2004 United States presidential election in Idaho

The 2004 United States presidential election in Idaho took place on November 2, 2004, and was part of the 2004 presidential election. Voters chose four representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

2004 United States presidential election in Idaho

← 2000 November 2, 2004 2008 →
Turnout75.0% (of registered voters)
60.2% (of voting age population)
 
Nominee George W. Bush John Kerry
Party Republican Democratic
Home state Texas Massachusetts
Running mate Dick Cheney John Edwards
Electoral vote 4 0
Popular vote 409,235 181,098
Percentage 68.38% 30.26%


President before election

George W. Bush
Republican

Elected President

George W. Bush
Republican

Idaho was won by incumbent President George W. Bush by a 38.1 point margin of victory. Prior to the election, all twelve news organizations considered this a state Bush would win, or otherwise considered as a safe red state. No Democratic presidential nominee won the state since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 and even then it was close. In 2004, President George W. Bush easily won the state and every congressional district and county, except the Democratic stronghold of Blaine County. As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last election in which Latah County voted for a Republican presidential candidate.

With 68.38 percent of the popular vote, Idaho would prove to be Bush's third strongest state in the 2004 election after neighboring Utah and Wyoming.[1]

Caucuses

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Campaign

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Predictions

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There were 12 news organizations who made state-by-state predictions of the election. Here are their last predictions before election day.[2]

Source Ranking
D.C. Political Report Solid R
Associated Press Solid R
CNN Likely R
Cook Political Report Solid R
Newsweek Solid R
New York Times Solid R
Rasmussen Reports Likely R
Research 2000 Solid R
Washington Post Likely R
Washington Times Solid R
Zogby International Likely R
Washington Dispatch Likely R

Polling

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Only one pre-election poll was taken, which gave Bush 59%, Kerry 30%, and Nader 3%.[3]

Fundraising

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Bush raised $371,495.[4] Kerry raised $359,011.[5]

Advertising and visits

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Neither campaign visited or campaigned here during the fall election.[6][7]

Analysis

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With a substantial Mormon population, Idaho is one of the most reliable GOP bastions in the country. Both senators and representatives are Republican. It has not supported a Democratic presidential candidate since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. Democrats have not held the state legislature since 1958, though Democrats held the governorship from 1971 to 1995.

Results

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2004 United States presidential election in Idaho[8]
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Republican George W. Bush (incumbent) 409,235 68.38% 4
Democratic John Kerry 181,098 30.26% 0
Libertarian Michael Badnarik 3,844 0.64% 0
Constitution Party Michael Peroutka 3,038 0.51% 0
Write In Ralph Nader 1,115 0.19% 0
Write In David Cobb 58 0.01% 0
Write In John Joseph Kennedy 9 <0.01% 0
Write In Walt Brown 3 <0.01% 0
Totals 598,447 100.00% 4
Voter turnout (Voting age population) 60.2%

