# 1984 Democratic Party presidential primaries

From February 20 to June 12, 1984, voters of the Democratic Party chose its nominee for president in the 1984 United States presidential election. Former Vice President Walter Mondale was selected as the nominee through a series of primary elections and caucuses culminating in the 1984 Democratic National Convention held from July 16 to July 19, 1984, in San Francisco, California.

## Candidates
### Nominee

| Candidate | Candidate | Candidate | Most recent office | Home state | Campaign | Popular vote | Contests won | Running mate | Running mate |
| Walter Mondale | | | Vice President of the United States (1977–1981) | Minnesota | (Campaign) | 6,952,912 (38.3%) | 26 (AL, AR, DE, GA, IL, IA, KS, MD, MI, MN, MS, MO, NJ, NY, NC, PA, TN, TX, VA, WV, WI-C, AS, GU, PR, VI, DA) | Geraldine Ferraro | |

### Eliminated at Convention

| Candidate | Candidate | Candidate | Most recent office | Home state | Campaign Withdrawal date | Popular vote | Contests won |
| Gary Hart | | | U.S. Senator from Colorado (1975–1987) | Colorado | Eliminated at Convention: July 18, 1984 Endorsed Mondale: July 19, 1984 (Campaign) | 6,504,842 (35.9%) | 26 (AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, ID-P, ID-C, IN, ME, MA, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, OH, OK, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI-P, WY) |
| Jesse Jackson | | | None | Illinois | Eliminated at Convention: July 18, 1984 Endorsed Mondale: August 28, 1984 (Campaign) | 3,282,431 (18.1%) | 2 (DC, LA) |

### Withdrew during Primaries

| Candidate | Most recent office | Home state | Campaign Withdrawal date | Popular vote | Contests won |
| John Glenn | U.S. Senator from Ohio (1974–1999) | Ohio | Withdrew: March 16, 1984 Endorsed Mondale: July 18, 1984 (Campaign) | 617,909 (3.41%) | 0 |
| George McGovern | U.S. Senator from South Dakota (1963–1981) | South Dakota | Withdrew: March 14, 1984 Endorsed Mondale: June 13, 1984 (Campaign) | 334,801 (1.85%) | 0 |
| Reubin Askew | Governor of Florida (1971–1979) | Florida | Withdrew: March 1, 1984 Endorsed Mondale: July 18, 1984 (Campaign) | 52,759 (0.29%) | 0 |
| Fritz Hollings | U.S. Senator from South Carolina (1966–2005) | South Carolina | Withdrew: March 1, 1984 Endorsed Hart: March 9, 1984 (Campaign) | 33,684 (0.19%) | 0 |
| Alan Cranston | U.S. Senator from California (1969–1993) | California | Withdrew: February 29, 1984 Endorsed Mondale: July 18, 1984 (Campaign) | 51,437 (0.28%) | 0 |

### Minor Candidates

| Lyndon LaRouche | Claude R. Kirk Jr. | Gerald Willis |
| No Elected Office | Governor of Florida (1967–1971) | State Representative from Alabama (1978–1982) |

### Declined to run

| George Wallace | Jimmy Carter | Ted Kennedy | Daniel Patrick Moynihan | Lloyd Bentsen | Bill Bradley | Mo Udall | Dale Bumpers | Jerry Brown |
| Governor of Alabama (1963–1967) (1971–1979) (1983–1987) | U.S. President from Georgia (1977–1981) | U.S. Senator from Massachusetts (1962–2009) | U.S. Senator from New York (1977-2001) | U.S. Senator from Texas (1971-1993) | U.S. Senator from New Jersey (1977-2001) | U.S. Representative from Arizona (1961–1991) | U.S. Senator from Arkansas (1975–1999) | Governor of California (1975–1983) |
| May 22, 1982 | October 25, 1982 | December 1, 1982 | December 3, 1982 | December 4, 1982 | January 11, 1983 | February 9, 1983 | April 5, 1983 | April 20, 1983 |

## Timeline
### Background

The Commission on Presidential Nomination was formed in July 1981, under the leadership of Jim Hunt. The commission sought to increase the power of elected officials, who could choose a more moderate and ideologically representative candidate. Alan Cranston, Gillis William Long, and Walter Mondale supported giving elected officials positions as uncommitted delegates while Ted Kennedy opposed it. The report was completed on February 5, 1982. The commission allocated 568 delegates, 14% of the total, to unelected superdelegates, who were party leaders and elected officials. The primary schedule was reduced to occur from March to June, with the exception of Iowa and New Hampshire.
411 of the superdelegates were elected officials and 157 were party officials. Members of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate accounted for 200 delegates. Mondale's campaign capitalized on this and Richard Moe, with 20 lobbyists, gained support for Mondale from members of Congress. Thomas Hale Boggs Jr. lobbied for congressional support for John Glenn.
Twenty-six primaries were held in 1984, less than the thirty-one in 1980. 54% of the delegates were selected using primaries which was a decline from the 72% in 1980, 32% was selected using caucuses, and the remainder were superdelegates. Ten states, six using a primary and four using a caucus, and Puerto Rico used a winner-take-all system. The minimum percentage needed to win delegates was raised from 15% to 20%.

