Director George H. W. Bush of Texas, and Mondale ran with Representative Geraldine Ferraro of New York, the first major party female candidate for the vice presidency.

He posted a particularly strong win in suburban Waukesha County, which he won by over thirty points.

In western Wisconsin, Reagan won most of the counties but his margins tended to be weaker.

[3] Before 1976, Wisconsin had tended to lean Republican in close elections, voting narrowly for Nixon in 1960 and 1968.

He also remains the last Republican candidate to win the state in two consecutive elections.