See main article: 2004 United States presidential election.
| Election Name: | 2004 United States presidential election in West Virginia |
| Country: | West Virginia |
| Flag Year: | 2004 |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2000 United States presidential election in West Virginia |
| Previous Year: | 2000 |
| Next Election: | 2008 United States presidential election in West Virginia |
| Next Year: | 2008 |
| Election Date: | November 2, 2004 |
| Turnout: | 64.7% (of registered voters) 53.3% (of voting age population) |
| Image1: | George-W-Bush.jpeg |
| Nominee1: | George W. Bush |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Home State1: | Texas |
| Running Mate1: | Dick Cheney |
| Electoral Vote1: | 5 |
| Popular Vote1: | 423,778 |
| Percentage1: | 56.06% |
| Nominee2: | John Kerry |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Home State2: | Massachusetts |
| Running Mate2: | John Edwards |
| Electoral Vote2: | 0 |
| Popular Vote2: | 326,541 |
| Percentage2: | 43.20% |
| President | |
| Before Election: | George W. Bush |
| Before Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| After Election: | George W. Bush |
| After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Map Size: | 300px |
The 2004 United States presidential election in West Virginia took place on November 2, 2004, and was part of the 2004 United States presidential election. Voters chose 5 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
West Virginia was won by incumbent President George W. Bush by a 12.86% margin of victory. Prior to the election, 8 of 12 news organizations considered this a state Bush would win, or otherwise considered as a red state, while others considered it a swing state. Democratic President Bill Clinton easily won this state in 1992 and 1996, but Bush carried the state in 2000 with just 51.92% of the vote. West Virginia is the only state to vote against George H. W. Bush both times and vote for George W. Bush both times. On election day, President Bush won here with a 6.53% better margin than his performance in 2000, signaling that the state was trending Republican at the presidential level. This was despite the fact that more than 50% of the state's population were registered Democrats, and both senators were Democrats.
This also marked the last election in which West Virginia voted for the same presidential candidate as neighboring Virginia, and the first election since 1944 in which West Virginia voted more Republican than Virginia. In the four subsequent U.S. presidential races since 2004, the Republican nominee won West Virginia while the Democratic nominee won Virginia. This is the last presidential election in which Fayette County, Brooke County, Logan County, and Mingo County voted Democratic. Bush was the first Republican since William McKinley to carry West Virginia twice.
There were 12 news organizations who made state-by-state predictions of the election. Here are their last predictions before election day.[1]
| D.C. Political Report | ||
| Associated Press | ||
| CNN | ||
| Cook Political Report | ||
| Newsweek | ||
| New York Times | ||
| Rasmussen Reports | ||
| Research 2000 | ||
| Washington Post | ||
| Washington Times | ||
| Zogby International | ||
| Washington Dispatch |
Early on, pre-election polling showed the election as a pure toss up. But after September 14, Bush pulled away and reached 50% or higher in the polls. The final 3 poll average showed Bush leading 50% to 44%.[2]
Bush raised $527,380.[3] Kerry raised $627,425.[4]
Bush visited the state eight times; Kerry visited the state six times.[5] A total of between $100,000 and $550,000 was spent each week. As the election went on, both tickets spent less and less here each week.[6]
More than any other state, West Virginia highlighted Kerry's trouble in Appalachian America. It swung heavily to the Democrats during the days of Franklin D. Roosevelt and remained reliably Democratic for most of the next 68 years. The state voted for Democrats (such as Jimmy Carter and Mike Dukakis) who went on to big national defeats. This was largely due to its blue-collar, heavily unionized workers, especially coal miners, who favored Democratic economic policy.
Starting with George W. Bush, however, the state's voters became more receptive to Republicans.
