United States presidential election in Mississippi, 2004

United States presidential election in Mississippi, 2004
Mississippi
November 2, 2004
 
Nominee George W. Bush John Kerry
Party Republican Democratic
Home state Texas Massachusetts
Running mate Dick Cheney John Edwards
Electoral vote 6 0
Popular vote 684,981 458,094
Percentage 59.4% 39.8%

County Results
  Kerry—80-90%
  Kerry—70-80%
  Kerry—60-70%
  Kerry—50-60%
  Bush—50-60%
  Bush—60-70%
  Bush—70-80%
  Bush—80-90%
President before election

George W. Bush
Republican

 Elected President

George W. Bush
Republican

Elections in Mississippi

The 2004 United States presidential election in Mississippi 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 6 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for President and Vice President.

Mississippi was won by incumbent President George W. Bush by a 19.7% 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. Southern Democrat Jimmy Carter was the last Democrat to carry this state, in the 1976 election. U.S. President George W. Bush won here in 2004 carrying a majority of the counties and congressional districts.

Primaries

Campaign

Predictions

There were 12 news organizations who made state by state predictions of the election. Here are their last predictions before election day.[1]

  1. D.C. Political Report: Leans Republican
  2. Associated Press: Leans Bush
  3. CNN: Bush
  4. Cook Political Report: Lean 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 both pre-election polls, each with a double digit margin.[2]

Fundraising

Bush raised $866,580.[3] Kerry raised $599,665.[4]

Advertising and visits

Neither campaign spent or visited this state during the fall campaign.[5]

Analysis

The last Democratic presidential nominee to win Mississippi was Jimmy Carter in 1976. Due to its status as a safe red state, little campaigning took place in Mississippi by either of the two major party candidates.

Mississippi is one of the most racially polarized states when it comes to voting for president. African Americans uniformly vote Democratic while Caucasians vote Republican nearly as uniformly. In 2004, 14% of Caucasians voted for John Kerry and 10% of African Americans voted for Bush, according to exit polling. [6] The main support was in the Black Belt, the western delta counties next to the Mississippi River. George W. Bush won with a 19.69-point margin of victory over John Kerry in 2004.

Results

United States presidential election in Mississippi, 2004
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Republican Party George W. Bush 684,981 59.4% 6
Democratic Party John Kerry 458,094 39.8% 0
Reform Party Ralph Nader 3,177 0.3% 0
Libertarian Party Michael Badnarik 1,793 0.2% 0
Constitution Party Michael Peroutka 1,759 0.2% 0
Independent (politician) Roger Calero 1,272 0.1% 0
Green Party David Cobb 1,073 0.1% 0
Independent (politician) Write Ins 216 0.0% 0
Totals - 100.00% 6
Voter turnout (Voting Age population) 54.4%

Results breakdown

By county

Bush won most of the counties in the state.[7]