### Overview and pre-contests

* Nominee
* Ended campaigns
* Iowa caucuses
* New Hampshire primary
* Super Tuesday
* Convention 1984
Kennedy, one of the leading possible candidates, announced in December 1982, that he would not run for the presidential nomination.
In June 1983, Cranston won a series of straw polls in Alabama, California, and Wisconsin and placed second in Massachusetts. Mondale won a straw poll in Maine in October. Glenn criticized the excessive spending on the straw poll as Cranston and Mondale both spent $100,000 and Hollings spent $25,000 while campaigning for it.
Jackson ended up winning 21% of the national primary vote but received only 8% of the delegates to the national convention, and he initially charged that his campaign was hurt by the same party rules that allowed Mondale to win. He also poured scorn on Mondale, saying that Hubert Humphrey was the "last significant politician out of the St. Paul-Minneapolis" area.
Colorado Senator Gary Hart was little-known when he announced his run February 1983, and barely received above 1% in the polls compared to other well-known figures. To counter this, Hart started campaigning early in New Hampshire, making a then-unprecedented canvassing tour in late September, months before the primary. This strategy attracted national media attention to his campaign, and by late 1983, he had risen moderately in the polls to the middle of the field, mostly at the expense of the sinking candidacies of John Glenn and Cranston.
Hart criticized Mondale as an "old-fashioned" Great Society Democrat who symbolized "failed policies" of the past. Hart positioned himself as a younger, fresher, and more moderate Democrat who could appeal to younger voters. He emerged as a formidable candidate, winning the key Ohio and California primaries as well as several others, especially in the West. However, Hart could not overcome Mondale's financial and organizational advantages, especially among labor union leaders in the Midwest and industrial Northeast. Hart was also badly hurt during a televised debate when Mondale used a popular television commercial slogan to ridicule Hart's vague "New Ideas" platform. Turning to Hart on camera, Mondale said that whenever he heard Hart talk about his "New Ideas", he was reminded of the Wendy's fast-food slogan "Where's the beef?". The remark drew loud laughter and applause from the audience and caught Hart off-guard. Hart never fully recovered from Mondale's charge that his "New Ideas" were shallow and lacking in specifics. Earlier in the same Democratic primary debate, Hart committed a serious faux pas that largely went underreported. Asked what he would do if an unidentified airplane flew over the Iron Curtain from a Warsaw Pact nation, Hart replied that he would send up a United States Air Force plane and instruct them to determine whether or not it was an enemy plane by looking in the cockpit window to see if the pilots were wearing uniforms. Fellow candidate John Glenn, a former Marine Corps fighter pilot, replied that this was physically impossible.
At a roundtable debate between the three remaining Democratic candidates moderated by Phil Donahue, Mondale and Hart got in such a heated argument over the issue of U.S. policy in Central America that Jackson had to tap his water glass on the table to get them to simmer down.
Jackson's campaign was bolstered after he led a delegation to Syria that convinced Hafez al-Assad to release Bobby Goodman in January 1984. Jackson received large and overwhelming positive news coverage. However, positive news coverage ended after he called Jews "Hymies" and New York City "Hymietown". Jackson was also criticized for his relation with Louis Farrakhan.

### Early contests

Mondale won the Iowa caucus with a plurality of the vote. Glenn performed poorly and came in sixth. Hart's campaign was bolstered by his second placing show. Hart, despite not winning Iowa, was now viewed as the only viable opponent to Mondale. Hart was polling below 10% nationally in late February, but was polling above 30% by March 2, and near 40% by March 6.
Mondale led Glenn by two-to-one in New Hampshire and Glenn led Hart by two-to-one in New Hampshire in polling from March 1983 to February 1984. However, Hart's polling improved shortly before the primary and won in New Hampshire. Mondale and Hart both won 6 delegates, despite Hart's popular vote victory, due to mathematical distribution.
Reubin Askew, Alan Cranston, and Fritz Hollings ended their campaigns after their poor results in New Hampshire. Hart had incomplete delegate slates, such as him having 45 delegates slated for the 117 delegates up in Pennsylvania's primary. Hart adopted the delegate slates of withdrawn campaigns.

### March contests

Glenn's campaign stated that he needed to win Alabama and perform well in Georgia. Mondale won the statewide popular vote in Georgia, but Hart won in more congressional districts and won a plurality of the state's delegates.
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Illinois held their contests with a total of 510 delegates on March 13 as a part of Super Tuesday. The three leading candidates' delegate counts rose from 126 to 301 for Mondale, 17 to 164 for Hart, and 7 to 34 for Jackson.
Hollings was expected to win South Carolina as a favorite son candidate, but withdrew before the state held its caucus.
On March 31, the Kentucky precinct caucuses elected a plurality uncommitted delegation supported by Martha Layne Collins. Mondale won the Virgin Islands caucus.

### April contests

Hart won the Wisconsin primary, but none of the major candidates campaigned in the state due to the primary having no pledged delegates. Mondale won the caucus which was responsible for the allocation of 78 of the state's 89 delegates.
Louisiana cancelled its primary, as it was unable to afford the $1.5 million cost, and caucuses were held for both parties instead.

