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90-767: The Christian Liberty Party was founded in June 2000 as the American Heritage Party after a group of members left the Constitution Party . The reason for the establishment of Christian Liberty Party was due to the fact that the Constitution Party did not explicitly identify itself as a Christian party. To this end, the Christian Liberty Party is "a political party that adopts the Bible as its political textbook and

180-409: A paper trail , which would have made results easier to verify. Democrats also criticized various executives at Diebold, Inc. (the parent company of Diebold Election Systems) for their support of Bush's campaign, stating that it constituted a conflict of interest . Following these issues, California banned the use of Diebold's AccuVote TSX voting machines for elections in 2004. The 2004 election

270-691: A spoiler for the Republican Party . There have been instances of the Democratic Party helping Constitution Party candidates for this reason, such as by running ads for their nominee in the 2020 United States Senate election in South Carolina or assisting Randall Terry, their nominee in the 2024 presidential election , with ballot access and campaign promotion efforts. Multiple Republicans, including Bob Smith, Virgil Goode, Tom Tancredo, Ellen Craswell , Rick Jore, and Cynthia Davis , have joined

360-471: A third political party called the U.S. Taxpayers' Party. Phillips formed his new party through the U.S. Taxpayers Alliance, an organization he had founded and which had affiliates in twenty-five states, using its mailing list to announce the formation of a new party. Phillips also attempted to create a coalition with state affiliates of the American Party , but was rejected. The party was accepted into

450-594: A 2005 special election . He was the nominee of the American Independent Party, when it was affiliated with the Constitution Party, and placed third with 26,507 votes (25.5%). During the campaign, Gilchrist had raised more money than all of the Democratic candidates combined. Gilchrist's 25.5% was the highest percentage of the vote received for a third party candidate in a United States House of Representatives election where both major parties participated since

540-866: A criminal offense to distribute or display pornography." The party opposes the Federal Reserve and "support a return to the monetary and banking provisions set forth in the Constitution and the abolition of the Federal Reserve System." Under its old name of the American Heritage Party it ran candidates for local positions in 2000 and 2002 in the state of Washington . Constitution Party (United States) Defunct Newspapers Journals TV channels Websites Other Economics Gun rights Identity politics Nativist Religion Watchdog groups Youth/student groups Miscellaneous Other The Constitution Party , named

630-526: A former member of the United States House of Representatives who had served as a Democrat, independent , and Republican, announced that he would seek the Constitution Party's presidential nomination. Goode won the nomination at the party's national convention which was held from April 18 to 21, 2012, in Nashville, Tennessee, and Jim Clymer was selected to serve as his vice-presidential running mate. Goode

720-624: A month, the forces of a coalition led by the United States entered Afghanistan , which had been sheltering Osama bin Laden , suspected mastermind of the September 11 attacks. The Taliban had been removed by December, although a long reconstruction would follow. The Bush administration then turned its attention to Iraq and argued the need to remove Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq had become urgent. Among

810-466: A more limited impact than Kerry's proposals. Kerry also attacked Bush for his policy on stem cell research . In 2001, the Bush administration restricted embryonic stem cell research to existing stem cell lines . Kerry stated that this restriction was a barrier to conducting important research. In July 2004, Bush announced his support for a Constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage , shortly before

900-519: A seat in a state legislature. He was defeated in the 2000, 2002 and 2004 elections; however, he was elected to a state legislature in 2006, the first Constitution Party candidate to be elected. In 2002, Greg Moeller became the first member of the party to win a partisan election. The Constitution parties of Minnesota and Colorado have both achieved major party status once. As of June 2024 , the Constitution Party has 28 members who have been elected to city council seats and other municipal offices across

990-588: A second term. They narrowly defeated the Democratic ticket of John Kerry , a senator from Massachusetts , and his running mate John Edwards , a senator from North Carolina . Bush and Cheney were renominated by their party with no difficulty. Former Vermont governor Howard Dean emerged as the early front-runner in the 2004 Democratic Party presidential primaries , but Kerry won the first set of primaries in January, and then clinched his party's nomination in March after

