‹ 2000  2008 ›
United States presidential election, 2004
2 November 2004
Nominee		George W. Bush	John Kerry
Party		Republican	Democratic
Home state		Connecticut	Massachusetts
Running mate		Richard B. Cheney	John Edwards
Electoral vote		286	251
States carried		31	19+DC
Popular vote		62,040,610	59,028,444
Percentage		50. The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Democratic candidate Al Gore, then Vice President, and Republican The United States presidential election of 2008, scheduled for Tuesday November 4 2008 will be the 56th consecutive Events 1570 - A Tidal wave in the North Sea devastates the coast from Holland to Jutland, killing more than 1000 "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. } John Forbes Kerry (born December 11 1943 is an American Politician who is currently serving his fourth term as the junior United States Senator The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney (born January 30 1941 is the forty-sixth and current Vice President of the United States. Johnny Reid "John" Edwards (born June 10 1953 Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D 7%	48. 3%
Presidential election results map. Red denotes states won by Bush/Cheney (31), Blue denotes those won by Kerry/Edwards (19+DC). The split vote in Minnesota denotes a faithless elector's vote counted for John Edwards. Faithless electors are members of the Electoral College who do not cast their electoral votes for the people they have pledged to vote for Each number represents the electoral votes a state gave to one candidate.
Incumbent President George W. Bush Republican President-Elect George W. Bush Republican

The United States presidential election of 2004 was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004 to elect the president. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. Events 1570 - A Tidal wave in the North Sea devastates the coast from Holland to Jutland, killing more than 1000 "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by It was the 55th consecutive quadrennial election for the president and vice president of the United States. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by The Vice President of the United States is the first person in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of the United States upon the death The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Republican candidate George Walker Bush, the President of the United States, defeated Democratic candidate John Kerry, the junior United States Senator from Massachusetts. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. } John Forbes Kerry (born December 11 1943 is an American Politician who is currently serving his fourth term as the junior United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. This marked the first time in United States election history where the sitting president was re-elected after losing the popular vote (but winning the presidency) in the previous election. The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Democratic candidate Al Gore, then Vice President, and Republican Foreign policy was the dominant theme throughout the election campaign, particularly Bush's conduct of the War on Terrorism and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Foreign Policy is a bimonthly American Magazine founded in 1970 by Samuel P The War on Terrorism (also known as the War on Terror) is the common term for the military political and legal, and ideological conflict and specifically for U The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1 2003 was spearheaded by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia

As in the presidential election of 2000, voting controversies and concerns of irregularities emerged during and after the vote. The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Democratic candidate Al Gore, then Vice President, and Republican After the November 2, 2004 Election in the United States, concerns were raised about various aspects of the voting process including whether voting had After the November 2, 2004 Election in the United States, concerns were raised about various aspects of the voting process including whether voting had The winner was not determined until the following day, when Kerry decided not to dispute Bush's win in the state of Ohio. Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads The state held enough electoral votes to determine the winner of the presidency. The Electoral College consists of 538 popularly elected representatives who formally select the President and Vice President of the United States. Both Kerry and Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean have stated their opinion that voting in Ohio did not proceed fairly, and that had it done so, the Democratic ticket might have won that state and therefore the election. Howard Brush Dean III, (born November 17 1948 is an American ^[1]

Only three states changed Alliances. New Mexico and Iowa voted Democratic in 2000, but voted Republican in 2004. New Hampshire voted Republican in 2000 but voted Democratic in 2004. In the Electoral College, George W. Bush received 286 votes, John Kerry 251 and John Edwards 1 (see “Faithless elector” in Minnesota section). The Electoral College consists of 538 popularly elected representatives who formally select the President and Vice President of the United States. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. } John Forbes Kerry (born December 11 1943 is an American Politician who is currently serving his fourth term as the junior United States Senator Johnny Reid "John" Edwards (born June 10 1953 The United States presidential election of 2004 was held on Tuesday November 2, 2004, to elect the President of the United States.

Background

George W. Bush won the presidency in 2000 after the Supreme Court settled issues over ballot re-counts and standards in a contest where Al Gore, the Democratic candidate, alleged voting irregularities in Florida. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Democratic candidate Al Gore, then Vice President, and Republican Albert Arnold Gore Jr (born March 31 1948 is an American environmental Activist, author Businessperson, former Politician, and former The votes were recounted in certain Democratic counties, first by machine and then manually, with George W. Bush leading narrowly after each recount. Ultimately, the Supreme Court of the United States overturned the Florida Supreme Court's 4-3 reversal of a lower court ruling in favor of the Republican candidate's arguments, ordering the state to stop further selective recounts.

Just eight months into his presidency, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 suddenly transformed Bush into a "wartime president. Events 9 - The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. " Bush's approval ratings surged to near 90%. Within a month, the forces of a coalition led by the United States invaded Afghanistan, which had been sheltering Osama bin Laden, suspected mastermind of the September 11 attacks. The War in Afghanistan, which began on October 7 2001 as the U Osama bin Laden, with some spelling variations is the name used in English to refer to (أسامة بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن born 10 March Events 9 - The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul By December, the Taliban had been removed as rulers of Kabul, although a long and ongoing occupation would follow. The Taliban ( طالبان, also anglicised as Taleban; translation "students" is a Sunni Islamist, predominately } Kābul ( Persian and Pashto: کابل, IPA:) is the Capital and largest city of Afghanistan, with

The Bush administration then turned its attention to Iraq. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. The administration argued that the need to remove Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq had become urgent. Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti ( Arabic: ar صدام حسين عبد المجيد التكريتي --> April 28 1937 &ndash December 30 The stated premise was that Saddam's regime had tried to acquire nuclear material and had not properly accounted for biological and chemical material it was known to possess, potential weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in violation of U.N. sanctions. Nuclear material consists of materials used in Nuclear technology systems such as Nuclear reactors and Nuclear weapons Most commonly this refers to Biological warfare (BW — known as a germ warfare, biological weapons and bioweaponry — is the use of any Pathogen ( Bacterium Chemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of Chemical substances to kill injure or incapacitate an enemy. A weapon of mass destruction ( WMD) is a weapon which can kill large numbers of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures (e The Iraq sanctions were a near-total financial and trade embargo imposed by the United Nations Security Council against the nation of Iraq. This interpretation has been hotly debated since its proposal, and its basis in U. S. military intelligence has since been compromised with the failure of the U. S. to find the aforementioned WMDs in Iraq. This situation escalated to the point that a coalition of about forty nations, including the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, and Poland, which Bush called the “coalition of the willing”, invaded Iraq. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland The term coalition of the willing is a post-1990 political phrase used to describe military or military/humanitarian interventions for which the United Nations Security Council

The coalition invaded Iraq on March 20, 2003. Events 1600 - The Linköping Bloodbath takes place on Maundy Thursday in Linköping, Sweden. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. The invasion succeeded swiftly, with the collapse of the Iraq government and the military of Iraq in about three weeks. Iraqi Security Forces (ISF is the Multi-National Force-Iraq umbrella name for military Paramilitary and civilian law enforcement entities that serve under the The oil infrastructure of Iraq was rapidly secured with limited damage in that time. On May 1, George W. Bush landed on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, in a Lockheed S-3 Viking, where he gave a speech announcing the end of major combat operations in the Iraq war. Events 305 - Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. Ship history Construction Lincoln' s contract was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding on 27 December 1982 her keel was laid 3 November 1984 at The Lockheed Corporation (originally Loughead Aircraft Manufacturing Company was an American aerospace company founded in 1912 which merged with Martin Marietta WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout " Mission Accomplished " a Phrase associated with completing a mission, is in recent years particularly associated with a sign displayed on USS The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign Bush's approval rating in the month of May rode at 66%, according to a CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll. ^[2]

However, Bush's high approval ratings did not last. First, while the war itself was popular, the post-war occupation lost support as months passed and casualty figures increased, with no decrease in violence nor progress toward stability in Iraq. Second, as investigators combed through the country, they failed to find the predicted WMD stockpiles, which led to debate over the rationale for the war. Third, with the war over and 9-11 attacks two years past, domestic concerns began to rise to the forefront, an issue that usually favored the Democrats, as fading national security matters were considered to benefit the Republicans. [1] [2]

Nominations

Republican nomination

Main articles: George W. Bush presidential campaign, 2004, U.S. Republican Party presidential nomination, 2004, and 2004 Republican National Convention