### Last contests

On May 1, Jackson won Washington D.C. and Mondale won Tennessee. In order to gain the nomination Hart needed to win 91% of the remaining delegates after these contests.
Indiana, Maryland, North Carolina, and Ohio held their contests with a total of 483 delegates on May 8 as part of Super Tuesday II.
Mondale gradually pulled away from Hart in the delegate count, but the race was not decided until June, on Super Tuesday III. Decided that day were delegates from five states: South Dakota, New Mexico, West Virginia, and the big prizes of California and New Jersey. The proportional nature of delegate selection meant that Mondale was likely to obtain enough delegates on that day to secure the stated support of an overall majority of delegates, and hence the nomination, no matter who actually "won" the states contested. However, Hart maintained that unpledged superdelegates that had previously claimed support for Mondale would shift to his side if he swept the Super Tuesday III primary. Once again, Hart committed a faux pas, insulting New Jersey shortly before the primary day. Campaigning in California, he remarked that while the "bad news" was that he and his wife Lee had to campaign separately, "[t]he good news for her is that she campaigns in California while I campaign in New Jersey." Compounding the problem, when his wife interjected that she "got to hold a koala bear," Hart replied that "I won't tell you what I got to hold: samples from a toxic-waste dump." While Hart won California, he decisively lost New Jersey after leading in polls by as much as 15 points.
North Dakota held its first presidential primary, but no delegates were bound by it. Hart won the primary against Lyndon LaRouche, the only other candidate on the ballot.
McGovern endorsed Mondale on July 11, and instructed his 23 delegates to vote for Mondale. Mondale was already 28 delegates above the minimum required to win.
Mondale had the support of 81 state chairs and vice-chairs, Hart had 13, Jackson had 1, and 19 were uncommitted one week before the convention. The final CBS poll of delegates before the convention showed that among the superdelegates 384 supported Mondale, 58 supported Hart, 25 supported Jackson, and 101 were uncommitted.

### Convention and aftermath

By the time the Democratic Convention started in San Francisco, Mondale had more than enough delegates to win the Democratic nomination. However, after Mondale's landslide loss to Ronald Reagan, Hart would quickly emerge as the frontrunner for the 1988 Democratic Party's presidential nomination. He would maintain that status until a sex scandal derailed his candidacy in 1987.
Mondale's nomination marked only the fifth time that the Democratic Party nominated a private citizen for President (i.e., not serving in an official government role at the time of the nomination and election), following former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter in 1976, who followed former Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson II in 1956, who followed former West Virginia Congressman John W. Davis in 1924, who was preceded by former President Grover Cleveland in 1892. The Democratic Party did not nominate another private citizen until former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in 2016. Four years later, the party nominated former vice president Joe Biden. Of the seven private-citizen Democratic nominees, Jimmy Carter, Grover Cleveland, and Joe Biden won their respective presidential elections.

## Analysis

Mondale performed best in states with primaries. Hart won more states than Mondale and performed better both in primaries, with 16 victories out of 27, and caucuses, with 13 victories out of 23, but he won in states with lower delegate counts and which allotted them proportionally. Mondale won four of the five winner-take-all states. His plurality victories gave him all of Pennsylvania's 80 delegates and 102 of New Jersey's 107 delegates. Mondale's strong support among superdelegates meant that the delegations of five states won by Hart (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Indiana, Ohio, and New Mexico) were controlled by Mondale.
The delegate results were malapportioned when compared to the popular vote. If all of the contests used a proportional system then the results would have been 1,591 delegates for Mondale, 1,307 for Hart, 645 for Jackson, and 390 for others and uncommitted. This would have placed Mondale below the minimum number of delegates needed to win and doubled the number of Jackson's delegates.
Mondale lost all of New England and almost every state west of the Mississippi.
Two-thirds of the delegates attending the convention identified as liberals compared to 7% who identified as conservatives.
One-third of people who supported Hart during the Democratic primary voted for Reagan. 4% of Mondale supporters and 6% of Jackson supporters voted for Reagan.
The 1984 Democratic presidential primary vote by demographic subgroup :
| Demographic subgroup | Mondale | Hart | Jackson | Other | % of total vote |
| Total vote | 38 | 36 | 18 | 8 | 100 |
| Ideology ||||||
| Moderates | 41 | 37 | 15 | 7 | 47 |
| Liberals | 34 | 36 | 25 | 5 | 27 |
| Conservatives | 37 | 34 | 16 | 13 | 21 |
| Party ||||||
| Democrats | 42 | 33 | 20 | 5 | 74 |
| Independents | 28 | 44 | 16 | 12 | 20 |
| Gender ||||||
| Men | 38 | 36 | 17 | 9 | 46 |
| Women | 39 | 35 | 19 | 7 | 54 |
| Race ||||||
| White | 42 | 43 | 5 | 10 | 78 |
| Black | 19 | 3 | 77 | 1 | 18 |
| Age ||||||
| 18–29 years old | 26 | 39 | 26 | 9 | 17 |
| 30–44 years old | 30 | 38 | 23 | 9 | 30 |
| 45–59 years old | 41 | 34 | 18 | 7 | 23 |
| 60 and older | 52 | 31 | 10 | 7 | 28 |
| Education ||||||
| Less than high school | 51 | 26 | 18 | 5 | 14 |
| High school graduate | 43 | 34 | 16 | 7 | 33 |
| Some college | 33 | 38 | 21 | 8 | 27 |
| College graduate | 31 | 41 | 20 | 8 | 26 |
| Union households ||||||
| Union | 45 | 31 | 19 | 5 | 33 |
Source: Adam Clymer combined the exit polls conducted in 24 states by The New York Times, CBS, NBC, and ABC.