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1080-575: A segment on 60 Minutes Wednesday , introducing what became known as the Killian documents . These documents were allegedly written by Jerry B. Killian, Bush's squadron commander, and they contained various allegations about Bush's service. Serious doubts about the documents' authenticity quickly emerged, leading CBS to appoint a review panel that eventually resulted in the firing of the news producer and other significant staffing changes. The Killian documents were eventually concluded to be forgeries. Kerry

1170-548: A series of primary victories. Kerry chose Edwards, who was the runner-up in the primaries, to be his running mate. Foreign policy was the dominant theme throughout the election campaign, particularly Bush's handling of the war on terror and the 2003 invasion of Iraq . Bush presented himself as a decisive leader and attacked Kerry as a " flip-flopper ". Kerry criticized Bush's conduct of the Iraq War , despite having voted for it himself. Domestic issues were debated as well, including

1260-584: A standard to which the wise and the honest can repair; the event is in the hand of God!" - George Washington and acknowledges "In so doing we acknowledge the God of the Bible as the Supreme Judge, Lawgiver and King and the first cause of all existence. Consequently, the principles and the platform of our party are rightly derived from Biblical presuppositions. We acknowledge the legacy of our Founding Fathers who believed that "a frequent recurrence to fundamental principles"

1350-487: A vote for president: 56.70% One faithless elector from Minnesota cast an electoral vote for John Edwards (written as John Ewards) for president. In Montana, Karen Sanchirico was listed on the ballot as Nader's running mate, not Camejo. In Alabama, Jan D. Pierce was Nader's running mate. In New York, Nader appeared on two distinct tickets, one with Camejo and one with Pierce. Because Arrin Hawkins , then aged 28,

1440-546: Is essential to securing liberty and good government." The Christian Liberty Party opposes abortion and euthanasia as cited in their platform saying "We support legislation to prohibit all acts of abortion and infanticide " and "We oppose laws that condone or legalize euthanasia or so-called "mercy killing." The party supports the right to bear arms in accordance with the Second Amendment . The party opposes pornography , stating "Therefore we support laws making it

1530-401: Is the last election in which the losing candidate won any of the following states: Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. This is also the last time a Republican was elected without carrying Maine's 2nd congressional district. This election is the only time in history that every Northeastern state voted Democratic and every former Confederate state voted Republican in the same election. Thus, Bush

1620-456: Is the only candidate to win without carrying any Northeastern electoral votes. Furthermore, this was the last election where both major party tickets consisted entirely of white men. This is also the last election where both parties flipped states and is also the most recent year when an incumbent candidate from either party would flip any states, with Bush taking the two which he did not win in 2000, in both New Mexico and Iowa. Until 2024 , this

1710-399: Is unashamed to be explicitly Christian ... [and] whose principles are drawn from Scripture." The current platform is available on the Christian Liberty Party's official website. It currently has 7 planks. The current platform has not been edited since 2010. The preamble states "If to please the people, we offer what we ourselves disapprove, how can we afterward defend our work? Let us raise

1800-563: The 2004 Democratic National Convention was held later that month in Boston . Heading into the convention, the Kerry–Edwards ticket unveiled its new slogan: a promise to make America "stronger at home and more respected in the world". Kerry made his Vietnam War experience the convention's prominent theme. The keynote address at the convention was delivered by Illinois state senator and U.S. Senate candidate and future president Barack Obama ;

1890-556: The 2008 presidential election . At the party's national convention Baldwin defeated Keyes winning the party's presidential nomination and Darrell Castle was selected to serve as the vice-presidential nominee. Baldwin also received the presidential nomination of the Reform Party of Kansas. In the general election they placed sixth with 199,880 votes. However, the American Independent Party , which had been affiliated with

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1980-540: The A Connecticut Party received 26.3% in Connecticut's 1st congressional district in 1994. 2004 United States presidential election George W. Bush Republican George W. Bush Republican Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 2, 2004. Incumbent Republican President George W. Bush and his running mate , incumbent Vice President Dick Cheney , were re-elected to

2070-667: The Bill of Rights , the Constitution and the Bible . The party was founded by Howard Phillips , a conservative activist, after President George H. W. Bush violated his pledge of " read my lips: no new taxes ". During the 1992 and 1996 presidential elections, the party sought to give its presidential nomination to prominent politicians including Pat Buchanan and Ross Perot , but was unsuccessful and instead selected Phillips as its presidential nominee in three successive elections. Michael Peroutka

2160-621: The Coalition for Free and Open Elections alongside the Freedom Socialist Party . The party launched its first petition drive when Jack Perry started a campaign to appear on the 1991 United States special election ballot in Pennsylvania. From January 25 to 26, 1997, the national committee of the U.S. Taxpayers' Party convened in Miami, Florida. During their meeting it was proposed to change

2250-574: The Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary . These wins strengthened Kerry's previously weak campaign. By March 11, Kerry had received enough delegates to win the nomination. Other major candidates included North Carolina senator John Edwards and retired U.S. Army general Wesley Clark . Kerry asked Republican senator John McCain to be his running mate but McCain turned down his offer. On July 6, Kerry selected Edwards as his running mate, shortly before

2340-532: The Media Fund , and America Coming Together . These groups were active throughout the campaign season, spending a record $ 556 million for all elections in 2004. The Stand by Your Ad provision of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act required political advertisements on television to include a verbal disclaimer identifying the organization or campaign responsible for the advertisement. This provision

2430-460: The Republican presidential nominee and that they should instead support an anti-abortion third party candidate. Phillips supported giving the presidential nomination of the U.S. Taxpayers' Party to Buchanan. Tom Staley, Buchanan's campaign chairman in northern Texas, stated that Buchanan would consider accepting the party's nomination if it had ballot access in all fifty states. Phillips was given

2520-534: The U.S. Taxpayers' Party until 1999, is an ultra-conservative political party in the United States that promotes a religiously conservative interpretation of the principles and intents of the United States Constitution . The party platform is based on originalist interpretations of the Constitution and shaped by principles which it believes were set forth in the Declaration of Independence ,

2610-438: The United States budget deficit by capping government spending while ending various tax breaks for businesses. Kerry also supported tax credits for businesses that hire additional workers. Bush attacked Kerry for his economic proposals, stating that they would cause Americans to pay higher taxes. Bush also attacked Kerry for previously supporting tax raises, such as a proposed increase on the federal gas tax . Bush defended

2700-612: The faithless elector was. It is not even known whether the vote for Edwards was deliberate or unintentional; the Republican Secretary of State and several of the Democratic electors have expressed the opinion that this was an accident. During the campaign and as the results came in on the night of the election, there was much focus on Ohio , Pennsylvania , and Florida . These three swing states were seen as evenly divided, and with each casting 20 electoral votes or more, they had

2790-624: The official Federal Election Commission report . The column labeled "Margin" shows Bush's margin of victory over Kerry (the margin is negative for states and districts won by Kerry). Although Guam has no votes in the Electoral College, it has held a straw poll for its presidential preference since 1980. In 2004, the results were Bush 21,490 (64.1%), Kerry 11,781 (35.1%), Nader 196 (0.58%) and Badnarik 67 (0.2%). Maine and Nebraska each allowed for their electoral votes to be split between candidates. In both states, two electoral votes were awarded to

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2880-543: The American Constitution Party's voter registration doubled from 1,271 to 2,731 voters. Major party status in Colorado gave the party the ability to appoint seventeen members to Colorado state boards and commissions, but the party suffered from complicated campaign finance reports and fines from errors and omissions in the reports which led to a negative bank account balance. On February 21, 2012, Virgil Goode ,

2970-620: The American Heritage Party. On February 15, 2000, Rick Jore , a member of the Montana House of Representatives who had attended the 1999 Constitution Party National Convention, announced that he was leaving the Republican Party and joining the Constitution Party. Jore unsuccessfully sought reelection in 2000, and unsuccessfully attempted to win election to the Montana House of Representatives in 2002, and 2004, before winning election to

3060-506: The Constitution Party of Oregon gave its presidential nomination to Baldwin during the 2008 presidential election. During the 2012 presidential election the party attempted to give its presidential nomination to Ron Paul, but he rejected it and Will Christensen was given the nomination instead. In 2013, the Constitution Party of Oregon affiliated with the Independent American Party. Unlike the 1992 and 1996 presidential elections

3150-665: The Constitution Party. On April 2, 2002, Ezola Foster , who had served as the Reform Party of the United States of America 's vice-presidential nominee during the 2000 presidential election, left the Reform Party to join the Constitution Party. From 2002 to 2004, she served on the party's national committee. Jim Gilchrist , the founder of the Minuteman Project , ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives from California's 48th congressional district in

3240-693: The Constitution parties of Virginia and New Mexico instead gave their presidential nominations to Sheila Tittle and the Virginia Constitution Party gave its vice-presidential nomination to Matthew Hehl. The South Carolina Constitution Party chose to not run a presidential candidate during the 2020 presidential election. The party nominated anti-abortion activist Randall Terry for president and Stephen Broden for vice president. Some state parties such as Nevada and Utah rejected Terry's nomination and instead nominated convention opponent Joel Skousen . The party has sometimes been described as

3330-490: The Constitution since 1991, split into two factions between supports of Baldwin and Keyes. The Secretary of State of California ruled that the presidential ticket of Keyes and Wiley Drake had the nomination of the American Independent Party. In the general election they placed ninth with 47,941 votes. On September 5, the Constitution Party of Montana submitted a list of presidential electors pledged to Ron Paul for president and Michael Peroutka for vice-president. Paul

3420-613: The Electoral College. These forecasts use a variety of factors to estimate the likelihood of each candidate winning the Electoral College electors for that state. Most election predictors use the following ratings: Below is a list of states considered by one or more forecast to be competitive; states that are deemed to be "safe" or "solid" by forecasters The Cook Political Report , The New York Times , and CNN . Source (Electoral and Popular Vote): Federal Elections Commission Electoral and Popular Vote Summary Voting age population: 215,664,000 Percent of voting age population casting

3510-596: The Iraq War was a mistake and a diversion from terrorism in other nations such as Afghanistan. After the election, exit polls found that foreign policy concerns were the most important issues for voters. Health savings accounts (HSAs) were introduced in 2004 as part of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act , signed by Bush in December 2003. As part of his 2004 campaign, Bush supported

3600-501: The Iraq War, arguing that it was necessary to stop terrorism. He also said that the United States had made progress stopping terrorism in other nations. Bush attacked Kerry for opposing the Iraq War after voting to authorize it in 2002, characterizing the shift as one of many flip-flops by Kerry. Kerry argued that Bush had misled the American public in pursuing the Iraq War, noting that no illegal weapons had been found in Iraq. He said that

3690-529: The Senate voted on the amendment. Although Kerry stated that he opposed same-sex marriage, he also opposed the amendment, saying that the legality of same-sex marriage should be decided by individual states. The Senate vote failed on July 14. During the campaign, Bush was accused of failing to fulfill his required service in the Texas Air National Guard . A scandal occurred at CBS News after they aired

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3780-499: The U.S. Taxpayers' Party did not seek a prominent politician to give its presidential nomination to. New Hampshire Senator Bob Smith announced that he was leaving the Republican Party on July 13, 1999, and briefly sought the presidential nomination of the Constitution Party before dropping out. On September 4, 1999, the party selected to give its presidential nomination to Phillips and its vice-presidential nomination to Joseph Sobran . However, on March 31, 2000, Sobran resigned from

3870-580: The U.S. Taxpayers' Party was held and during it the name of the party was successfully changed to Constitution. Every state affiliate of the party, except for Nevada and California, changed their names except for in Michigan where the Michigan Secretary of State denied the request. The party is still called the U.S. Taxpayers' Party in Michigan as of 2022. In 1998, Patricia Becker, the U.S. Taxpayer's nominee for Minnesota state auditor, received over 5% of

3960-442: The United States. In terms of registered members, the party ranks fifth among national parties in the United States. During the 1988 presidential election , Republican nominee George H. W. Bush stated " read my lips: no new taxes " at the 1988 Republican National Convention . However, Bush violated that pledge during his presidency . Following the breaking of the no new taxes pledge Howard Phillips announced that he would form

