Mondale carried the reliably Democratic Black Belt plus Colbert , Lawrence and Jackson counties in northern Alabama , which has continued to be more receptive to Democrats , even as the rest of the state , especially the Gulf Coast and the suburbs around Birmingham have trended strongly Republican . It is speculated that Mondale lost support with voters nearly immediately during the campaign , namely during his acceptance speech at the 1984 Democratic National Convention . There he stated that he intended to increase taxes . To quote Mondale , " By the end of my first term , I will reduce the Reagan budget deficit by two thirds . Let 's tell the truth . It must be done , it must be done . Mr. Reagan will raise taxes , and so will I . He wo n't tell you . I just did . " Despite this claimed attempt at establishing truthfulness with the electorate , this promise to raise taxes badly eroded his chances in what had already begun as an uphill battle against the charismatic Ronald Reagan
1984 Democratic National Convention
1984 Democratic National Convention
1984 United States presidential election in Alabama