2004 United States presidential election in Colorado


The 2004 United States presidential election in Colorado took place on November 2, 2004, and was part of the 2004 United States presidential election. Voters chose nine representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
Colorado was won by incumbent President George W. Bush by a 4.67% margin of victory. Prior to the election, ten of twelve news organizations considered this a state Bush would win, or otherwise considered as a red state, although both campaigns targeted it as the Democratic candidate, John Kerry, was born in Colorado. On election day, Bush did carry Colorado, but by only about half the 9% margin he won over Al Gore in 2000. Additionally, Colorado voters decided not to pass a referendum that would have split their electoral vote for this and future presidential elections.
, this is the last time the Republican nominee carried Colorado in a presidential election, as well as Arapahoe County, Jefferson County, Larimer County, Alamosa County, and Ouray County. This is also the only presidential election that Broomfield County, created in 2001, has voted Republican. It was also the first time any candidate received a million votes in the state.

Primaries

Predictions

There were 12 news organizations who made state-by-state predictions of the election. Here are their last predictions before election day.
  1. D.C. Political Report: Slight Republican
  2. Associated Press: Leans Bush
  3. CNN: Bush
  4. Cook Political Report: Leans Republican
  5. Newsweek: Leans Bush
  6. New York Times: Leans Bush
  7. Rasmussen Reports: Bush
  8. Research 2000: Leans Bush
  9. Washington Post: Battleground
  10. Washington Times: Leans Bush
  11. Zogby International: Kerry
  12. Washington Dispatch: Bush

    Polling

Although considered a battleground state, Bush won every single pre-election poll. The final three polls averaged Bush leading with 51% to 44%.

Fundraising

Bush raised $2,598,226. Kerry raised $3,229,631.

Advertising and visits

In the fall election campaign, the Republican ticket visited Colorado 5 times. The Democratic ticket visited 7 times. Bush and Kerry also heavily advertised each week. Bush spent just over $400,000 each week. Kerry spent over $500,000 each week.

Analysis

The key to Bush's victory in the state was winning the largely populated counties such as Jefferson County, Douglas County, El Paso County, and Arapahoe County. Although nationally Bush did better, his margin in Colorado was smaller than in 2000 and this was the first occasion San Juan County voted Democratic since Lyndon B. Johnson’s 1964 landslide. Nonetheless, Huerfano County voted for a Republican presidential candidate for the first time since Richard Nixon’s 2,900-plus-county landslide in 1972, with Bush’s win there reflecting his strong appeal amongst Hispanic voters as seen in New Mexico and Bush’s native Texas.

Results

Results by county

Results by congressional district

won four of seven congressional districts including one held by a Democratic representative.
DistrictBushKerryRepresentative
31%68%Diana DeGette
41%58%Mark Udall
55%44%Scott McInnis
55%44%John Salazar
58%41%Marilyn Musgrave
66%33%Joel Hefley
60%39%Tom Tancredo
48%51%Bob Beauprez

Electors

Technically the voters of Colorado cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. Colorado is allocated 9 electors because it has seven congressional districts and two senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of nine electors, who pledge to vote for their candidate and his or her running mate. Whoever wins the majority of votes in the state is awarded all nine electoral votes. Their chosen electors then vote for president and vice president. Although electors are pledged to their candidate and running mate, they are not obligated to vote for them. An elector who votes for someone other than his or her candidate is known as a faithless elector.
The electors of each state and the District of Columbia met on December 13, 2004, to cast their votes for president and vice president. The Electoral College itself never meets as one body. Instead the electors from each state and the District of Columbia met in their respective capitols.
The following were the members of the Electoral College from the state. All were pledged to and voted for George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.
  1. Theodore S. Halaby
  2. Robert A. Martinez
  3. Lilly Y. Nunez
  4. Cynthia H. Murphy
  5. Sylvia Morgan-Smith
  6. Diane B. Gallagher
  7. Vicki A. Edwards
  8. Frances W. Owens
  9. Booker T. Graves

    Failed election reform

There was a Constitutional amendment put on the ballot in the state to alter the way the state's electors would be distributed among presidential candidates, but was rejected by the voters in 2004.