4050-448: The afternoon of the day after the election, Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell announced that there were roughly 135,000 provisional ballots remaining. Kerry's campaign believed that it was statistically impossible to erase Bush's lead. Faced with this announcement, Kerry conceded defeat. Bush became the first Republican to ever win without carrying New Hampshire, and the first to win the popular vote without Vermont and Illinois. This

4140-544: The aircraft carrier USS  Abraham Lincoln , in a Lockheed S-3 Viking , where he gave a speech announcing the end of "major combat operations" in the Iraq War . Bush was able to ward off any serious challenge to the Republican nomination. Senator Lincoln Chafee from Rhode Island considered challenging Bush on an anti-war platform in New Hampshire but decided not to run after the capture of Saddam Hussein in December 2003. On March 10, 2004, Bush officially attained

4230-602: The attempt to change the nomination was rejected by the Kansas State Objections Board. In 2020, the Virginia, Idaho, South Dakota, and Alaska Constitution parties disaffiliated with the national Constitution Party and the Montana Constitution Party disbanded. On April 14, the Constitution Party of Virginia's state committee voted to reaffiliate with the national Constitution Party, but was rejected by

4320-520: The beginning, but other major powers including China, France, Germany, and Russia remained unconvinced that Iraq was a threat and refused to allow passage of a UN Security Council resolution to authorize the use of force. Iraq permitted UN weapon inspectors in November 2002, who were continuing their work to assess the WMD claim when the Bush administration decided to proceed with war without UN authorization and told

4410-505: The economy and jobs, health care , abortion , same-sex marriage , and embryonic stem cell research. Bush won by a narrow margin of 35 electoral votes and took 50.7% of the popular vote. Bush swept the South and the mountain states and took the crucial swing states of Ohio , Iowa , and New Mexico , the last two flipping Republican. Although Kerry flipped New Hampshire , Bush won both more electoral votes and states than in 2000. Ohio

4500-466: The election, excerpts of a video of Osama bin Laden addressing the American people were broadcast on al Jazeera . In his remarks, bin Laden mentions the September 11 attacks , and taunted Bush over his response to them. In the days following the video's release, Bush's lead over Kerry increased by several points. Elections analysts and political pundits issue probabilistic forecasts of the composition of

4590-428: The expansion of HSAs. He proposed tax cuts to help Americans purchase their own health insurance. He also proposed a plan that would allow small businesses to purchase health insurance in large groups. Kerry's health care proposals included government subsidies for businesses that provide health insurance and the expansion of government-run health care programs. Health policy experts stated that Bush's proposals would have

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4680-418: The face of danger." In the final months before the election, Kerry's campaign focused on domestic issues such as the economy and health care. Kerry's campaign managers believed that Kerry had an advantage on domestic issues. Bush's campaign also focused on increasing voter turnout among conservatives. According to one exit poll, people who voted for Bush cited the issues of terrorism and traditional values as

4770-573: The general election Phillips and Knight placed seventh with 43,400 votes. Following the 1992 presidential election, the U.S. Taxpayers' Party's had ballot qualified state affiliates in California, New Mexico, and South Carolina. In 1996, Phillips sent a memo to conservative Christian leaders including James Dobson , the head of Focus on the Family , stating that anti-abortion candidates like Pat Buchanan, Alan Keyes , or Bob Dornan were unlikely to become

4860-470: The general election he placed tenth with 47,512 votes. During the 2010 Colorado gubernatorial election , the American Constitution Party , the Constitution Party's affiliate in Colorado, gave its gubernatorial nomination to Tom Tancredo . In the general election Tancredo received over 36% of the popular vote, more than the 10% required for major party status in Colorado. During the campaign

4950-590: The inspectors to leave the country. The United States invaded Iraq on March 20, 2003, along with a " coalition of the willing " that consisted of additional troops from the United Kingdom, and to a lesser extent, from Australia and Poland. Within about three weeks, the invasion caused the collapse of both the Iraqi government and its armed forces ; however, the U.S. and allied forces failed to find any weapon of mass destruction in Iraq. Nevertheless, on May 1, Bush landed on

