Mondale ran a liberal campaign, supporting a nuclear freeze and the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). He spoke against Reagan's economic policies and in support of reducing federal budget deficits. But the incumbent was popular and his campaign was widely considered ineffective. Mondale was also perceived as supporting the poor at the expense of the middle class. Southern whites and northern blue-collar workers who usually voted Democratic supported Reagan because they credited him with the economic boom and saw him as strong on national security.