Bush's popularity as a wartime president helped consolidate his base, and ward off any serious challenge to the nomination. This article is about the presidential campaign of George W Bush the incumbent President of the United States and winner of the 2004 Presidential Election. The United States of America (US Republican Party presidential nomination 2004 was the series of primaries and Caucuses that determined who was to be chosen The 2004 Republican National Convention, the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States, took place from August On March 10, 2004, Bush officially clinched the number of delegates needed to be nominated at the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City. Events 241 BC - First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates Islands - The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The 2004 Republican National Convention, the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States, took place from August The City of New York Bush accepted the nomination on September 2, 2004, and selected Vice President Dick Cheney as his running mate. Events 44 BC - Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The Vice President of the United States is the first person in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of the United States upon the death A running mate is a Person running for a Subordinate position on a joint ticket during an Election. (In New York, the ticket was also on the ballot as candidates of the Conservative Party of New York State. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous The Conservative Party of New York is an American Political party active only in the state of New York. ) During the convention and throughout the campaign, Bush focused on two themes: defending America against terrorism and building an "ownership society. Ownership society is a slogan for a model of Society promoted by United States President George W " The "ownership society" included allowing people to invest some of their Social Security in the stock market, increasing home and stock ownership, and encouraging more people to buy their own health insurance. Social security primarily refers to a Social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions including poverty old

Democratic nomination

Main articles: John Kerry presidential campaign, 2004, Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2004, and 2004 Democratic National Convention

Democratic candidates

• Former Ambassador and former U. This article is about the Presidential Campaign of John Kerry, U Ten candidates vied for the nomination including retired four-star general Wesley Clark, former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, John Edwards The 2004 Democratic National Convention was a United States presidential nominating convention that took place from July 26 to July 29, 2004 S. Senator Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois
• Retired General Wesley Clark of Arkansas
• Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean
• U. Carol Elizabeth Moseley Braun (born August 16, 1947) is an American Politician and Lawyer who represented Illinois in the The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. Wesley Kanne Clark, KBE (born December 23 1944 is a retired General of the United States Army. Arkansas ( is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Vermont ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. Howard Brush Dean III, (born November 17 1948 is an American S. Senator John Edwards of North Carolina
• Former U.S. House Majority and Minority Leader Dick Gephardt of Missouri
• U. Johnny Reid "John" Edwards (born June 10 1953 North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives are elected by their respective parties in a closed-door (private Caucus. Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives are elected by their respective parties in a closed-door (private Caucus. Richard Andrew "Dick" Gephardt (born January 31, 1941) is a former prominent American politician of the Democratic Party. Missouri ( or) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee S. Senator Bob Graham of Florida
• U. Daniel Robert "Bob" Graham (born November 9, 1936) is an American politician Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the S. Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts
• U. } John Forbes Kerry (born December 11 1943 is an American Politician who is currently serving his fourth term as the junior United States Senator The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. S. Representative Dennis Kucinich of Ohio
• U. Dennis John Kucinich (kuˈsɪnɪtʃ (born October 8[[ 946]] is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives and was a candidate for Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads S. Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut
• Rev. Joseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman (born February 24 1942 is the junior United States Senator from Connecticut. Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. Al Sharpton of New York

Candidates gallery

Former Senator and former Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois	Retired General Wesley Clark of Arkansas	Former Governor Howard Dean of Vermont	Senator John Edwards of North Carolina; John Kerry's running mate
Former House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt of Missouri	Senator Bob Graham of Florida	Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts; nominated	Representative Dennis Kucinich of Ohio
Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut	Reverend Al Sharpton of New York

Before the primaries

By summer of 2003, Dean had become the apparent front runner for the Democratic nomination, performing strongly in most polls and leading the pack with the largest campaign war chest. Alfred Charles "Al" Sharpton Jr (born October 3 1954 is an American Baptist minister political and civil rights / Social justice New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives The United States has maintained a consular presence in New Zealand since 1838 Carol Elizabeth Moseley Braun (born August 16, 1947) is an American Politician and Lawyer who represented Illinois in the The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, general is a four-star General officer rank Wesley Kanne Clark, KBE (born December 23 1944 is a retired General of the United States Army. Arkansas ( is a state located in the southern region of the United States. The Governor of Vermont is the Governor ( Chief executive, Head of government) of the U Howard Brush Dean III, (born November 17 1948 is an American Vermont ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives Johnny Reid "John" Edwards (born June 10 1953 North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives are elected by their respective parties in a closed-door (private Caucus. Richard Andrew "Dick" Gephardt (born January 31, 1941) is a former prominent American politician of the Democratic Party. Missouri ( or) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives Daniel Robert "Bob" Graham (born November 9, 1936) is an American politician Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives } John Forbes Kerry (born December 11 1943 is an American Politician who is currently serving his fourth term as the junior United States Senator The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. Dennis John Kucinich (kuˈsɪnɪtʃ (born October 8[[ 946]] is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives and was a candidate for Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives Joseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman (born February 24 1942 is the junior United States Senator from Connecticut. Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The Reverend is a style used as a Prefix to the names of many Christian Clergy and ministers It is correctly called a style rather Alfred Charles "Al" Sharpton Jr (born October 3 1954 is an American Baptist minister political and civil rights / Social justice New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Dean's strength as a fund raiser was attributed mainly to his embrace of the Internet for campaigning. The majority of his donations came from individual DEANO supporters, who came to be known as Deanites, or, more commonly, Deaniacs. Howard Brush Dean III, (born November 17 1948 is an American Generally regarded as a pragmatic centrist during his time as governor, Dean emerged during his presidential campaign as a left-wing populist, denouncing the policies of the Bush administration (especially the 2003 invasion of Iraq) as well as fellow Democrats, who, in his view, failed to strongly oppose them. In Politics, centrism usually refers to the political ideal of promoting Moderate policies which land in the middle ground between different political extremes The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1 2003 was spearheaded by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia Senator Lieberman, a liberal on domestic issues but a hawk on the War on Terror, failed to gain traction with liberal Democratic primary voters.

In September 2003, retired four-star general Wesley Clark announced his intention to run in the presidential primary election for the Democratic Party nomination. Wesley Kanne Clark, KBE (born December 23 1944 is a retired General of the United States Army. Ten candidates vied for the nomination including retired four-star general Wesley Clark, former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, John Edwards His campaign focused on themes of leadership and patriotism; early campaign ads relied heavily on biography. His late start left him with relatively few detailed policy proposals. This weakness was apparent in his first few debates, although he soon presented a range of position papers, including a major tax-relief plan. Nevertheless, many Democrats did not flock to his campaign.

In sheer numbers, Kerry had fewer endorsements than Howard Dean, who was far ahead in the superdelegate race going into the Iowa caucuses in January 2004, although Kerry led the endorsement race in Iowa, New Hampshire, Arizona, South Carolina, New Mexico and Nevada. Howard Brush Dean III, (born November 17 1948 is an American " Superdelegate " is an informal term commonly used for some of the Delegates to the Democratic National Convention, the presidential nominating convention Kerry's main perceived weakness was in his neighboring state of New Hampshire and nearly all national polls. Most other states did not have updated polling numbers to give an accurate placing for the Kerry campaign before Iowa. Heading into the primaries, Kerry's campaign was largely seen as in trouble, particularly after he fired campaign manager Jim Jordan. Jim Jordan (born January 26 1961 is a Democratic political strategist The key factors enabling it to survive was when fellow Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy assigned Mary Beth Cahill to be the campaign manager, as well as Kerry's mortgaging his own home to lend the money to his campaign (while his wife was a billionaire, campaign finance rules prohibited using one's personal fortune). The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy (born February 22 1932 is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Mary Beth Cahill is an American Political figure, who served as the Campaign manager of Senator John Kerry 's campaign for A mortgage is the pledging of a property to a Lender as a security for a Mortgage loan. He also brought on the "magical" Michael Whouley who would be credited with helping bring home the Iowa victory the same as he did in New Hampshire for Al Gore in 2000 against Bill Bradley. Michael Whouley is an American Democratic Party Political consultant who specializes in Get out the vote operations Albert Arnold Gore Jr (born March 31 1948 is an American environmental Activist, author Businessperson, former Politician, and former William Warren "Bill" Bradley (born July 28 1943 is an American hall of fame Basketball player Rhodes scholar, and former

Iowa caucus

By the January 2004 Iowa caucuses, the field had dwindled down to nine candidates, as Bob Graham dropped out of the race and Howard Dean was a strong front-runner. The Iowa caucuses are an electoral event in which residents of the U However, the Iowa caucuses yielded unexpectedly strong results for Democratic candidates John Kerry, who earned 38% of the state's delegates and John Edwards, who took 32%. The State of Iowa ( is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. } John Forbes Kerry (born December 11 1943 is an American Politician who is currently serving his fourth term as the junior United States Senator Johnny Reid "John" Edwards (born June 10 1953 Former front-runner Howard Dean slipped to 18% and third place, and Richard Gephardt finished fourth (11%). Howard Brush Dean III, (born November 17 1948 is an American Richard Andrew "Dick" Gephardt (born January 31, 1941) is a former prominent American politician of the Democratic Party. In the days leading up to the Iowa vote, there was much negative campaigning between the Dean and Gephardt camps.

