The 1980 Republican presidential primaries quickly developed into a two-man contest between former Governor Ronald Reagan of California and former Congressman George H. W. Bush of Texas . Bush , who referred to Reagan 's tax cut proposal as " voodoo economics " , won the Iowa Caucus but faded later in the race . Reagan won the presidential nomination on the first ballot of the 1980 Republican National Convention and named Bush as his running mate . Meanwhile , Republican Congressman John B. Anderson , who had previously sought the Republican presidential nomination , launched an independent campaign for president . Polls taken in September , after the conclusion of the party conventions , showed a tied race between Reagan and Carter . The Carter campaign felt confident that the country would reject the conservative viewpoints espoused by Reagan , and there were hopeful signs with regards to the economy and the Iranian hostage crisis . Seeking to unite Democrats behind his re-election campaign , Carter decided to focus on attacking Reagan 's supposed ideological extremism rather than on his own policies
1980 Republican National Convention
1980 Republican National Convention
Presidency of Jimmy Carter