## Endorsements

Mondale had received endorsements from:

### Executive Branch Officials

* Jimmy Carter, President of the United States from Georgia (1977-1981)
* Dean Rusk, United States Secretary of State from Georgia (1961-1969)

### U.S. Senate

* Daniel Inouye, U.S. Senator from Hawaii (1963–2012)
* Patrick Leahy, U.S. Senator from Vermont (1975–2023)

### U.S. House of Representatives

* Glenn M. Anderson, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California (1969–1993) (previously endorsed Alan Cranston)
* Jim Bates, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 44th congressional district (1983–1991)
* Anthony Beilenson, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California (1977–1997)
* Edward Boland, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district (1953-1989)
* Douglas H. Bosco, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 1st congressional district (1983–1991)
* Rick Boucher member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 9th congressional district (1983–2011)
* Sala Burton, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 5th congressional district (1983–1987) (previously endorsed Alan Cranston)
* Barbara Boxer, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 6th congressional district (1983–1993)
* Tony Coelho, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 15th congressional district (1979–1989)
* Mervyn Dymally, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 31st congressional district (1981–1993)
* Joseph D. Early, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district (1975–1993)
* Don Edwards, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California (1963–1995) (previously endorsed Alan Cranston)
* Barney Frank, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 4th congressional district (1981–2013)
* Robert García member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York (1978–1990)
* Sam Gejdenson, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut's 2nd congressional district (1981–2001)
* Tom Harkin, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa's 5th congressional district (1975–1985)
* Cecil Heftel, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii's 1st congressional district (1977–1986)
* Richard H. Lehman, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California (1983–1995)
* Matthew G. Martínez, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California (1982–2001) (previously endorsed Alan Cranston)
* Bob Matsui, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California (1979–2005)
* George Miller, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California (1975–2015)
* Joe Moakley, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 9th congressional district (1973–2001)
* Leon Panetta, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California (1977–1993)
* Charles B. Rangel, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York (1971–2017)
* William R. Ratchford, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut's 5th congressional district (1979–1985)
* James Michael Shannon, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 5th congressional district (1979–1985)
* Pete Stark, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California (1973–2013)
* Esteban Torres, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 34th congressional district (1983–1999) (previously endorsed Alan Cranston)

### Governors

* Toney Anaya, Governor of New Mexico (1983–1987)
* Cecil Andrus, Governor of Idaho (1971–1977; 1987–1995)
* Mario Cuomo, Governor of New York (1983-1994)
* Edgar Herschler, Governor of Wyoming (1975–1987)
* Jay Rockefeller, Governor of West Virginia (1977–1985)

### Statewide officials

* Robert Abrams, New York Attorney General (1979-1993)
* Madeleine Kunin, 75th Lieutenant Governor of Vermont (1979–1983)
* Tom Miller, 31st and 33rd Attorney General of Iowa (1979–1991; 1995–2023)
* Zell Miller, Lieutenant Governor of Georgia (1975-1991)

### State legislative leaders

* Donald Avenson, Speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives (1983–1990)
* Lowell Junkins, Majority Leader of the Iowa Senate
* David Roberti, President pro tempore of the California State Senate (1981–1991) (previously endorsed Alan Cranston)

### State legislators

* Julian Bond, member of the Georgia State Senate from the 39th district (1975–1987)

### Mayors

* Richard Arrington Jr., Mayor of Birmingham, Alabama (1979–1999)
* Tom Bradley, Mayor of Los Angeles, California (1973-1993)
* Coleman Young, Mayor of Detroit, Michigan (1974-1994)

### Organizations and unions

* AFL–CIO
* Alabama Democratic Conference
* National Education Association
* National Organization for Women

### Party officials

* Edward Campbell, former chair of the Iowa Democratic Party
* Donald Fowler, chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party (1971–1980)
* Betty Strong, chair of the Woodbury County Democratic Party
* Edward Vrdolyak, chair of the Cook County Democratic Party (1982-1987)

### Celebrities, political activists, and political commentators

* Actress Ellen Burstyn
* Actor Paul Newman
Hart had received endorsements from:

### U.S. House of Representatives

* Patricia Schroeder, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Colorado's 1st congressional district (1973-1997)
* Chuck Schumer, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York (1981-1999)
* Mo Udall, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona's 2nd congressional district (1961-1991)
* Henry A. Waxman, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California (1975-2015)

### Governors

* Bob Kerrey, Governor of Nebraska (1983–1987)

### Statewide officials

* Lynn Simons, 17th Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction (1979–1991)
* Nancy Stevenson, 83rd Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina (1979–1983)

### State legislators

* Harry Chapman, member of the South Carolina Senate

### Local officials

* Roger Watson, member of the Mason, Iowa city council

### Party officials

* David Manley, chair of the Cerro Gordo County Democratic Party (switched endorsement to Alan Cranston)
* Shirley Schommer, vice-chair of the Vermont Democratic Party

### Celebrities, political activists, and political commentators

* Actor and director Warren Beatty
* Actress Goldie Hawn
* Singer Don Henley
* Singer Carole King
* Actor Hal Linden
* Actress Penny Marshall
* Actor Walter Matthau
* Actor Jack Nicholson
* Actor Robert Redford
* Comedian Robin Williams
* Actress Debra Winger
Jackson had received endorsements from:

### U.S. House of Representatives

* Shirley Chisholm,former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 12th congressional district (1969–1983)
* Ron Dellums, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California (1971–1998)
* Walter E. Fauntroy, delegate in the U.S. House of Representatives from Washington, D.C. (1971-1991)

### Governors

* Orval E. Faubus, Former Governor of Arkansas (1955-1967)

### State legislators

* Tyrone Brooks, member of the Georgia House of Representatives (1981–2015)
* Michael Figures, member of the Alabama Senate from the 33rd district (1978–1996)
* Earl Hilliard Sr., member of the Alabama Senate (1980–1993)
* Henry Sanders, member of the Alabama Senate from the 23rd district (1983–2018)

### Mayors

* Marion Barry, Mayor of the District of Columbia (1979–1991; 1995–1999)
* Johnny Ford, Mayor of Tuskegee, Alabama
* Richard G. Hatcher, Mayor of Gary, Indiana (1968-1988)
* Carl Officer, Mayor of East St. Louis, Illinois