The dismal results caused Gephardt to drop out and later endorse Kerry. What further hurt Dean was a speech he gave at a post-caucus rally; at the end of the speech—which has become known as the "I have a scream" speech or the "Dean scream"—Dean frantically yelled out the names of states and culminated with a yelp. Howard Brush Dean III, (born November 17 1948 is an American Kerry, on the other hand, had revived his campaign and began using the slogan "Comeback Kerry. "

Further primaries

On January 27 Kerry triumphed again, winning the New Hampshire primary. Events 98 - Trajan becomes Roman Emperor after the death of Nerva. The New Hampshire primary is the first in a series of nationwide Political party Primary elections held in the United States every four years as part of Dean finished second, Clark was third and Edwards placed fourth.

Senator Kerry at a primary rally in St. Louis, MO at the St. Louis Community College - Forest Park

The following week, John Edwards won the South Carolina primary and finished a strong second in Oklahoma. Oklahoma ( is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. After Howard Dean's withdrawal from the contest, Edwards became the only major challenger to Kerry for the Democratic nomination. However, Kerry continued to dominate and his support quickly snowballed as he won caucuses and primaries, taking in a string of wins in Michigan, Washington, Maine, Tennessee, Washington, D.C., Nevada, Wisconsin, Utah, Hawaii, and Idaho. Michigan ( is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. Washington ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The State of Maine ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean Tennessee ( is a state located in the Southern United States. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Nevada ( is a state located in the western region of the United States of America. Wisconsin ( or wɪˈskɑnsɨn (French Ouisconsin) is one of the fifty United States of America, located in the north central part of the United States The State of Utah (ˈjuːtɔː or) is a western state of the United States. The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the The State of Idaho ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America. Clark and Lieberman dropped out during this time, leaving only Sharpton, Kucinich, and Edwards in the running against Kerry.

In March's Super Tuesday, Kerry won decisive victories in the California, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, and Rhode Island primaries and the Minnesota caucuses. In the United States Super Tuesday, in general refers to the Tuesday in February or March of a presidential election year when the greatest number of states hold California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The State of Georgia ( is a state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads Rhode Island ( officially named the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, is a state in the New England region of the United States Minnesota ( Native Americans demonstrated the name to early settlers Dean, despite having withdrawn from the race two weeks earlier, won his home state of Vermont. Edwards finished only slightly behind Kerry in Georgia, but, failing to win a single state other than South Carolina, chose to withdraw from the presidential race.

Democratic National Convention

On July 6, John Kerry selected John Edwards as his running mate, shortly before the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, Massachusetts, held later that month. Events 1044 - The Battle of Ménfő takes place 1189 - Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England The 2004 Democratic National Convention was a United States presidential nominating convention that took place from July 26 to July 29, 2004 Days before Kerry announced Edwards as his running mate, Kerry gave a short list of three candidates: Sen John Edwards, Rep Dick Gephardt, and Gov Tom Vilsack. Johnny Reid "John" Edwards (born June 10 1953 Richard Andrew "Dick" Gephardt (born January 31, 1941) is a former prominent American politician of the Democratic Party. Thomas James Vilsack, born December 13, 1950, is an American politician a member of the Democratic Party, and served as the 40th Governor of Heading into the convention, the Kerry/Edwards ticket unveiled their new slogan—a promise to make America "stronger at home and more respected in the world. " Kerry made his Vietnam War experience the prominent theme of the convention. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia In accepting the nomination, he began his speech with, "I'm John Kerry and I'm reporting for duty. " He later delivered what may have been the speech's most memorable line when he said, "the future doesn't belong to fear, it belongs to freedom," a quote that later appeared in a Kerry/Edwards television advertisement.

Other nominations

See also: List of candidates in the United States presidential election, 2004

There were four other pairs of candidates who were on the ballot in states with enough electoral votes to have a theoretical chance of winning a majority in the Electoral College. The Electoral College consists of 538 popularly elected representatives who formally select the President and Vice President of the United States.

• Ralph Nader/Peter Camejo, independent (also Reform Party, Independent Party of Delaware, Populist Party, Better Life Party, Cross-endorsements N. Ralph Nader (born February 27 1934 is an American Attorney, Author, Lecturer, political activist, and independent candidate for President Peter Miguel Camejo ( December 31, 1939, New York City – September 13, 2008, Folsom California) was an American In Politics, an independent is a Politician who is not Affiliated with any Political party. The Reform Party of the United States of America (abbreviated Reform Party USA or RPUSA, generally known simply as the Reform Party) is a Political The Independent Party of Delaware is a political party in the State of Delaware, United States. The Populist Party of Maryland (PPMD originated as a vehicle for Ballot access for the 2004 Ralph Nader presidential campaign. Y. , Peace and Justice Party Independence Party of New York, Independence Party S. The Independence Party is an affiliate in the US state of New York of the Independence Party of America. C. . Nader was also endorsed by the Vermont Green Party who chose not to ratify the national party’s presidential nominee. Nader details by state
• Michael Badnarik/Richard Campagna, Libertarian Party
• Michael Peroutka/Chuck Baldwin, Constitution Party
• David Cobb/Pat LaMarche, Green Party

General election: campaign

Campaign issues

Bush focused his campaign on national security, presenting himself as a decisive leader and contrasted Kerry as a "flip-flopper. Michael J Badnarik (born August 1, 1954) is an American software engineer, political figure and Radio talk show host Richard V Campagna of Iowa City Iowa was the vice-presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party in the 2004 U The Libertarian Party is a United States political party founded on December 11 1971 Charles "Chuck" Baldwin (born May 3 1952 is a Pastor of Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida, and 2008 presidential The Constitution Party is a Conservative United States political party. David Keith Cobb (born December 24 1962 in San Leon Texas) is an American activist and was the 2004 presidential candidate of the Green Party of Patricia Helen LaMarche (born 26 November 1960 is an American political figure and activist with the Green Party; she was the party's One of the Political parties in the United States, and similar in mission to many of the worldwide Green Parties, the Greens have been active as a third party A " flip-flop " (used mostly in the United States) or a U-turn (used in the United Kingdom) is a sudden real or apparent change of policy or " Bush's point was that Americans could trust him to be tough on terrorism while Kerry would be "uncertain in the face of danger. " Bush also sought to portray Kerry as a "Massachusetts liberal" who was out of touch with mainstream Americans. Massachusetts liberal is a phrase that in American politics is generally used as a political epithet by Republicans against Democrats who are from the state One of Kerry's slogans was "Stronger at home, respected in the world. " This advanced the suggestion that Kerry would pay more attention to domestic concerns; it also encapsulated Kerry's contention that Bush had alienated American allies by his foreign policy.

According to one exit poll, people who voted for Bush cited the issues of terrorism and moral values as the most important factors in their decision. ^[3] Kerry supporters cited the war in Iraq, the economy and jobs, and health care. ^[3]

Bush speaking at campaign rally in St. Petersburg, Florida, October 19, 2004

Over the course of Bush's first term in office, his extremely high approval ratings immediately following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks steadily dwindled, peaking only during combat operations in Iraq in the Spring of 2003, and again following the capture of Saddam Hussein in December the same year. Events 202 BCE - The Battle of Zama results in the defeat of Carthage and Hannibal. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Events 9 - The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti ( Arabic: ar صدام حسين عبد المجيد التكريتي --> April 28 1937 &ndash December 30 ^[4] Kerry supporters attempted to capitalize on the dwindling popularity to rally anti-war sentiment.

