% 369 34.39% 4 0.37% 331 30.85% 1,073
Grant 2,695 66.69% 1,344 33.26% 2 0.05% 1,351 33.43% 4,041
Harney 2,197 62.56% 1,290 36.73% 25 0.71% 907 25.83% 3,512
Hood River 4,531 59.85% 3,022 39.92% 18 0.24% 1,509 19.93% 7,571
Jackson 37,895 61.76% 23,230 37.86% 234 0.38% 14,665 23.90% 61,359
Jefferson 3,283 62.94% 1,920 36.81% 13 0.25% 1,363 26.13% 5,216
Josephine 19,470 69.38% 8,539 30.43% 53 0.19% 10,931 38.95% 28,062
Klamath 17,686 69.81% 7,575 29.90% 74 0.29% 10,111 39.91% 25,335
Lake 2,466 67.51% 1,184 32.41% 3 0.08% 1,282 35.09% 3,653
Lane 61,493 48.86% 63,999 50.85% 360 0.29% -2,506 -1.99% 125,852
Lincoln 9,110 51.17% 8,637 48.51% 57 0.32% 473 2.66% 17,804
Linn 23,463 59.10% 16,161 40.71% 75 0.19% 7,302 18.39% 39,699
Malheur 8,441 76.24% 2,611 23.58% 19 0.17% 5,830 52.66% 11,071
Marion 54,535 59.79% 36,440 39.95% 234 0.26% 18,095 19.84% 91,209
Morrow 2,130 62.70% 1,254 36.91% 13 0.38% 876 25.79% 3,397
Multnomah 119,932 45.17% 144,179 54.30% 1,428 0.54% -24,247 -9.13% 265,539
Polk 12,678 59.15% 8,709 40.64% 45 0.21% 3,969 18.52% 21,432
Sherman 828 67.48% 398 32.44% 1 0.08% 430 35.04% 1,227
Tillamook 5,267 51.10% 4,988 48.39% 53 0.51% 279 2.71% 10,308
Umatilla 14,211 63.12% 8,246 36.63% 57 0.25% 5,965 26.49% 22,514
Union 6,645 61.36% 4,134 38.18% 50 0.46% 2,511 23.19% 10,829
Wallowa 2,619 68.36% 1,204 31.43% 8 0.21% 1,415 36.94% 3,831
Wasco 6,905 55.36% 5,526 44.31% 41 0.33% 1,379 11.06% 12,472
Washington 75,877 62.76% 44,602 36.89% 417 0.34% 31,275 25.87% 120,896
Wheeler 504 66.58% 253 33.42% 251 33.16% 757
Yamhill 15,797 62.31% 9,450 37.28% 104 0.41% 6,347 25.04% 25,351
Totals685,70055.91%536,47943.74%4,3480.35%149,22112.17%1,226,527

See also

References

  1. Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
  2. "1984 Presidential General election Results – Oregon". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved 2013-11-11.
  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. Joseph J. Thorndike (Nov 10, 2005). "Historical Perspective: The Windfall Profit Tax". Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  9. Historical tables, Budget of the United States Government Archived 2012-04-17 at the Wayback Machine, 2013, table 6.1.
  10. 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
  11. Jerry Lanson (2008-11-06). "A historic victory. A changed nation. Now, can Obama deliver?". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  12. Alexander, Michelle (2010). The New Jim Crow. New York: The New Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-1595581037.
  13. 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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