Main article: 2004 United States presidential election
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The 2004 United States presidential election in South Carolina took place on November 2, 2004, as part of the 2004 United States presidential election which took place throughout all 50 states and D.C. Voters chose eight representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
South Carolina was won by incumbent President George W. Bush by a 17.08% margin of victory. Prior to the election, all 12 news organizations considered this a state Bush would win, or otherwise a red state. No Democrat had won this state since 1976. On election day, Bush won a majority of the counties and congressional districts in the state. The results were very similar to the state's results in 2000, and very similar to the results in neighboring Georgia this election, although Democratic Senator John Edwards of the bordering state of North Carolina was chosen as the vice presidential nominee. Bush won Greenville County, the largest county in the state, by a margin of 33.23%.
Democratic primary
South Carolina's was the first primary in a Southern state and the first primary in a state in which African Americans make up a sizable percentage of the electorate.
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45 pledged delegates to the 2004 Democratic National Convention | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Election results by county. Red denotes counties won by Edwards, and Blue denotes those won by Kerry. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Democratic primary was held on February 3, with 45 delegates at stake. It was held on the same day as six other primaries and caucuses.
South Carolina's 45 delegates to the 2004 Democratic National Convention were awarded proportionally based on the results of the primary. The state also sent ten superdelegates.
As of the 2024 presidential election, this is the last time, in a non-incumbent Democratic primary, that the winner of South Carolina did not win the nomination.
Candidates
- General Wesley Clark of Arkansas
- Former Governor Howard Dean of Vermont
- Senator John Edwards of North Carolina
- Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts
- Representative Dennis Kucinich of Ohio
- Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, 2000 Democratic Party vice-presidential candidate
- Reverend Al Sharpton of New York
Withdrawn
- Representative Dick Gephardt of Missouri, former House Minority Leader
- Former Senator and Ambassador Carol Moseley-Braun of Illinois
Results
| Key: | Withdrew prior to contest |
| South Carolina Democratic presidential primary, 2004 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | National delegates |
| John Edwards | 131,174 | 44.86% | 28 |
| John Kerry | 88,508 | 30.27% | 17 |
| Al Sharpton | 28,201 | 9.65% | 0 |
| Wesley Clark | 21,011 | 7.19% | 0 |
| Howard Dean | 13,815 | 4.72% | 0 |
| Joe Lieberman | 7,147 | 2.44% | 0 |
| Dennis Kucinich | 1,319 | 0.45% | 0 |
| Dick Gephardt | 631 | 0.22% | 0 |
| Carol Moseley-Braun | 577 | 0.20% | 0 |
| Totals | 292,383 | 100.00% | 45 |
Campaign
Predictions
There were 12 news organizations who made state-by-state predictions of the election. Here are their last predictions before election day.
| Source | Ranking |
|---|---|
| D.C. Political Report | Solid R |
| Cook Political Report | Solid R |
| Research 2000 | Solid R |
| Zogby International | Likely R |
| Washington Post | Likely R |
| Washington Dispatch | Likely R |
| Washington Times | Solid R |
| The New York Times | Solid R |
| CNN | Likely R |
| Newsweek | Solid R |
| Associated Press | Solid R |
| Rasmussen Reports | Likely R |
Polling
Bush won every pre-election poll, each with a double-digit margin (except for one) and with at least 49% of the vote. The final 3 poll average showed Bush leading 55% to 41%.
Fundraising
Bush raised $3,113,641. Kerry raised $533,966.
Advertising and visits
Neither campaign advertised or visited this state during the fall election.
Analysis
South Carolina, historically part of the Solid South, has become a Republican stronghold in the past few presidential elections. Since Barry Goldwater carried the state in 1964, the only Democratic presidential nominee to win it was Jimmy Carter of neighboring Georgia in 1976. Since then, South Carolina has been a safe bet for the Republicans. As of the 2024 presidential election, this is the last election in which Charleston County voted for a Republican presidential candidate.
