2004 United States presidential election

The next U.S. presidential election is scheduled to occur November 2, 2004. For the same date is scheduled:

• The U.S. House election, 2004, see United States House of Representatives
• The U.S. Senate election, 2004, see United States Senate

The entire House of Representatives and approximately one-third of the Senate are elected simultaneously with the President. The winner of this election will be inaugurated President on January 20, 2005.

Candidates

Republican Party

On March 9, 2004 U.S. President George W. Bush of Texas officially clinched the number of delegates needed to be nominated at the August Republican National Convention in New York City. Should something happen to Bush before or after the convention, there are various processes for dealing with this eventuality. Most likely the Republican National Committee would be the main body involved in choosing an alternative nominee.
Bush has publicly stated that he will select Vice President Dick Cheney as the Vice Presidential nominee again in 2004.
See 2004 presidential campaign of George W. Bush and U.S. Republican Party presidential nomination, 2004

Democratic Party

On March 11, 2004, after meetings with Democratic superdelegates in Washington and with former opponents Howard Dean and John Edwards, U.S. Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts accumulated the 2,162 delegates required to clinch the nomination. Kerry is now officially acknowledged as the nominee by the Democratic National Committee website.
If something happens to Mr. Kerry before or after the convention, the Democratic National Committee will likely be the main body involved in choosing an alternate nominee - most likely Mr. Kerry's Vice Presidential running mate. Mr. Kerry and his running mate will be formally nominated by the Democratic Party at the July Democratic National Convention in his hometown of Boston, Massachusetts.
See 2004 presidential campaign of John Kerry for more on Mr. Kerry's platform and U.S. Democratic Party Presidential Primary, 2004, for more information on the campaigns of other Democratic candidates in 2004.

Libertarian Party

The candidate will be chosen by delegates to the Libertarian Party National Convention on May 30, 2004 in Atlanta, Georgia. The candidates debate each other at various state Libertarian Party conventions leading up to the national convention. The debate held at the Libertarian Party of California convention (this year March 12-14 in San Jose) is normally aired by C-SPAN. State parties often conduct non-binding straw polls following their debate and may then vote to endorse a candidate. However, delegates to the national convention may vote freely for the candidate of their choice.

• Filed:
  • Gary Nolan, Talk radio host
  • Michael Badnarik, former State House candidate from Texas
  • Aaron Russo, Emmy and Tony award-winning producer
• Withdrew:
  • Clyde Cleveland, former candidate for Governor of Iowa (withdrew February 2004)
  • David Hollist, from California
  • Ken Krawchuk, former candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania (withdrew April 2003)
• Declined:
  • James Gray, presiding Superior Court Judge, Orange County, California
  • Carla Howell, former candidate for Governor and U.S. Senate from Massachusetts
  • Gary E. Johnson, former Governor of New Mexico
  • Ed Thompson, former Mayor of Tomah, Wisconsin

Green Party

The candidate will be chosen by delegates committed during the primaries to the Green Party National Convention on June 25, 2004 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

• Announced:
  • Carol Miller, campaigner for Native American rights, New Mexico
  • Peter Camejo, recent California gubernatorial candidate
  • David Cobb, legal advisor to the party and former candidate for Texas attorney general
  • Dr. Kent P. Mesplay, biologist and air quality specialist, California
  • Lorna Salzman, environmental activist, New York
  • Paul Glover, creator of Ithaca Hours, former mayoral candidate from Ithaca, New York
  • Dr. Jonathan Farley, mathematics professor, former Congressional candidate, Tennessee
• Declined:
  • Cynthia McKinney, former Congresswoman from Georgia
  • Ralph Nader, consumer rights advocate and 1996 and 2000 nominee. Nader announced that he would run as an independent on February 22, 2004.
  • Jello Biafra, former lead singer of the Dead Kennedys and candidate for the 2000 nomination
  • Joel Kovel, New York, runner-up candidate for the 2000 nomination

Constitution Party

• Announced:
  • Michael Anthony Peroutka
• Declined:
  • Roy Moore, former Alabama Chief Justice (January 24, after speaking to a Constitution Party meeting)

Independent (not affiliated with any party)

• Announced:
  • Ralph Nader, consumer rights advocate and 1996 and 2000 Green Party nominee