5040-500: The losing candidate in the popular vote, as well as the first since 1980 that Maryland did so, and the first since 1948 that Delaware did so. Bush's 2.4% popular vote margin is the smallest ever for a re-elected president surpassing the 1812 election. Bush won three states that have not voted Republican since: Virginia, Colorado, and New Mexico. Virginia had voted Republican in every election from 1968 to 2004 but conversely has voted Democratic in every election since 2008. In contrast, this

5130-485: The most important factors in their decision. Kerry supporters cited the war in Iraq, the economy and jobs, and health care. Tax cuts were passed in 2001 and 2003 under the Bush administration with Bush's support. Kerry voted against these tax cuts. During the 2004 campaign, Bush praised these tax cuts, stating that they helped to grow the economy. On the other hand, Kerry attacked Bush for failing to create jobs under his presidency. Kerry stated that he wanted to reduce

5220-414: The name of the party to either "Constitutional" or "Independent American", but the vote was tied 27 to 27 so U.S. Taxpayers' was retained as the party's name. In March 1999, another name change was proposed, with American Independent, American Heritage, Constitutional, Independent American, and American Constitution as possible names, but it was unsuccessful. On September 3, 1999, the national convention of

5310-423: The national party on May 2. From October 18 to 19, 2019, a meeting of the Constitution Party's national committee was held. Don Blankenship served as a speaker at the meeting and announced his intention to run for the party's presidential nomination. On May 2, 2020, Blankenship won the party's nomination at its virtual convention and William Mohr was selected to serve as the vice-presidential nominee. However,

5400-526: The number of delegates needed to be nominated at the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City . He accepted the nomination on September 2, 2004, and retained Vice President Dick Cheney as his running mate . During the convention and throughout the campaign, Bush focused on two themes: defending America against terrorism and building an ownership society . The ownership society included allowing people to invest some of their Social Security in

5490-483: The only election between 1992 and 2020 where a Republican won the national popular vote. In addition, this was also the most recent presidential election where a candidate from either party would win fewer than 20 states, until the Democratic candidate Kamala Harris (like John Kerry) was held to winning only 19 in 2024 . This was also the last presidential election in which the winning ticket did not have either Joe Biden or Donald Trump on it. George W. Bush won

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5580-461: The only presidential election since 1984 in which the incumbent Republican president won a second consecutive term. At the time, Bush also received the most popular votes in history, a record which would be broken in the 2008 presidential election . Bush also became the only incumbent president to win reelection after previously losing the popular vote. This is also the last time that a male Democratic presidential candidate lost an election, as well as

5670-488: The party until a more prominent candidate wanted the party's presidential nomination. Albion W. Knight Jr. was later selected to serve as the party's tentative vice-presidential nominee. On April 15, Phillips announced that he would run for the presidency. Phillips accepted the U.S. Taxpayers' Party's presidential nomination at its national convention in New Orleans , Louisiana , which was held from September 4 to 5. In

5760-548: The party's presidential nomination again at its national convention in San Diego, California, on August 17, 1996, and Herbert Titus was selected to serve as the vice-presidential nominee. In the general election Phillips and Titus placed sixth with 184,820 votes. In 2000, a schism occurred within the party, with those who advocated an explicitly religious party leaving to form the Christian Liberty Party , then known as

5850-467: The popular vote giving the U.S Taxpayers' Party major party status in Minnesota. The party would later hold caucuses during the 2000 presidential election . Members of the party sought to give its presidential nomination to Ross Perot or Pat Buchanan during the 1992 presidential election , but were unsuccessful. In January 1992, Phillips was selected to serve as a tentative presidential candidate for

5940-406: The popular vote. Bush is the seventh Republican to have won re-election to a consecutive term, along with Abraham Lincoln , Ulysses S. Grant , William McKinley , Dwight D. Eisenhower , Richard Nixon , and Ronald Reagan . The 2004 election had the highest turnout rate among eligible voters since 1968 . This is one of only four U.S. presidential elections in which the winner did not carry any of

6030-506: The power to decide the election. As the final results came in, Kerry took Pennsylvania and then Bush took Florida, focusing all attention on Ohio. The morning after the election, the winner was still undetermined. The result in Ohio would decide the winner, although the results in New Mexico and Iowa were also undetermined. Bush led in Ohio, but the state was still counting provisional ballots. In