Results
| 2004 United States presidential election in South Carolina | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes | |
| Republican | George W. Bush (incumbent) | 937,974 | 57.98% | 8 | |
| Democratic | John Kerry | 661,699 | 40.90% | 0 | |
| Independent | Ralph Nader | 5,520 | 0.34% | 0 | |
| Constitution | Michael Peroutka | 5,317 | 0.33% | 0 | |
| Libertarian | Michael Badnarik | 3,608 | 0.22% | 0 | |
| United Citizens | Walt Brown | 2,124 | 0.13% | 0 | |
| Green | David Cobb | 1,488 | 0.09% | 0 | |
| Totals | 1,617,730 | 100.00% | 8 | ||
| Voter turnout (Voting age population) | 51.8% | ||||
Results by county
| County | George W. Bush Republican |
John Kerry Democratic |
Ralph Nader Independent |
Michael Peroutka Constitution |
Michael Badnarik Libertarian |
Walt Brown United Citizens |
David Cobb Green |
Margin | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Abbeville | 5,436 | 54.77% | 4,389 | 44.22% | 28 | 0.28% | 38 | 0.38% | 13 | 0.13% | 15 | 0.15% | 6 | 0.06% | 1,047 | 10.55% | 9,925 |
| Aiken | 39,077 | 65.68% | 19,799 | 33.28% | 198 | 0.33% | 145 | 0.24% | 153 | 0.26% | 74 | 0.12% | 46 | 0.08% | 19,278 | 32.40% | 59,492 |
| Allendale | 985 | 27.43% | 2,565 | 71.43% | 6 | 0.17% | 7 | 0.19% | 11 | 0.31% | 13 | 0.36% | 4 | 0.11% | -1,580 | -44.00% | 3,591 |
| Anderson | 43,355 | 66.99% | 20,697 | 31.98% | 224 | 0.35% | 152 | 0.23% | 160 | 0.25% | 75 | 0.12% | 59 | 0.09% | 22,658 | 35.01% | 64,722 |
| Bamberg | 2,138 | 35.42% | 3,841 | 63.63% | 5 | 0.08% | 33 | 0.55% | 5 | 0.08% | 11 | 0.18% | 3 | 0.05% | -1,703 | -28.21% | 6,036 |
| Barnwell | 4,606 | 53.03% | 3,982 | 45.85% | 18 | 0.21% | 51 | 0.59% | 12 | 0.14% | 9 | 0.10% | 7 | 0.08% | 624 | 7.18% | 8,685 |
| Beaufort | 33,331 | 60.34% | 21,505 | 38.93% | 217 | 0.39% | 44 | 0.08% | 87 | 0.16% | 25 | 0.05% | 26 | 0.05% | 11,826 | 21.41% | 55,235 |
| Berkeley | 32,104 | 60.65% | 20,142 | 38.05% | 151 | 0.29% | 343 | 0.65% | 95 | 0.18% | 71 | 0.13% | 31 | 0.06% | 11,962 | 22.60% | 52,937 |
| Calhoun | 3,448 | 49.83% | 3,393 | 49.04% | 25 | 0.36% | 15 | 0.22% | 14 | 0.20% | 16 | 0.23% | 8 | 0.12% | 55 | 0.79% | 6,919 |
| Charleston | 70,297 | 51.57% | 63,758 | 46.77% | 588 | 0.43% | 957 | 0.70% | 407 | 0.30% | 179 | 0.13% | 130 | 0.10% | 6,539 | 4.80% | 136,316 |
| Cherokee | 12,090 | 64.60% | 6,466 | 34.55% | 62 | 0.33% | 29 | 0.15% | 30 | 0.16% | 21 | 0.11% | 16 | 0.09% | 5,624 | 30.05% | 18,714 |
| Chester | 5,798 | 49.43% | 5,790 | 49.36% | 46 | 0.39% | 30 | 0.26% | 26 | 0.22% | 32 | 0.27% | 7 | 0.06% | 8 | 0.07% | 11,729 |
| Chesterfield | 7,252 | 51.62% | 6,729 | 47.90% | 29 | 0.21% | 12 | 0.09% | 14 | 0.10% | 6 | 0.04% | 7 | 0.05% | 523 | 3.72% | 14,049 |
| Clarendon | 6,061 | 45.92% | 7,087 | 53.69% | 21 | 0.16% | 12 | 0.09% | 9 | 0.07% | 8 | 0.06% | 2 | 0.02% | -1,026 | -7.77% | 13,200 |
| Colleton | 7,264 | 51.50% | 6,699 | 47.49% | 56 | 0.40% | 34 | 0.24% | 24 | 0.17% | 20 | 0.14% | 9 | 0.06% | 565 | 4.01% | 14,106 |
| Darlington | 13,416 | 52.71% | 11,829 | 46.47% | 52 | 0.20% | 62 | 0.24% | 47 | 0.18% | 28 | 0.11% | 20 | 0.08% | 1,587 | 6.24% | 25,454 |
| Dillon | 4,301 | 46.57% | 4,832 | 52.32% | 22 | 0.24% | 40 | 0.43% | 12 | 0.13% | 23 | 0.25% | 5 | 0.05% | -531 | -5.75% | 9,235 |