Timeline

• 2002
  • May 31 - Vermont Governor Howard Dean forms a presidential exploratory committee.
  • December 1 - John Kerry, Senator from Massachusetts announces his plans to form an exploratory committee for a possible 2004 Presidential run on NBC's Meet The Press. Kerry anticipates a formal announcement "down the road some months".
  • December 16 - Former Vice President and 2000 Presidential candidate Al Gore announces on the CBS program 60 Minutes that he will not seek election to the Presidency in 2004. Gore had recently wrapped up a nationwide book tour and had been widely expected to run. Senator Joseph Lieberman, Gore's 2000 Vice Presidential running mate, had previously promised not to run should Gore seek their party's nomination.
• 2003
  • January 2 - Senator John Edwards of North Carolina announces formation of exploratory committee for the Democratic nomination.
  • January 4 - Representative Richard Gephardt of Missouri, the Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, announces his intention to run for the Democratic nomination.
  • January 5 - Reverend Al Sharpton of New York announces his intention to run for the Democratic nomination.
  • January 7 - Tom Daschle, the United States Senate Minority Leader, announces that he will not run for President in 2004. Daschle had been widely expected to run.
  • January 13 - Senator Joseph Lieberman from Connecticut announces his intention to run for the Democratic nomination.
  • January 17 - Libertarian Gary Nolan, former syndicated talk radio host, files papers to form an exploratory committee for a presidential run and announces his candidacy.
  • January 22 - A campaign to draft Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs is launched at http://www.jobs4president.org/. The site was announced on Slashdot, overloading the server within ten minutes. Before the owners of the site could bring the site back up, Jobs declines interest in running. [1]
  • February 18 - Carol Moseley Braun, former Senator from Illinois, announces her intention to run for the Democratic nomination.
  • February 19 - Dennis Kucinich, Representative from Ohio, files papers to form an exploratory committee for a presidential run.
  • February 27 - Senator Bob Graham of Florida announced his candidacy.
  • March 3 - Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut announces that he will not run for the 2004 Democratic party presidential nomination.
  • March 22 - The United States and the United Kingdom begin their shock and awe campaign with a massive air strike on military targets in Baghdad using cruise missiles fired from US Navy warships, Royal Navy submarines and B-52 bombers; and laser guided missiles fired by Stealth Bombers.
  • April 2: Speaking before an audience in Peterborough, New Hampshire, John Kerry says “We need a regime change not just in Iraq. We need a regime change here in the United States.” [2] Republicans criticize Kerry for speaking out against a wartime president. [3]
  • April 17 - Democratic fundraising totals for the first quarter of 2003 are reported. John Edwards raises $7.4 million, John Kerry raises $7.0 million, Dick Gephardt raises $3.5 million, Joe Lieberman raises $3.0 million, Howard Dean raises $2.6 million, Bob Graham raises $1.1 million, and Dennis Kucinich and Carol Moseley Braun raise less than $1 million each.
  • 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 end of major combat in the Iraq war. Clearly visible in the background was a banner stating "Mission Accomplished". Bush's landing was criticized by opponents as overly theatrical and expensive. The banner, made by White House personnel (according to a CNN story: [4]) and placed there by the U.S. Navy, was criticized as premature. Nonetheless, Bush's approval rating in the month of May rides at 66%, according to a CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll. [5]
  • May 3 - Democrats meet at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina in the first formal debate between the nine challengers for the 2004 Democratic party presidential nomination. The candidates disagree on the war against Iraq, health insurance, and even President Bush's tax cuts, but unite in criticizing Bush's handling of the economy.
  • May 6 - Gary Hart, former Senator from Colorado, announces he will not seek the Democratic nomination for President in 2004.
  • May 7 - Vice President Dick Cheney announces he will be President Bush's running mate again in 2004. Cheney's position on the ticket had been the subject of some speculation because he has had four heart attacks, though none as Vice President. Bush had still not formally announced he would seek re-election yet.
  • May 16 - President Bush formally files papers with the Federal Election Commission seeking a second term as President.
  • June 17 - Howard Dean airs the first television advertising of the 2004 campaign. The two week ad campaign will cost more than $300,000.
  • June 23 - Howard Dean formally announces that he is running for President, filing to form a presidential election campaign with the FEC.
  • June 23 - U.S. Supreme Court upholds affirmative action in university admissions in Grutter v. Bollinger
  • June 24 - Liberal advocacy website MoveOn holds the first ever online Democratic "primary," which lasts just over 48 hours. It is an unofficial and non-binding affair, but with important symbolic and financial value. Of 317,647 votes, Howard Dean receives 44%, Dennis Kucinich 24%, and John Kerry 16%. Had any candidate received 50% of the vote, the candidate would have received MoveOn's endorsement and financial support. Instead, MoveOn supports all the candidates. [6]