Results by county

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County George W. Bush
Republican
John Kerry
Democratic
Michael J. Badnarik[9]
Libertarian
Michael Anthony Peroutka[9]
Constitution
Various Other Candidates[9]
Write In
Margin Total
# % # % # % # % # % # %
Ada 94,641 61.05% 58,523 37.75% 1,041 0.67% 449 0.29% 376 0.24% 36,118 23.30% 155,030
Adams 1,468 71.16% 555 26.90% 14 0.68% 24 1.16% 2 0.10% 913 44.26% 2,063
Bannock 21,479 61.64% 12,903 37.03% 244 0.70% 125 0.36% 93 0.26% 8,576 24.61% 34,844
Bear Lake 2,506 82.43% 494 16.25% 12 0.39% 22 0.72% 6 0.20% 2,012 66.18% 3,040
Benewah 2,823 69.70% 1,148 28.35% 34 0.84% 35 0.86% 10 0.25% 1,675 41.35% 4,050
Bingham 12,734 76.87% 3,605 21.76% 105 0.63% 107 0.65% 14 0.08% 9,129 55.11% 16,565
Blaine 4,034 39.76% 5,992 59.05% 80 0.79% 23 0.23% 18 0.18% -1,958 -19.29% 10,147
Boise 2,501 70.91% 970 27.50% 31 0.88% 15 0.43% 10 0.28% 1,531 43.41% 3,527
Bonner 10,697 60.49% 6,649 37.60% 139 0.79% 146 0.83% 53 0.30% 4,048 22.89% 17,684
Bonneville 30,048 77.30% 8,356 21.50% 229 0.59% 184 0.47% 54 0.14% 21,692 55.80% 38,871
Boundary 3,012 68.78% 1,268 28.96% 51 1.16% 31 0.71% 17 0.39% 1,744 39.82% 4,379
Butte 1,077 76.60% 321 22.83% 4 0.28% 4 0.28% 0 0.00% 756 53.77% 1,406
Camas 450 75.63% 139 23.36% 1 0.17% 5 0.84% 0 0.00% 311 52.27% 595
Canyon 41,599 74.69% 13,415 24.09% 346 0.62% 269 0.48% 69 0.12% 28,184 50.60% 55,698
Caribou 2,753 83.91% 491 14.96% 21 0.64% 8 0.24% 8 0.24% 2,262 68.95% 3,281
Cassia 6,562 83.90% 1,153 14.74% 48 0.61% 54 0.69% 4 0.05% 5,409 69.16% 7,821
Clark 302 85.55% 46 13.03% 2 0.57% 3 0.85% 0 0.00% 256 72.52% 353
Clearwater 2,839 70.38% 1,117 27.69% 40 0.99% 35 0.87% 3 0.07% 1,722 42.69% 4,034
Custer 1,762 74.72% 559 23.71% 18 0.76% 13 0.55% 6 0.25% 1,203 51.01% 2,358
Elmore 6,011 74.57% 1,959 24.30% 45 0.56% 29 0.36% 17 0.21% 4,052 50.27% 8,061
Franklin 4,527 89.57% 456 9.02% 19 0.38% 51 1.01% 1 0.02% 4,071 80.55% 5,054
Fremont 4,965 86.06% 741 12.84% 22 0.38% 34 0.59% 7 0.12% 4,224 73.22% 5,769
Gem 5,416 75.92% 1,628 22.82% 34 0.48% 37 0.52% 19 0.27% 3,788 53.10% 7,134
Gooding 3,973 74.61% 1,278 24.00% 29 0.54% 31 0.58% 14 0.26% 2,695 50.61% 5,325
Idaho 6,017 75.50% 1,689 21.19% 49 0.61% 202 2.53% 13 0.16% 4,328 54.31% 7,970
Jefferson 7,703 86.49% 1,084 12.17% 41 0.46% 72 0.81% 6 0.07% 6,619 74.32% 8,906
Jerome 5,177 78.68% 1,344 20.43% 31 0.47% 18 0.27% 10 0.15% 3,833 58.25% 6,580
Kootenai 36,173 66.25% 17,584 32.20% 303 0.55% 408 0.75% 135 0.25% 18,589 34.05% 54,603
Latah 8,686 49.48% 8,430 48.03% 239 1.36% 125 0.71% 73 0.41% 256 1.45% 17,553
Lemhi 3,079 75.93% 915 22.56% 37 0.91% 16 0.39% 8 0.20% 2,164 53.37% 4,055
Lewis 1,359 74.67% 440 24.18% 7 0.38% 10 0.55% 4 0.22% 919 50.49% 1,820
Lincoln 1,388 73.99% 466 24.84% 9 0.48% 9 0.48% 4 0.21% 922 49.15% 1,876
Madison 10,693 91.89% 826 7.10% 35 0.30% 69 0.59% 14 0.12% 9,867 84.79% 11,637
Minidoka 5,797 80.50% 1,331 18.48% 33 0.46% 35 0.49% 5 0.07% 4,466 62.02% 7,201
Nez Perce 11,009 62.20% 6,476 36.59% 112 0.63% 82 0.46% 21 0.12% 4,533 25.61% 17,700
Oneida 1,789 83.87% 304 14.25% 9 0.42% 30 1.41% 1 0.05% 1,485 69.62% 2,133
Owyhee 2,859 79.64% 685 19.08% 27 0.75% 17 0.47% 2 0.06% 2,174 60.56% 3,590
Payette 6,256 76.47% 1,848 22.59% 39 0.48% 34 0.42% 4 0.05% 4,408 53.88% 8,181
Power 2,105 71.16% 829 28.03% 13 0.44% 10 0.34% 1 0.03% 1,276 43.13% 2,958
Shoshone 2,922 54.75% 2,331 43.68% 35 0.66% 41 0.77% 8 0.15% 591 11.07% 5,337
Teton 2,235 60.57% 1,416 38.37% 24 0.65% 2 0.05% 13 0.35% 819 22.20% 3,690
Twin Falls 19,672 74.42% 6,458 24.43% 146 0.55% 119 0.45% 40 0.15% 13,214 49.99% 26,435
Valley 2,863 59.97% 1,843 38.60% 29 0.61% 18 0.38% 21 0.44% 1,020 21.37% 4,774
Washington 3,274 75.11% 1,033 23.70% 17 0.39% 33 0.76% 2 0.05% 2,241 51.41% 4,359
Totals 409,235 68.38% 181,098 30.26% 3,844 0.64% 3,084 0.52% 1,186 0.20% 228,137 38.12% 598,447

By congressional district

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Bush won both congressional districts.

District Bush Kerry Representative
1st 69% 30% Butch Otter
2nd 69% 30% Mike Simpson

Electors

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

  1. Pete T. Cenarrusa
  2. Debbie Field
  3. Sandra Patano
  4. John Sandy

See also

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Notes

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References

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  1. ^ "2004 Presidential Election Statistics". Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  2. ^ "Archived copy". dcpoliticalreport.com. Archived from the original on November 21, 2010. Retrieved January 17, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ "Election 2004 Polls - Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  4. ^ "George W Bush - $374,659,453 raised, '04 election cycle, Republican Party, President". Campaignmoney.com. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  5. ^ "John F Kerry - $345,826,176 raised, '04 election cycle, Democratic Party, President". Campaignmoney.com. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  6. ^ "Specials". Cnn.com. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  7. ^ "Specials". Cnn.com. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  8. ^ Official General Election Results For United States President November 2, 2004 Archived May 13, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ a b c Our Campaigns; ID US President, November 02, 2004
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