County Kerry # Kerry % Bush # Bush % Other # Other % Total #
Adams 7,844 54.56% 6,487 45.12% 45 0.31% 14,376
Alcorn 5,364 38.02% 8,605 60.99% 141 1.00% 14,110
Amite 2,973 41.77% 4,106 57.69% 38 0.53% 7,117
Attala 3,014 37.94% 4,882 61.45% 49 0.62% 7,945
Benton 2,234 52.83% 1,962 46.39% 33 0.78% 4,229
Bolivar 8,560 63.75% 4,722 35.17% 145 1.08% 13,427
Calhoun 2,211 34.92% 4,096 64.70% 24 0.38% 6,331
Carroll 1,897 34.01% 3,652 65.48% 28 0.50% 5,577
Chickasaw 3,991 48.75% 4,123 50.37% 72 0.88% 8,186
Choctaw 1,290 33.01% 2,598 66.48% 20 0.51% 3,908
Claiborne 4,338 81.53% 941 17.68% 42 0.79% 5,321
Clarke 2,377 31.96% 5,027 67.59% 34 0.46% 7,438
Clay 4,732 51.94% 4,333 47.56% 46 0.50% 9,111
Coahkoma 6,741 64.10% 3,643 34.64% 132 1.26% 10,516
Copiah 4,902 43.49% 6,316 56.03% 54 0.48% 11,272
Covington 3,135 38.26% 5,010 61.14% 49 0.60% 8,194
DeSoto 13,247 27.05% 35,437 72.35% 297 0.61% 48,981
Forrest 9,781 37.71% 15,966 61.56% 189 0.73% 25,936
Franklin 1,566 35.01% 2,883 64.45% 24 0.54% 4,473
George 1,715 21.57% 6,182 77.76% 53 0.67% 7,950
Greene 1,419 26.90% 3,827 72.55% 29 0.55% 5,275
Grendada 4,154 41.33% 5,844 58.15% 52 0.52% 10,050
Hancock 5,023 28.62% 12,332 70.27% 195 1.11% 17,550
Harrison 22,555 36.49% 38,781 62.74% 474 0.77% 61,810
Hinds 51,370 59.55% 34,269 39.73% 626 0.73% 86,265
Holmes 6,170 75.87% 1,925 23.67% 37 0.45% 8,132
Hump 2,975 63.96% 1,626 34.96% 50 1.08% 4,651
Issaquena 510 53.01% 437 45.43% 15 1.56% 962
Itawamba 2,771 28.88% 6,751 70.35% 74 0.77% 9,596
Jackson 15,046 30.45% 34,035 68.88% 333 0.67% 49,414
Jasper 4,081 51.49% 3,808 48.04% 37 0.47% 7,926
JD 2,955 51.30% 2,667 46.30% 138 2.40% 5,760
Jefferson 2,798 81.34% 627 18.23% 15 0.44% 3,440
Jones 7,344 27.69% 19,032 71.77% 142 0.54% 26,518
Kemper 2,454 53.48% 2,107 45.91% 28 0.61% 4,589
Lafayette 6,218 40.41% 9,004 58.51% 166 1.08% 15,388
Lamar 3,876 19.10% 16,288 80.26% 130 0.64% 20,294
Lauderdale 10,026 33.92% 19,395 65.62% 134 0.45% 29,555
Lawrence 2,355 36.11% 4,119 63.16% 48 0.74% 6,522
Leake 1,698 39.64% 2,567 59.92% 19 0.44% 4,284
Lee 9,895 32.97% 19,878 66.24% 237 0.79% 30,010
Leflore 7,240 61.97% 4,427 37.89% 17 0.15% 11,684
Lincoln 4,372 30.52% 9,889 69.03% 65 0.45% 14,326
Lowndes 7,904 38.10% 12,642 60.93% 202 0.97% 20,748
Madison 12,942 34.84% 24,015 64.65% 191 0.51% 37,148
Marion 3,828 32.63% 7,845 66.87% 59 0.50% 11,732
Marshall 7,979 58.78% 5,520 40.67% 75 0.55% 13,574
Monroe 6,149 39.78% 9,223 59.66% 87 0.56% 15,459
Mont 2,422 44.89% 2,953 54.73% 21 0.39% 5,396
Neshoba 2,515 24.82% 7,581 74.81% 37 0.37% 10,133
Newton 2,274 26.84% 6,156 72.66% 42 0.50% 8,472
Nox 4,293 71.31% 1,698 28.21% 29 0.48% 6,020
Okt 4,178 42.89% 5,485 56.30% 79 0.81% 9,742
Panola 6,540 49.06% 6,734 50.52% 56 0.42% 13,330
PR 4,392 22.97% 14,612 76.42% 117 0.61% 19,121
Perry 1,259 25.13% 3,729 74.43% 22 0.44% 5,010
Pike 7,578 46.73% 8,547 52.71% 90 0.56% 16,215
Pont 2,591 23.42% 8,375 75.72% 95 0.86% 11,061
Prent 2,119 32.04% 4,454 67.35% 40 0.60% 6,613
Quitman 1,925 59.84% 1,270 39.48% 22 0.68% 3,217
Rankin 10,738 20.12% 41,971 78.65% 656 1.23% 53,365
Scott 3,780 37.15% 6,364 62.55% 31 0.30% 10,175
Sharkey 1,553 50.41% 1,115 36.19% 413 13.40% 3,081
Simpson 3,262 32.37% 6,810 67.58% 5 0.05% 10,077
Smith 1,493 21.01% 5,566 78.33% 47 0.66% 7,106
Stone 1,502 26.68% 4,072 72.33% 56 0.99% 5,630
Sun 6,057 62.68% 3,492 36.14% 114 1.18% 9,663
Tall 3,377 54.81% 2,725 44.23% 59 0.96% 6,161
Tate 4,279 38.90% 6,663 60.57% 59 0.54% 11,001
Tippah 2,983 32.73% 6,048 66.37% 82 0.90% 9,113
Tish 2,775 33.99% 5,288 64.76% 102 1.25% 8,165
Tunica 1,934 68.70% 845 30.02% 36 1.28% 2,815
Union 2,710 26.57% 7,422 72.77% 67 0.66% 10,199
Walthall 2,550 39.48% 3,873 59.96% 36 0.56% 6,459
Warren 8,244 40.98% 11,773 58.52% 100 0.50% 20,117
Washington 10,562 59.09% 7,031 39.33% 282 1.58% 17,875
Wayne 3,193 36.30% 5,562 63.24% 40 0.45% 8,795
Webster 1,318 26.35% 3,668 73.33% 16 0.32% 5,002
Wilk 2,794 63.67% 1,563 35.62% 31 0.71% 4,388
Winston 2,859 53.17% 2,493 46.36% 25 0.46% 5,377
Yalo 2,656 44.48% 3,278 54.90% 37 0.62% 5,971
Yazoo 4,798 44.87% 5,595 52.32% 301 2.81% 10,694

By congressional district

Bush won 3 of 4 congressional districts.

District Bush Kerry Representative
1st 62% 37% Roger Wicker
2nd 40% 57% Bennie G. Thompson
3rd 65% 34% Chip Pickering
4th 68% 31% Gene Taylor

Electors

Technically the voters of Mississippi cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. Mississippi is allocated 6 electors because it has 4 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 6 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 6 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 6 were pledged for Bush/Cheney:[8]

  1. Kelly Segars
  2. John Phillips
  3. Wayne Parker
  4. Jimmy Creekmore
  5. Victor Mavar
  6. Billy Mounger

References

  1. ↑ http://www.dcpoliticalreport.com/members/2004/Pred2.htm#NW
  2. ↑ http://uselectionatlas.org/USPRESIDENT/GENERAL/CAMPAIGN/2004/polls.php?fips=28
  3. ↑ http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/campaigns/george_w_bush.asp?cycle=04
  4. ↑ http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/campaigns/john_f_kerry.asp?cycle=04
  5. ↑ "CNN.com Specials". CNN.
  6. ↑ "CNN Election 2004". CNN. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
  7. ↑ The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/elections/2004/ms/prescounties/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ↑ http://secure.sos.state.ms.us/ed_pubs/PressReleases/Articles/ElectoralCollegeMeets.asp

See also