During August and September of 2004, there was an intense focus on events that occurred in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Bush was accused of failing to fulfill his required service in the Texas Air National Guard. The George W Bush military service controversy was an issue in the 2000 presidential campaign and in the 2004 presidential campaign. The Texas Air National Guard is composed of Airmen and officers assigned to three flying wings and three geographically separated units (GSUs throughout Texas. ^[5] However, the focus quickly shifted to the conduct of CBS News after they aired a segment on 60 Minutes Wednesday introducing what became known as the Killian documents. CBS News is the news division of American Television and Radio network CBS. ^[6] Serious doubts about the documents' authenticity quickly emerged,^[7] leading CBS to appoint a review panel that eventually resulted in the firing of the news producer and other significant staffing changes. During the Killian documents controversy in 2004 the authenticity of the documents themselves was disputed by a variety of individuals and groups ^[8][9]

Meanwhile, Kerry was accused by the Swift Vets and POWs for Truth, who averred that "phony war crimes charges, his exaggerated claims about his own service in Vietnam, and his deliberate misrepresentation of the nature and effectiveness of Swift boat operations compels us to step forward. Swift Vets and POWs for Truth, formerly known as the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (SBVT was a political group ( 527 group) of American Swift War crimes are "violations of the laws or customs of war" including but not limited to "murder the ill-treatment or deportation of civilian residents of an occupied " The group challenged the legitimacy of each of the combat medals awarded to Kerry by the U.S. Navy, and the disposition of his discharge.

In the beginning of September, the successful Republican National Convention along with the allegations by Kerry's former mates gave Bush his first comfortable margin since Kerry had won the nomination. A post-convention Gallup poll showed the President leading the Senator by 14 points. ^[10][11]

Debates

Main article: United States presidential election debates, 2004

Three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate were organized by the Commission on Presidential Debates, and held in the autumn of 2004. United States presidential election debates were held in the 2004 presidential elections. The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD was established in 1987 by the Democratic and Republican parties to establish the way that Debates are run between As expected, these debates set the agenda for the final leg of the political contest. Libertarian Party candidate Michael Badnarik and Green Party candidate David Cobb were arrested while trying to access the debates. Badnarik was attempting to serve papers to the Commission on Presidential Debates.

The first debate was held on September 30 at the University of Miami, moderated by Jim Lehrer of PBS. Events 1399 - Henry IV is proclaimed King of England. 1744 - France and Spain defeat the The University of Miami (also known as Miami of Florida, UM, or just The U) is a private non-sectarian University founded in 1925 James Charles "Jim" Lehrer (ˈlɛrɚ born May 19 1934) is an American journalist and the News anchor for The NewsHour The Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) is a Non-profit Public broadcasting Television service with 354 member TV stations in the During the debate, slated to focus on foreign policy, John Kerry accused Bush of having failed to gain international support for the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, saying the only countries assisting the USA during the invasion were the United Kingdom and Australia. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Bush replied to this by saying, "Well, actually, he forgot Poland. On March 17, 2003, then Polish President Aleksander Kwaśniewski announced that Poland would send about 200 troops to the Persian Gulf " (In an ironic turn of events, Poland announced plans to withdraw its troops from Iraq shortly after the debate. ) Later, a consensus formed among mainstream pollsters and pundits that Kerry won the debate decisively, strengthening what had come to be seen as a weak and troubled campaign. ^[12] In the days after, coverage focused on Bush's apparent annoyance with Kerry and numerous scowls and negative facial expressions. On October 5, the Vice Presidential debate was held between Dick Cheney and John Edwards at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and was moderated by Gwen Ifill of PBS. Events 869 - The Fourth Council of Constantinople is convened to decide about what to do about Patriarch Photius of Constantinople Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney (born January 30 1941 is the forty-sixth and current Vice President of the United States. Johnny Reid "John" Edwards (born June 10 1953 Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland Ohio, United States, with some residence halls on the south end of campus Cleveland is a City in the US state of Ohio and the County seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state Gwen Ifill ˈaɪfəl (born September 29 1955 is an American Journalist, television newscaster and author The Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) is a Non-profit Public broadcasting Television service with 354 member TV stations in the An initial poll by ABC indicated a victory for Cheney, while polls by CNN and MSNBC gave it to Edwards. The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. Cable News Network, usually referred to by its Initialism CNN, is a major English language Television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner MSNBC is a 24-hour cable television news channel based in the United States and available in Canada. ^{[13][14][15][16]}

The second presidential debate was held at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri on October 8, moderated by Charles Gibson of ABC. Events 314 - Roman Emperor Licinius is defeated by his colleague Constantine I at the Battle of Cibalae, and loses This article refers to the TV journalist For other people with the same name see Charles Gibson (disambiguation. The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. Conducted in a "town meeting" format, less formal than the first Presidential debate, this debate saw Bush and Kerry taking questions on a variety of subjects from a local audience. ^[17] Bush attempted to deflect criticism of what was described as his scowling demeanor during the first debate, joking at one point about one of Kerry's remarks, "That answer made me want to scowl. "^[18]

Bush and Kerry met for the third and final debate at Arizona State University on October 13. Arizona State University ( ASU) is the largest public Research university in the United States under a single administration with total student Events 54 - Nero ascends to the Roman throne 409 - Vandals and Alans crossed the Pyrenees ^[19] 51 million viewers watched the debate which was moderated by Bob Schieffer of CBS News. Bob Lloyd Schieffer (born February 25, 1937) is an American CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. However, at the time of the ASU debate, there were 15. 2 million viewers tuned in to watch the Major League Baseball championship games broadcast simultaneously.

Election results

The certified results in each state are as follows:

Grand total

Source (Electoral and Popular Vote): Federal Elections Commission Electoral and Popular Vote Summary

^(a) One faithless elector from Minnesota cast an electoral vote for John Edwards for president. Arrin Hawkins was Roger Calero 's runningmate as the vice presidential candidate for the American Socialist Workers Party in the 2004 U Minnesota ( Native Americans demonstrated the name to early settlers Faithless electors are members of the Electoral College who do not cast their electoral votes for the people they have pledged to vote for Minnesota ( Native Americans demonstrated the name to early settlers
^(b) Because Arrin Hawkins, then aged 28, was constitutionally ineligible to serve as vice president, Margaret Trowe replaced her on the ballot in some states. Arrin Hawkins was Roger Calero 's runningmate as the vice presidential candidate for the American Socialist Workers Party in the 2004 U The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme Law of the United States. Margaret Trowe ( 1948 - is an American Communist and Women's rights activist James Harris replaced Calero on certain other states' ballots. James Harris (born 1948 is an African American Communist politician

Notes on results

Because of a request by Ralph Nader, New Hampshire held a recount. In New York, Bush obtained 2,806,993 votes on the Republican ticket and 155,574 on the Conservative ticket. Kerry obtained 4,180,755 votes on the Democratic ticket and 133,525 votes on the Working Families ticket. Nader obtained 84,247 votes on the Independence ticket, and 15,626 votes on the Peace and Justice ticket.

Note also: Official Federal Election Commission Report, with the latest, most final, and complete vote totals available.

Finance

• George W. Bush (R) $367,227,801 / 62,040,610 = $5. 92 per vote
• John Kerry (D) $326,236,288 / 59,028,111 = $5. 52
• Ralph Nader (i) $4,566,037 / 463,653 = $9. 85
• Michael Badnarik (L) $1,093,013 / 397,265 = $2. 75
• Michael Peroutka (C) $729,087 / 144,498 = $5. 05
• David Cobb (G) $493,723 / 119,859 = $4. 12
• Walt Brown (SPUSA) $2,060 / 10,837 = $0. 19

Source: FEC [3]

Close states

These maps show the amount of attention given by the campaigns to the close states. At left, each waving hand represents a visit from a presidential or vice-presidential candidate during the final five weeks. At right, each dollar sign represents one million dollars spent on TV advertising by the campaigns during the same time period.

