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Closest results
Election 2004 Results

Each election opens in its own mode: the forecast before the votes are counted, the live count while races are still too close to call, and the results once every race is decided.

2004 presidential election results by state and county

George W. Bush won re-election over John Kerry, 286 electoral votes to 251, with Ohio deciding the outcome in a campaign dominated by Iraq and terrorism.

George W. Bush (Republican) beat John Kerry in 2004, winning 286 electoral votes to 251, with 1 going to other candidates. John Kerry carried 20 states and George W. Bush 31. Across the states, the Democratic and Republican vote came to 59,028,448 and 62,040,606 (R+2.5 of all votes cast).

The closest states were Wisconsin (D+0.4), Iowa (R+0.7) and New Mexico (R+0.8). 3 states changed party from 2000: Iowa to the Republicans, New Hampshire to the Democrats and New Mexico to the Republicans.

United States
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Early projection, based on early and incomplete polling: the likely matchups, each weighted by the betting markets' odds of both nominations, not a result. Each county is its 2024 presidential margin moved by its state's projected swing; set a national vote and every state, district and county moves by the same amount from our projection. Colours run in 100 steps from a safe Republican to a safe Democratic margin. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

About the 2004 presidential election

Bush's first term was defined by the September 11 attacks, the war in Afghanistan and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which became more divisive as the occupation dragged on and no weapons of mass destruction were found. Democrats nominated John Kerry, a senator from Massachusetts and Vietnam veteran. His war record was attacked by a group of veterans in the "Swift Boat" advertisements, and Republicans portrayed him as indecisive. Bush won about 51 percent of the popular vote, the first popular-vote majority for any presidential candidate since 1988. The map barely moved from 2000. Only three states changed hands: Bush took Iowa by 0.7 points and New Mexico by 0.8, while Kerry won New Hampshire by 1.4. Ohio, which Bush held by 2.1 points, was the decisive state, and Kerry conceded the morning after the election once it was clear he could not overtake Bush's lead there. Kerry held Wisconsin by 0.4. The count was 286 for Bush and 251 for Kerry, with one Minnesota elector casting a vote for Kerry's running mate, John Edwards. Republicans also gained seats in both houses of Congress.

