When 1984 began it seemed incumbent president Ronald Reagan would be unbeatable in the upcoming presidential election. An economic boom in the USA was largely attributed to Reagan by the public, that combined with him surviving an assassination attempt early in his presidency had earned large support. The Democratic Primaries saw three strong contenders for the Presidential Nomination: Former Vice President Walter Mondale, Colorado Senator Gary Hart and civil rights activist Jesse Jackson. The convention gave Mondale-Hart another bump cutting Reagan's lead down to 2 points.