6120-539: The presidency in 2000 after the U.S. Supreme Court 's decision in Bush v. Gore remanded the case to the Florida Supreme Court , which declared there was not sufficient time to hold a recount without violating the U.S. Constitution . Just eight months into his presidency, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 , suddenly transformed Bush into a wartime president. Bush's approval ratings surged to near 90%. Within

6210-473: The same day the party selected him to serve as the stand-in presidential candidate. He won the presidential nominations of the American Independent and Alaskan Independence parties. Peroutka was given the party's presidential nomination and Chuck Baldwin was given the party's vice-presidential nomination. Chuck Baldwin and Alan Keyes sought the Constitution Party's presidential nomination during

6300-819: The speech was well received, and it elevated Obama's status within the Democratic Party. There were four other presidential tickets on the ballot in a number of states totaling enough electoral votes to have a theoretical possibility of winning a majority in the Electoral College . They were: Ahead of the 2004 election, some states implemented electronic voting systems. Critics raised several issues about voting machines, particularly those made by Diebold Election Systems . Cybersecurity professionals found security vulnerabilities in Diebold machines. Voting machines made by several companies were also criticized for their lack of

6390-482: The state cast ballots for Edwards for vice president (Edwards's name was spelled correctly on all ballots for vice president). This was the first time in U.S. history that an elector had cast a vote for the same person to be both president and vice president. Electoral balloting in Minnesota was performed by secret ballot, and none of the electors admitted to casting the Edwards vote for president, so it may never be known who

6480-482: The state house in 2006. On November 5, 2002, Greg Moeller became the first member of the Constitution Party to win a partisan election when he won election as a Scott Township Trustee in Hamilton County, Iowa , with only a write-in opponent. In 2006, the Constitution Party of Oregon disaffiliated with the national Constitution Party over disagreements regarding abortion policy. However, despite disaffiliating

6570-457: The stated reasons were that Saddam's regime had tried to acquire nuclear material and had not properly accounted for biological and chemical material it was known to have previously possessed. Both the possession of these weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and the failure to account for them, would violate the UN sanctions . The assertion about WMD was hotly advanced by the Bush administration from

6660-444: The stock market, increasing home and stock ownership, and encouraging more people to buy their own health insurance . The 2004 Democratic Party presidential primaries took place from January 14 to June 8, 2004, to select the Democratic Party 's nominee for president. Before the primaries, Vermont governor Howard Dean was a favorite to win the nomination; however, Massachusetts senator John Kerry won victories in two early races:

6750-471: The three Rust Belt states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin; the others were 2000, 1916 and 1884. Source: CNN exit poll ( 13,660 surveyed ) This is one of only two U.S. presidential elections, held since the Democrats and Republicans became the two major parties in U.S. politics, in which the winner did not carry any of the three Rust Belt states of Michigan , Pennsylvania , and Wisconsin ;

6840-399: The ticket due to conflicts between him being a columnist and vice-presidential nominee. On September 2, Curtis Frazier was selected to replace Sobran as the party's vice-presidential nominee. In the general election Phillips and Frazier placed sixth with 98,027 votes. On November 7, 2003, Michael Peroutka announced that he would seek the Constitution Party's presidential nomination and on

6930-428: The winner of the statewide race and one electoral vote was awarded to the winner of each congressional district. Red font color denotes those won by Republican President George W. Bush; blue denotes states won by Democrat John Kerry. States where margin of victory was under 1% (22 electoral votes): States where margin of victory was more than 1% but less than 5% (93 electoral votes): States where margin of victory

7020-424: Was constitutionally ineligible to serve as vice president, Margaret Trowe replaced her on the ballot in some states. James Harris replaced Calero on certain other states' ballots. Of the 3,154 counties/districts/independent cities making returns, Bush won the most popular votes in 2,568 (81.42%) while Kerry carried 586 (18.58%). The following table records the official vote tallies for each state as reported by

7110-524: Was accused by the Swift Vets and POWs for Truth of distorting his military service in Vietnam. The group challenged the legitimacy of each of the combat medals awarded to Kerry by the U.S. Navy , and the disposition of his discharge. The organization spent $ 22.4 million in advertisements against Kerry. After the election, political analysts described their advertising campaign as effective. The term swiftboating

