"Though his family had Democratic roots, Mr. Bannon, like most of his fellow officers, was scornful of President Jimmy Carter and entranced by Ronald Reagan. At Mr. Masso’s condo, while they watched the two candidates’ debate on television in 1980, Mr. Bannon could hardly contain his excitement.
“He was pacing my living room, and whenever there was a point-counterpoint, he’d say, ‘Yeah!’ like we were watching a boxing match,” Mr. Masso said. When Mr. Bannon heard later that the Reagan election night party was planned for a Los Angeles hotel, the Century Plaza, he worked the phones to try for tickets.
When he got the brushoff, Mr. Masso said, Mr. Bannon said, “Hey, listen pal, we just got back from the Persian Gulf.” Soon, he had Reagan aide Lyn Nofziger on the phone saying, “The governor would be honored to have you there.” It was 4 a.m. when their group left the victory celebration to return to the ship, Mr. Masso said."