2004 Republican Party presidential primaries
The 2004 Republican presidential primaries were the selection process by which voters of the Republican Party chose its nominee for President of the United States in the 2004 U.S. presidential election. Incumbent President George W. Bush was again selected as the nominee through a series of primary elections and caucuses culminating in the 2004 Republican National Convention held from August 30 to September 2, 2004, in New York City.
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 Republican presidential primary, 2004 results by county
George W. Bush No votes/information available | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Primary race overview
Incumbent President George W. Bush announced in mid-2003 that he would campaign for re-election; he faced no major challengers. He then went on, throughout early 2004, to win every nomination contest, including a sweep of Super Tuesday, beating back the vacuum of challengers and maintaining the recent tradition of an easy primary for incumbent Presidents (the last time an incumbent was seriously challenged in a presidential primary contest was when Senator Ted Kennedy challenged Jimmy Carter for the Democratic nomination in 1980). Bush managed to raise US$130 million in 2003 alone, and expected to set a national primary fund-raising record of $200 million by the time of the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City.
Several states and territories canceled their respective Republican primaries altogether, citing Bush being the only candidate to qualify on their respective ballot, including Connecticut,[5] Florida,[6] Mississippi,[7] New York,[8] Puerto Rico,[9] and South Dakota.[10]
Senator Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, an opponent of the war in Iraq, Bush's tax cuts, drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and much of Bush's social agenda, considered challenging Bush in the New Hampshire primary in the fall of 2003. He decided not to run, after the capture of Saddam Hussein in December 2003.[11] He would later change his party affiliation to Democratic and run in that party's 2016 presidential primaries.[12][13]
Candidates
Nominee
| Candidate | Current office | Home state | Estimated delegate count (RCP) | Campaign status | States won | States - second place | States - third place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 George W. Bush |
President of the United States | Texas | Nominee | Iowa (caucus), New Hampshire, (Missouri, North Dakota (caucus), Oklahoma, South Carolina (convention)), (District of Columbia (caucus), Nevada (caucus), Tennessee), Wisconsin, Kansas (caucus), (California, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota (caucus), Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont), (Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas. Washington (caucus)), Illinois, Colorado (caucus), North Carolina (caucus), Utah (caucus), Pennsylvania, Indiana, Arizona (caucus), (West Virginia, Nebraska), Delaware (caucus), Maine (caucus), (Arkansas, Kentucky, Oregon), Michigan (caucus), Idaho, (Alabama, New Mexico, South Dakota), Hawaii, (New Jersey, Montana) Non-states: Guam (caucus), (American Samoa (caucus), United States Virgin Islands (caucus)) |
none |
none |
Challengers
On the ballot in two or more primaries
- William Tsangares[14] ran for president under the pseudonym "Bill Wyatt." The then-43-year-old T-shirt maker left the Democratic Party to become a Republican after Democrats voted for the war in Iraq, an action he saw as a betrayal. Tsangares traveled 12,000 miles and spent an estimated $20,000 on his Presidential campaign. He managed to get on the ballot in New Hampshire, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, and even the Democratic Primary ballot in Arizona. He finished tenth in the New Hampshire primary with 0.23% of the vote (153 votes), placed second in Missouri, where he received 1,268 votes (1.03%). However, a major upset occurred on Mini-Tuesday when Tsangares won just over 10% of the vote in Oklahoma and 4% in Louisiana. He also received 233 votes (0.10%) in the Arizona Democratic primary.
- Blake Ashby, a Republican entrepreneur frustrated with the explosion of debt under President Bush, ran as a protest candidate in the Republican primaries. On the ballot in New Hampshire and Missouri, he spent approximately $20,000 on his campaign, visiting New Hampshire and campaigning in his home state of Missouri and participated in the C-Span Minor Candidates Forum [15] He finished seventh in New Hampshire with 264 votes [16] and third in Missouri with 981 votes.
| Candidate | home state | total votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uncommitted | 91,926 | 1.1% | |
| (others) | various | 49,281 | 0.8% |
| Bill Wyatt | California | 10,847 | 0% |
| Blake Ashby | Missouri | 1.145 | 0% |
On the ballot in one primary
All but one of the following were on the ballot only in the state of New Hampshire.
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Actor Tom Laughlin of California
Declined to be candidates
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| Candidate | Home state | total votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Bosa | New Hampshire | 841 | 1.2% |
| John Buchanan | Georgia | 836 | 1.2% |
| John Rigazio | New Hampshire | 803 | 1.2% |
| Robert Haines | New Hampshire | 579 | 0.9% |
| Michael Callis | New Hampshire | 388 | 0.6% |
| Millie Howard | Ohio | 239 | 0.4% |
| Tom Laughlin | California | 154 | 0.2% |
| Jim Taylor | 124 | 0.2% | |
| Mark "Dick" Harnes | 87 | 0.1% | |
| Cornelius E. O'Connor, | 77 | 0.1% | |
| George Gostigian, | 52 | 0.1% | |
| Jack Fellure | West Virginia | 14[17] | 0 |
Results
There were 2,509 total delegates to the 2004 Republican National Convention, of which 650 were so-called "superdelegates" who were not bound by any particular state's primary or caucus votes and could change their votes at any time. A candidate needs 1,255 delegates to become the nominee. Except for the Northern Mariana Islands and Midway Atoll, all states, territories, and other inhabited areas of the United States offer delegates to the 2004 Republican National Convention.
| Blake Ashby | Richard Bosa | George W. Bush | John Buchanan | Michael Callis | Jack Fellure | Robert Haines | Millie Howard | Tom Laughlin | John Rigazio | Bill Wyatt | ||||||||||
| Total Delegates¹ | – | – | 1608 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
| Superdelegates¹ | – | – | 168 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
| Jan. 19 | Iowa³ (caucus) |
– | – | 100.00% (32) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||||||
| Jan. 27 | New Hampshire (primary) |
0.39% | 1.24% | 79.55% (29) |
1.23% | 0.57% | – | 0.85% | 0.35% | 0.23% | 1.18% | 0.23% | ||||||||
| Feb. 3 (Mini Tuesday) | Missouri (primary) |
0.80% | – | 95.06% (57) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1.03% | ||||||||
| North Dakota (caucus) |
– | – | 99.11% (26) |
– | – | 0.69% | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
| Oklahoma (primary) |
– | – | 90.00% (41) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10.00% | |||||||||
| South Carolina (convention) |
– | – | 100.00% (46) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
| Feb. 10 | District of Columbia (caucus) |
– | – | 100.00% (16) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||||||
| Tennessee (primary) |
– | – | 95.45% (39) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
| Feb. 17 | Wisconsin (primary) |
– | – | 99.25% (37) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||||||
| Mar. 2 (Super Tuesday) | California (primary) |
– | – | 100.00% (170) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||||||
| Connecticut (none) |
– | – | - (30) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
| Georgia (primary) |
– | – | 100.00% (66) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
| Maryland (primary) |
– | – | 100.00% (36) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
| Massachusetts (primary) |
– | – | 91.13% (41) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
| Minnesota (caucus) |
– | – | 100.00% (38) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
| New York (none) |
– | – | - (87) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
| Ohio (primary) |
– | – | 100.00% (81) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
| Rhode Island (primary) |
– | – | 84.89% (18) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
| Vermont (primary) |
– | – | 100.00% (15) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
| Mar. 9 | Florida (primary) |
– | – | - (109) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||||||
| Louisiana (primary) |
– | – | 96.09% (41) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3.91% | |||||||||
| Mississippi (primary) |
– | – | - (35) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
| Texas (primary) |
– | – | 92.49% (135) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
| Mar. 16 | Illinois (primary) |
– | – | 100.00% (60) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||||||
| Apr. 27 | Pennsylvania (primary) |
– | – | 100.00% | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||||||
| May 4 | Indiana (primary) |
– | – | 100.00% (27) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||||||
| May 11 | West Virginia (primary) |
– | – | 100.00% (26) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||||||
| May 18 | Arkansas (primary) |
– | – | 97.25% (32) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||||||
| Kentucky (primary) |
– | – | 92.64% (43) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
| Oregon (primary) |
– | – | - (28) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
| May 25 | Idaho (primary) |
– | – | 89.50% (24) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||||||
| Jun. 1 | Alabama (primary) |
– | – | 92.83% (45) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||||||
| New Mexico (primary) |
– | – | 100.00% (21) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
| South Dakota (primary) |
– | – | - (25) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||||
| Jun. 8 | New Jersey (primary) |
– | – | 100.00% (52) |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||||||
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Counties carried
Republican presidential primary, 2004 results by county (exceptions: Minnesota, Maryland, Nebraska & North Dakota – at-large) George W. Bush No votes/information available
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References
- https://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=23198
- http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P04/tally.phtml
- https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=5379
- https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=5379
- "Connecticut Republican Allocation - 2004". The Green Papers. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
- "Florida Republican Allocation - 2004". The Green Papers. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
- "Mississippi Republican Allocation - 2004". The Green Papers. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
- "New York Republican Allocation - 2004". The Green Papers. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
- "Puerto Rico Republican Allocation - 2004". The Green Papers. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
- "South Dakota Republican Allocation - 2004". The Green Papers. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
- Chafee, Lincoln, Against the Tide: How A Compliant Congress Empowered A Reckless President, p.119-120
- DelReal, Jose A. (June 3, 2015). "Lincoln Chafee announces long-shot presidential bid". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
- "Rhode Island's Chafee enters 2016 Democratic contest". Boston Herald. Associated Press. June 3, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
- http://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=23198
- "Blake Ashby | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
- "Republican President of the United States - NHSOS". sos.nh.gov. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
- "Bush big winner in North Dakota". The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. February 5, 2004. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
