1984 United States presidential election in Tennessee explained

See main article: 1984 United States presidential election.

Election Name:	1984 United States presidential election in Tennessee
Country:	Tennessee
Type:	presidential
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	1980 United States presidential election in Tennessee
Previous Year:	1980
Next Election:	1988 United States presidential election in Tennessee
Next Year:	1988
Election Date:	November 6, 1984
Image1:	Ronald Reagan presidential portrait (cropped).jpg
Nominee1:	Ronald Reagan
Party1:	Republican Party (United States)
Home State1:	California
Running Mate1:	George H. W. Bush
Electoral Vote1:	11
Popular Vote1:	990,212
Percentage1:	57.84%
Nominee2:	Walter Mondale
Party2:	Democratic Party (United States)
Home State2:	Minnesota
Running Mate2:	Geraldine Ferraro
Electoral Vote2:	0
Popular Vote2:	711,714
Percentage2:	41.57%
Map Size:	350px
President
Before Election:	Ronald Reagan
Before Party:	Republican Party (United States)
After Election:	Ronald Reagan
After Party:	Republican Party (United States)

The 1984 United States presidential election in Tennessee took place on November 6, 1984. All 50 states and the District of Columbia, were part of the 1984 United States presidential election. Tennessee voters chose 11 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president of the United States. Tennessee 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. Mondale performed better in Tennessee than any other state that was part of the Confederacy.

Reagan carried every population center in the state. He narrowly won the state's two largest counties, typically Democratic Shelby (Memphis) and Davidson (Nashville), and got over 60% of the vote in typically Republican Knox (Knoxville) and Hamilton (Chattanooga) Counties. He also got over 60% in Rutherford County (Murfreesboro), and over 2/3 of the vote in the two largest counties in the Tri-Cities region, Sullivan and Washington. In addition, Reagan performed powerfully throughout rural East Tennessee, surpassing 70% of the vote in eight counties in the region (as well as in the emerging Nashville suburb of Williamson County^[1]), and carried most of the rural counties in more typically Democratic Middle and West Tennessee as well.

Campaign

The Republican presidential nominee won Tennessee in every presidential election since 1968 except for Democratic nominee Jimmy Carter's victory in 1976.

65% of white voters supported Reagan while 34% supported Mondale. Despite Reagan's victory in the election, Democratic nominee Al Gore won in the concurrent senatorial election.

Results

1984 United States presidential election in Tennessee
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage	Electoral votes
	Republican	Ronald Reagan (incumbent)	990,212	57.84%	11
	Democratic	Walter Mondale	711,714	41.57%	0
	Independent	David Bergland	3,072	0.18%	0
	Independent	Lyndon LaRouche	1,852	0.11%	0
	Independent	Bob Richards	1,763	0.10%	0
	Independent	Gus Hall	1,036	0.06%	0
	Independent	Sonia Johnson	978	0.06%	0
	Independent	Melvin Mason	715	0.04%	0
	Independent	Dennis Serrette	524	0.03%	0
	Write-Ins		127	0.01%	0
Totals			1,711,993	100.0%	11

