1984 United States presidential election in Iowa explained

See main article: 1984 United States presidential election.

The 1984 United States presidential election in Iowa 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 eight electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president of the United States. Iowa 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 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. While the majority of counties turned out for Reagan, the politically volatile state of Iowa was a relatively narrow victory for him, thanks in part to the Midwest Farm Crisis of the early 1980s. The relatively weak Republican trend for this election is highlighted with the loss of Des Moines's highly populated Polk County to Mondale.

Iowa weighed in for this election as 11 points more Democratic than the national average., this is the last election in which Black Hawk County (Waterloo), Linn County (Cedar Rapids), and Story County (Ames) voted for a Republican presidential candidate.^[1] Iowa would not vote Republican again until 2004.

Campaign

Governor Terry Branstad was the chair of Reagan's campaign in Iowa.^[2]

Michael Triggs, Monty Bertelli, Herbert Blume, Richard Johnson, Larry Allen, Claudine Mansfield, Margaret Severino, and Grace Copley served as presidential electors for Reagan.

Results

1984 United States presidential election in Iowa
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage	Electoral votes
	Republican	Ronald Reagan (incumbent)	703,088	53.27%	8
	Democratic	Walter Mondale	605,620	45.89%	0
	“Nominated By Petition”	Lyndon LaRouche	6,248	0.47%	0
	Libertarian	David Bergland	1,844	0.14%	0
	Write-Ins		1,051	0.08%	0
	Independent	Gerald Baker	892	0.07%	0
	New Alliance Party	Dennis Serrette	463	0.04%	0
	Socialist Workers Party	Melvin Mason	313	0.02%	0
	Communist Party	Gus Hall	286	0.02%	0
Totals			1,319,805	100.0%	8

Results by county

County[3]	Ronald Reagan Republican		Walter Mondale Democratic		Lyndon LaRouche Nominated By Petition		David Bergland Libertarian		Various candidates Other parties		Margin		Total votes cast
	data-sort-type="number"		data-sort-type="number"	%	data-sort-type="number"		data-sort-type="number"	%	data-sort-type="number"		data-sort-type="number"	%		data-sort-type="number"		data-sort-type="number"	%	data-sort-type="number"		data-sort-type="number"	%	data-sort-type="number"		data-sort-type="number"	%
	Adair		2,615		56.61%		1,979		42.84%		8		0.17%		6		0.13%		11		0.24%		636		13.77%		4,619
	Adams		1,706		57.64%		1,221		41.25%		19		0.64%		10		0.34%		4		0.14%		485		16.39%		2,960
	Allamakee		3,997		62.91%		2,282		35.91%		51		0.80%		3		0.05%		21		0.33%		1,715		27.00%		6,354
	Appanoose		3,412		50.48%		3,289		48.66%		37		0.55%		6		0.09%		15		0.22%		123		1.82%		6,759
	Audubon		2,306		54.97%		1,854		44.20%		26		0.62%		4		0.10%		5		0.12%		452		10.77%		4,195
	Benton		5,566		52.13%		4,993		46.76%		82		0.77%		11		0.10%		26		0.24%		573		5.37%		10,678
	Black Hawk		32,262		50.23%		31,467		48.99%		282		0.44%		74		0.12%		148		0.23%		795		1.24%		64,233
	Boone		5,746		46.80%		6,485		52.82%		22		0.18%		4		0.03%		20		0.16%		-739		-6.02%		12,277
	Bremer		6,895		62.37%		4,084		36.94%		44		0.40%		13		0.12%		19		0.17%		2,811		25.43%		11,055
	Buchanan		4,965		54.25%		4,129		45.12%		25		0.27%		12		0.13%		21		0.23%		836		9.13%		9,152
	Buena Vista		5,193		55.22%		4,109		43.69%		43		0.46%		33		0.35%		27		0.29%		1,084		11.53%		9,405
	Butler		4,570		66.00%		2,323		33.55%		21		0.30%		3		0.04%		7		0.10%		2,247		32.45%		6,924
	Calhoun		3,311		56.14%		2,541		43.08%		31		0.53%		9		0.15%		6		0.10%		770		13.06%		5,898
	Carroll		5,021		49.83%		4,960		49.22%		65		0.65%		9		0.09%		22		0.22%		61		0.61%		10,077
	Cass		5,053		67.10%		2,417		32.09%		35		0.46%		12		0.16%		14		0.19%		2,636		35.01%		7,531
	Cedar		4,617		59.59%		3,086		39.83%		21		0.27%		16		0.21%		8		0.10%		1,531		19.76%		7,748
	Cerro Gordo		11,214		48.86%		11,570		50.41%		118		0.51%		18		0.08%		30		0.13%		-356		-1.55%		22,950
	Cherokee		4,046		54.16%		3,349		44.83%		46		0.62%		6		0.08%		23		0.31%		697		9.33%		7,470
	Chickasaw		3,661		52.93%		3,186		46.06%		48		0.69%		6		0.09%		16		0.23%		475		6.87%		6,917
	Clarke		2,262		52.35%		2,030		46.98%		12		0.28%		10		0.23%		7		0.16%		232		5.37%		4,321
	Clay		4,450		53.51%		3,774		45.38%		57		0.69%		9		0.11%		26		0.31%		676		8.13%		8,316
	Clayton		5,029		58.80%		3,446		40.29%		54		0.63%		8		0.09%		16		0.19%		1,583		18.51%		8,553
	Clinton		13,914		54.77%		11,240		44.25%		150		0.59%		33		0.13%		67		0.26%		2,674		10.52%		25,404
	Crawford		4,552		56.53%		3,396		42.17%		82		1.02%		9		0.11%		14		0.17%		1,156		14.36%		8,053
	Dallas		6,080		47.85%		6,564		51.66%		17		0.13%		15		0.12%		31		0.24%		-484		-3.81%		12,707
	Davis		1,956		46.77%		2,187		52.30%		19		0.45%		2		0.05%		18		0.43%		-231		-5.53%		4,182
	Decatur		2,104		49.60%		2,098		49.46%		15		0.35%		4		0.09%		21		0.50%		6		0.14%		4,242
	Delaware		4,769		59.61%		3,158		39.47%		45		0.56%		4		0.05%		25		0.31%		1,611		20.14%		8,001
	Des Moines		9,559		45.85%		11,173		53.59%		53		0.25%		29		0.14%		36		0.17%		-1,614		-7.74%		20,850
	Dickinson		4,064		56.68%		3,025		42.19%		58		0.81%		9		0.13%		14		0.20%		1,039		14.49%		7,170
	Dubuque		19,239		46.37%		21,876		52.72%		234		0.56%		50		0.12%		92		0.22%		-2,637		-6.35%		41,491
	Emmet		2,946		51.46%		2,746		47.97%		26		0.45%		4		0.07%		3		0.05%		200		3.49%		5,725