  • June 26 - U.S. Supreme Court rules sodomy laws unconstitutional in Lawrence v. Texas
  • July 3 - Democratic fundraising numbers for the second quarter of 2003 are reported and announced. Howard Dean surprises many raising $7.5 million, John Kerry raises $6 million, while John Edwards and Joseph Lieberman raise roughly $5 million each.
  • July 14 - Edie Bukewihge, Republican, formally filed papers with the Federal Election Commission seeking a first term as President.
  • July 18 - David Cobb announces his candidacy for the Green Party nomination in Washington, D.C. As part of a "genuine effort to reach progressives across party lines", he announces that his strategy includes a "Strategic States Plan", concentrating efforts where Electoral College votes are not "in play". Some Greens decry the lack of an "all-out" strategy from Cobb and the loss of ballot status that would ensue.
  • August 11 - Delaware Senator Joseph Biden announces he will not seek the Democratic nomination, saying his campaign would be "a long shot" and that he could wield the most influence in the Senate.
  • September 16 - John Edwards officially announces his candidacy on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
  • September 17 - retired General Wesley Clark announces his candidacy, bringing the number of Democratic presidential candidates currently in the running to the maximum of ten. This lasts until October 6th.
  • September 20 - Occupation of Iraq: Two American soldiers are killed and 13 wounded in a mortar attack in Abu Ghraib, and another soldier dies in a roadside attack in Ramadi, bringing the number of U.S. deaths since the war began to 304, of which 165 occurred after President Bush's "mission accomplished" statement of May 1. [7] A member of the Governing Council, Dr. Aquila al-Hashimi, is shot in an assassination attempt (she dies five days later). United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan strongly condemns the attack and warns that it only undermines the country's political progress. [8] George Bush's approval rating slides down to 50% according to a CNN.com poll, the lowest number since taking office [9]
  • September 25 - Natural Law Party endorses Dennis Kucinich for President.
  • October 6 - Bob Graham announces on Larry King Live that he is ending his presidential campaign.
  • October 22 - Ralph Nader removes his name from the California Green Party presidential primary ballot.
  • October 28 - In a press conference President Bush says the following about the May 1 "Mission Accomplished" banner on the USS Lincoln: "The 'Mission Accomplished' sign, of course, was put up by the members of the USS Abraham Lincoln, saying that their mission was accomplished. I know it was attributed somehow to some ingenious advance man from my staff they weren't that ingenious, by the way."
  • October 28 - In an interview President Bush said the following after massive attacks on US and Iraq police forces in Iraq: "The more successful we are on the ground, the more these killers will react," Bush said as he sat in the Oval Office with L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. administrator in Iraq. He added: "The more progress we make on the ground, the more free the Iraqis become, the more electricity is available, the more jobs are available, the more kids that are going to school, the more desperate these killers become, because they can't stand the thought of a free society."
  • November 1 - In an interview with the Des Moines Register, Howard Dean is quoted as saying "I still want to be the candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks. We can't beat George Bush unless we appeal to a broad cross-section of Democrats." [10] This comment stirs strong controversy among Democratic contenders.
  • November 18 - George W. Bush makes a state visit to London in the midst of massive protests against him.
  • December 9 - Former Vice President Al Gore endorses Howard Dean.
  • December 13 - Saddam Hussein, former President of Iraq captured in Tikrit by the US Fourth Infantry Division. George W. Bush's approval rating spikes to 63% as a result, with 34% disapproving, according to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll. [11]
  • December 23 - Ben Manski, co-chairman of the Green Party, announces that Ralph Nader will not run as a Green, but may run as an independent.
• 2004
  • January 7 - George W. Bush's campaign manager Ken Mehlman announces that the President's re-election campaign raised $130.8 million from 494,000 individual donors during 2003. 415,000 of the 494,000 Bush donors contributed less than $200 each. Reportedly, the goal is to raise between $150 million and $170 million by the mid-summer conventions.
  • January 13 - The non-binding Washington, DC Democratic primary is held with four major candidates on the ballot. Howard Dean received 43% of the vote, while Al Sharpton had 34%. Carol Moseley Braun was in third place with 12% followed by Dennis Kucinich who had eight percent. The primary, however, was binding upon the Green Party, making it the Greens' first primary of the season. David Cobb received 37 percent of the vote, Sheila Bilyeu received 19 percent, 13 percent preferred the party not run a candidate, and the remaining 31 percent was distributed among write-in candidates.