States where margin of victory < 5%

1. Wisconsin, Kerry, 0. 38%
2. Iowa, Bush, 0. 67%
3. New Mexico, Bush, 0. 79%
4. New Hampshire, Kerry, 1. 37%
5. Ohio, Bush, 2. 11%
6. Pennsylvania, Kerry, 2. 50%
7. Nevada, Bush, 2. 59%
8. Michigan, Kerry, 3. 42%
9. Minnesota, Kerry, 3. 48%
10. Oregon, Kerry, 4. 16%
11. Colorado, Bush, 4. 67%

States where margin of victory < 10%

1. Florida, Bush, 5. 01%
2. New Jersey, Kerry, 6. 68%
3. Washington, Kerry, 7. 18%
4. Missouri, Bush, 7. 20%
5. Delaware, Kerry, 7. 60%
6. Virginia, Bush, 8. 20%
7. Hawaii, Kerry, 8. 75%
8. Maine, Kerry, 8. 99%
9. Arkansas, Bush, 9. 76%
10. California, Kerry, 9. 95%

Members of the 2004 United States Electoral College

Main article: United States presidential electors, 2004

Ballot access

“Faithless elector” in Minnesota

One elector in Minnesota cast a ballot for president with the name of “John Ewards” [sic] written on it. This is a list of 2004 US presidential electors, by state Alabama - Republican - http//www Ballot access rules called nomination rules outside the US, regulate the conditions under which a candidate or Political party is either entitled to stand for election Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D The Electoral College officials certified this ballot as a vote for John Edwards for president. The remaining nine electors cast ballots for John Kerry. All ten electors in the state cast ballots for John Edwards for Vice President. (John Edwards' name was spelled correctly on all ballots for Vice President. ) This was the first time in U. S. history that an elector had cast both of his or her votes for the same person.

Electoral balloting in Minnesota was performed by secret ballot, and none of the electors admitted to casting the Edwards vote for President, so it may never be known who the “faithless elector” was. Faithless electors are members of the Electoral College who do not cast their electoral votes for the people they have pledged to vote for It is not even known whether the vote for Edwards was deliberate or unintentional, although the Republican Secretary of State and several of the Democratic electors have expressed the opinion that this was an accident.

Electoral vote error in New York

New York's initial electoral vote certificate indicated that all of its 31 electoral votes for president were cast for “John L. Kerry of Massachusetts” instead of John F. Kerry, who won the popular vote in the state. ^[20] This was apparently the result of a typographical error, and an amended electoral vote certificate with the correct middle initial was transmitted to the President of the Senate prior to the official electoral vote count. The Vice President of the United States is the first person in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of the United States upon the death ^[21]

Presidential results by congressional district

In his successful bid for reelection in 2004, Republican George W. Bush won the popular vote in 255 of the nation's 435 congressional districts, a 75-seat edge over Democrat John Kerry’s 180. At 255, the President won 27 more districts than the 228 he carried in the 2000 election. There were 59 “turnover” or “split” districts, i. e. , those represented in the U. S. House by a member of a party other than the winner of the presidential vote in the district. Following the 2004 election, 41 districts of the 109th Congress were carried by Bush yet represented by a Democrat; 18 districts were carried by John Kerry yet represented by a Republican. This represents a continued decrease over recent presidential elections. In 2000 there were 86 turnover districts. In 1996, there were 110 turnover districts. The 2004 presidential election was the first following the 2001–2002 redistricting phase of congressional apportionment.

Caveats: only a handful of states report the results by district. These numbers are estimates based upon results collected from the 400 counties that contain a portion of more than one district. They may include an allocation of absentee/early votes which were not tabulated by district. ^[22]

Voter Demographics

The following data is based on exit polls.

An asterisk (*) indicates a statistically insignificant amount of responses.

Source: 2004 CNN Election Exit Poll [4]

Analysis

Cartogram comparing voter turnout to result

The results produced many interesting features. A partial list is given below, but it is by no means complete.

• This is the first time since George H.W. Bush in 1988 that the winning Presidential candidate of either party has won over an absolute majority, or 50% of the popular vote. George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12 1924 served as the forty-first President of the United States from 1989 to 1993 Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar)
• This is also the first time since the 1988 US Presidential Election that a Republican won the popular vote (Bush failed to win the popular vote in 2000).
• Kerry received a higher percentage of the popular vote in 2004 than George W. Bush did in 2000.
• Although Bush won the popular vote with 50. 73% to Kerry's 48. 27%, it was, in percentages, the closest popular margin ever for a victorious sitting President. Bush received 2. 5% more than Kerry; the closest previous margin won by a sitting President was 3. 2% for Woodrow Wilson in 1916. Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28 1856—February 3 1924 was the twenty-eighth President of the United States. Bush's victory margin (approximately 3 million votes) was the smallest of any sitting President since Harry S. Truman in 1948. The United States presidential election of 1948 is considered by most Historians as the greatest election Upset in American history.
• At least 12 million more votes were cast than in the 2000 election; 60. The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Democratic candidate Al Gore, then Vice President, and Republican 7% of the electorate voted—the highest percentage since 1968. Please DO NOT flip the colors -->The United States presidential election of 1968 was a wrenching national experience and included the assassination of Democratic candidate The record turnout was attributed partly to the intensity of the division between the candidates and partly to intensive voter registration and to get-out-the-vote efforts by both major parties and their allies. [5]
• Owing to the nation's growing population and large turnout, both Pres. Bush and Sen. Kerry received more votes than any previous presidential candidate in American history. The previous record was held by Republican Ronald Reagan, who in 1984 received more votes than any other presidential candidate in American history (54. 4 million).
• The counties where Bush led in the popular vote amount to 83% of the geographic area of the U. S. (excluding Alaska, which did not report results by borough/census area, but had all electoral districts but one of the two in Juneau vote for Bush). The US state of Alaska is not divided into counties, as are 48 other states but it is divided into boroughs ( Louisiana is divided into parishes
• Between the 2000 and 2004 elections, the House of Representatives (and therefore the Electoral College) had been reapportioned per the results of the 2000 Census. If Bush won exactly the same states as he won in 2000, he would win by a margin of 278-260, a net gain of 7 electoral votes over his performance in 2000.
• Only four states saw every county vote for one candidate; Bush won every county in Utah and Oklahoma, and Kerry won every county in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
• Only three states picked a winner from a different party than they had in 2000. Bush took Iowa and New Mexico (combined 12 electoral votes), both won by Democrat Al Gore in 2000, while Kerry took New Hampshire (4 electoral votes), which Bush had previously won. The State of Iowa ( is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. New Mexico ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States of America. Albert Arnold Gore Jr (born March 31 1948 is an American environmental Activist, author Businessperson, former Politician, and former New Hampshire ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. Bush received a net gain of 8 electoral votes from these switches. All three were very close states in both 2000 and 2004, and none gained or lost electoral votes due to reapportionment.
• As in 2000, electoral votes split along sharp geographical lines: The west coast, northeast, and most of the Great Lakes region for Kerry, and the South, Great Plains, and Mountain states for Bush. The " West Coast " " Western Seaboard " or " Pacific Seaboard " are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the Western United States The Northeast is a region of the United States. As defined by the U The Great Lakes region includes much of the Canadian province of Ontario and portions of eight U The Southern United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South &mdashconstitutes a large distinctive The Great Plains are the broad expanse of Prairie and Steppe which lie east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada The Mountain States (also known as the Mountain West) form one of the nine geographic divisions of the United States that are officially recognized by the The widespread support for Bush in the southern states continued the transformation of the formerly Democratic Solid South to the Republican South. Solid South refers to the electoral support of the Southern United States for Democratic Party candidates for nearly a century from 1877 the end of the Reconstruction
• Minor-party candidates received many fewer votes, dropping from a total of 3. 5% in 2000 to approximately one percent. As in 2000, Ralph Nader finished in third place, but his total declined from 2. Ralph Nader (born February 27 1934 is an American Attorney, Author, Lecturer, political activist, and independent candidate for President 9 million to 400,000, leaving him with fewer votes than Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan had received in finishing fourth in 2000. The Reform Party of the United States of America (abbreviated Reform Party USA or RPUSA, generally known simply as the Reform Party) is a Political Patrick Joseph "Pat" Buchanan (born November 2 1938 is an American Political commentator, Author, syndicated Columnist The combined minor-party total was the lowest since 1988.
• The election marked the first time an incumbent president was returned to office while his political party increased its numbers in both houses of Congress since Lyndon Johnson in the 1964 election. Please DO NOT flip the colors -->The United States presidential election of 1964 was one of the most lopsided presidential elections in the history of the United States It was the first time for a Republican since William McKinley in the 1900 election. William McKinley Jr ( January 29, 1843 September 14, 1901) was the twenty-fifth President of the United States, and the last The United States presidential election of 1900 was held on November 6 1900
• Presidential candidates Michael Badnarik of the Libertarian Party and David Cobb of the Green Party were arrested in St. Louis, Missouri on October 8, 2004 for an act of civil disobedience. Michael J Badnarik (born August 1, 1954) is an American software engineer, political figure and Radio talk show host The Libertarian Party is a United States political party founded on December 11 1971 David Keith Cobb (born December 24 1962 in San Leon Texas) is an American activist and was the 2004 presidential candidate of the Green Party of One of the Political parties in the United States, and similar in mission to many of the worldwide Green Parties, the Greens have been active as a third party Events 314 - Roman Emperor Licinius is defeated by his colleague Constantine I at the Battle of Cibalae, and loses "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Badnarik and Cobb were protesting their exclusion from the presidential debates between George W. Bush and John Kerry. United States presidential election debates were held in the 2004 presidential elections. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. } John Forbes Kerry (born December 11 1943 is an American Politician who is currently serving his fourth term as the junior United States Senator
• One issue from the 2000 election had been Bush's electoral victory despite losing the popular vote. If Kerry had won Ohio, he would have won the election but still could have lost the popular vote.

