The presidential election of 1984 was a very partisan election for Kansas, with just under 99% of the electorate voting for either the Democratic or Republican parties, though several parties appeared on the ballot.[1] In typical form for the time, nearly every county in Kansas voted in majority for the Republican candidate, a particularly strong turn out even in this typically conservative-leaning state. The only exception to this trend was Kansas City's Wyandotte County, which voted primarily Democratic.
In this election, Kansas voted about 7% more Republican than the national average. Reagan won the election in Kansas with a highly decisive 32-point landslide. While Kansas typically votes conservative in the modern era, the election results in Kansas are also reflective of a nationwide reconsolidation of the base for the Republican Party which took place through the 1980s; called by Reagan the "second American Revolution."[2] This was most evident during the 1984 presidential election. Kansas also continued its age-old trend of voting in par with its sister Great Plains States (North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska), a trend that has not been broken in any presidential election since 1920.
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."[3] 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 Kansas, 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 Russia, and because they considered the Democrats as "supporting American poor and minorities at the expense of the middle class."[4] These public opinion factors contributed to Reagan's 1984 landslide victory, in Kansas and elsewhere.
Walter Mondale accepted the Democratic nomination for presidency after pulling narrowly ahead of SenatorGary Hart of Colorado and Rev. Jesse Jackson of Illinois - his main contenders during what would be a very contentious[5] Democratic primary. During the primary 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,[6] 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.[3]
A very significant political move during this election: the Democratic Party nominated RepresentativeGeraldine 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,"[7] speaking to the role of women in politics.
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.[2]
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 $50,000 per year.[8] Collectively called "Reaganomics", these economic policies were established through several pieces of legislation passed between 1980 and 1987.
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,[4] regarding the final as simply being bad for business.
Results
1984 United States presidential election in Kansas
^"Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2013-11-11.
^ abRaines, 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.
^ abPrendergast, William B. (1999). The Catholic vote in American politics. Washington DC: Georgetown University Press. pp. 186, 191–193. ISBN0-87840-724-3.
^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.
^ ab. Tax Foundation. September 9, 2011. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
^Joseph J. Thorndike (Nov 10, 2005). "Historical Perspective: The Windfall Profit Tax". Retrieved November 11, 2013.
^Historical tables, Budget of the United States Government 2012-04-17 at the Wayback Machine, 2013, table 6.1.
1984, united, states, presidential, election, kansas, main, article, 1984, united, states, presidential, election, took, place, november, 1984, states, district, columbia, were, part, 1984, united, states, presidential, election, voters, chose, seven, electors. Main article 1984 United States presidential election The 1984 United States presidential election in Kansas took place on November 6 1984 All 50 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 Kansas 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 1984 United States presidential election in Kansas 1980 November 6 1984 1988 Nominee Ronald Reagan Walter MondaleParty Republican DemocraticHome state California MinnesotaRunning mate George H W Bush Geraldine FerraroElectoral vote 7 0Popular vote 677 296 333 149Percentage 66 27 32 60 County Results Reagan 50 60 60 70 70 80 80 90 Mondale 50 60 President before electionRonald ReaganRepublican Elected President Ronald ReaganRepublicanThe presidential election of 1984 was a very partisan election for Kansas with just under 99 of the electorate voting for either the Democratic or Republican parties though several parties appeared on the ballot 1 In typical form for the time nearly every county in Kansas voted in majority for the Republican candidate a particularly strong turn out even in this typically conservative leaning state The only exception to this trend was Kansas City s Wyandotte County which voted primarily Democratic In this election Kansas voted about 7 more Republican than the national average Reagan won the election in Kansas with a highly decisive 32 point landslide While Kansas typically votes conservative in the modern era the election results in Kansas are also reflective of a nationwide reconsolidation of the base for the Republican Party which took place through the 1980s called by Reagan the second American Revolution 2 This was most evident during the 1984 presidential election Kansas also continued its age old trend of voting in par with its sister Great Plains States North Dakota South Dakota and Nebraska a trend that has not been broken in any presidential election since 1920 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 3 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 Kansas 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 Russia and because they considered the Democrats as supporting American poor and minorities at the expense of the middle class 4 These public opinion factors contributed to Reagan s 1984 landslide victory in Kansas and elsewhere Contents 1 Democratic platform 2 Republican platform 3 Results 3 1 Results by county 4 See also 5 ReferencesDemocratic platform EditWalter 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 5 Democratic primary During the primary 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 6 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 3 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 7 speaking to the role of women in politics Republican platform Edit 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 2 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 50 000 per year 8 Collectively called Reaganomics these economic policies were established through several pieces of legislation passed between 1980 and 1987 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 4 regarding the final as simply being bad for business Results Edit1984 United States presidential election in KansasParty Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votesRepublican Ronald Reagan incumbent 677 296 66 27 7Democratic Walter Mondale 333 149 32 60 0America First Bob Richards 3 564 0 35 0Libertarian David Bergland 3 329 0 33 0New Alliance Party Dennis Serrette 2 544 0 25 0Prohibition Earl Dodge 2 109 0 21 0Totals 1 021 991 100 0 7Results by county Edit County Ronald Wilson ReaganRepublican Walter Fredrick MondaleDemocratic Various candidatesOther parties Margin Total votes cast Allen 4 267 69 76 1 778 29 07 72 1 18 2 489 40 69 6 117Anderson 2 462 67 14 1 155 31 50 50 1 36 1 307 35 64 3 667Atchison 4 537 62 54 2 641 36 40 77 1 06 1 896 26 13 7 255Barber 2 112 71 84 806 27 41 22 0 75 1 306 44 42 2 940Barton 10 232 75 58 3 111 22 98 195 1 44 7 121 52 60 13 538Bourbon 4 858 68 40 2 175 30 63 69 0 97 2 683 37 78 7 102Brown 3 894 73 97 1 303 24 75 67 1 27 2 591 49 22 5 264Butler 12 976 66 33 6 371 32 56 217 1 11 6 605 33 76 19 564Chase 1 162 74 01 393 25 03 15 0 96 769 48 98 1 570Chautauqua 1 688 76 55 497 22 54 20 0 91 1 191 54 01 2 205Cherokee 5 801 60 72 3 663 38 34 89 0 93 2 138 22 38 9 553Cheyenne 1 442 79 06 356 19 52 26 1 43 1 086 59 54 1 824Clark 1 075 75 39 324 22 72 27 1 89 751 52 66 1 426Clay 3 559 78 76 919 20 34 41 0 91 2 640 58 42 4 519Cloud 3 860 66 43 1 880 32 35 71 1 22 1 980 34 07 5 811Coffey 3 063 74 00 1 037 25 05 39 0 94 2 026 48 95 4 139Comanche 993 76 80 285 22 04 15 1 16 708 54 76 1 293Cowley 10 008 64 99 5 193 33 72 198 1 29 4 815 31 27 15 399Crawford 9 518 58 10 6 722 41 04 141 0 86 2 796 17 07 16 381Decatur 1 770 78 15 467 20 62 28 1 24 1 303 57 53 2 265Dickinson 6 487 73 96 2 168 24 72 116 1 32 4 319 49 24 8 771Doniphan 2 818 73 77 962 25 18 40 1 05 1 856 48 59 3 820Douglas 18 975 58 87 12 880 39 96 378 1 17 6 095 18 91 32 233Edwards 1 352 67 53 606 30 27 44 2 20 746 37 26 2 002Elk 1 301 72 89 452 25 32 32 1 79 849 47 56 1 785Ellis 7 509 67 65 3 457 31 15 133 1 20 4 052 36 51 11 099Ellsworth 2 353 71 35 905 27 44 40 1 21 1 448 43 91 3 298Finney 6 938 73 08 2 458 25 89 98 1 03 4 480 47 19 9 494Ford 6 935 69 72 2 914 29 30 98 0 99 4 021 40 42 9 947Franklin 6 284 70 61 2 523 28 35 92 1 03 3 761 42 26 8 899Geary 4 464 65 44 2 296 33 66 61 0 89 2 168 31 78 6 821Gove 1 310 73 43 426 23 88 48 2 69 884 49 55 1 784Graham 1 423 74 00 480 24 96 20 1 04 943 49 04 1 923Grant 2 043 76 26 615 22 96 21 0 78 1 428 53 30 2 679Gray 1 580 74 32 514 24 18 32 1 51 1 066 50 14 2 126Greeley 699 73 27 227 23 79 28 2 94 472 49 48 954Greenwood 2 901 70 45 1 173 28 48 44 1 07 1 728 41 96 4 118Hamilton 1 037 70 64 408 27 79 23 1 57 629 42 85 1 468Harper 2 521 73 09 893 25 89 35 1 01 1 628 47 20 3 449Harvey 8 507 64 06 4 599 34 63 174 1 31 3 908 29 43 13 280Haskell 1 152 79 34 283 19 49 17 1 17 869 59 85 1 452Hodgeman 939 74 17 306 24 17 21 1 66 633 50 00 1 266Jackson 3 466 66 92 1 667 32 19 46 0 89 1 799 34 74 5 179Jefferson 4 524 68 93 1 990 30 32 49 0 75 2 534 38 61 6 563Jewell 1 992 76 50 583 22 39 29 1 11 1 409 54 11 2 604Johnson 101 987 72 39 38 019 26 99 876 0 62 63 968 45 41 140 882Kearny 1 214 78 42 321 20 74 13 0 84 893 57 69 1 548Kingman 2 826 72 04 1 047 26 69 50 1 27 1 779 45 35 3 923Kiowa 1 537 79 51 361 18 68 35 1 81 1 176 60 84 1 933Labette 6 542 63 76 3 631 35 39 87 0 85 2 911 28 37 10 260Lane 1 008 77 18 282 21 59 16 1 23 726 55 59 1 306Leavenworth 11 194 62 29 6 604 36 75 172 0 96 4 590 25 54 17 970Lincoln 1 723 75 14 551 24 03 19 0 83 1 172 51 11 2 293Linn 2 795 70 33 1 152 28 99 27 0 68 1 643 41 34 3 974Logan 1 235 77 04 331 20 65 37 2 31 904 56 39 1 603Lyon 9 796 69 37 4 188 29 66 137 0 97 5 608 39 71 14 121McPherson 8 630 71 89 3 185 26 53 189 1 57 5 445 45 36 12 004Marion 4 407 72 06 1 632 26 68 77 1 26 2 775 45 37 6 116Marshall 4 098 68 49 1 813 30 30 72 1 20 2 285 38 19 5 983Meade 1 804 77 16 491 21 00 43 1 84 1 313 56 16 2 338Miami 5 877 65 04 3 076 34 04 83 0 92 2 801 31 00 9 036Mitchell 3 036 75 98 919 23 00 41 1 03 2 117 52 98 3 996Montgomery 12 023 70 20 4 933 28 80 171 1 00 7 090 41 40 17 127Morris 2 240 72 19 820 26 43 43 1 39 1 420 45 76 3 103Morton 1 533 81 80 322 17 18 19 1 01 1 211 64 62 1 874Nemaha 3 653 66 60 1 761 32 11 71 1 29 1 892 34 49 5 485Neosho 4 968 64 11 2 679 34 57 102 1 32 2 289 29 54 7 749Ness 1 779 75 32 540 22 86 43 1 82 1 239 52 46 2 362Norton 2 515 79 19 611 19 24 50 1 57 1 904 59 95 3 176Osage 4 288 66 55 2 072 32 16 83 1 29 2 216 34 39 6 443Osborne 2 171 74 63 686 23 58 52 1 79 1 485 51 05 2 909Ottawa 2 345 75 74 699 22 58 52 1 68 1 646 53 17 3 096Pawnee 2 570 68 90 1 092 29 28 68 1 82 1 478 39 62 3 730Phillips 2 813 80 90 626 18 00 38 1 09 2 187 62 90 3 477Pottawatomie 4 598 71 09 1 798 27 80 72 1 11 2 800 43 29 6 468Pratt 3 244 71 31 1 255 27 59 50 1 10 1 989 43 72 4 549Rawlins 1 625 78 05 412 19 79 45 2 16 1 213 58 26 2 082Reno 16 568 63 34 9 229 35 28 362 1 38 7 339 28 06 26 159Republic 3 009 76 49 887 22 55 38 0 97 2 122 53 94 3 934Rice 3 598 68 68 1 559 29 76 82 1 57 2 039 38 92 5 239Riley 11 308 64 77 5 975 34 22 175 1 00 5 333 30 55 17 458Rooks 2 604 77 75 699 20 87 46 1 37 1 905 56 88 3 349Rush 1 758 69 49 718 28 38 54 2 13 1 040 41 11 2 530Russell 3 673 76 99 1 055 22 11 43 0 90 2 618 54 87 4 771Saline 15 244 69 41 6 526 29 72 191 0 87 8 718 39 70 21 961Scott 2 017 81 13 427 17 18 42 1 69 1 590 63 96 2 486Sedgwick 95 874 62 53 55 263 36 05 2 178 1 42 40 611 26 49 153 315Seward 5 222 80 54 1 198 18 48 64 0 99 4 024 62 06 6 484Shawnee 43 465 61 57 26 338 37 31 786 1 11 17 127 24 26 70 589Sheridan 1 274 73 86 419 24 29 32 1 86 855 49 57 1 725Sherman 2 702 78 02 714 20 62 47 1 36 1 988 57 41 3 463Smith 2 332 75 74 684 22 22 63 2 05 1 648 53 52 3 079Stafford 2 062 69 71 844 28 53 52 1 76 1 218 41 18 2 958Stanton 783 76 61 205 20 06 34 3 33 578 56 56 1 022Stevens 1 863 82 03 386 17 00 22 0 97 1 477 65 04 2 271Sumner 6 942 64 32 3 708 34 36 143 1 32 3 234 29 96 10 793Thomas 3 107 76 70 887 21 90 57 1 41 2 220 54 80 4 051Trego 1 491 70 40 598 28 23 29 1 37 893 42 16 2 118Wabaunsee 2 276 72 72 805 25 72 49 1 57 1 471 47 00 3 130Wallace 838 82 97 152 15 05 20 1 98 686 67 92 1 010Washington 2 979 75 69 889 22 59 68 1 73 2 090 53 10 3 936Wichita 916 78 90 232 19 98 13 1 12 684 58 91 1 161Wilson 3 663 72 23 1 344 26 50 64 1 26 2 319 45 73 5 071Woodson 1 408 69 36 596 29 36 26 1 28 812 40 00 2 030Wyandotte 27 459 42 81 36 042 56 20 635 0 99 8 583 13 38 64 136Totals 677 296 66 27 333 149 32 60 11 546 1 13 344 147 33 67 1 021 991See also EditUnited States presidential elections in Kansas Presidency of Ronald ReaganReferences Edit Dave Leip s Atlas of U S Presidential Elections Uselectionatlas org Retrieved 2013 11 11 a b 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 a b Mondale s Acceptance Speech 1984 AllPolitics a b Prendergast William B 1999 The Catholic vote in American politics Washington DC Georgetown University Press pp 186 191 193 ISBN 0 87840 724 3 Kurt Andersen A Wild Ride to the End Time May 28 1984 Trying to Win the Peace by Evan Thomas Time July 2 1984 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 a b 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 Joseph J Thorndike Nov 10 2005 Historical Perspective The Windfall Profit Tax Retrieved November 11 2013 Historical tables Budget of the United States Government Archived 2012 04 17 at the Wayback Machine 2013 table 6 1 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 Alexander Michelle 2010 The New Jim Crow New York The New Press p 5 ISBN 978 1595581037 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1984 United States presidential election in Kansas amp oldid 1127701663, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
