Mondale carried only his home state, Minnesota, and the District of Columbia, receiving 40.6 percent and 13 electoral votes.

[6][7] Reagan's reelection was confirmed by the Electoral College on December 17[8] and certified by the joint session of the U.S. Congress on January 7, 1985.

Other long-time Reagan operatives on the 1984 campaign included Stuart K. Spencer, Richard Wirthlin, Kenneth Khachigian, Drew Lewis, and Lyn Nofziger.

[10][11][12] Though there had been some speculation that Reagan would not seek a second term, he announced his candidacy for re-election in a nationally televised 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.

[21] Additionally, 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.

However, the economy "picking up" had resulted in an increase in his approval ratings, and as the election progressed, Reagan opened a large lead over Mondale in the opinion polls.

It also found that 46 percent believed that Republicans had a lead in the handling of key issues compared to Democrats, despite a large number disagreeing with Reagan's views.