| County | George W. Bush Republican | John Kerry Democratic | Various candidates Other parties | Margin | Total | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | ||||||||||||||||
| Barbour | 4,004 | 60.17% | 2,610 | 39.22% | 41 | 0.62% | 1,394 | 20.95% | 6,655 | ||||||||||
| Berkeley | 21,293 | 63.03% | 12,244 | 36.24% | 248 | 0.73% | 9,049 | 26.79% | 33,785 | ||||||||||
| Boone | 4,207 | 41.25% | 5,933 | 58.18% | 58 | 0.57% | -1,726 | -16.93% | 10,198 | ||||||||||
| Braxton | 2,986 | 49.35% | 3,035 | 50.16% | 30 | 0.50% | -49 | -0.81% | 6,051 | ||||||||||
| Brooke | 5,189 | 48.17% | 5,493 | 50.99% | 91 | 0.85% | -304 | -2.82% | 10,773 | ||||||||||
| Cabell | 21,035 | 55.43% | 16,583 | 43.70% | 332 | 0.87% | 4,452 | 11.73% | 37,950 | ||||||||||
| Calhoun | 1,588 | 54.97% | 1,266 | 43.82% | 35 | 1.22% | 322 | 11.15% | 2,889 | ||||||||||
| Clay | 2,198 | 53.98% | 1,835 | 45.06% | 39 | 0.95% | 363 | 8.92% | 4,072 | ||||||||||
| Doddridge | 2,362 | 74.30% | 800 | 25.17% | 17 | 0.54% | 1,562 | 49.13% | 3,179 | ||||||||||
| Fayette | 7,881 | 46.45% | 8,971 | 52.87% | 115 | 0.68% | -1,090 | -6.42% | 16,967 | ||||||||||
| Gilmer | 1,665 | 58.38% | 1,159 | 40.64% | 28 | 0.99% | 506 | 17.74% | 2,852 | ||||||||||
| Grant | 4,063 | 80.50% | 963 | 19.08% | 21 | 0.42% | 3,100 | 61.42% | 5,047 | ||||||||||
| Greenbrier | 8,358 | 57.43% | 6,084 | 41.81% | 111 | 0.77% | 2,274 | 15.62% | 14,553 | ||||||||||
| Hampshire | 5,489 | 68.65% | 2,455 | 30.70% | 52 | 0.65% | 3,034 | 37.95% | 7,996 | ||||||||||
| Hancock | 7,298 | 50.96% | 6,906 | 48.22% | 117 | 0.82% | 392 | 2.74% | 14,321 | ||||||||||
| Hardy | 3,635 | 68.90% | 1,617 | 30.65% | 24 | 0.46% | 2,018 | 38.25% | 5,276 | ||||||||||
| Harrison | 17,111 | 55.94% | 13,238 | 43.28% | 239 | 0.79% | 3,873 | 12.66% | 30,588 | ||||||||||
| Jackson | 7,686 | 58.41% | 5,384 | 40.92% | 88 | 0.66% | 2,302 | 17.49% | 13,158 | ||||||||||
| Jefferson | 10,539 | 52.71% | 9,301 | 46.52% | 153 | 0.77% | 1,238 | 6.19% | 19,993 | ||||||||||
| Kanawha | 44,430 | 50.53% | 43,010 | 48.92% | 488 | 0.55% | 1,420 | 1.61% | 87,928 | ||||||||||
| Lewis | 4,445 | 63.51% | 2,475 | 35.36% | 79 | 1.13% | 1,970 | 28.15% | 6,999 | ||||||||||
| Lincoln | 4,102 | 49.35% | 4,048 | 48.70% | 162 | 1.95% | 54 | 0.65% | 8,312 | ||||||||||
| Logan | 7,047 | 47.02% | 7,877 | 52.56% | 63 | 0.42% | -830 | -5.54% | 14,987 | ||||||||||
| Marion | 12,150 | 48.23% | 12,771 | 50.69% | 273 | 1.08% | -621 | -2.46% | 25,194 | ||||||||||
| Marshall | 8,516 | 56.50% | 6,435 | 42.70% | 121 | 0.80% | 2,081 | 13.80% | 15,072 | ||||||||||
| Mason | 6,487 | 54.10% | 5,408 | 45.10% | 95 | 0.80% | 1,079 | 9.00% | 11,990 | ||||||||||
| McDowell | 2,762 | 37.84% | 4,501 | 61.67% | 36 | 0.49% | -1,739 | -23.83% | 7,299 | ||||||||||
| Mercer | 13,057 | 58.34% | 9,178 | 41.01% | 144 | 0.64% | 3,879 | 17.33% | 22,379 | ||||||||||
| Mineral | 7,854 | 68.53% | 3,518 | 30.70% | 89 | 0.78% | 4,336 | 37.83% | 11,461 | ||||||||||
| Mingo | 4,612 | 43.28% | 5,983 | 56.15% | 60 | 0.56% | -1,371 | -12.87% | 10,655 | ||||||||||
| Monongalia | 17,670 | 51.51% | 16,313 | 47.55% | 323 | 0.95% | 1,357 | 3.96% | 34,306 | ||||||||||
