United States presidential election in Georgia, 2004

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: Solid Republican
2. Associated Press: Solid Bush
3. CNN: Bush
4. Cook Political Report: Solid Republican
5. Newsweek: Solid Bush
6. New York Times: Solid Bush
7. Rasmussen Reports: Bush
8. Research 2000: Solid Bush
9. Washington Post: Bush
10. Washington Times: Solid Bush
11. Zogby International: Bush
12. 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 Black Belt region as well the urban center of the city of Atlanta (located mostly in central Fulton County) along with its core southern suburbs (Clayton and DeKalb County). 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 most of Georgia's population resides. Suburban Atlanta also includes northern Fulton county (the former Milton County area) 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 (D) with Johnny Isakson's (R) 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 (having already gained control of the Georgia State Senate in 2002), for the first time since reconstruction. However, despite these achievements, Democrats gained one of Georgia's U.S. House seats with John Barrow's (D) victory over incumbent Representative Max Burns (R).

Results

(*Tancredo was not the Republican Party's nominee in 2004)

By congressional district

Bush won 10 of 13 congressional districts.

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.

1. Anna R. Cablik
2. Fred Cooper
3. Nancy N. Coverdell
4. James C. Edenfield
5. Karen Handel
6. Donald F. Layfield
7. Carolyn Dodgen Meadows
8. Sunny K. Park
9. Alec Poitevint
10. Joan Ransom
11. Nardender G. Reddy
12. Jame Raynolds
13. Norma Mountain Rogers
14. Eric Tanenblatt
15. Virgil Williams