Ronald Reagan 1984 presidential campaign

Reagan’s authorized campaign, Reagan-Bush ’84, was established in October 1983 with Senator Paul Laxalt as Chairman, Edward J. Rollins as Campaign Director, and Lee Atwater as Deputy Director.  Angela “Bay” Buchanan was Treasurer and James H. Lake was Communications Director. Other long-time Reagan operatives on the 1984 campaign included Stuart K. Spencer, Richard Wirthlin, Kenneth Khachigian, Drew Lewis, and Lyn Nofziger. The Finance Chairman was Joe M. Rodgers and the Finance Director was Timothy G. Ryan.[10][11][12]

Reagan announced his candidacy for re-election in a nationally televised five-minute speech on January 29, 1984.[13] Reagan's only opponents in the Republican primary were former Minnesota governor and perennial candidate Harold Stassen and former U.S. Special Envoy to Paraguay Ben Fernandez.[14] The primaries were uncompetitive, as Reagan won 98.8% of the vote.[15] Although Reagan faced only nominal opposition for the Republican nomination, the campaign did need to project Reagan’s vision for a second term and mount an effective counter to the daily criticism coming from former Vice President Walter Mondale and others seeking the Democratic Party’s nomination.

In May 1984, Reagan-Bush ’84 launched a highly praised television ad blitz proclaiming, “It’s Morning Again in America.” [16] The ads underscored a theme at the center of Reagan’s campaign: that America was “Prouder, Stronger, and Better” under President Reagan’s leadership.[17] Campaign Director Ed Rollins noted, “We wanted to remind people how things were, and how they are getting better.”[18] The campaign budgeted up to $10 million in ad buys during the period before the August Republican convention.[19]

Reagan-Bush ’84 financed its pre-convention campaign, including the television ads, with a successful fundraising effort, reaching its fundraising goals by April 1984. Finance Director Timothy G. Ryan reported raising over $26 million, with $12 million from direct mail solicitations, $4 million from fundraising events, and over $10 million in federal matching funds. [20] Reagan-Bush ’84 was the first presidential campaign to raise enough matchable contributions ($250 and less) to qualify for the maximum amount of Federal Election Commission matching funds for the pre-convention period.[21] Over 300,000 people contributed to the campaign, with an average contribution of $56.20.[22]

Reagan-Bush ’84 did not accept any private contributions for the post-convention, general election campaign, opting instead to receive $40.4 million in funding from the Federal Election Commission.[23]

President Reagan and Vice President Bush at the Republican National Convention.

At the 1984 Republican National Convention, which met at Dallas, Texas in August, Reagan formally became his party's nominee. He was the oldest presidential nominee at the age of 73 years, 6 months on the day he was nominated. In his acceptance speech, Reagan promised a "springtime of hope" for America. There were also several other main speakers, including Barry Goldwater, who also spoke on national defence after a previous unsuccessful campaign.[24][25]