	Fayette		6,505		57.56%		4,677		41.38%		69		0.61%		16		0.14%		35		0.31%		1,828		16.18%		11,302
	Floyd		4,341		50.75%		4,154		48.57%		39		0.46%		7		0.08%		12		0.14%		187		2.18%		8,553
	Franklin		3,129		56.43%		2,349		42.36%		48		0.87%		3		0.05%		16		0.29%		780		14.07%		5,545
	Fremont		2,686		64.77%		1,426		34.39%		25		0.60%		3		0.07%		7		0.17%		1,260		30.38%		4,147
	Greene		2,579		46.44%		2,831		50.97%		118		2.12%		13		0.23%		13		0.23%		-252		-4.53%		5,554
	Grundy		4,527		69.45%		1,915		29.38%		55		0.84%		7		0.11%		14		0.21%		2,612		40.07%		6,518
	Guthrie		2,783		51.89%		2,517		46.93%		44		0.82%		6		0.11%		13		0.24%		266		4.96%		5,363
	Hamilton		4,279		55.61%		3,330		43.27%		42		0.55%		15		0.19%		29		0.38%		949		12.34%		7,695
	Hancock		3,362		56.62%		2,539		42.76%		22		0.37%		5		0.08%		10		0.17%		823		13.86%		5,938
	Hardin		5,195		53.38%		4,477		46.00%		29		0.30%		11		0.11%		20		0.21%		718		7.38%		9,732
	Harrison		4,352		63.24%		2,495		36.25%		21		0.31%		2		0.03%		12		0.17%		1,857		26.99%		6,882
	Henry		4,516		56.77%		3,377		42.45%		27		0.34%		15		0.19%		20		0.25%		1,139		14.32%		7,955
	Howard		2,718		55.49%		2,135		43.59%		19		0.39%		6		0.12%		20		0.41%		583		11.90%		4,898
	Humboldt		3,396		57.92%		2,406		41.04%		45		0.77%		6		0.10%		10		0.17%		990		16.88%		5,863
	Ida		2,618		62.30%		1,559		37.10%		18		0.43%		2		0.05%		5		0.12%		1,059		25.20%		4,202
	Iowa		4,352		60.02%		2,815		38.82%		63		0.87%		7		0.10%		14		0.19%		1,537		21.20%		7,251
	Jackson		4,811		51.51%		4,400		47.11%		81		0.87%		19		0.20%		29		0.31%		411		4.40%		9,340
	Jasper		8,576		51.36%		8,023		48.04%		50		0.30%		20		0.12%		30		0.18%		553		3.32%		16,699
	Jefferson		4,727		61.19%		2,961		38.33%		9		0.12%		13		0.17%		15		0.19%		1,766		22.86%		7,725
	Johnson		18,677		41.46%		26,000		57.72%		54		0.12%		127		0.28%		186		0.41%		-7,323		-16.26%		45,044
	Jones		4,907		55.82%		3,825		43.51%		27		0.31%		12		0.14%		20		0.23%		1,082		12.31%		8,791
	Keokuk		2,913		51.50%		2,649		46.84%		64		1.13%		2		0.04%		28		0.50%		264		4.66%		5,656
	Kossuth		4,872		49.64%		4,838		49.30%		78		0.79%		10		0.10%		16		0.16%		34		0.34%		9,814
	Lee		8,756		49.17%		8,912		50.04%		74		0.42%		29		0.16%		38		0.21%		-156		-0.87%		17,809
	Linn		41,061		51.12%		38,528		47.97%		172		0.21%		173		0.22%		381		0.47%		2,533		3.15%		80,315
	Louisa		2,623		57.36%		1,927		42.14%		10		0.22%		4		0.09%		9		0.20%		696		15.22%		4,573
	Lucas		2,630		51.72%		2,422		47.63%		16		0.31%		5		0.10%		12		0.24%		208		4.09%		5,085
	Lyon		4,178		74.05%		1,401		24.83%		49		0.87%		8		0.14%		6		0.11%		2,777		49.22%		5,642
	Madison		3,168		50.60%		3,067		48.99%		9		0.14%		6		0.10%		11		0.18%		101		1.61%		6,261
	Mahaska		6,086		59.13%		4,107		39.90%		65		0.63%		9		0.09%		26		0.25%		1,979		19.23%		10,293
	Marion		7,259		53.24%		6,313		46.30%		40		0.29%		12		0.09%		10		0.07%		946		6.94%		13,634
	Marshall		10,839		54.63%		8,809		44.40%		123		0.62%		26		0.13%		43		0.22%		2,030		10.23%		19,840
	Mills		3,994		72.80%		1,434		26.14%		29		0.53%		11		0.20%		18		0.33%		2,560		46.66%		5,486
	Mitchell		3,144		54.74%		2,531		44.07%		45		0.78%		9		0.16%		14		0.24%		613		10.67%		5,743
	Monona		2,746		55.37%		2,159		43.54%		41		0.83%		4		0.08%		9		0.18%		587		11.83%		4,959
	Monroe		1,927		44.91%		2,342		54.58%		7		0.16%		3		0.07%		12		0.28%		-415		-9.67%		4,291
	Montgomery		4,224		71.23%		1,661		28.01%		27		0.46%		8		0.13%		10		0.17%		2,563		43.22%		5,930
	Muscatine		9,069		59.79%		5,986		39.46%		75		0.49%		16		0.11%		22		0.15%		3,083		20.33%		15,168
	O'Brien		5,008		66.16%		2,479		32.75%		59		0.78%		12		0.16%		11		0.15%		2,529		33.41%		7,569
	Osceola		2,285		65.98%		1,146		33.09%		28		0.81%		1		0.03%		3		0.09%		1,139		32.89%		3,463
	Page		5,876		75.06%		1,914		24.45%		24		0.31%		6		0.08%		8		0.10%		3,962		50.61%		7,828
	Palo Alto		2,715		46.73%		3,018		51.94%		71		1.22%		1		0.02%		5		0.09%		-303		-5.21%		5,810
	Plymouth		6,482		64.65%		3,464		34.55%		54		0.54%		13		0.13%		14		0.14%		3,018		30.10%		10,027
	Pocahontas		2,627		50.64%		2,481		47.82%		24		0.46%		41		0.79%		15		0.29%		146		2.82%		5,188
	Polk		71,413		48.30%		75,413		51.01%		540		0.37%		244		0.17%		238		0.16%		-4,000		-2.71%		147,848
	Pottawattamie		21,527		63.11%		12,329		36.14%		179		0.52%		33		0.10%		44		0.13%		9,198		26.97%		34,112
	Poweshiek		4,715		53.04%		4,103		46.16%		38		0.43%		7		0.08%		26		0.29%		612		6.88%		8,889
	Ringgold		1,512		48.51%		1,593		51.11%		10		0.32%		2		0.06%		0		0.00%		-81		-2.60%		3,117
	Sac		3,298		57.57%		2,363		41.25%		41		0.72%		9		0.16%		18		0.31%		935		16.32%		5,729
	Scott		38,034		53.41%		32,550		45.71%		385		0.54%		122		0.17%		121		0.17%		5,484		7.70%		71,212
	Shelby		4,200		64.25%		2,291		35.05%		31		0.47%		7		0.11%		8		0.12%		1,909		29.20%		6,537
	Sioux		11,665		81.61%		2,585		18.09%		25		0.17%		5		0.03%		13		0.09%		9,080		63.52%		14,293
	Story		19,804		51.56%		18,277		47.58%		107		0.28%		94		0.24%		128		0.33%		1,527		3.98%		38,410
	Tama		4,882		54.30%		4,061		45.17%		25		0.28%		6		0.07%		16		0.18%		821		9.13%		8,990
	Taylor		2,496		62.06%		1,499		37.27%		13		0.32%		3		0.07%		11		0.27%		997		24.79%		4,022
	Union		3,583		54.49%		2,875		43.72%		34		0.52%		12		0.18%		72		1.09%		708		10.77%		6,576
	Van Buren		2,138		56.73%		1,606		42.61%		19		0.50%		1		0.03%		5		0.13%		532		14.12%		3,769
	Wapello		7,098		39.88%		10,545		59.24%		86		0.48%		31		0.17%		40		0.22%		-3,447		-19.36%		17,800
	Warren		8,277		49.95%		8,171		49.31%		84		0.51%		13		0.08%		25		0.15%		106		0.64%		16,570
	Washington		4,613		59.37%		3,079		39.63%		46		0.59%		14		0.18%		18		0.23%		1,534		19.74%		7,770
	Wayne		2,061		51.26%		1,927		47.92%		14		0.35%		8		0.20%		11		0.27%		134		3.34%		4,021
	Webster		9,619		48.58%		9,930		50.15%		206		1.04%		25		0.13%		22		0.11%		-311		-1.57%		19,802
	Winnebago		3,616		57.27%		2,669		42.27%		16		0.25%		2		0.03%		11		0.17%		947		15.00%		6,314
	Winneshiek		5,277		57.96%		3,724		40.90%		78		0.86%		7		0.08%		19		0.21%		1,553		17.06%		9,105
	Woodbury		23,002		54.31%		18,951		44.75%		296		0.70%		42		0.10%		59		0.14%		4,051		9.56%		42,350
	Worth		1,985		46.53%		2,263		53.05%		9		0.21%		5		0.12%		4		0.09%		-278		-6.52%		4,266
	Wright		3,675		54.81%		2,980		44.44%		31		0.46%		9		0.13%		10		0.15%		695		10.37%		6,705
Totals	703,088	53.27%	605,620	45.89%	6,248	0.47%	1,844	0.14%	3,005	0.23%	97,468	7.38%	1,319,805

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

• Boone
• Cerro Gordo
• Dallas
• Davis
• Greene
• Lee
• Monroe
• Alto
• Polk
• Ringgold
• Webster
• Worth

See also

• United States presidential elections in Iowa
• Presidency of Ronald Reagan

Works cited

• Book: Triggs . Michael . 1985-86 Iowa Official Register . . 1986 .

Notes and 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. News: January 30, 1984 . Branstad to head Reagan campaign . 2 . . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240213174649/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-nonpareil/140871558/ . February 13, 2024 . Newspapers.com.
3. Web site: IA US President Race, November 06, 1984. Our Campaigns.