| Dorchester | 26,006 | 62.94% | 14,733 | 35.66% | 148 | 0.36% | 283 | 0.68% | 79 | 0.19% | 37 | 0.09% | 31 | 0.08% | 11,273 | 27.28% | 41,317 |
| Edgefield | 5,611 | 57.57% | 4,051 | 41.57% | 22 | 0.23% | 34 | 0.35% | 16 | 0.16% | 8 | 0.08% | 4 | 0.04% | 1,560 | 16.00% | 9,746 |
| Fairfield | 3,531 | 37.42% | 5,764 | 61.09% | 15 | 0.16% | 77 | 0.82% | 15 | 0.16% | 29 | 0.31% | 4 | 0.04% | -2,233 | -23.67% | 9,435 |
| Florence | 27,689 | 55.89% | 21,442 | 43.28% | 137 | 0.28% | 65 | 0.13% | 101 | 0.20% | 76 | 0.15% | 35 | 0.07% | 6,247 | 12.61% | 49,545 |
| Georgetown | 12,606 | 53.43% | 10,602 | 44.94% | 152 | 0.64% | 36 | 0.15% | 57 | 0.24% | 108 | 0.46% | 32 | 0.14% | 2,004 | 8.49% | 23,593 |
| Greenville | 111,481 | 66.03% | 55,347 | 32.78% | 655 | 0.39% | 566 | 0.34% | 438 | 0.26% | 169 | 0.10% | 177 | 0.10% | 56,134 | 33.25% | 168,833 |
| Greenwood | 14,264 | 60.85% | 8,954 | 38.20% | 77 | 0.33% | 51 | 0.22% | 46 | 0.20% | 33 | 0.14% | 17 | 0.07% | 5,310 | 22.65% | 23,442 |
| Hampton | 3,097 | 38.64% | 4,832 | 60.28% | 11 | 0.14% | 58 | 0.72% | 7 | 0.09% | 9 | 0.11% | 2 | 0.02% | -1,735 | -21.64% | 8,016 |
| Horry | 50,447 | 62.01% | 29,547 | 36.32% | 310 | 0.38% | 575 | 0.71% | 159 | 0.20% | 102 | 0.13% | 207 | 0.25% | 20,900 | 25.69% | 81,347 |
| Jasper | 2,933 | 42.84% | 3,840 | 56.09% | 28 | 0.41% | 8 | 0.12% | 19 | 0.28% | 11 | 0.16% | 7 | 0.10% | -907 | -13.25% | 6,846 |
| Kershaw | 14,160 | 61.79% | 8,515 | 37.16% | 76 | 0.33% | 48 | 0.21% | 61 | 0.27% | 37 | 0.16% | 18 | 0.08% | 5,645 | 24.63% | 22,915 |
| Lancaster | 12,916 | 62.05% | 7,631 | 36.66% | 104 | 0.50% | 52 | 0.25% | 64 | 0.31% | 13 | 0.06% | 34 | 0.16% | 5,285 | 25.39% | 20,814 |
| Laurens | 14,466 | 60.71% | 9,205 | 38.63% | 67 | 0.28% | 44 | 0.18% | 31 | 0.13% | 7 | 0.03% | 9 | 0.04% | 5,261 | 22.08% | 23,829 |
| Lee | 2,901 | 36.73% | 4,960 | 62.80% | 10 | 0.13% | 4 | 0.05% | 6 | 0.08% | 10 | 0.13% | 7 | 0.09% | -2,059 | -26.07% | 7,898 |
| Lexington | 67,132 | 71.85% | 25,393 | 27.18% | 295 | 0.32% | 171 | 0.18% | 255 | 0.27% | 120 | 0.13% | 66 | 0.07% | 41,739 | 44.67% | 93,432 |
| Marion | 5,589 | 41.38% | 7,767 | 57.50% | 29 | 0.21% | 80 | 0.59% | 11 | 0.08% | 24 | 0.18% | 7 | 0.05% | -2,178 | -16.12% | 13,507 |
| Marlboro | 3,423 | 39.99% | 4,984 | 58.22% | 30 | 0.35% | 73 | 0.85% | 14 | 0.16% | 29 | 0.34% | 7 | 0.08% | -1,561 | -18.23% | 8,560 |
| McCormick | 2,396 | 46.78% | 2,648 | 51.70% | 11 | 0.21% | 6 | 0.12% | 8 | 0.16% | 3 | 0.06% | 50 | 0.98% | -252 | -4.92% | 5,122 |
| Newberry | 7,654 | 61.68% | 4,483 | 36.13% | 78 | 0.63% | 42 | 0.34% | 29 | 0.23% | 84 | 0.68% | 39 | 0.31% | 3,171 | 25.55% | 12,409 |
| Oconee | 18,811 | 68.32% | 8,395 | 30.49% | 127 | 0.46% | 72 | 0.26% | 65 | 0.24% | 42 | 0.15% | 20 | 0.07% | 10,416 | 37.83% | 27,532 |
| Orangeburg | 12,695 | 33.80% | 24,698 | 65.75% | 65 | 0.17% | 53 | 0.14% | 29 | 0.08% | 14 | 0.04% | 10 | 0.03% | -12,003 | -31.95% | 37,564 |
| Pickens | 29,759 | 73.46% | 10,287 | 25.39% | 141 | 0.35% | 113 | 0.28% | 130 | 0.32% | 55 | 0.14% | 25 | 0.06% | 19,472 | 48.07% | 40,510 |
| Richland | 56,212 | 42.01% | 76,283 | 57.01% | 467 | 0.35% | 227 | 0.17% | 313 | 0.23% | 174 | 0.13% | 125 | 0.09% | -20,071 | -15.00% | 133,801 |
| Saluda | 4,537 | 59.87% | 3,001 | 39.60% | 24 | 0.32% | 5 | 0.07% | 6 | 0.08% | 1 | 0.01% | 4 | 0.05% | 1,536 | 20.27% | 7,578 |