  • January 15 - Saying she was proud of "breaking new ground" in her Presidential bid, Carol Moseley Braun drops out of the race and endorses Howard Dean.
  • January 19 - Iowa caucus results: The Iowa cacuses yield unexpectedly strong results for Democratic candidates John Kerry, who earns 38% of the state's delegates and John Edwards, who takes 32%. Former front-runner Howard Dean slips to 18% and third-place, and Richard Gephardt finishes fourth (11%). Dennis Kucinich and Al Sharpton received minimal support; Joe Lieberman and Wesley Clark had opted not to participate in the Iowa caucuses.
  • January 20 - Following his disappointing showing in Iowa, Dick Gephardt drops out of the Presidential race to return to private life following the expiration of his Congressional term in 2005.
  • January 27 - John Kerry wins the New Hampshire primary with 38.4% of the vote. Howard Dean finishes second with 26.4%, Wesley Clark third with 12.4%, John Edwards fourth with 12.0%, and Joe Lieberman receives 8.6%.
  • January 29 - First Presidential debate for Green Party candidates, at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, between David Cobb, Kent Mesplay, and Lorna Salzman.
  • January 31 - David Cobb wins the Ohio Green primary, partially conducted online, with 39% of the vote. Peter Camejo comes in second with 21%, and Lorna Salzman places third, with 13.5%. Ralph Nader, Paul Glover, Kent Mesplay, and Dennis Kucinich place fourth through seventh respectively, with single-digit percentages.
  • February 3 - Mini-Tuesday
    • John Kerry wins the Missouri, Arizona, and Delaware primaries and New Mexico and North Dakota caucuses. John Edwards takes South Carolina. Wesley Clark wins Oklahoma with several hundred more votes than Edwards.
    • After failing to win any primary or caucus to date, Joe Lieberman drops out of the Presidential race to return to the United States Senate.
  • February 7 - John Kerry wins the Michigan and Washington caucuses. This earns him over 130 delegates. Howard Dean places second in both caucuses, gaining just over 50 delegates.
  • February 8 - John Kerry wins the Maine caucuses. Howard Dean places second, while Dennis Kucinich has his strongest showing yet with 16% of the vote.
  • February 10 - John Kerry wins the Tennessee and Virginia primaries with 41% and 52% of the vote respectively. John Edwards places second with 27% of the vote in Virginia and 26% in Tennessee. All other candidates perform very poorly, save Wesley Clark, who places third in both states gaining 23% of the vote in Tennessee, but only 9% in Virginia. Clark withdraws from the race.
  • February 12 - Wesley Clark endorses John Kerry.
  • February 14 - John Kerry wins caucuses in Washington, D.C. with 47% and Nevada with 63% of the vote. Howard Dean attracts nearly twice as many voters in each race as John Edwards taking second place in Nevada (17% vs 10%) and third in Washington, D.C. (18% vs 10%) close behind Al Sharpton with 20%. 6,000 Democrats show up at the caucus in Las Vegas, Nevada, far more than the expected 1,000, forcing the caucus to be held outside on the high school's football field.
  • February 14 - Dr. Jonathan Farley announces his candidacy for the Green Party nomination for President.
  • February 17 - John Kerry wins the Wisconsin primary with 40% of the vote. John Edwards places second with 34% and Howard Dean a distant third with 18%. Other candidates receive 3% or less.
  • February 18 - Howard Dean ends campaign.
  • February 20 - John Kerry, Congressman Bernie Sanders (I-VT), DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe, Democratic Party strategist Dane Strother, and The Nation periodical urge Ralph Nader not to run for president, believing he is to blame for Al Gore's defeat in the 2000 election.
  • February 22 - Former Green Party candidate Ralph Nader announces on NBC's Meet the Press his decision to run for president as an independent, saying, "there's too much power and wealth in too few hands."
  • February 24 - John Kerry decisively wins 31 delegates in Utah, Hawaii, and Idaho. John Edwards wins a total of 9 delegates for second place in Utah and Idaho while Dennis Kucinich wins 8 delegates for second place in Hawaii.
  • March 2 - John Kerry wins decisive victories in the California, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, and Rhode Island primaries and the Minnesota caucuses. Howard Dean wins the primary in his home state of Vermont. John Edwards announces his intention to leave the race the following day; President Bush calls Senator Kerry to congratulate him. Coverage of Edwards' pending withdrawal hits the airwaves just as the Minnesota caucuses open (7PM CST) and three hours before the California primaries close.
  • March 3 - John Edwards announced his exit from the race and endorsed Kerry.
  • March 5 - The Independence Party of Minnesota tabulates results of an instant-runoff straw poll and finds John Edwards to be the winner.
  • March 9 - President Bush wins the number of delegates needed to be nominated at the Republican National Convention in August. Senator Kerry wins all four primaries, increasing his delegate total to 1,937 - 225 short of the 2,162 needed to clinch the nomination.
  • March 11 - After meetings with superdelegates in Washington and with former opponents Howard Dean and John Edwards, John Kerry accumulated the 2,162 delegates required for nomination at the Democratic National Convention.

Important future dates

• 2004
  • March 16 - Illinois primary.
  • April 17 - North Carolina caucuses.
  • April 27 - Pennsylvania primary.
  • May 4 - Indiana primary.
  • May 11 - Nebraska and West Virginia primaries.
  • May 18 - Arkansas, Kentucky, and Oregon primaries.
  • May 25 - Idaho primary.
  • May 28-May 31 - Libertarian National Convention in Atlanta, Georgia.
  • June 1 - Alabama, New Mexico, and South Dakota primaries.
  • June 8 - Montana and New Jersey primaries.
  • June 23-June 27 - Constitution Party National Convention in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
  • June 23-June 28 - Green Party National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
  • July 26-July 29 - Democratic National Convention in Boston, Massachusetts.
  • July 30-August 1 - Reform Party National Convention in Columbus, Ohio.
  • August 30-September 2 - Republican National Convention in New York City, New York.
  • September 30 - First Presidential debate.
  • October 5 - Vice Presidential debate.
  • October 8 - Second Presidential debate.
  • October 13 - Third Presidential debate.
  • November 2 - General election.
  • December 13 - U.S. Electoral College meets to elect the President.
• 2005
  • January 6 - Electoral votes officially tallied before both Houses of Congress.
  • January 20 - Inauguration Day

External primary calendars

• Democratic National Committee
• Federal Voting Assistance Program - excludes caucuses.

Electoral College changes from 2000

With the completion of the 2000 census, Congressional re-apportionment took place, moving some representative districts from the slowest growing states to the fastest growing. As a result, some states will send a different number of electors to the U.S. Electoral College, since the number of electors allotted to a state is equal to the sum of the number of Senators and Representatives from that state. Since the results were so close in 2000, this could potentially impact the outcome of the 2004 election.

The following table shows the change in electors from the 2000 election. Red states represent those that Bush won in 2000 and blue states Gore won. All the states listed use a winner-take-all allocation of electors. The net change is a 14 electoral vote advantage for the Red states.

Arizona (+2) California (+1) Colorado (+1) Connecticut (-1) Florida (+2) Georgia (+2) Illinois (-1) Indiana (-1) Michigan (-1)

Mississippi (-1) Nevada (+1) New York (-2) North Carolina (+1) Ohio (-1) Oklahoma (-1) Pennsylvania (-2) Texas (+2) Wisconsin (-1)

External links and references

• Internet Archive's Election 2004 archive has lots of freely downloadable movies

Election 2004 link directories

• Better World Links on the U.S. Presidential Election 2004 with 1500+ Links
• E-Democracy.US Election 2004 Links

Election 2004 global debate and voting

• The world votes

Election news wires

• Associated Press news wire
• Washington Post Election 2004 coverage

News articles

• Green Party considers 2004 strategy - MSNBC, July 2003

Election campaign funding

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

Table

Presidential Candidate	Electoral Vote	Popular Vote	Pct	Party	Running Mate (Electoral Votes)
&nbsp
Other elections: 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016
Source: U.S. Office of the Federal Register