On January 29, 1984 President Reagan announced the Reagan-Bush Candidacies for Reelection.

In his Address to the Nation, President Reagan stated:

We have made a new beginning. Vice President Bush and I would like to have your continued support and cooperation in completing what we began 3 years ago. I am, therefore, announcing that I am a candidate and will seek reelection to the office I presently hold.


The Campaign Trail

We’ll campaign on our record -- and, yes, on theirs as well -- and for ideas we believe will bring new hope to all Americans. We intend to represent only one special interest group -- you, the people.

PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN
Remarks at a Reagan-Bush Rally in Austin, Texas 07/25/1984

Reagan-Bush ’84 was President Ronald Reagan’s reelection campaign committee. It was formed October 17, 1983, when President Reagan authorized papers filed that day with the Federal Election Commission. On November 7, it was announced that every state had campaign committees in place.

President Reagan went on to win his second term in a historic landslide, winning 49 of the 50 states, and receiving 59% of the popular vote. He captured 525 out of 538 electoral votes.

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The 1984 Republican National Convention: August 20-23, 1984

Tonight, with a full heart and deep gratitude for your trust, I accept your nomination for the Presidency of the United States. I will campaign on behalf of the principles of our party which lift America confidently into the future.

PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN
Remarks Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Republican National Convention in Dallas, Texas, 08/23/1984

The 1984 Republican National Convention was held August 20 through August 23, 1984 at the Dallas Convention Center. On August 23, President Ronald Reagan accepted the presidential nomination.

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1984 Presidential And Vice Presidential Debates

I’ve said all the way, I support the idea of debate; debated in the last election and would do so in this next one. I did not accept that statement of Vice President Mondale that we should have a half a dozen or more debates. As a matter of fact, I think we could bore the pants off the viewers if we did something of that kind. But I believe that there is something that we can agree upon in the nature of debating, and I look forward to doing that

PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN
Telephone Interview With Forrest Sawyer of WAGA-TV in Atlanta, Georgia, 07/27/1984

The 1984 presidential election cycle brought forth three presidential and vice presidential debates.

On October 7, 1984, President Ronald Reagan and Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Walter Mondale participated in their first presidential debate. It focused on domestic policy, and took place in Louisville, Kentucky.

On October 11, 1984, Vice President George Bush and Democratic vice presidential candidate New York Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro participated in a vice presidential debate, which took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

On October 21, 1984, President Ronald Reagan and Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Walter Mondale participated in their second presidential debate. It focused on defense and foreign policy, and took place in Kansas City, Missouri.

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The Whistle-Stop Tour: October 12, 1984

We’re taking the whistlestop tour of ’84 to demonstrate that our government is once again on the right track, and our national renewal is not going to be derailed. I’ll be traveling on the same train that Harry Truman used in the 1948 campaign. And all of us who remember what he said know that he spoke some very blunt truths, and that’s what I hope to do today

PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN
Remarks at a Reagan-Bush Rally in Dayton, Ohio, 10/12/1984

On October 12, 1984, President Ronald Reagan made a whistle-stop tour of approximately 250 miles through Ohio. In addition to the Ferdinand Magellan, President Reagan’s train, the Heartland Special, consisted of 12 cars and 3 engines.

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The 1984 Presidential Election: November 6, 1984

The vision we outlined in 1980, indeed the passion of the fire that we kept burning for two decades, doesn't die just because 4 years have passed. To each one of you I say: Tonight is the end of nothing; it's the beginning of everything.

PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN
Remarks at an Reelection Celebration in Los Angeles, California 11/06/1984

On the morning of November 6, 1984, President Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan arrived at the Solvang Veterans’ Memorial Building in Solvang, California to turn in their absentee ballots. They spent the evening at a private dinner at the Jorgensen residence in Los Angeles, California before attending the Victory 1984 Celebration at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, California.

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Gifts Given to the President During the 1984 Campaign

As the highest representative of the people and government, the President accepts gifts on behalf of the United States of America.

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library artifact collection contains over 89,000 three-dimensional objects and works of art related to the lives and careers of President Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan, from their early days to Hollywood to the White House and beyond. Other objects relate to the presidency or American history in general, and the 1980s specifically. Gifts given to President and Mrs. Reagan during the administration–by world leaders as well as private citizens–make up the majority of the collection.

Click the gallery to see a sampling of gifts given to President Ronald Reagan during his re-election campaign in 1984.


See Also:

White House Photo Collection Galleries: 1984 Election Campaign

From The National Archives at The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum
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1984 Campaign Files Inventory

From The National Archives at The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum
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Ronald Reagan 1980 Campaign Papers Inventory

From The National Archives at The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum
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Audio tape, White House Exit Interview with Russell R. Mack, Jr., August 22, 1985, Oral History – White House Exit Interviews (Includes discussion of 1984 Presidential Debate Preparations)

From The National Archives at The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum
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Permanent Exhibits: Rebuilding America

From The National Archives at The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum
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“American Elections and Campaigns – The 1980s: The ‘Reagan Revolution’”

Published by The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Education Blog
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Lesson Plans: High School: History of the Voting Rights Act

Published by The Education Department at The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum
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Lesson Plans: High School: Electing our Presidents

Published by The Education Department at The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum
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Civics for All of US

Presented by The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
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“U.S. Voting and Election Resources”

By The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
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“The Electoral College”

By The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
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“1984 Electoral College Results”

By The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
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“1980 Electoral College Results”

By The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
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“The Constitution: Amendments 11-27”

Presented by The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
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“Comparing the Constitutional Process of Taking Office in Political Cartoons”

Created by The Center for Legislative Archives, National Archives, DocTeach
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“Flaws of the Electoral College System”

Created by The National Archives Education Team, DocsTeach
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“Lowering the Voting Age: Nixon and the 26th Amendment”

Created by The Richard Nixon Presidential Library Education Team, DocsTeach
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“The Electoral College Process”

Created by The National Archives Education Team, DocsTeach
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