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Former US Vice President Walter Mondale has died at the age of 93.

His family announced this on Monday.

Mondale was deputy to US President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981.

His own candidacy for president failed in 1984 at the height of US President Ronald Reagan's popularity after he announced that he would raise taxes if he won the election.

Carter said on Monday evening that he considered Mondale to be "the best vice president in our country's history." He is a role model for public and private service. US President and former Vice President Joe Biden said few senators have been as respected as Mondale. He defined the vice-presidency as a partnership and was also a role model for him in the office of vice-president.

The liberal Mondale applied for president in 1984.

He selected Geraldine Ferraro as his future deputy, making it the first candidate from one of the two major parties to choose a woman as vice-president.

At the center of the election campaign, however, was his announcement that he would raise taxes.

On election day, he only won in his home state of Minnesota and the capital Washington.

The result with the voters was clear: Reagan won with 525 to 13 votes.

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"I did my best," said Mondale after the election.

He only blames himself for the defeat.

"I think you know that watching TV never really warmed me up," he said.

"But to be fair, you have to say that television never really got warm to me either."

Years later, Mondale said his campaign message was correct. "History rehabilitated me, we should have raised taxes," he said. "That wasn't popular, but it would undeniably have been right."