Results by county

County	Ronald Reagan Republican		Walter Mondale Democratic		Various candidates Other parties		Margin		Total votes cast
		%		%		%		%
	Anderson		16,783		61.31%		10,415		38.05%		176		0.64%		6,368		23.26%		27,374
	Bedford		4,699		50.55%		4,499		48.40%		98		1.05%		200		2.15%		9,296
	Benton		2,481		42.07%		3,398		57.62%		18		0.31%		-917		-15.55%		5,897
	Bledsoe		1,950		59.34%		1,316		40.05%		20		0.61%		634		19.29%		3,286
	Blount		20,525		68.74%		9,188		30.77%		146		0.49%		11,337		37.97%		29,859
	Bradley		16,322		72.54%		6,085		27.04%		95		0.42%		10,237		45.50%		22,502
	Campbell		5,685		54.43%		4,692		44.93%		67		0.64%		993		9.50%		10,444
	Cannon		1,669		46.88%		1,846		51.85%		45		1.26%		-177		-4.97%		3,560
	Carroll		6,017		56.43%		4,568		42.84%		77		0.72%		1,449		13.59%		10,662
	Carter		13,153		73.35%		4,642		25.89%		138		0.77%		8,511		47.46%		17,933
	Cheatham		4,109		57.32%		3,007		41.94%		53		0.74%		1,102		15.38%		7,169
	Chester		2,793		59.68%		1,854		39.62%		33		0.71%		939		20.06%		4,680
	Claiborne		4,474		60.70%		2,870		38.94%		27		0.37%		1,604		21.76%		7,371
	Clay		1,338		50.80%		1,281		48.63%		15		0.57%		57		2.17%		2,634
	Cocke		6,665		75.50%		2,068		23.43%		95		1.08%		4,597		52.07%		8,828
	Coffee		7,695		57.14%		5,691		42.26%		82		0.61%		2,004		14.88%		13,468
	Crockett		2,479		55.97%		1,937		43.73%		13		0.29%		542		12.24%		4,429
	Cumberland		7,083		65.85%		3,605		33.52%		68		0.63%		3,478		32.33%		10,756
	Davidson		98,155		51.99%		89,498		47.40%		1,161		0.61%		8,657		4.59%		188,814
	Decatur		2,390		53.82%		2,031		45.73%		20		0.45%		359		8.09%		4,441
	DeKalb		2,337		46.65%		2,645		52.79%		28		0.56%		-308		-6.14%		5,010
	Dickson		5,846		49.52%		5,809		49.21%		150		1.27%		37		0.31%		11,805
	Dyer		6,610		62.11%		3,991		37.50%		41		0.39%		2,619		24.61%		10,642
	Fayette		3,733		50.44%		3,634		49.10%		34		0.46%		99		1.34%		7,401
	Fentress		2,922		62.18%		1,755		37.35%		22		0.47%		1,167		24.83%		4,699
	Franklin		5,705		49.09%		5,846		50.31%		70		0.60%		-141		-1.22%		11,621
	Gibson		9,484		52.71%		8,334		46.32%		174		0.97%		1,150		6.39%		17,992
	Giles		3,875		50.07%		3,812		49.26%		52		0.67%		63		0.81%		7,739
	Grainger		3,212		66.72%		1,565		32.51%		37		0.77%		1,647		34.21%		4,814
	Greene		13,215		73.15%		4,763		26.37%		87		0.48%		8,452		46.78%		18,065
	Grundy		1,396		34.77%		2,596		64.66%		23		0.57%		-1,200		-29.89%		4,015
	Hamblen		11,144		68.97%		4,922		30.46%		92		0.57%		6,222		38.51%		16,158
	Hamilton		69,626		62.38%		41,449		37.13%		547		0.49%		28,177		25.25%		111,622
	Hancock		1,491		69.87%		619		29.01%		24		1.12%		872		40.86%		2,134
	Hardeman		3,712		48.68%		3,797		49.79%		117		1.53%		-85		-1.11%		7,626
	Hardin		4,632		59.59%		3,051		39.25%		90		1.16%		1,581		20.34%		7,773
	Hawkins		9,863		66.67%		4,802		32.46%		128		0.87%		5,061		34.21%		14,793
	Haywood		2,839		46.04%		3,308		53.65%		19		0.31%		-469		-7.61%		6,166
	Henderson		5,362		68.56%		2,426		31.02%		33		0.42%		2,936		37.54%		7,821
	Henry		5,376		49.61%		5,407		49.89%		54		0.50%		-31		-0.28%		10,837
	Hickman		2,370		44.43%		2,941		55.14%		23		0.43%		-571		-10.71%		5,334
	Houston		882		33.68%		1,716		65.52%		21		0.80%		-834		-31.84%		2,619
	Humphreys		2,249		37.91%		3,668		61.82%		16		0.27%		-1,419		-23.91%		5,933
	Jackson		1,544		34.42%		2,894		64.51%		48		1.07%		-1,350		-30.09%		4,486
	Jefferson		7,721		70.35%		3,185		29.02%		69		0.63%		4,536		41.33%		10,975
	Johnson		3,853		79.10%		999		20.51%		19		0.39%		2,854		58.59%		4,871
	Knox		76,965		63.61%		43,448		35.91%		574		0.47%		33,517		27.70%		120,987
	Lake		878		41.97%		1,191		56.93%		23		1.10%		-313		-14.96%		2,092
	Lauderdale		3,566		50.23%		3,506		49.39%		27		0.38%		60		0.84%		7,099
	Lawrence		6,034		52.18%		5,458		47.20%		71		0.61%		576		4.98%		11,563
	Lewis		1,733		52.42%		1,556		47.07%		17		0.51%		177		5.35%		3,306
	Lincoln		3,982		49.08%		4,103		50.57%		29		0.36%		-121		-1.49%		8,114
	Loudon		7,113		68.36%		3,227		31.01%		65		0.62%		3,886		37.35%		10,405