| Spartanburg | 62,004 | 64.08% | 33,633 | 34.76% | 300 | 0.31% | 368 | 0.38% | 226 | 0.23% | 159 | 0.16% | 68 | 0.07% | 28,371 | 29.32% | 96,758 |
| Sumter | 18,074 | 48.84% | 18,695 | 50.52% | 74 | 0.20% | 41 | 0.11% | 64 | 0.17% | 32 | 0.09% | 23 | 0.06% | -621 | -1.68% | 37,003 |
| Union | 6,592 | 55.24% | 5,236 | 43.87% | 35 | 0.29% | 27 | 0.23% | 15 | 0.13% | 16 | 0.13% | 13 | 0.11% | 1,356 | 11.37% | 11,934 |
| Williamsburg | 4,795 | 34.45% | 9,044 | 64.98% | 25 | 0.18% | 13 | 0.09% | 19 | 0.14% | 15 | 0.11% | 7 | 0.05% | -4,249 | -30.53% | 13,918 |
| York | 45,234 | 64.45% | 24,226 | 34.52% | 259 | 0.37% | 121 | 0.17% | 206 | 0.29% | 81 | 0.12% | 54 | 0.08% | 21,008 | 29.93% | 70,181 |
| Totals | 937,974 | 57.98% | 661,699 | 40.90% | 5,520 | 0.34% | 5,317 | 0.33% | 3,608 | 0.22% | 2,124 | 0.13% | 1,488 | 0.09% | 276,275 | 17.08% | 1,617,730 |
| Democratic Hold Gain from Republican | Republican Hold Gain from Democratic |
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
Results by congressional district
Bush won five of six congressional districts including one district won by a Democrat.
| District | Bush | Kerry | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 61% | 39% | Henry E. Brown Jr. |
| 2nd | 60% | 39% | Joe Wilson |
| 3rd | 66% | 34% | Gresham Barrett |
| 4th | 65% | 34% | Jim DeMint |
| Bob Inglis | |||
| 5th | 57% | 42% | John Spratt |
| 6th | 39% | 61% | Jim Clyburn |
Electors
Main article: List of 2004 United States presidential electorsTechnically the voters of South Carolina cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. South Carolina is allocated 8 electors because it has 6 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 8 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 8 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 8 were pledged for Bush/Cheney.
- Katon Dawson
- Buddy Witherspoon
- Wayland Moody
- Thomas McLean
- Brenda Bedenbaugh
- Edwin Foulke
- Robert Reagan
- Drew McKissick
References
- ^ "2004 Presidential Democratic Primary Election Results — South Carolina". U.S. Election Atlas. Retrieved February 21, 2009.
- Members DC Political Report
- "2004 Presidential Election Polls. South Carolina Polls". US Election Atlas.
- "George W Bush — $374,659,453 raised, '04 election cycle, Republican Party, President".
- "John F Kerry — $345,826,176 raised, '04 election cycle, Democrat Party, President".
- "America votes 2004: SHOWDOWN STATES: OHIO". CNN. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
- "America votes 2004: Campaign ad buys". CNN. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
- "Official General Election Results for US president (2004)" (PDF). p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 13, 2009. Retrieved July 17, 2009.
- "SC US President Race, November 02, 2004". Our Campaigns.
| Elections in South Carolina | |
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| State Senate | |
| State House | |
| Governor | |
| U.S. President | |
| U.S. Senate |
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| U.S. House |
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| See also: Political party strength in South Carolina | |
| State and district results of the 2004 United States presidential election | ||
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