Electoral College changes from 2000

The U. S. population is continuously shifting, and some states grow in population faster than others. With the completion of the 2000 census, Congressional reapportionment took place, moving some representative districts from the slowest growing states to the fastest growing. The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses United States congressional apportionment is the redistribution of the 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives among the 50 states in consequence As a result, several states had a different number of electors in the U.S. Electoral College in 2004 than in 2000, since the number of electors allotted to each state is equal to the sum of the number of Senators and Representatives from that state. The Electoral College consists of 538 popularly elected representatives who formally select the President and Vice President of the United States. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate.

The following table shows the change in electors from the 2000 election. The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Democratic candidate Al Gore, then Vice President, and Republican Red states represent those won by Bush; and Blue states, those won by both Gore and Kerry. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. Albert Arnold Gore Jr (born March 31 1948 is an American environmental Activist, author Businessperson, former Politician, and former } John Forbes Kerry (born December 11 1943 is an American Politician who is currently serving his fourth term as the junior United States Senator All states except Nebraska and Maine use a winner-take-all allocation of electors. The plurality voting system is a Single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member Each of these states was won by the same party in 2004 that had won it in 2000; thus, George W. Bush received a net gain of seven electoral votes due to reapportionment.

(This table uses the currently common Red→Republican, Blue→Democratic color association, as do the maps on this page. Some older party-affiliation maps use the opposite color coding for historical reasons. )

Vote splitting concerns

Some supporters of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry were concerned that the independent candidacy of Ralph Nader would split the vote against the incumbent, thus allowing the Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush to win the 2004 election. The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. } John Forbes Kerry (born December 11 1943 is an American Politician who is currently serving his fourth term as the junior United States Senator Ralph Nader (born February 27 1934 is an American Attorney, Author, Lecturer, political activist, and independent candidate for President Vote splitting is an electoral effect in which the distribution of votes among multiple similar candidates reduces the chance of winning for any of the similar candidates and George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. Many Democrats blame Ralph Nader for splitting the vote in the 2000 presidential election when he ran as the candidate of the Green Party. The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Democratic candidate Al Gore, then Vice President, and Republican One of the Political parties in the United States, and similar in mission to many of the worldwide Green Parties, the Greens have been active as a third party

Such splits are of particular concern because most states assign the presidential electors they send to the Electoral College, to the candidate with the most votes (a plurality), even if those votes are less than 50% of the total votes cast—in such a situation, a relatively small number of votes can make a large difference. The Electoral College consists of 538 popularly elected representatives who formally select the President and Vice President of the United States. For instance, a candidate who won narrow pluralities in a significant number of states could win a majority in the Electoral College even though they did not win a majority or even a plurality of the national popular vote. An election is a Decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold formal office While Ralph Nader and the Green Party ultimately support replacing the Electoral College with direct popular elections, both have also suggested that states instead use instant-runoff voting to select their presidential electors, which would partially address the issue of vote splitting. Instant-runoff voting ( IRV) is a Voting system used for single-winner elections in which voters have one vote and rank Candidates in order of

Opponents of Ralph Nader's candidacy often referred to vote splitting as the spoiler effect. The " spoiler effect " is a term to describe the effect a Minor party candidate with little chance of winning can have on a close Election, in which their Some voters who preferred Ralph Nader's positions over John Kerry's voted for John Kerry to avoid splitting the vote against the incumbent, claiming to be choosing the “lesser of two evils”. These voters used slogans such as, “Anybody but Bush,” and, “A vote for Nader is a vote for Bush. ” A group of people who supported Nader in 2000 released a statement entitled "Vote to Stop Bush", urging support for Kerry/Edwards in swing states. Whether due to this campaign or other factors, the impact of Nader on the election's outcome ultimately proved inconsequential, as he received less than 1% of the national vote. In fact, all of the independent candidates together polled fewer votes than Nader had in 2000.

Battleground states

Cheney visited Washington & Jefferson College in Pennsylvania on October 27, 2004^[23]

During the campaign and as the results came in on the night of the election there was much focus on Ohio (ordinarily GOP-leaning, but suffering at the time from manufacturing job losses), Pennsylvania, and Florida. Washington & Jefferson College (W&J is a private coeducational liberal arts college located in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area in the city of Washington The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the These three swing states were seen as evenly divided, and with each casting 20 electoral votes or more, they had the power to decide the election. A swing state (also battleground state or purple state) in United States As the final results came in, Kerry took Pennsylvania and then Bush took Florida, focusing all attention on Ohio.

The morning after the election, the major candidates were neck and neck. It was clear that the result in Ohio, along with two other states who had still not declared (New Mexico and Iowa), would decide the winner. New Mexico ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States of America. The State of Iowa ( is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. Bush had established a lead of around 130,000 votes but the Democrats pointed to provisional ballots that had yet to be counted, initially reported to number as high as 200,000. A provisional ballot is used to record a vote when there is some question in regards to a given voter's eligibility. Bush had preliminary leads of less than 5% of the vote in only four states, but if Iowa, Nevada and New Mexico had all eventually gone to Kerry, a win for Bush in Ohio would have created a 269–269 tie in the Electoral College. Nevada ( is a state located in the western region of the United States of America. The result of an electoral tie would cause the election to be decided in the House of Representatives with each state casting one vote, regardless of population. The Electoral College consists of 538 popularly elected representatives who formally select the President and Vice President of the United States. Such a scenario would almost certainly have resulted in a victory for Bush, as Republicans controlled more House delegations. Therefore, the outcome of the election hinged solely on the result in Ohio, regardless of the final totals elsewhere. In the afternoon Ohio's Secretary of State, Kenneth Blackwell, announced that it was statistically impossible for the Democrats to make up enough valid votes in the provisional ballots to win. John Kenneth Blackwell (born February 28, 1948) is a former secretary of state of the U At the time provisional ballots were reported as numbering 140,000 (and later estimated to be only 135,000). Faced with this announcement, John Kerry conceded defeat.

The upper Midwest bloc of Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin is also notable, casting a sum of 27 electoral votes. Minnesota ( Native Americans demonstrated the name to early settlers The State of Iowa ( is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. Wisconsin ( or wɪˈskɑnsɨn (French Ouisconsin) is one of the fifty United States of America, located in the north central part of the United States However, all the swing states are important. The following is list of the states considered swing states in the 2004 election by most news organizations and which candidate they eventually went for. The two major parties chose to focus their advertising on these states:

Bush: Colorado Florida Iowa New Mexico Nevada Ohio West Virginia Kerry: Maine Michigan Minnesota New Hampshire Oregon Pennsylvania Wisconsin

Presidential electoral votes by state. The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the The State of Iowa ( is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. New Mexico ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States of America. Nevada ( is a state located in the western region of the United States of America. Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads West Virginia ( is a state in the Appalachian Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by The State of Maine ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean Michigan ( is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. Minnesota ( Native Americans demonstrated the name to early settlers New Hampshire ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. Oregon ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern Wisconsin ( or wɪˈskɑnsɨn (French Ouisconsin) is one of the fifty United States of America, located in the north central part of the United States Red is Republican, Blue is Democratic Presidential popular votes by county. Note substantially more "mixing" of colors. Presidential popular votes by county as a scale from Red/Republican to Blue/Democratic Presidential popular votes cartogram, in which the sizes of counties have been rescaled according to their population. A cartogram is a Map in which some thematic mapping variable – such as travel time or Gross National Product – is substituted for land area

Election controversy

Main articles: 2004 U.S. election voting controversies and 2004 U.S. presidential election controversy and irregularities

Map of election day problems

After the election, some sources reported indications of possible data irregularities and systematic flaws during the voting process, which are covered in detail by the election controversy articles. After the November 2, 2004 Election in the United States, concerns were raised about various aspects of the voting process including whether voting had After the November 2, 2004 Election in the United States, concerns were raised about various aspects of the voting process including whether voting had

Although the overall result of the election was not challenged by the Kerry campaign, Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb and Libertarian Party presidential candidate Michael Badnarik obtained a recount in Ohio. David Keith Cobb (born December 24 1962 in San Leon Texas) is an American activist and was the 2004 presidential candidate of the Green Party of Michael J Badnarik (born August 1, 1954) is an American software engineer, political figure and Radio talk show host Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads This recount was completed December 28, 2004, although on January 24, 2007, a jury convicted two Ohio elections officials of selecting precincts to recount where they already knew the hand total would match the machine total, thereby avoiding having to perform a full recount. Events 1065 - Westminster Abbey is Consecrated. 1308 - The reign of Emperor Hanazono, Emperor of "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Events 41 - Gaius Caesar (Caligula, known for his eccentricity and cruel Despotism, is Assassinated by his disgruntled Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[24]

At the official counting of the electoral votes on January 6, a motion was made contesting Ohio's electoral votes. Events 1066 - Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England. 1205 - Philip of Swabia becomes King Because the motion was supported by at least one member of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, election law mandated that each house retire to debate and vote on the motion. In the House of Representatives, the motion was supported by 31 Democrats. It was opposed by 178 Republicans, 88 Democrats and one independent. Not voting were 52 Republicans and 80 Democrats. [6] Four people elected to the House had not yet taken office, and one seat was vacant. In the Senate, it was supported only by its maker, Senator Boxer, with 74 Senators opposed and 25 not voting. Barbara Levy Boxer (born 11 November 1940 is an American Democratic Politician and the current junior U During the debate, no Senator argued that the outcome of the election should be changed by either court challenge or revote. Senator Boxer claimed that she had made the motion not to challenge the outcome, but to “shed the light of truth on these irregularities. ”

Points of controversy

• There is no individual federal agency with direct regulatory authority of the U. S. voting machine industry. ^[25] However the Election Assistance Commission has full regulatory authority over federal testing and certification processes, as well as an influential advisory role in certain voting industry matters. The Election Assistance Commission (EAC is an Independent agency of the United States Government created by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA ^[26] Further oversight authority belongs to the Government Accountability Office, regularly investigating voting system related issues. The Government Accountability Office ( GAO) is the Audit, Evaluation, and investigative arm of the United States Congress. ^[27]

• The former president of Diebold Election Systems (Bob Urosevich) and the vice president of customer support at ES&S (Todd Urosevich)^[28] are brothers. ^[29]

• Walden O'Dell the former CEO of Diebold (the parent company of voting machine manufacturer Diebold Election Systems) was an active fundraiser for George W. Bush's re-election campaign and wrote in a fund-raising letter dated August 13, 2003, that he was committed "to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the President. Walden "Wally" O'Dell was chief executive officer and chairman of the board of Diebold, a US-based security and financial products company George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. Events 3114 BC - According to the Lounsbury correlation the start of the Maya calendar. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads The Electoral College consists of 538 popularly elected representatives who formally select the President and Vice President of the United States. "^[30]

• Republican Senator Chuck Hagel, who was on a short list of George W. Charles Timothy " Chuck " Hagel (born October 4, 1946) is the senior United States Senator from Nebraska. Bush's vice-presidential candidates,^[31][32] served as the chairman of ES&S in the early 1990s when it operated under the name American Information Systems Inc. (AIS). ^[33] ES&S voting machines tabulated 85 percent of the votes cast in Hagel’s 2002 and 1996 election races. In 2003 Hagel disclosed a financial stake in McCarthy Group Inc. , the holding company of ES&S. ^[33]

• Global Election Systems, which purchased by Diebold Election Systems and developed the core technology behind the companies voting machines and voter registration system, employed five convicted felons as consultants and developers. ^[34]

• Jeff Dean, a former Senior Vice-President of Global Election Systems when it was bought by Diebold, had previously been convicted of 23 counts of felony theft in the first degree. Bev Harris reports Dean was retained as a consultant by Diebold Election Systems,^[35] though Diebold has disputed the consulting relationship. Bev 'Merton' Harris is an American writer Activist, and founder of Black Box Voting Inc ^[34] Dean was convicted of theft via "alteration of records in the computerized accounting system" using a "high degree of sophistication" to evade detection over a period of 2 years. ^[35]

• International election observers were barred from the polls in Ohio^[36][37] by then Republican Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell. John Kenneth Blackwell (born February 28, 1948) is a former secretary of state of the U Blackwell's office argues this was the correct interpretation of Ohio law. ^[37]

• California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley decertified all Diebold Election Systems touch-screen voting machines due to computer-science reports released detailing design and security concerns. Kevin Francis Shelley (born November 16, 1955 in San Francisco California) is a California Politician, who was the 28th ^[38][39]

• 30% of all U. S. votes cast in the 2004 election were cast on direct-recording electronic (DRE) voting machine, which do not print individual paper records of each vote. ^[40]

• Numerous statistical analysis showed "discrepancy in the number of votes Bush received in counties that used the touch-screen machines and counties that used other types of voting equipment" as well as discrepancies with exit polls, favoring President George W. Bush. ^{[41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48]}

New during this campaign

International observers

At the invitation of the United States government, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) sent a team of observers to monitor the presidential elections in 2004. It was the first time the OSCE had sent observers to a U. S. presidential election, although they had been invited in the past. ^[49] In September 2004 the OSCE issued a report (PDF 168K) on U. S. electoral processes and the election final report (PDF 256K).

Earlier, some 13 U.S. Representatives from the Democratic Party had sent a letter to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan asking for the UN to monitor the elections. The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security Kofi Atta Annan, GCMG (born 8 April 1938 is a Ghanaian Diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations The UN responded that such a request could only come from the official national executive. The move was met by considerable opposition from Republican lawmakers. ^[50] The OSCE is not affiliated with the United Nations.

Electronic voting

Further information: Analysis of electronic voting

For 2004, some states expedited the implementation of electronic voting systems for the election, raising several issues:

• Software. Electronic voting (also known as e-voting) is a term encompassing several different types of Voting, embracing both electronic means of casting a vote and electronic Electronic voting (also known as e-voting) is a term encompassing several different types of Voting, embracing both electronic means of casting a vote and electronic Without proper testing and certification, critics believe electronic voting machines could produce an incorrect report due to malfunction or deliberate manipulation. Electronic voting (also known as e-voting) is a term encompassing several different types of Voting, embracing both electronic means of casting a vote and electronic ^[51]
• Recounts. A recount of an electronic voting machine is not a recount in the traditional sense. The machine will can be audited for irregularities and voting totals stored on multiple backup devices can be compared, but vote counts will not change.
• Partisan ties. Democrats noted the Republican or conservative ties of several leading executives in the companies providing the machines. ^[52]

Campaign law changes

The 2004 election was the first to be affected by the campaign finance reforms mandated by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (also known as the McCain-Feingold Bill for its sponsors in the United States Senate). Campaign finance reform is the common term for the political effort in the United States to change the involvement of money in Politics, primarily in Political The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 ( BCRA, McCain–Feingold Act,) is United States federal law that amended the Federal Election Campaign Russell Dana "Russ" Feingold (born March 2, 1953) is an American politician from the U The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives Because of the Act's restrictions on candidates' and parties' fundraising, a large number of so-called 527 groups emerged. A 527 group is a type of American Tax-exempt organization named after a section of the United States tax code,. Named for a section of the Internal Revenue Code, these groups were able to raise large amounts of money for various political causes as long as they do not coordinate their activities with political campaigns. The Internal Revenue Code (or IRC; more formally the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as amended) is the main body of domestic statutory Tax law Examples of 527s include Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, MoveOn.org, the Media Fund, and America Coming Together. Swift Vets and POWs for Truth, formerly known as the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (SBVT was a political group ( 527 group) of American Swift MoveOn is an American non-profit progressive liberal public policy advocacy group and Political action committee which has raised millions of The Media Fund is a 527 group, active in US politics, which supported Democrat John Kerry 's campaign for President. America Coming Together ( ACT) was a liberal, political action 527 group dedicated to get-out-the-vote activities Many such groups were active throughout the campaign season. (There was some similar activity, although on a much lesser scale, during the 2000 campaign. )

To distinguish official campaigning from independent campaigning, political advertisements on television were required to include a verbal disclaimer identifying the organization responsible for the advertisement. Advertisements produced by political campaigns usually included the statement, “I'm [candidate's name], and I approve this message. ” Advertisements produced by independent organizations usually included the statement, “[Organization name] is responsible for the content of this advertisement,” and from September 3 (60 days before the general election), such organizations' ads were prohibited from mentioning any candidate by name. Events 36 BC - In the Battle of Naulochus, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Admiral of Octavian, defeats Sextus Pompeius Previously, television advertisements only required a written “paid for by” disclaimer on the screen.

