Reagan defeated incumbent Democrat Jimmy Carter, who was beset with a struggling economy, hostages in Iran, and other problems. During one of the debates, Reagan famously asked Americans to consider something before they voted for their next president: “I think when you make that decision it might be well if you could ask yourself, are you better off now than you were four years ago?” Many Americans were worse off and it showed at the polls. In a landslide, Reagan tallied 489 electoral votes to only 9 for Carter.