	Macon		3,330		65.23%		1,747		34.22%		28		0.55%		1,583		31.01%		5,105
	Madison		17,819		59.64%		12,006		40.18%		55		0.18%		5,813		19.46%		29,880
	Marion		4,337		52.06%		3,942		47.32%		52		0.62%		395		4.74%		8,331
	Marshall		3,416		53.43%		2,935		45.91%		42		0.66%		481		7.52%		6,393
	Maury		9,008		56.18%		6,950		43.35%		75		0.47%		2,058		12.83%		16,033
	McMinn		9,604		64.83%		5,141		34.71%		68		0.46%		4,463		30.12%		14,813
	McNairy		4,776		55.34%		3,825		44.32%		30		0.35%		951		11.02%		8,631
	Meigs		1,575		60.53%		1,012		38.89%		15		0.58%		563		21.64%		2,602
	Monroe		6,665		60.88%		4,223		38.58%		59		0.54%		2,442		22.30%		10,947
	Montgomery		13,228		56.61%		9,939		42.54%		198		0.85%		3,289		14.07%		23,365
	Moore		863		51.37%		808		48.10%		9		0.54%		55		3.27%		1,680
	Morgan		2,903		57.19%		2,121		41.78%		52		1.02%		782		15.41%		5,076
	Obion		6,384		56.74%		4,769		42.38%		99		0.88%		1,615		14.36%		11,252
	Overton		2,054		42.53%		2,749		56.92%		27		0.56%		-695		-14.39%		4,830
	Perry		948		41.82%		1,316		58.05%		3		0.13%		-368		-16.23%		2,267
	Pickett		1,246		63.67%		706		36.08%		5		0.26%		540		27.59%		1,957
	Polk		2,785		56.15%		2,112		42.58%		63		1.27%		673		13.57%		4,960
	Putnam		8,999		54.40%		7,443		45.00%		99		0.60%		1,556		9.40%		16,541
	Rhea		5,692		66.29%		2,804		32.65%		91		1.06%		2,888		33.64%		8,587
	Roane		11,882		63.83%		6,623		35.58%		109		0.59%		5,259		28.25%		18,614
	Robertson		5,445		48.34%		5,756		51.11%		62		0.55%		-311		-2.77%		11,263
	Rutherford		19,503		61.98%		11,618		36.92%		348		1.11%		7,885		25.06%		31,469
	Scott		3,107		62.63%		1,810		36.48%		44		0.89%		1,297		26.15%		4,961
	Sequatchie		1,785		58.68%		1,238		40.70%		19		0.62%		547		17.98%		3,042
	Sevier		12,517		78.03%		3,384		21.10%		140		0.87%		9,133		56.93%		16,041
	Shelby		169,717		50.32%		165,947		49.20%		1,638		0.49%		3,770		1.12%		337,302
	Smith		2,393		42.05%		3,258		57.25%		40		0.70%		-865		-15.20%		5,691
	Stewart		1,285		36.82%		2,174		62.29%		31		0.89%		-889		-25.47%		3,490
	Sullivan		36,516		67.83%		16,925		31.44%		394		0.73%		19,591		36.39%		53,835
	Sumner		18,442		61.09%		11,535		38.21%		209		0.69%		6,907		22.88%		30,186
	Tipton		5,945		60.21%		3,895		39.45%		34		0.34%		2,050		20.76%		9,874
	Trousdale		781		40.36%		1,142		59.02%		12		0.62%		-361		-18.66%		1,935
	Unicoi		4,249		71.07%		1,696		28.37%		34		0.57%		2,553		42.70%		5,979
	Union		2,447		61.51%		1,495		37.58%		36		0.90%		952		23.93%		3,978
	Van Buren		718		46.78%		810		52.77%		7		0.46%		-92		-5.99%		1,535
	Warren		4,811		49.64%		4,813		49.66%		67		0.69%		-2		-0.02%		9,691
	Washington		21,762		69.38%		9,452		30.13%		154		0.49%		12,310		39.25%		31,368
	Wayne		3,332		68.29%		1,534		31.44%		13		0.27%		1,798		36.85%		4,879
	Weakley		6,480		57.41%		4,752		42.10%		55		0.49%		1,728		15.31%		11,287
	White		2,895		48.59%		3,033		50.91%		30		0.50%		-138		-2.32%		5,958
	Williamson		17,975		71.91%		6,929		27.72%		93		0.37%		11,046		44.19%		24,997
	Wilson		12,858		59.95%		8,433		39.32%		158		0.74%		4,425		20.63%		21,449
Totals	990,212	57.84%	711,714	41.57%	10,067	0.59%	278,498	16.27%	1,711,993

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

• Bedford
• Cheatham
• Clay
• Coffee
• Crockett
• Davidson
• Decatur
• Dickson
• Dyer
• Fayette
• Gibson
• Giles
• Lauderdale
• Lewis
• Marion
• Marshall
• Maury
• Montgomery
• Moore
• Morgan
• Obion
• Polk
• Putnam
• Rutherford
• Shelby
• Sumner
• Tipton
• Weakley
• Wilson

See also

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

Works cited

• Book: Black . Earl . Earl Black (political scientist) . Black . Merle . Merle Black . The Vital South: How Presidents Are Elected . . 1992 . 0674941306.
• Book: Moreland . Laurence . Steed . Robert . Baker . Tod . The 1988 Presidential Election in the South: Continuity Amidst Change in Southern Party Politics . . 1991 . 0275931455.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Plotz. David. 2004-07-02. Kerry can't win Tennessee, but can Bush lose it?. 2021-01-14. Slate Magazine. en.