7 The 100 Most Influential World Leaders of All Time 7governments. This policy, which became known as the
Reagan Doctrine , was applied with particular zeal in
Latin America.
Reelection and the Iran-Contra Affair
At the time of the presidential election of 1984, Reagan
was at the height of his popularity, and Reagan and Bush
easily defeated their Democratic opponents, Walter
Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro, by 59 percent of the pop-
ular vote. In the electoral college, Reagan received 525
votes to Mondale’s 13, the largest number of electoral votes
of any candidate in history. Only two years later, how-
ever, he would become
embroiled in the worst
scandal of his politi-
cal career, one that
would cost him much
popularity and party
support and signifi -
cantly impair his ability
to lead the country.
The clandestine sale of
arms to Iran by some
government offi cials, a
vain attempt to bribe
the Iranians into
assisting with freeing
U.S. hostages held in
Lebanon, contradicted
the administration’s
policy of refusing to
negotiate with terror-
ists or aid countries
that supported national
terrorism. Profi ts from
U.S. president Ronald Reagan
riding El Alamein at Rancho del
Cielo, Santa Barbara, California,
April 8, 1985. Courtesy Ronald
Reagan Library