| Monroe | 3,590 | 60.33% | 2,311 | 38.83% | 50 | 0.84% | 1,279 | 21.50% | 5,951 | ||||||||||
| Morgan | 4,511 | 65.88% | 2,272 | 33.18% | 64 | 0.93% | 2,239 | 32.70% | 6,847 | ||||||||||
| Nicholas | 5,485 | 52.99% | 4,788 | 46.26% | 78 | 0.75% | 697 | 6.73% | 10,351 | ||||||||||
| Ohio | 11,694 | 57.35% | 8,543 | 41.89% | 155 | 0.76% | 3,151 | 15.46% | 20,392 | ||||||||||
| Pendleton | 2,146 | 60.55% | 1,381 | 38.97% | 17 | 0.48% | 765 | 21.58% | 3,544 | ||||||||||
| Pleasants | 2,061 | 60.00% | 1,349 | 39.27% | 25 | 0.73% | 712 | 20.73% | 3,435 | ||||||||||
| Pocahontas | 2,295 | 58.58% | 1,573 | 40.15% | 50 | 1.27% | 722 | 18.43% | 3,918 | ||||||||||
| Preston | 7,855 | 65.85% | 3,963 | 33.22% | 111 | 0.93% | 3,892 | 32.63% | 11,929 | ||||||||||
| Putnam | 15,716 | 62.49% | 9,301 | 36.98% | 134 | 0.53% | 6,415 | 25.51% | 25,151 | ||||||||||
| Raleigh | 18,519 | 60.67% | 11,815 | 38.71% | 191 | 0.62% | 6,704 | 21.96% | 30,525 | ||||||||||
| Randolph | 6,512 | 56.68% | 4,892 | 42.58% | 86 | 0.75% | 1,620 | 14.10% | 11,490 | ||||||||||
| Ritchie | 3,086 | 73.55% | 1,070 | 25.50% | 40 | 0.95% | 2,016 | 48.05% | 4,196 | ||||||||||
| Roane | 3,440 | 56.39% | 2,612 | 42.82% | 48 | 0.79% | 828 | 13.57% | 6,100 | ||||||||||
| Summers | 2,978 | 53.91% | 2,504 | 45.33% | 42 | 0.76% | 474 | 8.58% | 5,524 | ||||||||||
| Taylor | 3,893 | 59.43% | 2,617 | 39.95% | 41 | 0.62% | 1,276 | 19.48% | 6,551 | ||||||||||
| Tucker | 2,179 | 60.53% | 1,400 | 38.89% | 21 | 0.58% | 779 | 21.64% | 3,600 | ||||||||||
| Tyler | 2,798 | 65.91% | 1,401 | 33.00% | 46 | 1.09% | 1,397 | 32.91% | 4,245 | ||||||||||
| Upshur | 6,191 | 66.62% | 3,034 | 32.65% | 68 | 0.73% | 3,157 | 33.97% | 9,293 | ||||||||||
| Wayne | 10,070 | 54.11% | 8,411 | 45.20% | 128 | 0.69% | 1,659 | 8.91% | 18,609 | ||||||||||
| Webster | 1,724 | 46.42% | 1,965 | 52.91% | 25 | 0.67% | -241 | -6.49% | 3,714 | ||||||||||
| Wetzel | 3,656 | 51.95% | 3,330 | 47.31% | 52 | 0.74% | 326 | 4.64% | 7,038 | ||||||||||
| Wirt | 1,727 | 65.07% | 896 | 33.76% | 31 | 1.17% | 831 | 31.31% | 2,654 | ||||||||||
| Wood | 24,948 | 63.60% | 14,025 | 35.75% | 254 | 0.65% | 10,923 | 27.85% | 39,227 | ||||||||||
| Wyoming | 4,985 | 57.18% | 3,694 | 42.37% | 39 | 0.45% | 1,291 | 14.81% | 8,718 | ||||||||||
| Totals | 423,778 | 56.06% | 326,541 | 43.20% | 5,568 | 0.74% | 97,237 | 12.86% | 755,887 | ||||||||||
Bush won all 3 congressional districts, including two held by Democrats.[7]
| District | Bush | Kerry | Representative | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 58% | 42% | Alan Mollohan | ||||
| 57% | 42% | Shelley Moore Capito | ||||
| 53% | 46% | Nick Rahall |
See main article: List of 2004 United States presidential electors.
Technically the voters of WV cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. WV is allocated 5 electors because it has 3 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 5 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 5 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 the state. All 5 were pledged for Bush/Cheney: