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Republican Ticket
Presidential candidate: GEORGE W. BUSH, President
VP candidate: DICK CHENEY, Vice President
Popular votes: 62,040,287 (51.2%)
Electoral votes: 286
Democratic Ticket
Presidential candidate: John Kerry, Massachusetts Senator
VP candidate: John Edwards, North Carolina Senator
Popular votes: 59,027,612 (48.8%)
Electoral votes: 251
2004 US Electoral Map: How each state voted. Election Results. Wisconsin's Choice: Kerry.

Election Facts

  • The war on terrorism that followed the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States took center stage in this election.
  • Bush presented himself as a decisive leader and described Kerry as a "flip-flopper."
  • Bush supporters valued national security and moral values.
  • Kerry appealed to opponents of the war in Iraq and those concerned with jobs, health care, and other domestic issues.
  • The electoral victory again was decided by one state - this time, Ohio.
George W. Bush greets a crowd during a campaign stop in La Crosse, May 7, 2004. Photo by David J. Marcou.
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George W. Bush campaigns in Richland Center, WI, October 26, 2004. Photo by Joseph W. Jackson III, courtesy of the "Wisconsin State Journal."
John Kerry greets supporters at a campaign rally in Madison, October 28, 2004. Photo by Steve Apps, courtesy of the "Wisconsin State Journal."
John Kerry and musician and political activist Bruce Springsteen at a campaign rally in Madison, October 28, 2004. Photo by Mike DeVries, courtesy of "The Capital Times."