1984 presidential election | |
  Nominees Reagan and Bush | |
| Convention | |
|---|---|
| Date(s) | August 20–23, 1984 |
| City | Dallas,Texas |
| Venue | Dallas Convention Center |
| Keynote speaker | Katherine D. Ortega |
| Candidates | |
| Presidential nominee | Ronald Reagan ofCalifornia |
| Vice-presidential nominee | George H. W. Bush ofTexas |
| ‹ 1980 · 1988 › | |
The1984 Republican National Convention convened on August 20 to August 23, 1984, at Dallas Convention Center indowntown Dallas,Texas. Theconvention nominatedPresidentRonald W. Reagan and[1]Vice PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush for reelection.
It was the thirty-thirdGOPpresidential nominating convention, the first Republican convention held in Texas (the first Republican convention in theSouth outsideFlorida), and the only convention of either party held in Dallas.
Reagan's popularity had rebounded after theearly 1980s recession, and he became the first incumbent president sinceLyndon B. Johnson in 1964 to run without serious opposition in theprimary. Thekeynote address on August 20 was delivered byKatherine Ortega,Treasurer of the United States. Other speakers includedElizabeth Dole,United States Secretary of Transportation;Jeane Kirkpatrick,U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (who delivered her now-famous "Blame America First" speech[2]); andRepresentativeJack Kemp ofBuffalo, New York.
The convention also included a valedictory address byU.S. SenatorBarry Goldwater ofArizona, who would retire in 1987. Goldwater was widely credited as the political founder of theNew Right in theUnited States, of which Reagan was the political heir, and Reagan had gained notice for his "A Time for Choosing" speech supporting Goldwater in October 1964. Vice President George H.W. Bush gave a powerful address, some believing it debuted him as the de facto nominee of the GOP in 1988. President Reagan spoke after, and addressed the nation and the party on the future and highlighted the "Morning in America". Country singerLee Greenwood was also featured, and sang "God Bless the U.S.A.," which had been released earlier that year.
In early 1982, bids to host the convention were received fromDallas and several other cities, includingHouston,Kansas City, andSan Francisco.[3] President Reagan had made it known that he preferred the party meet in Dallas, and the party selected accordingly.[4] The choice of Dallas was finalized on June 18, 1982, by avoice vote of the Republican National Committee. Dallas MayorJack Wilson Evans pledged that theDallas Convention Center would be a sufficient venue and that theDallas-Fort Worth area would be able to provide 29,000 hotel rooms for the convention.[5]
The Balloting:
| Candidates | .jpg) |
|---|---|
| Name | Ronald W. Reagan |
| Certified Votes | 2,044(100%) |
| total: | 2,044 |
To save time, the vice presidential vote was held simultaneously, with Vice President Bush receiving 2,042 votes andJack Kemp andAnne Armstrong receiving one vote each. This would be the last vice presidential tally at a Republican Convention during the 20th century.
TheDallas Police Department, under Police Chief Billy Prince, was charged with providing security for the convention, including that of the delegates, President Ronald Reagan, and Vice President George H.W. Bush. Security planning, preparations and training for the event began in the police department a year in advance of the convention. President Reagan and Vice President Bush were scheduled to be housed in separate towers of theAnatole Hotel complex near downtown. Key commanders of the security plan included:
The only incident of any consequence to occur during the convention was when theYippies made headlines. On Wednesday, August 22, 1984, a group of protesters calling itself the "Corporate War Chest Tour" conducted a minor theft and vandalism spree against businesses in downtown Dallas. Under the security plan, various police response teams were mobilized consisting primarily of the Demonstration Management teams under the command of Captain Hawkins and the Presidential Hotel Response Teams, commanded by Lieutenant Stone, which were held in reserve on the eastern perimeter of downtown. Dozens of protesters were peacefully arrested including,Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigade memberGregory Lee Johnson, who burned aU.S. flag, which had been stolen from a flagpole in front of a downtown building. Johnson was charged withDesecration of Venerated Object, a misdemeanor violation of the Texas Penal Code. He was later convicted and his conviction was upheld at the state level. Johnson appealed the conviction to the federal courts, arguing that burning the flag was protected by theFirst Amendment to the United States Constitution. The case ofTexas v. Johnson was appealed to theUnited States Supreme Court, which ruled on June 21, 1989, in Johnson's favor and invalidated flag desecration statutes throughout the country.[7]
| Preceded by 1980 Detroit, Michigan | Republican National Conventions | Succeeded by 1988 New Orleans, Louisiana |
