| Election Name: | 2004 California Democratic presidential primary |
| Country: | California |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2000 California Democratic presidential primary |
| Previous Year: | 2000 |
| Next Election: | 2008 California Democratic presidential primary |
| Next Year: | 2008 |
| Votes For Election: | 441 Democratic National Convention delegates (370 pledged, 17 unpledged) The number of pledged delegates received is determined by the popular vote |
| Image1: | File:John F. Kerry (closein cropped 3x4).jpg |
| Candidate1: | John Kerry |
| Colour1: | 00539f |
| Popular Vote1: | 2,002,539 |
| Percentage1: | 64.44% |
| Delegate Count1: | 288 |
| Home State1: | Massachusetts |
| Candidate2: | John Edwards |
| Colour2: | e50100 |
| Home State2: | North Carolina |
| Popular Vote2: | 614,441 |
| Percentage2: | 19.77% |
| Delegate Count2: | 82 |
| Outgoing Members: | UT |
| Elected Members: | CT |
The 2004 California Democratic presidential primary was held on March 2, 2004, the same day as the Republican primary. Senator John Kerry overwhelmingly won the primary over rivals Senator John Edwards, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, and Reverend Al Sharpton. The primary was open to both registered Democrats and unaffiliated voters. 440 delegates were at stake, with 370 tied to the March primary.
With the Wisconsin primary results, which pitted John Kerry and John Edwards in a close fight, and Dean's withdrawal from the race, the campaign moved to Super Tuesday contests. California shared its primary with 9 other states, including New York and Ohio who also placed their primaries on March 2, 2004, or Super Tuesday.
For months Governor Dean had been leading in California, but since he's fall and Kerry's rise, polls in California were mixed. However, when Dean exited the race polls showed Kerry with over 2:1 leads over contender John Edwards.
See main article: John Kerry 2004 presidential campaign. Following victories in Idaho, Utah and Hawaii, Kerry moved into the Super Tuesday contests swiftly and with major momentum. With polls showing him ahead in big Super Tuesday states such as California, New York, and Ohio, Kerry was positive on big wins in all three.
Kerry campaigned hard in California and didn't take competition from Edwards and Kucinich lightly. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Senator had spent 5 additional days in the state than any other candidate competing in the state as well as the fact that Kerry has increased State Staffers by 25 and increased Volunteer Numbers by hundreds in mid-February to ensure a sweep through the California Primary.[6]
See main article: John Edwards 2004 presidential campaign.
John Edwards, having come out with a strong second place showing in Wisconsin (losing to Kerry 40%–34%), claimed significant momentum heading into California and other Super Tuesday nominating contests on the same day.
Edwards, not having as much popularity out west as in the Rust Belt, South, and Mid-West, did not focus on California until his unexpected final surge in Wisconsin, beating one-time California and national front-runner Howard Dean. Edwards sent Elizabeth Edwards out west to help campaign as well as opened Campaign offices across the state in a last-ditch effort for a final surge.
When the Democrats debated on February 26, 2004, in Los Angeles, Edwards hoped to score points by attacking John Kerry like in the New York debate. However, by the time of the debate, Kerry was already ahead of Edwards by 40 points.[7]
| Candidate | California Statewide Survey 2/12 | Los Angeles Times Poll 2/20 | Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Kerry | 56% | 56% | 56% | |
| John Edwards | 10% | 24% | 17.5% | |
| Howard Dean | 11% | 0% (dropped out) | N/A |
| Classification | % of all | John Kerry | John Edwards | Dennis Kucinich | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 47% | 65% | 18% | 5% | |
| Female | 53% | 65% | 20% | 3% | |
| Democrat | 75% | 70% | 18% | 3% | |
| Republican | 4% | 33% | 24% | 3% | |
| Independent | 21% | 53% | 23% | 6% |
Source CNN EXIT POLLING[9]
| Key: | Withdrew prior to contest |
| 2004 California Democratic presidential primary[10] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | National delegates | |
| John Kerry | 2,002,539 | 64.44% | 288 | |
| John Edwards | 614,441 | 19.77% | 82 | |
| Dennis Kucinich | 144,954 | 4.66% | 0 | |
| Howard Dean | 130,892 | 4.21% | 0 | |
| Al Sharpton | 59,326 | 1.91% | 0 | |
| Joe Lieberman | 52,780 | 1.70% | 0 | |
| Wesley Clark | 51,084 | 1.64% | 0 | |
| Carol Moseley Braun | 24,501 | 0.79% | 0 | |
| Dick Gephardt | 19,139 | 0.62% | 0 | |
| Lyndon LaRouche | 7,953 | 0.26% | 0 | |
| Katarina Dunmar (write-in) | 6 | 0.00% | 0 | |
| James Alexander-Pace (write-in) | 4 | 0.00% | 0 | |
| Bill Pand (write-in) | 4 | 0.00% | 0 | |
| David Giacomuzzi (write-in) | 3 | 0.00% | 0 | |
| Fern Penna (write-in) | 3 | 0.00% | 0 | |
| Totals | 3,107,629 | 100.00% | 370 | |
On Super Tuesday, Kerry swept all the primaries and eventually won the nomination the next day. He won California by a landslide. He won with nearly 65% of the vote, including every county in the state and every congressional district with over 60% except California's 2nd congressional district. Kerry's only legit opponent left, John Edwards, received under 20% of the vote, insuring his major defeat.