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United States presidential election in Texas, 2004

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34
  
0

61.09%
  
38.22%

4,526,917
  
2,832,704

Start date
  
November 2, 2004

United States presidential election in Texas, 2004 httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

Bush—50-60%   Bush—60-70%   Bush—70-80%   Bush—80-90%   Bush—>90%
  
Kerry—50-60%   Kerry—60-70%   Kerry—70-80%

The 2004 United States presidential election in Texas took place on November 2, 2004 throughout all 50 states and D.C., which was part of the 2004 United States presidential election. Voters chose 34 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for President and Vice President.

Contents

Texas was won by incumbent President George W. Bush by a 22.9% margin of victory. Prior to the election, all 12 news organizations considered Texas as a safe red state for President Bush. The Lone Star State is a Republican stronghold and the home state of incumbent President George W. Bush. Texas has not voted for a Democratic candidate in a U.S. presidential election since Jimmy Carter's victory in 1976.

Primaries

  • Texas Democratic primary, 2004

    • 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 with at least 55% of the vote and a double digit margin of victory. The final 3 polls averaged Bush leading 59% to 37%.

    Fundraising

    Bush raised $23,776,943. Kerry raised $5,554,831.

    Advertising and visits

    Neither campaign advertised or visited this state during the fall election.

    Analysis

    Texas, located in the South, has become a consistently Republican state at all levels. Economically and racially diverse, Texas includes a huge swath of the Bible Belt where many voters, especially those in rural Texas, identify as born-again or evangelical Christians and therefore tend to vote Republican due to the party's opposition to abortion and gay rights. Although once part of the Solid South, the last time Texas voted for a Democratic presidential nominee was Jimmy Carter in 1976. George Bush achieved his party's best result in Texas since Ronald Reagan's second landslide in 1984.

    President Bush carried 236 of the state's 254 counties, improving on his performance from 2000. East Texas, historically the most Democratic region in the state, also swung more towards the Republican Party. South Texas, while still losing the region heavily to Senator Kerry, swung towards Bush as well. The only regions to swung heavily in Kerry's favor were parts of Metro Houston, the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex, and the Austin area. Out of the three regions, only Travis County in the Austin area flipped back into the Democratic column due to the city's strong liberal leanings and opposition to the Iraq War. Although Bush carried Dallas County by a narrow margin of 50% to Kerry's 49%, the city of Dallas proper voted heavily for Kerry, winning 57% of the vote.

    By congressional district

    Bush won 25 of 32 congressional districts.

    Electors

    Technically the voters of Texas cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. Texas is allocated 34 electors because it has 32 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 34 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 34 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 34 were pledged to Bush/Cheney:

    1. Royce Hayes
    2. Tom Cotter
    3. Jay Pierce
    4. Marjorie Chandler
    5. Lance Lenz
    6. Barbara Grusendorf
    7. Bill Borden
    8. Jim Wiggins
    9. Anna Rice
    10. Jan Galbraith
    11. Sue Brannon
    12. Cheryl Surber
    13. Mike Ussery
    14. Sid Young
    15. Frank Morris
    16. Roger O'Dell
    17. Christopher DeCluitt
    18. Martha Greenlaw
    19. Marcus Anderson
    20. Mike Provost
    21. Bennie Bock
    22. Kathy Haigler
    23. Kim Hesley
    24. Peter Wrench
    25. Morris Woods
    26. Rhealyn Samuelson
    27. Nancy Stevens
    28. Loyce McCarter
    29. Larry Bowles
    30. Dan Mosher
    31. Glenn Warren
    32. Kristina Kiik
    33. Susan Weddington
    34. Charles Burchett

    References

    United States presidential election in Texas, 2004 Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA