2004 United States presidential election in Georgia
The 2004 United States presidential election in Georgia took place on November 2, 2004. Voters chose 15 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president. Georgia was won by incumbent President George W. Bush by a 16.60% margin of victory. Prior to the election, all 12 news organizations considered this a state Bush would win, or otherwise considered as a safe red state. Bush performed almost five points better than he did in 2000. He also won a wide majority of the counties and congressional districts. The results of the state were similar to other states in the Deep South, such as Alabama and Louisiana. Like those states, the exit polling showed racial polarization as Bush dominated among white voters, which make up almost 70% of the vote, and Kerry dominated among African American voters, which made up 30% of the state's population. Software engineer and talk show hostMichael Badnarik would finish third in the popular vote in Georgia, getting 0.56% of the vote, which is one of his best statewide performances in the nation. George W. Bush is the first Republican to win Georgia twice.
Primaries
2004 Georgia Democratic primary
Campaign
Predictions
There were 12 news organizations who made state-by-state predictions of the election. Here are their last predictions before election day.
D.C. Political Report: solid Republican
Associated Press: solid Bush
CNN: Bush
Cook Political Report: solid Republican
Newsweek: solid Bush
New York Times: solid Bush
Rasmussen Reports: Bush
Research 2000: solid Bush
Washington Post: Bush
Washington Times: solid Bush
Zogby International: Bush
Washington Dispatch: Bush
Polling
Bush won every single pre-election poll, and won each by a double-digit margin of victory and with over 50% of the vote. The final 3 poll averaged Bush leading 56% to 41%.
Fundraising
Bush raised $6,656,076. Kerry raised $2,282,977.
Advertising and visits
Neither campaign advertised or visited this state during the fall election.
Analysis
Like most of the rest of the southern states during the 2004 election, the political demographics of Georgia was based more around the racial majority in each county, with whites voting more Republican and blacks voting more Democratic. Democratic dominance in the state occurred in mostly black majority counties in the region as well the urban center of the city ofAtlanta along with its core southern suburbs. Athens-Clarke County, home of the University of Georgia, also supported Kerry's bid, largely as a consequence of being a college town with traditionally left-leaning political views. Since just about every other part of Georgia had a majority white population, Republican dominance occurred in just about every other part of the state including suburban Atlanta where a significant portion of the state’s population resides. Suburban Atlanta also includes northern Fulton County which despite being part of heavily urban, and majority black central Fulton county, is predominately white, suburban, and perhaps the most affluent area in the state of Georgia. This area also voted heavily in favor of Republican presidential incumbent George W. Bush. In other down ballot races, Republicans gained Georgia's Class III U.S. Senate seat which was then held by Zell Miller with Johnny Isakson's victory in the open seat race to succeed him and also gained control of the Georgia House of Representatives, and thus control of both houses of the Georgia General Assembly, for the first time since Reconstruction. However, despite these achievements, Democrats gained one of Georgia's U.S. House seats with John Barrow's victory over incumbent Representative Max Burns. , this is the last election in which Douglas County, Rockdale County, Newton County, Baldwin County, Sumter County, Burke County, and Washington County voted Republican and the last in which Webster County voted Democratic. As of February 1st, 2019 this is the last election in which a Republican won Georgia by a double digit margin.
Results
Results breakdown
By county
By congressional district
Bush won 9 of 13 congressional districts.
District
Bush
Kerry
Representative
68%
32%
Jack Kingston
54%
46%
Sanford Bishop
56%
44%
Jim Marshall
27%
72%
Denise Majette
27%
72%
Cynthia McKinney
27%
73%
John Lewis
70%
29%
Johnny Isakson
70%
29%
Tom Price
73%
26%
John Linder
72%
27%
Lynn Westmoreland
72%
27%
Charlie Norwood
76%
23%
Nathan Deal
55%
45%
Phil Gingrey
47%
53%
Max Burns
47%
53%
John Barrow
36%
64%
David Scott
Electors
Technically the voters of Georgia cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. Georgia is allocated 15 electors because it has 13 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 15 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 15 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.