### Organizations and unions

* Church of God in Christ
* Nation of Islam
* National Baptist Convention of America, Inc.
* National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.
* National Farmers Alliance
* National Hispanic Leadership Conference

### Local officials

* Frank Smith, member of the Council of the District of Columbia (1983–1999)

### Celebrities, political activists, and political commentators

* Muhammad Ali
* Singer Harry Belafonte
* Ecologist Barry Commoner
* Comedian Bill Cosby
Glenn had received endorsements from:

### U.S. Senators

* Sam Nunn, U.S. Senator from Georgia (1972–1997)
* Jim Sasser, U.S. Senator from Tennessee (1977–1995)
* Paul Tsongas, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts (1979–1985)

### U.S. House of Representatives

* Jerry Huckaby, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana's 5th congressional district (1977–1993)

### Governors

* Chuck Robb, 64th Governor of Virginia (1982–1986)

### Statewide officials

* Bill Baxley, 24th Lieutenant Governor of Alabama (1983–1987)
* Tommy Irvin, Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture (1969–2011)

### State legislators

* Larry Walker, member of the Georgia House of Representatives (1973–2005)

### Local officials

* Tom Tully, mayor of Dubuque, Iowa (1978)

### Party officials

* Lee Campbell, chair of the Union County Democratic Party
* Pat Gilroy, chair of the Johnson County Democratic Party
* Frank Rasmussen, chair of the Scott County Democratic Party
* Billy Snook, chair of the Wayne County Democratic Party
McGovern had received endorsements from:

### U.S. Senators

* James Abourezk, former U.S. Senator from South Dakota (1973–1979)

### Party officials

* Stan Kading, co-chair of the Adair County Democratic Party
* Judy Wilson, chair of the Polk County Democratic Party
Askew had received endorsements from:

### U.S. Senators

* Lawton Chiles, U.S. Senator from Florida (1971–1989)

### U.S. House of Representatives

* Dante Fascell, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida (1955–1993)
* Bill Chappell, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 4th congressional district (1969–1989)
* Sam Gibbons, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida (1963–1997)
* Dan Mica, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida (1979–1989)

### Governors

* Bob Graham, 38th Governor of Florida (1979–1987)

### Local officials

* Eva Mack, mayor of West Palm Beach, Florida

### Party officials

* Joseph Tilley, chair of the Greene County Democratic Party
Hollings had received endorsements from:

### United States Senate

* Former U.S. Senator Birch Bayh of Indiana
* Former U.S. Senator William B. Spong, Jr. of Virginia

### State Constitutional officers

* Lieutenant Governor Martha Griffiths of Michigan
* State Senator Anna Belle Clement O'Brien of Tennessee
* Lieutenant Governor Nancy Stevenson of South Carolina
Cranston had received endorsements from: | title = Alan Cranston endorsements (to February 29, 1984) | list =

### U.S. House of Representatives

* Glenn M. Anderson, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California (1969–1993)
* Howard Berman, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California (1983–2013)
* George Brown Jr., member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California (1963–1971; 1973–1999)
* Sala Burton, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 5th congressional district (1983–1987)
* Don Edwards, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California (1963–1995)
* William Lehman, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida (1973–1993)
* Mel Levine, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 27th congressional district (1983–1993)
* Matthew G. Martínez, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California (1982–2001)
* Esteban Torres, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 34th congressional district (1983–1999)

### Governors

* Jerry Brown, former Governor of California (1975–1983)

### State legislative leaders

* Willie Brown, Speaker of the California State Assembly (1980–1995)
* David Roberti, President pro tempore of the California State Senate (1980–1991)

### Party officials

* David Manley, chair of the Cerro Gordo County Democratic Party (previously endorsed Gary Hart)

### Business executives and leaders

* Sheldon Adelson, CEO of Las Vegas Sands

### Celebrities, political activists, and political commentators

* Margie Adam, singer and songwriter
* Cesar Chavez, President of United Farm Workers
Uncommitted delegations had received endorsements from:

### Governors

* George Ariyoshi, 3rd Governor of Hawaii (1973–1986)

### Mayors

* Eileen Anderson, 10th Mayor of Honolulu (1981–1985)

## Opinion polling
### Polling aggregation

The following graph depicts the standing of each candidate in the poll aggregators from March 1983 to June 1984.

### 1984

| Poll source | Publication | Reubin Askew | Alan Cranston | John Glenn | Gary Hart | Ernest Hollings | Jesse Jackson | George McGovern | Walter Mondale |
| Gallup | June 6-8, 1984 | - | - | - | 35% | - | 6% | - | 48% |
| Gallup | June 6-8, 1984 | - | - | - | 39% | - | - | - | 54% |
| Gallup | May 18-20, 1984 | - | - | - | 33% | - | 12% | - | 46% |
| Gallup | May 18-20, 1984 | - | - | - | 36% | - | - | - | 57% |
| Gallup | May 3-5, 1984 | - | - | - | 27% | - | 9% | - | 53% |
| Gallup | May 3-5, 1984 | - | - | - | 33% | - | - | - | 59% |
| New York Times CBS News | Apr. 23-26, 1984 | - | - | - | 32% | - | 10% | - | 47% |
| Gallup | Apr. 11-15, 1984 | - | - | - | 28% | - | 9% | - | 51% |
| Harris | Apr. 4-8, 1984 | - | - | - | 38% | - | 11% | - | 48% |
| New York Times CBS News | Mar. 21-24, 1984 | - | - | - | 35% | - | 9% | - | 42% |
| Gallup | Mar. 16-18, 1984 | - | - | - | 39% | - | 9% | - | 43% |
| Harris | Mar. 15-17, 1984 | - | - | - | 45% | - | 10% | - | 42% |
| Harris | Mar. 15-17, 1984 | - | - | - | 51% | - | - | - | 48% |
| New York Times CBS News | Mar. 5-8, 1984 | - | - | ? | 38% | - | 7% | ? | 31% |
| Gallup | Mar. 2-6, 1984 | - | - | 5% | 30% | - | 9% | 3% | 33% |
| Harris | Mar. 1-3, 1984 | - | - | 12% | 27% | - | 10% | 6% | 37% |
| Gallup | Mar. 1-2, 1984 | - | - | 8% | 35% | - | 6% | 1% | 37% |
| New York Times CBS News | Feb. 21-25, 1984 | 0% | 1% | 7% | 7% | 2% | 8% | 6% | 57% |
| Washington Post ABC News | Feb. 13-15, 1984 | 1% | 3% | 13% | 3% | 1% | 9% | 4% | 55% |
| Gallup | Feb. 10-13, 1984 | 2% | 3% | 13% | 3% | 1% | 13% | 5% | 49% |
| Harris | Feb. 9-11, 1984 | 1% | 2% | 13% | 4% | 1% | 12% | 5% | 49% |
| Gallup | Jan. 27-30, 1984 | 2% | 3% | 15% | 2% | 1% | 11% | 7% | 47% |
| New York Times CBS News | Jun. 14-21, 1984 | ? | 2% | 14% | ? | ? | 14% | 4% | 44% |
| Gallup | Jan. 13-16, 1984 | 1% | 4% | 16% | 3% | 1% | 9% | 4% | 47% |
| Harris | Dec. 31-Jan. 2, 1984 | 1% | 6% | 20% | 3% | 2% | 12% | 4% | 44% |

### 1983

| Poll source | Publication | Reubin Askew | Alan Cranston | John Glenn | Gary Hart | Ernest Hollings | Jesse Jackson | George McGovern | Walter Mondale |
| Washington Post ABC News | Dec. 9-13, 1983 | 1% | 5% | 23% | 2% | 0% | 10% | 8% | 49% |
| Gallup | Dec. 9-12, 1983 | 1% | 3% | 24% | 3% | 1% | 10% | 8% | 40% |
| Gallup | Nov. 18-21, 1983 | 3% | 3% | 19% | 2% | 1% | 7% | 7% | 47% |
| Gallup | Oct. 21-24, 1983 | 2% | 3% | 23% | 1% | 1% | 8% | 7% | 34% |
| Gallup | Oct. 7-10, 1983 | 1% | 6% | 21% | 3% | 1% | 10% | 8% | 40% |
| Gallup | Sep. 9-12, 1983 | 3% | 5% | 23% | 3% | 1% | 8% | 8% | 34% |
| Harris | Jul. 14-Aug. 22, 1983 | 2% | 9% | 32% | 4% | 2% | - | - | 43% |
| Harris | Jul. 14-Aug. 22, 1983 | 2% | 8% | 31% | 4% | 2% | 7% | - | 40% |
| Gallup | Jul. 22-25, 1983 | 2% | 7% | 25% | 4% | 2% | – | – | 41% |
| Los Angeles Times | Jun. 26-30, 1983 | 2% | 7% | 22% | 2% | 1% | 4% | - | 26% |
| Penn-Schoen | Jun. 24-28, 1983 | 3% | 6% | 30% | 4% | 1% | - | - | 28% |
| New York Times CBS News | Jun. 20-26, 1983 | 0% | 5% | 32% | 1% | 1% | 7% | - | 34% |
| Gallup | Jun. 10-13, 1983 | 3% | 8% | 24% | 3% | 1% | – | – | 41% |
| Gallup | Apr. 29-31, 1983 | 1% | 3% | 23% | 4% | 1% | – | – | 29% |
| Penn-Scheon | Apr. 23-24, 1983 | 0% | 5% | 24% | 3% | 1% | 9% | - | 36% |
| Harris | Apr. 7-10, 1983 | 1% | 6% | 27% | 4% | 1% | - | - | 42% |
| Gallup | Mar. 11-14, 1983 | 2% | 3% | 13% | 2% | 1% | – | 4% | 32% |

### 1982

| Poll source | Date(s) | Jerry Brown | Jimmy Carter | John Glenn | Ted Kennedy | George McGovern | Walter Mondale | Other | Undecided/None |
| Gallup | Apr. 23–26, 1982 | 6% | 11% | 6% | 45% | – | 12% | 9% | 11% |
| Gallup | July 30–Aug. 2, 1982 | 4% | 8% | 7% | 43% | – | 13% | 25% | 25% |
| Gallup | Dec. 10–13, 1982 | 5% | – | 14% | – | 6% | 32% | 17% | 26% |
* ↑ This is an approximation; a source with a hard date was not found
* ↑ This is an estimate based on prior polls; no hard dates were given.
* ↑ Combined for Jay Rockefeller, John Y. Brown Jr., Bruce Babbitt, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Bill Bradley, Alan Cranston, Gary Hart, Ernest Hollings, Reubin Askew, and Robert Strauss, each of whom received less than 2%.
* ↑ Jay Rockefeller, John Y. Brown Jr., Bruce Babbitt, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Bill Bradley, Alan Cranston, Gary Hart, Ernest Hollings, Reubin Askew, and Robert Strauss were included in the poll but each received less than 2%.
* ↑ Gary Hart with 2%, Alan Cranston with 2%, Reubin Askew with 1%, Ernest Hollings with 1% and less than 2% each for Bruce Babbitt, John Brown, Jay Rockefeller, Lloyd Bentsen, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Bill Bradley, Mo Udall, Robert Strauss.

## Results by state

| Date (daily totals) | Total pledged delegates | Contest | Delegates won and popular vote | Delegates won and popular vote | Delegates won and popular vote | Delegates won and popular vote | Delegates won and popular vote | Delegates won and popular vote | Total | Reference |
| Date (daily totals) | Total pledged delegates | Contest | Walter Mondale | Gary Hart | Jesse Jackson | John Glenn | Uncommitted | Others | Total | Reference |
| February 20 | 0 | Iowa caucus | 48.9% | 16.5% | 1.5% | 3.5% | 9.4% | 20.2% | | |
| February 28 | 12 | New Hampshire primary | 6 28,173 (27.88%) | 6 37,702 (37.31%) | 5,311 (5.26%) | 12,088 (11.96%) | | 17,671 (17.49%) | 101,045 | |
| March 4 | 0 | Maine caucus | 7,364 (43.73%) | 8,540 (50.71%) | 105 (0.62%) | 52 (0.31%) | 602 (3.57%) | 178 (1.06%) | 16,841 | |
| March 6 | 0 | Vermont primary | 14,985 (20.25%) | 51,873 (70.08%) | 5,761 (7.78%) | | | 1,399 (1.89%) | 74,018 | |
| March 10 | 12 | Wyoming caucus | 4 1,266 (35.84%) | 8 2,153 (60.96%) | 15 (0.42%) | 3 (0.08%) | 101 (2.86%) | 8 (0.23%) | 3,532 | |
| March 13 | 52 | Alabama primary | 23 116,920 (27.30%) | 11 88,465 (20.66%) | 9 83,787 (19.56%) | 9 89,286 (20.85%) | 4,464 (1.04%) | 45,361 (10.59%) | 428,283 | |
| March 13 | 123 | Florida primary | 57 394,350 (35.66%) | 36 463,799 (41.94%) | 0 144,263 (13.05%) | 0 128,209 (11.59%) | | 30 51,669 (4.67%) | 1,105,750 | |
| March 13 | 84 | Georgia primary | 24 208,588 (30.47%) | 28 186,903 (27.30%) | 17 143,730 (21.00%) | 1 122,744 (17.93%) | 3,068 (0.45%) | 19,508 (2.85%) | 684,541 | |
| March 13 | 0 | Hawaii caucus | 911 (32.3%) | | 118 (4.2%) | | 1,790 (63.5%) | | | |
| March 13 | 106 | Massachusetts primary | 41 160,893 (25.14%) | 52 245,943 (38.43%) | 31,824 (4.97%) | 45,456 (7.10%) | 5,080 (0.79%) | 13 196,305 (30.67%) | 640,045 | |
| March 13 | 0 | Nevada caucus | (37.7%) | (52.3%) | (0.6%) | (2%) | (7.2%) | (0.2%) | 5,000 | |
| March 13 | 0 | Oklahoma caucus | (39.7%) | (41.4%) | (3.8%) | (5.0%) | (10.1%) | | 42,000 | |
| March 13 | 22 | Rhode Island primary | 10 15,338 (34.46%) | 12 20,011 (44.96%) | 3,875 (8.71%) | 2,249 (5.05%) | 439 (0.99%) | 2,599 (5.84%) | 44,511 | |
| March 13 | 66 | Washington caucus | 31 | 34 | 1 | | | | | |
| March 14 | 18 | Delaware caucus | 13 | 5 | | | | 3 | | |
| March 14 | 12 | North Dakota caucus | 8 | 4 | | | | | | |
| March 15 | 0 | Alaska caucus | | | | | | | | |
| March 17 | 42 | Arkansas caucus | 24 | 9 | 7 | | | 2 | | |
| March 17 | 5 | Latin American Democrats caucus | 1 | 9 | 7 | | | 4 | | |
| March 17 | | Kentucky urban caucus | | | | | | | | |
| March 17 | 155 | Michigan caucus | 95 | 49 | 9 | | | 2 | | |
| March 17 | 43 | Mississippi caucus | 23 | 4 | 12 | | | 4 | | |
| March 17 | 3 | Panama Canal Zone | | | | | 3 | | | |
| March 17 | 43 | South Carolina caucus | 15 | 7 | 16 | | | 10 | | |
| March 18 | 53 | Puerto Rico caucus | 53 | | | | | | | |
| March 20 | 194 | Illinois primary | 114 | 42 | 6 | | | 32 | | |
| March 20 | 78 | Minnesota caucus | 51 | 3 | 2 | | | 22 | | |
| March 24 | 44 | Kansas caucus | 24 | 16 | | | | 4 | | |
| March 24–26 | 78 | Virginia caucus | 31 | 13 | 22 | | | 12 | | |
| March 25 | 20 | Montana caucus | 3 | 13 | | | | 4 | | |
| March 27 | 60 | Connecticut primary | 23 | 36 | 1 | | | 4 | | |
| March 31 | 0 | Oklahoma county convention | (41.1%) | (50.8%) | (1.3%) | | (6.6%) | | 945 | |
| April 3 | 0 | Wisconsin primary | 261,374 (41.11%) | 282,435 (44.42%) | 62,524 (9.83%) | 6,398 (1.01%) | | 23,037 (3.62%) | 635,768 | |
| April 3 | 285 | New York primary | 155 | 77 | 51 | | | 2 | | |
| April 7 | 69 | Louisiana caucus | 16 | 21 | 24 | | | 8 | | |
| April 7 | 0 | Wisconsin caucus | 1,419 | 952 | 86 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | |
| April 7 | 0 | Iowa county conventions | 1,654 | 949 | 36 | 0 | 314 | 248 | | |
| April 10 | 117 | Pennsylvania primary | 81 | 14 | 16 | 1 | 4 | 1 | | |
| April 14 | 40 | Arizona caucus | 19 | 19 | 1 | | | 1 | | |
| April 14 | 29 | Oklahoma district conventions | 13 | 16 | | | | | | |
| April 15 | 8 | New Hampshire convention | 3 | 3 | | | 2 | | | |
| April 16 | 24 | Utah caucus | 4 | 14 | | | | 6 | | |
| April 17 | 83 | Missouri caucus | 53 | 9 | 15 | | | 6 | | |
| April 24 | 0 | Vermont caucus | 431 | 691 | 215 | | 87 | | | |
| April 24 | 7 | Guam caucus | 6.25 | 0.75 | | | | | | |
| April ? | 0 | Nevada county convention | | | | | | | | |
| May 1 | 16 | Washington D.C. primary | 4 | | 12 | | | | | |
| May 1 | 76 | Tennessee primary | 35 | 21 | 15 | | | 5 | | |
| May 5 | 34 | Iowa district conventions | 20 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | | |
| May 5 | 186 | Texas caucus | 100 | 38 | 30 | | | 18 | | |
| May 5 | 53 | Wisconsin congressional district caucus | 31 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | |
| May 6 | 27 | Maine convention | 12 | 13 | | | 2 | | | |
| May 6 | 18 | Oklahoma state convention | 6 | 12 | | | | | | |
| May 6 | 17 | Nevada convention | 6 | 11 | | | | | | |
| May 7 | 48 | Colorado caucus | | 45 | | | | 3 | | |
| May 8 | 80 | Indiana primary | 31 | 38 | 7 | | | 4 | | |
| May 8 | 70 | Maryland primary | 47 | 3 | 17 | | | 3 | | |
| May 8 | 80 | North Carolina primary | 47 | 18 | 14 | | | 1 | | |
| May 8 | 176 | Ohio primary | 80 | 80 | 10 | | | 6 | | |
| May 13 | 11 | Alaska convention | 6 | 4 | 1 | | | | | |
| May 15 | 24 | Nebraska primary | 8 | 16 | | | | | | |
| May 15 | 47 | Oregon primary | 18 | 29 | | | | | | |
| May 19 | 6 | American Samoa caucus | 6 | | | | | | | |
| May 22 | 20 | Idaho primary | 6 | 11 | | | | 3 | | |
| May 26 | 19 | Hawaii convention | 6 | | | | 13 | | | |
| May 26 | 17 | Vermont convention | 5 | 8 | 3 | | 1 | | | |
| May 26 | 18 | Wisconsin at-large delegates | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | | |
| June 2 | 55 | Pennsylvania convention | 55 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | |
| June 5 | 333 | California primary | 91 | 207 | 30 | | | | 5 | |
| June 5 | 73 | New Jersey primary | 68 305,516 (45.16%) | 1 200,948 (29.70%) | 4 159,788 (23.62%) | | | 10,309 (1.52%) | 676,561 | |
| June 5 | 27 | New Mexico primary | 13 | 14 | | | | | | |
| June 5 | 15 | South Dakota primary | 6 20,495 (38.99%) | 9 26,641 (50.69%) | 2,738 (5.21%) | | 1,304 (2.48%) | 1,383 (2.63%) | 52,561 | |
| June 5 | 35 | West Virginia primary | 22 198,776 (51.91%) | 13 137,866 (38.09%) | 24,697 (6.82%) | | | 632 (0.17%) | 361,971 | |
| June 9 | 24 | Iowa conventions | 15 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | | |
| June 16 | 34 | New Jersey convention | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | |
| Total | | | | | | | | | | |
When he made his acceptance speech at the Democratic Convention, Mondale said: "Let's tell the truth. Mr. Reagan will raise taxes, and so will I. He won't tell you. I just did." Although Mondale intended to expose Reagan as hypocritical and position himself as the honest candidate, the choice of taxes as a discussion point likely damaged his electoral chances.

