1984 United States presidential election in Connecticut

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1984 United States presidential election in Connecticut
Flag of Connecticut.svg
  1980 November 6, 1984 1988  
Turnout82.4% [1]
  Ronald Reagan presidential portrait (cropped).jpg Walter Mondale 1977 vice presidential portrait (cropped).jpg
Nominee Ronald Reagan Walter Mondale
Party Republican Democratic
Home state California Minnesota
Running mate George H. W. Bush Geraldine Ferraro
Electoral vote80
Popular vote890,877569,597
Percentage60.73%38.83%

Connecticut Presidential Election Results 1984.svg
Connecticut Presidential Election Results 1984 by Municipality.svg

President before election

Ronald Reagan
Republican

Elected President

Ronald Reagan
Republican

The 1984 United States presidential election in Connecticut took place on November 6, 1984. All 50 states, as well as 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. Connecticut 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.

Contents

Connecticut weighed in for this election as 2% more Republican than the national average. As of the 2024 United States presidential election , this is the last election in which Hartford County voted for the Republican candidate. This is also the final time that a Republican presidential candidate was able to win every county in the state or win by a double-digit margin. Reagan won Connecticut by a 22% margin and with slightly over 60% of the vote, making it 3.7% more Republican than the nation overall amid his national landslide. Since 1896, Connecticut had generally leaned Republican, voting for losing Republican candidates in 1916, 1932, 1948, and 1976 (but also voting for Hubert Humphrey in 1968 and for John F. Kennedy, as he only narrowly won in 1960). The basis for Republican strength in Connecticut had been suburban Fairfield County, where Reagan approached 2/3 of the vote. However, Reagan also took New Haven County—the swing county amongst the state's three largest—by twenty points, and won Hartford County—generally the most Democratic-friendly of the state's three largest counties—by double digits.

After 1996, all of Connecticut's large counties would become reliably Democratic, and the state with them. Reagan's 890,877 votes were the most received by a Republican presidential candidate in the state's history.

To date, this is the last time that the cities of Meriden, Norwich, and West Haven, as well as the towns of Ashford, Cornwall, East Hartford, Hamden, Manchester, Newington, Portland, Rocky Hill, West Hartford, Windham, and Windsor voted Republican.

Results

1984 United States presidential election in Connecticut
PartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes
Republican Ronald Reagan (incumbent)890,87760.77%8
Democratic Walter Mondale 569,59738.83%0
Communist Party Gus Hall 4,8260.33%0
New Alliance Party Dennis Serrette 1,3740.09%0
Write-Ins2260.02%0
Totals1,466,900100.0%8

By county

CountyRonald Reagan
Republican
Walter Mondale
Democratic
Various candidates
Other parties
MarginTotal votes cast
# %# %# %# %
Fairfield 257,31965.78%132,25333.81%1,6070.41%125,06631.97%391,179
Hartford 208,21055.02%168,60944.56%1,5860.42%39,60110.46%378,405
Litchfield 52,58366.21%26,56433.45%2690.34%26,01932.76%79,416
Middlesex 39,58059.32%26,91540.34%2270.34%12,66518.98%66,722
New Haven 212,16659.81%140,94539.74%1,6010.45%71,22120.07%354,712
New London 63,12161.59%38,85737.91%5090.50%24,26423.68%102,487
Tolland 32,98161.88%20,10337.72%2140.40%12,87824.16%53,298
Windham 24,91761.59%15,35137.95%1870.46%9,56623.64%40,455
Totals890,87760.73%569,59738.83%6,4260.44%321,28021.90%1,466,900

Counties flipped from Democratic to Republican

By congressional district

Reagan won all 6 congressional districts, including four held by Democrats. [2]

DistrictRonald Reagan
Republican
Walter Mondale
Democratic
OthersTotal votes castRepresentative
# %# %# %
1st 129,38452.68%115,17446.89%1,0600.43%245,618 Barbara B. Kennelly
2nd 141,59360.62%90,86938.91%1,1050.47%233,567 Sam Gejdenson
3rd 146,17158.67%101,87740.90%1,0780.43%249,126 Bruce Morrison
4th 154,51563.20%88,94136.38%1,0360.42%244,492 Stewart McKinney
5th 163,37166.59%80,81632.95%1,1460.46%245,333 William R. Ratchford
6th 155,84362.65%91,92036.95%1,0010.40%248,764 Nancy Johnson
Totals890,87760.73%569,59738.83%6,4260.44%1,466,900

See also

References

  1. "Connecticut State Register and Manual, 1985". CT State Library.
  2. "Connecticut State Register and Manual, 1985". CT State Library.