This law was not well known or widely publicized at the beginning of the Democratic primary season, which led to some early misperception of Howard Dean, who was the first candidate to buy television advertising in this election cycle. Not realizing that the law required the phrasing, some people viewing the ads reportedly questioned why Dean might say such a thing—such questions were easier to ask because of the maverick nature of Dean's campaign in general.

Colorado's Amendment 36

Main article: Colorado Amendment 36

A ballot initiative in Colorado, known as Amendment 36, would have changed the way in which the state apportions its electoral votes. In the November 2004 United States election one of the issues up for a vote in the state of Colorado was known as Amendment 36. The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. In the November 2004 United States election one of the issues up for a vote in the state of Colorado was known as Amendment 36. Rather than assigning all 9 of the state's electors to the candidate with a plurality of popular votes, under the amendment Colorado would have assigned presidential electors proportionally to the statewide vote count, which would be a unique system (Nebraska and Maine assign electoral votes based on vote totals within each congressional district). Nebraska ( is a state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States and The State of Maine ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean Detractors claimed that this splitting would diminish Colorado's influence in the Electoral College, and the amendment ultimately failed, receiving only 34% of the vote.

Legal challenges

Election watchers and political analysts forecast a number of contested election results in a manner similar to the Florida voting recount of 2000. The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Democratic candidate Al Gore, then Vice President, and Republican Various states grappled with their own legal issues that could have affected the outcome of the vote, while both of the major political parties and a number of independent groups like the ACLU marshaled numbers of lawyers. The American Civil Liberties Union ( ACLU) consists of two separate Non-profit organizations the ACLU Foundation a 501(c(3 organization which focuses

In several states including Ohio, Colorado, Florida, and Nevada, there were lawsuits or other disputes about such issues as “voter challenging”, voter registration, and absentee ballots. Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the Nevada ( is a state located in the western region of the United States of America. These were considered unlikely to change the Electoral College result. In Florida, for example, multiple lawsuits were filed even before the election, but few observers expected any of them to change the official result that Bush had outpolled Kerry by roughly 400,000 votes. As of the morning of November 3 the deciding state in the electoral vote count was Ohio, where Bush held a 136,000 vote lead. Events 644 - Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Muslim Caliph, is killed by a Persian slave in Medina. Democrats' hopes rested on the approximately 135,000 provisional ballots that had yet to be counted. Nevertheless, after concluding that a recount would not change the election results, Kerry conceded defeat at about 11:00 EST that morning, and George W. The Eastern Time Zone ( ET) of the Western Hemisphere falls mostly along the east coast of North America and the west coast of South America Bush declared victory the afternoon of the same day.

The Green Party and Libertarian Party presidential candidates, David Cobb and Michael Badnarik, filed for a recount of the Ohio vote. One of the Political parties in the United States, and similar in mission to many of the worldwide Green Parties, the Greens have been active as a third party The Libertarian Party is a United States political party founded on December 11 1971 David Keith Cobb (born December 24 1962 in San Leon Texas) is an American activist and was the 2004 presidential candidate of the Green Party of Michael J Badnarik (born August 1, 1954) is an American software engineer, political figure and Radio talk show host After announcing their intention and soliciting donations, they quickly raised $150,000 to cover the state's required fee and other costs. A statewide recount of the presidential vote was completed under the watch of thousands of elections observers organized by the Cobb campaign. Based on reports filed by these observers, some voting rights advocates claim that the recount was conducted improperly, and illegally, and have filed a new lawsuit, which is currently pending. The Congressional Democrats who objected to the counting of Ohio's electoral votes relied on part on information about voting irregularities provided by observers working for the Cobb campaign.

See also

• 2004 U.S. presidential election timeline
• 2004 U.S. presidential election controversy and irregularities
• Ralph Nader's presidential campaigns
• Jesusland map
• Canada and the 2004 U.S. presidential election
• Newspaper endorsements in the United States presidential election, 2004
• History of the United States (1988-present)
• Kerry Fonda 2004 election photo controversy
• Killian documents authenticity issues

Other elections

• United States gubernatorial elections, 2004
• United States House elections, 2004
• United States Senate elections, 2004

References

Sources

• Official Federal Election Commission Report, a PDF file, with the latest, most final, and complete vote totals available.
• Presidential Results by Congressional District. Polidata. Washington, D. C. : Polidata. Retrieved on 2005-07-29. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1014 - Byzantine-Bulgarian Wars: Battle of Kleidion: Byzantine emperor Basil II inflicts a decisive defeat
• Barone, Michael J. The Almanac of American Politics: 2006 (2005)
• Daclon, Corrado Maria, US elections and war on terrorism (2004), Analisi Difesa, no. 50
• Evan Thomas, Eleanor Clift, and Staff of Newsweek. Election 2004 (2005)

Books

• Fooled Again: How the Right Stole the 2004 Election (2005) - Mark Crispin Miller, Basic Books

External links

Official candidate websites (alphabetical, by last name)

• Michael Badnarik (Libertarian)
• David Cobb (Green)
• John Kerry (Democrat)
• Ralph Nader (Independent)
• Michael Peroutka (Constitution)

A website originally existed for George W. Mark Crispin Miller is professor of media studies at New York University and the author of the book Fooled Again How the Right Stole the 2004 Elections. Bush's campaign, but after the election it was removed and the URL now redirects to the Republican Party website. The Internet Archive has a copy of it as of just before the election. The Internet Archive ( IA) is a Nonprofit organization dedicated to maintaining an on-line Library and archive of Web and The other five candidates continued to run their campaign websites as personal sites.

Election maps & analysis

• NYTimes.com 2004 Election Results Interactive Graphic
• How close was the 2004 election? - Michael Sheppard, Michigan State University
• PBS.org Interactive Electoral College Map
• Maps and cartograms of the 2004 U.S. presidential election results - Michael Gastner, Cosma Shalizi, and Mark Newman, University of Michigan
• Electoral College Meta-Analysis - Professor Sam Wang, Princeton University (election. Cosma Rohilla Shalizi (born February 28, 1974) is an assistant professor in the Department of Statistics at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh princeton. edu)
• Election 2004 Results - Robert J. Vanderbei, Princeton University
• Interactive Atlas of the 2004 Presidential Election Results - Dave Liep
• Alternate views of the electoral results map
• Assessing the Vote and the Roots of American Political Divide
• How the 2004 Presidential Election Impacted the Way Americans Speak
• U.S. Election 2004 Web Monitor
• November 2: Election Day 2004 A chronicle of campaign news & commentary. . . ]
• The Honky Tonk Gap: Country Music, Red State Identity, and the Election of 2004

State-by-state forecasts of electoral vote outcome

• Political Oddsmaker - 98. 2% accurate calls in 2,700 races since 1995 (Page not up as of 2007)
• TrendLines Electoral Vote Projection Chart
• Probability analysis of Electoral College based on latest poll results by state
• Electoral Vote Predictor 2004
• Election Projection: Detailed electoral analysis, updated frequently
• Federal Review Composite Poll
• Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball
• Professor Pollkatz's Pool of Polls
• Running the Numbers: Election 2004
• Swing State Project
• President Elect projection
• Race 2004
• USA Today polls
• Electoral college simulations

Controversies

• About.com, Democracy & Voting Rights - Ohio 2004 Election as Lesson in What Can Go Wrong
• Analysis of misleading advertising from both Bush and Kerry
• "Was the 2004 Election Stolen?" Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Rolling Stone.
• Researcher Alleges Potential Plagiarism in 11 Passages of Kerry's Writings
• VIDEO presentation: Professor Steve Freeman on stolen 2004 election October 5, 2007
• VIDEO interview: Professor Steve Freeman on stolen 2004 election October 5, 2007

Election campaign funding

• 2004 Center for Responsive Politics compiles data about who gives and who receives
• Money Maps

Election 2004 global debate and voting

• Talk to US
• The world speaks
• The world votes
• Globalvote 2004

Minnesota electoral voting snafu

• Duluth News Tribune
• Minnesota Public Radio