Every state

StateDemocratVotesRepublicanVotesOthersMargin EV
Alabama John Kerry693,933 (36.8%) George W. Bush1,176,394 (62.5%) 13,088 R+25.6 9
Alaska John Kerry111,025 (35.5%) George W. Bush190,889 (61.1%) 10,684 R+25.6 3
Arizona John Kerry893,524 (44.4%) George W. Bush1,104,294 (54.9%) 14,767 R+10.5 10
Arkansas John Kerry469,953 (44.5%) George W. Bush572,898 (54.3%) 12,094 R+9.8 6
California John Kerry6,745,485 (54.3%) George W. Bush5,509,826 (44.4%) 166,042 D+10.0 55
Colorado John Kerry1,001,732 (47.0%) George W. Bush1,101,255 (51.7%) 26,643 R+4.7 9
Connecticut John Kerry857,488 (54.3%) George W. Bush693,826 (43.9%) 27,455 D+10.4 7
Delaware John Kerry200,152 (53.3%) George W. Bush171,660 (45.8%) 3,378 D+7.6 3
District of Columbia John Kerry202,970 (89.2%) George W. Bush21,256 (9.3%) 3,360 D+79.8 3
Florida John Kerry3,583,544 (47.1%) George W. Bush3,964,522 (52.1%) 61,744 R+5.0 27
Georgia John Kerry1,366,149 (41.4%) George W. Bush1,914,254 (58.0%) 21,472 R+16.6 15
Hawaii John Kerry231,708 (54.0%) George W. Bush194,191 (45.3%) 3,114 D+8.7 4
Idaho John Kerry181,098 (30.3%) George W. Bush409,235 (68.4%) 8,043 R+38.1 4
Illinois John Kerry2,891,550 (54.8%) George W. Bush2,345,946 (44.5%) 36,826 D+10.3 21
Indiana John Kerry969,011 (39.3%) George W. Bush1,479,438 (59.9%) 19,553 R+20.7 11
Iowa flip John Kerry741,898 (49.2%) George W. Bush751,957 (49.9%) 13,053 R+0.7 7
Kansas John Kerry434,993 (36.6%) George W. Bush736,456 (62.0%) 16,307 R+25.4 6
Kentucky John Kerry712,733 (39.7%) George W. Bush1,069,439 (59.5%) 13,710 R+19.9 8
Louisiana John Kerry820,299 (42.2%) George W. Bush1,102,169 (56.7%) 20,638 R+14.5 9
Maine John Kerry396,842 (53.6%) George W. Bush330,201 (44.6%) 13,709 D+9.0 4
Maryland John Kerry1,334,534 (56.0%) George W. Bush1,024,703 (43.0%) 25,001 D+13.0 10
Massachusetts John Kerry1,803,800 (61.9%) George W. Bush1,071,109 (36.8%) 37,479 D+25.2 12
Michigan John Kerry2,479,183 (51.2%) George W. Bush2,313,746 (47.8%) 46,323 D+3.4 17
Minnesota John Kerry1,445,014 (51.1%) George W. Bush1,346,695 (47.6%) 36,678 D+3.5 10
Mississippi John Kerry458,094 (39.8%) George W. Bush684,981 (59.5%) 9,070 R+19.7 6
Missouri John Kerry1,259,171 (46.1%) George W. Bush1,455,713 (53.3%) 16,480 R+7.2 11
Montana John Kerry173,710 (38.6%) George W. Bush266,063 (59.1%) 10,661 R+20.5 3
Nebraska John Kerry254,328 (32.7%) George W. Bush512,814 (65.9%) 11,044 R+33.2 5
Nevada John Kerry397,190 (47.9%) George W. Bush418,690 (50.5%) 13,707 R+2.6 5
New Hampshire flip John Kerry340,511 (50.2%) George W. Bush331,237 (48.8%) 6,539 D+1.4 4
New Jersey John Kerry1,911,430 (52.9%) George W. Bush1,670,003 (46.2%) 30,258 D+6.7 15
New Mexico flip John Kerry370,942 (49.0%) George W. Bush376,930 (49.8%) 8,432 R+0.8 5
New York John Kerry4,314,280 (58.4%) George W. Bush2,962,567 (40.1%) 114,189 D+18.3 31
North Carolina John Kerry1,525,849 (43.6%) George W. Bush1,961,166 (56.0%) 13,992 R+12.4 15
North Dakota John Kerry111,052 (35.5%) George W. Bush196,651 (62.9%) 5,130 R+27.4 3
Ohio John Kerry2,741,165 (48.7%) George W. Bush2,859,764 (50.8%) 26,974 R+2.1 20
Oklahoma John Kerry503,966 (34.4%) George W. Bush959,792 (65.6%) R+31.1 7
Oregon John Kerry943,163 (51.3%) George W. Bush866,831 (47.2%) 26,788 D+4.2 7
Pennsylvania John Kerry2,938,095 (50.9%) George W. Bush2,793,847 (48.4%) 37,648 D+2.5 21
Rhode Island John Kerry259,760 (59.4%) George W. Bush169,046 (38.7%) 8,328 D+20.8 4
South Carolina John Kerry661,669 (40.9%) George W. Bush937,974 (58.0%) 18,057 R+17.1 8
South Dakota John Kerry149,244 (38.4%) George W. Bush232,584 (59.9%) 6,387 R+21.5 3
Tennessee John Kerry1,036,477 (42.5%) George W. Bush1,384,375 (56.8%) 16,467 R+14.3 11
Texas John Kerry2,832,704 (38.2%) George W. Bush4,526,917 (61.1%) 51,128 R+22.9 34
Utah John Kerry241,199 (26.0%) George W. Bush663,742 (71.5%) 22,903 R+45.5 5
Vermont John Kerry184,067 (58.9%) George W. Bush121,180 (38.8%) 7,062 D+20.1 3
Virginia John Kerry1,454,742 (45.5%) George W. Bush1,716,959 (53.7%) 23,714 R+8.2 13
Washington John Kerry1,510,201 (52.8%) George W. Bush1,304,894 (45.6%) 43,989 D+7.2 11
West Virginia John Kerry326,541 (43.2%) George W. Bush423,778 (56.1%) 5,473 R+12.9 5
Wisconsin John Kerry1,489,504 (49.7%) George W. Bush1,478,120 (49.3%) 29,383 D+0.4 10
Wyoming John Kerry70,776 (29.0%) George W. Bush167,629 (68.7%) 5,456 R+39.7 3

Margin: the Democrat's share of all votes minus the Republican's. Margins are Democrat minus Republican, of all votes. Certified results, from the states' own archives, the MIT Election Data and Science Lab, Heideman (2026) and Algara & Amlani (2021). Maine and Nebraska are shown whole, without their district votes. How these results were checked.

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