7200-631: Was aware and that he would not object as long as he did not need to sign any declaration of candidacy. However, Paul later wrote a letter to the Secretary of State of Montana asking for his name to be removed from the ballot as he was nominated without permission, but it was too late to remove his name from the ballot. Paul also appeared on the ballot in Louisiana under the name "Louisiana Taxpayers Party" with Barry Goldwater Jr. as his vice-presidential running mate. Paul later endorsed Baldwin for president. In

7290-407: Was given the presidential nomination in 2004 , followed by Chuck Baldwin in 2008 (although he faced opposition from multiple state affiliates), Virgil Goode in 2012 , Darrell Castle in 2016 , Don Blankenship in 2020 and Randall Terry in 2024 . In 2000, Rick Jore , a three-term Republican member of the Montana House of Representatives, became the first member of the party to hold

7380-489: Was intended to force campaigns to take responsibility for negative advertisements . Campaign strategists criticized this requirement, stating that it would waste time and cause voters to be confused. Bush focused his campaign on national security, presenting himself as a decisive leader and contrasted Kerry as a " flip-flopper ." This strategy was designed to convey to American voters the idea that Bush could be trusted to be tough on terrorism while Kerry would be "uncertain in

7470-484: Was more than 5% but less than 10% (149 electoral votes): Counties with highest percent of vote (Republican) Counties with highest percent of vote (Democratic) Money spent Source: FEC One elector in Minnesota cast a ballot for president with the name of "John Ewards" [ sic ] written on it. The Electoral College officials certified this ballot as a vote for Edwards for president. The remaining nine electors cast ballots for Kerry. All ten electors in

7560-434: Was the tipping-point state , and was considered to be the state that allowed Bush to win reelection. Some aspects of the election process were subject to controversy , although not to the degree seen in the 2000 presidential election . Bush won Florida by a five-percent margin, a significant improvement over his razor-thin victory margin in the state four years earlier which led to a legal challenge in Bush v. Gore . This

7650-427: Was the first Constitution Party presidential nominee to have held elected federal or state office. In the general election Goode and Clymer placed sixth with 122,417 votes. The Reform Party of Kansas gave its presidential nomination to Chuck Baldwin and its vice-presidential nomination to Joseph Martin as his vice-presidential running mate. However, the party attempted to give its presidential nomination to Goode, but

7740-456: Was the first presidential election since 1988 where the Republican nominee won the popular vote . As of 2024 , this was the most recent presidential election in which the winning candidate won fewer than 300 electoral votes. It is also the most recent in which the Republican candidate won Colorado , New Mexico , or Virginia . This remains the most recent presidential election in which both major party candidates flipped at least one state and

7830-709: Was the first to be affected by the campaign finance reforms mandated by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002. The act created restrictions on fundraising by political parties and candidates. A large number of independent 527 groups were created to bypass these restrictions. Named for a section of the Internal Revenue Code , these groups were able to raise large amounts of money for various political causes as long as they did not coordinate their activities with political campaigns. Examples of 527s include Swift Boat Veterans for Truth , MoveOn.org ,

7920-410: Was the last time Nevada voted for the Republican presidential candidate, and the only presidential election since 1988 in which the Republican nominee won the popular vote, and it remains the only presidential election since 1984 in which the incumbent Republican president won a second consecutive term. Bush also became the only incumbent president to win immediate re-election after previously losing

8010-464: Was the last time a president was re-elected to a consecutive term with a higher share of the electoral vote. Bush carried Colorado despite the state being Kerry's birth state. Bush simultaneously lost his own birth state of Connecticut, making this the only election since 1864 where neither candidate carried their birth state. This election was the first time since 1976 that New Jersey, Connecticut, Vermont, Maine, Illinois, Michigan, and California voted for

8100-503: Was used during the campaign to describe the organization's negative advertising, which Democrats saw as unfair. It was also used after the campaign to generally describe a harsh attack by a political opponent that is dishonest, personal and unfair. Three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate were organized by the Commission on Presidential Debates , and held in the autumn of 2004. (Millions) On October 29, four days before

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