### Vice-Presidential nominee

Mondale chose U.S. Rep. Geraldine A. Ferraro of New York as his running mate and she was confirmed by acclamation, making her the first woman nominated for that position by a major party.
Aides later said that Mondale was determined to establish a precedent with his vice presidential candidate, considering San Francisco Mayor (Later U.S. Senator) Dianne Feinstein and Governor of Kentucky Martha Layne Collins, who were also female; Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, an African American; and San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros, a Hispanic, as other finalists for the nomination. Unsuccessful nomination candidate Jackson derided Mondale's vice-presidential screening process as a "P.R. parade of personalities"; however, he praised Mondale for his choice.
Others however preferred Senator Lloyd Bentsen because he would appeal to more conservative Southern voters. Nomination rival Gary Hart had also been lobbying for the vice-presidential spot on the ticket once it became apparent that Mondale had clinched the majority of delegates; Hart's supporters claimed he would do better than Mondale against President Reagan, an argument undercut by a June 1984 Gallup poll that showed both men nine points behind the President.
Politicians considered for vice presidential nomination:
* Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas
* Senator Dale Bumpers of Arkansas
* Mayor Henry Cisneros of San Antonio, Texas
* Governor Martha Layne Collins of Kentucky
* Mayor Dianne Feinstein of San Francisco, California
* Representative Geraldine Ferraro of New York
* Governor Bob Graham of Florida
* Senator Gary Hart of Colorado
* Reverend Jesse Jackson of Illinois
* Mayor Wilson Goode of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania