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| Turnout | 64.26% [1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 County results Congressional district results Precinct results
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The2004 United States presidential election in North Carolina took place on November 2, 2004, and was part of the2004 United States presidential election. Voters chose 15 representatives, or electors to theElectoral College, who voted forpresident andvice president.
North Carolina was won by incumbentPresidentGeorge W. Bush by a 12.44% margin of victory. Prior to the election, all 12 news organizations considered this a state Bush would win, or ared state. North Carolina was also the home state of Democratic Party vice presidential nomineeJohn Edwards, who was then representing the state in theUnited States Senate. This was not enough for Democrats to break Republican success in this state sinceJimmy Carter's victory in1976. While winning the state comfortably, Bush's margin of 12.44% was 0.39% lower than his2000 performance, making it the only Southern state to swing more Democratic than2000.
Bush became the first Republican to win the White House without carryingMecklenburg orGuilford counties sinceCalvin Coolidge in1924.
As of2024, this was the last presidential election in which North Carolina was decided by more than a 5% margin.
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 | Likely R |
| Cook Political Report | Lean R |
| Research 2000 | Lean R |
| Zogby International | Likely R |
| Washington Post | Likely R |
| Washington Dispatch | Likely R |
| Washington Times | Solid R |
| The New York Times | Solid R |
| CNN | Likely R |
| Newsweek | Lean R |
| Associated Press | Lean R |
| Rasmussen Reports | Likely R |
Bush won every single pre-election poll. The final 3-poll average showed Bush leading 52% to 44%.[3]
Bush raised $4,465,160.[4] Kerry raised $2,049,794.[5]
Neither campaign advertised or visited the state during the fall campaign.[6][7]
John Edwards failed to make his home state competitive in the general election.[8] In2000, George W. Bush had performed strongly in most of the South, including North Carolina, which he had won by 12.83%. As in most of the rest of the South, he did so once again in North Carolina, notwithstanding Edwards' presence on the Democratic ticket, although his margin of victory did go down slightly, to 12.44%, even as nationally he improved from losing the popular vote by 0.5% to winning it by 2.5%. Bush consistently led in polling leading up to election day.[9]
Bush won a majority of the 100 counties and congressional districts. The only region in the state that Kerry dominated in was the Northeasternblack belt, the location ofNorth Carolina's 1st congressional district. However, Kerry did narrowly flip two heavily populated counties,Mecklenburg andGuilford, which have gone on to give Democrats over 55% of the vote in every subsequent election as of2024. He also cut Bush's margin in another heavily populated county,Wake, from 7.1% to 2.1%. As of 2024, Wake has gone on to give Democrats over 55% of the vote in every subsequent election save2012. Large Democratic margins in these counties have been instrumental to making North Carolina competitive in every election from2008 onward.
As of the2024 presidential election[update], this is the last election in whichPitt County,Forsyth County,Wilson County,Wake County,Buncombe County, andCumberland County voted for a Republican presidential candidate.[10] This is also the last presidential race in where any candidate won North Carolina by double digits, as well as the last time the state was not seriously contested.
| 2004 United States presidential election in North Carolina | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Running mate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes | |
| Republican | George W. Bush(incumbent) | Richard Cheney(incumbent) | 1,961,166 | 56.02% | 15 | |
| Democratic | John Kerry | John Edwards | 1,525,849 | 43.58% | 0 | |
| Libertarian | Michael Badnarik | Richard Campagna | 11,731 | 0.34% | 0 | |
| Others | N/A | N/A | 2,261 | 0.06% | 0 | |
| Totals | 3,501,007 | 100% | 15 | |||
| Voter turnout (Voting Age population) | 55.4% | |||||
| County | George W. Bush Republican | John Kerry Democratic | Various candidates Other parties | Margin | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Alamance | 33,302 | 61.47% | 20,686 | 38.18% | 187 | 0.35% | 12,616 | 23.29% | 54,175 |
| Alexander | 10,928 | 70.05% | 4,618 | 29.60% | 54 | 0.34% | 6,310 | 40.45% | 15,600 |
| Alleghany | 2,883 | 59.73% | 1,922 | 39.82% | 22 | 0.45% | 961 | 19.91% | 4,827 |
| Anson | 3,796 | 41.15% | 5,413 | 58.68% | 16 | 0.17% | −1,617 | −17.53% | 9,225 |
| Ashe | 7,292 | 61.68% | 4,477 | 37.87% | 54 | 0.46% | 2,815 | 23.81% | 11,823 |
| Avery | 5,678 | 75.47% | 1,805 | 23.99% | 41 | 0.55% | 3,873 | 51.48% | 7,524 |
| Beaufort | 12,432 | 63.68% | 7,025 | 35.99% | 65 | 0.34% | 5,407 | 27.69% | 19,522 |
| Bertie | 3,057 | 38.06% | 4,938 | 61.48% | 37 | 0.46% | −1,881 | −23.42% | 8,032 |
| Bladen | 6,174 | 50.14% | 6,109 | 49.61% | 30 | 0.24% | 65 | 0.53% | 12,313 |
| Brunswick | 22,925 | 60.37% | 14,903 | 39.24% | 149 | 0.39% | 8,022 | 21.13% | 37,977 |
| Buncombe | 52,491 | 49.99% | 51,868 | 49.39% | 654 | 0.63% | 623 | 0.60% | 105,013 |
| Burke | 18,922 | 61.51% | 11,728 | 38.12% | 112 | 0.37% | 7,194 | 23.39% | 30,762 |
| Cabarrus | 40,780 | 67.05% | 19,803 | 32.56% | 241 | 0.40% | 20,977 | 34.49% | 60,824 |
| Caldwell | 21,186 | 67.58% | 9,999 | 31.90% | 163 | 0.52% | 11,187 | 35.68% | 31,348 |
| Camden | 2,480 | 64.75% | 1,339 | 34.96% | 11 | 0.29% | 1,141 | 29.79% | 3,830 |
| Carteret | 17,716 | 69.27% | 7,732 | 30.23% | 127 | 0.50% | 9,984 | 39.04% | 25,575 |
| Caswell | 4,868 | 51.58% | 4,539 | 48.10% | 30 | 0.32% | 329 | 3.48% | 9,437 |
| Catawba | 39,602 | 67.48% | 18,858 | 32.13% | 228 | 0.39% | 20,744 | 35.35% | 58,688 |
| Chatham | 12,892 | 49.73% | 12,897 | 49.75% | 133 | 0.51% | −5 | −0.02% | 25,922 |
| Cherokee | 7,517 | 67.12% | 3,635 | 32.46% | 47 | 0.42% | 3,882 | 34.66% | 11,199 |
| Chowan | 2,967 | 55.09% | 2,406 | 44.67% | 13 | 0.24% | 561 | 10.42% | 5,386 |
| Clay | 3,209 | 65.95% | 1,628 | 33.46% | 29 | 0.59% | 1,581 | 32.49% | 4,866 |
| Cleveland | 22,750 | 61.36% | 14,215 | 38.34% | 114 | 0.31% | 8,535 | 23.02% | 37,079 |
| Columbus | 10,773 | 50.84% | 10,343 | 48.81% | 75 | 0.36% | 430 | 2.03% | 21,191 |
| Craven | 23,575 | 62.44% | 14,019 | 37.13% | 162 | 0.43% | 9,556 | 25.31% | 37,756 |
| Cumberland | 49,139 | 51.60% | 45,788 | 48.08% | 299 | 0.31% | 3,351 | 3.52% | 95,226 |
| Currituck | 6,013 | 66.99% | 2,909 | 32.41% | 54 | 0.60% | 3,104 | 34.58% | 8,976 |
| Dare | 9,345 | 60.10% | 6,136 | 39.46% | 67 | 0.43% | 3,209 | 20.64% | 15,548 |
| Davidson | 42,075 | 70.72% | 17,191 | 28.89% | 230 | 0.39% | 24,884 | 41.81% | 59,496 |
| Davie | 12,372 | 74.17% | 4,233 | 25.38% | 75 | 0.45% | 8,139 | 48.79% | 16,680 |
| Duplin | 9,611 | 57.96% | 6,923 | 41.75% | 49 | 0.30% | 2,688 | 16.21% | 16,583 |
| Durham | 34,614 | 31.57% | 74,524 | 67.96% | 513 | 0.47% | −39,910 | −36.39% | 109,651 |
| Edgecombe | 8,163 | 38.73% | 12,877 | 61.09% | 39 | 0.19% | −4,714 | −22.36% | 21,079 |
| Forsyth | 75,294 | 54.12% | 63,340 | 45.53% | 491 | 0.35% | 11,954 | 8.59% | 139,125 |
| Franklin | 11,540 | 55.17% | 9,286 | 44.39% | 92 | 0.44% | 2,254 | 10.78% | 20,918 |
| Gaston | 43,252 | 67.84% | 20,254 | 31.77% | 249 | 0.39% | 22,998 | 36.07% | 63,755 |
| Gates | 1,924 | 47.47% | 2,121 | 52.33% | 8 | 0.20% | −197 | −4.86% | 4,053 |
| Graham | 2,693 | 67.54% | 1,272 | 31.90% | 22 | 0.56% | 1,421 | 35.64% | 3,987 |
| Granville | 9,491 | 51.02% | 9,057 | 48.69% | 53 | 0.28% | 434 | 2.33% | 18,601 |
| Greene | 3,800 | 58.71% | 2,665 | 41.18% | 7 | 0.11% | 1,135 | 17.53% | 6,472 |
| Guilford | 98,254 | 49.30% | 100,042 | 50.19% | 1,018 | 0.51% | −1,788 | −0.89% | 199,314 |
| Halifax | 8,088 | 41.17% | 11,528 | 58.68% | 31 | 0.16% | −3,440 | −17.51% | 19,647 |
| Harnett | 20,922 | 64.24% | 11,563 | 35.50% | 86 | 0.26% | 9,359 | 28.74% | 32,571 |
| Haywood | 14,545 | 56.09% | 11,237 | 43.33% | 150 | 0.58% | 3,308 | 12.76% | 25,932 |
| Henderson | 28,025 | 64.82% | 15,003 | 34.70% | 206 | 0.48% | 13,022 | 30.12% | 43,234 |
| Hertford | 2,942 | 36.18% | 5,141 | 63.22% | 49 | 0.61% | −2,199 | −27.04% | 8,132 |
| Hoke | 5,257 | 47.41% | 5,794 | 52.25% | 37 | 0.33% | −267 | −4.84% | 11,088 |
| Hyde | 1,235 | 53.86% | 1,048 | 45.70% | 10 | 0.43% | 187 | 8.16% | 2,293 |
| Iredell | 38,675 | 67.88% | 18,065 | 31.71% | 233 | 0.41% | 20,610 | 36.17% | 56,973 |
| Jackson | 7,351 | 51.86% | 6,737 | 47.53% | 86 | 0.61% | 614 | 4.33% | 14,174 |
| Johnston | 36,903 | 67.89% | 17,266 | 31.76% | 188 | 0.35% | 19,637 | 36.13% | 54,357 |
| Jones | 2,607 | 57.77% | 1,893 | 41.95% | 13 | 0.29% | 714 | 15.82% | 4,513 |
| Lee | 11,834 | 60.55% | 7,657 | 39.18% | 52 | 0.27% | 4,177 | 21.37% | 19,543 |
| Lenoir | 12,939 | 55.82% | 10,207 | 44.04% | 33 | 0.14% | 2,732 | 11.78% | 23,179 |
| Lincoln | 20,052 | 67.79% | 9,434 | 31.89% | 93 | 0.32% | 10,618 | 35.90% | 29,579 |
| Macon | 9,448 | 62.89% | 5,489 | 36.53% | 87 | 0.58% | 3,959 | 26.36% | 15,024 |
| Madison | 5,175 | 54.69% | 4,234 | 44.74% | 54 | 0.57% | 941 | 9.95% | 9,463 |
| Martin | 5,334 | 51.03% | 5,102 | 48.81% | 16 | 0.15% | 232 | 2.22% | 10,452 |
| McDowell | 10,590 | 66.18% | 5,330 | 33.31% | 82 | 0.51% | 5,260 | 32.87% | 16,002 |
| Mecklenburg | 155,084 | 48.00% | 166,828 | 51.63% | 1,190 | 0.37% | −11,744 | −3.63% | 323,102 |
| Mitchell | 5,686 | 72.92% | 2,080 | 26.67% | 32 | 0.41% | 3,606 | 46.25% | 7,798 |
| Montgomery | 5,745 | 56.99% | 4,313 | 42.79% | 22 | 0.22% | 1,432 | 14.20% | 10,080 |
| Moore | 24,714 | 64.39% | 13,555 | 35.32% | 113 | 0.30% | 11,159 | 29.07% | 38,382 |
| Nash | 21,902 | 58.14% | 15,693 | 41.66% | 78 | 0.21% | 9,779 | 16.48% | 37,673 |
| New Hanover | 45,351 | 55.82% | 35,572 | 43.78% | 324 | 0.40% | 12,616 | 12.04% | 81,247 |
| Northampton | 3,176 | 36.21% | 5,584 | 63.67% | 10 | 0.11% | −2,408 | −27.46% | 8,770 |
| Onslow | 25,890 | 69.45% | 11,250 | 30.18% | 137 | 0.37% | 14,640 | 39.27% | 37,277 |
| Orange | 20,771 | 32.38% | 42,910 | 66.89% | 472 | 0.74% | −22,139 | −34.51% | 64,153 |
| Pamlico | 3,679 | 60.93% | 2,335 | 38.67% | 24 | 0.40% | 1,344 | 22.26% | 6,038 |
| Pasquotank | 6,609 | 48.42% | 6,984 | 51.17% | 55 | 0.41% | −375 | −2.75% | 13,648 |
| Pender | 10,037 | 58.75% | 6,999 | 40.97% | 49 | 0.28% | 3,038 | 17.78% | 17,085 |
| Perquimans | 2,965 | 59.80% | 1,971 | 39.75% | 22 | 0.44% | 994 | 20.05% | 4,958 |
| Person | 8,973 | 58.98% | 6,198 | 40.74% | 43 | 0.28% | 2,775 | 18.24% | 15,214 |
| Pitt | 28,590 | 53.30% | 24,924 | 46.46% | 129 | 0.24% | 3,666 | 6.84% | 53,643 |
| Polk | 5,140 | 56.98% | 3,787 | 41.98% | 94 | 1.05% | 1,353 | 15.00% | 9,021 |
| Randolph | 37,771 | 74.19% | 12,966 | 25.47% | 173 | 0.34% | 24,805 | 48.72% | 50,910 |
| Richmond | 7,709 | 47.75% | 8,383 | 51.92% | 53 | 0.33% | −674 | −4.17% | 16,145 |
| Robeson | 15,909 | 46.97% | 17,868 | 52.75% | 94 | 0.28% | −1,959 | −5.78% | 33,871 |
| Rockingham | 22,840 | 61.09% | 14,430 | 38.60% | 118 | 0.32% | 8,410 | 22.49% | 37,388 |
| Rowan | 34,915 | 67.32% | 16,735 | 32.27% | 217 | 0.42% | 18,180 | 35.05% | 51,867 |
| Rutherford | 16,343 | 66.28% | 8,184 | 33.19% | 131 | 0.53% | 8,159 | 33.09% | 24,658 |
| Sampson | 12,600 | 56.53% | 9,649 | 43.29% | 39 | 0.17% | 2,951 | 13.24% | 22,288 |
| Scotland | 5,141 | 44.52% | 6,386 | 55.30% | 20 | 0.17% | −1,245 | −10.78% | 11,547 |
| Stanly | 17,814 | 69.71% | 7,650 | 29.94% | 89 | 0.35% | 10,164 | 39.77% | 25,553 |
| Stokes | 13,583 | 69.96% | 5,767 | 29.71% | 64 | 0.33% | 7,816 | 40.25% | 19,414 |
| Surry | 17,587 | 67.66% | 8,304 | 31.95% | 101 | 0.39% | 9,283 | 35.71% | 25,992 |
| Swain | 2,593 | 51.41% | 2,419 | 47.96% | 32 | 0.64% | 174 | 3.45% | 5,044 |
| Transylvania | 9,386 | 60.21% | 6,097 | 39.11% | 105 | 0.68% | 3,289 | 21.10% | 15,588 |
| Tyrrell | 855 | 53.77% | 731 | 45.97% | 4 | 0.25% | 124 | 7.80% | 1,590 |
| Union | 42,820 | 70.20% | 17,974 | 29.47% | 207 | 0.34% | 24,846 | 40.73% | 61,001 |
| Vance | 6,884 | 43.91% | 8,762 | 55.89% | 31 | 0.20% | −1,878 | −11.98% | 15,677 |
| Wake | 177,324 | 50.83% | 169,909 | 48.71% | 1,611 | 0.46% | 7,415 | 2.12% | 348,844 |
| Warren | 2,840 | 35.38% | 5,171 | 64.42% | 16 | 0.20% | −2,331 | −29.04% | 8,027 |
| Washington | 2,484 | 45.40% | 2,969 | 54.27% | 18 | 0.33% | −485 | −8.87% | 5,471 |
| Watauga | 12,659 | 52.64% | 11,232 | 46.70% | 159 | 0.66% | 1,427 | 5.94% | 24,050 |
| Wayne | 24,883 | 62.14% | 15,076 | 37.65% | 87 | 0.22% | 9,807 | 24.49% | 40,046 |
| Wilkes | 19,197 | 70.70% | 7,862 | 28.95% | 95 | 0.35% | 11,335 | 41.75% | 27,154 |
| Wilson | 16,264 | 53.26% | 14,206 | 46.52% | 65 | 0.21% | 2,058 | 6.74% | 30,535 |
| Yadkin | 11,816 | 77.16% | 3,451 | 22.54% | 46 | 0.30% | 8,365 | 54.62% | 15,313 |
| Yancey | 4,940 | 52.38% | 4,434 | 47.02% | 57 | 0.60% | 506 | 5.36% | 9,431 |
| Totals | 1,961,166 | 56.02% | 1,525,849 | 43.58% | 13,992 | 0.40% | 435,317 | 12.44% | 3,501,007 |
| Democratic Hold Gain from Republican | Republican Hold Gain from Democratic |
Bush won nine of 13 congressional districts, including two held by Democrats.[11]
| District | Bush | Kerry | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 42% | 57% | G. K. Butterfield |
| 2nd | 54% | 46% | Bob Etheridge |
| 3rd | 68% | 32% | Walter B. Jones |
| 4th | 44% | 55% | David Price |
| 5th | 66% | 33% | Richard Burr |
| Virginia Foxx | |||
| 6th | 69% | 30% | Howard Coble |
| 7th | 56% | 44% | Mike McIntyre |
| 8th | 54% | 45% | Robin Hayes |
| 9th | 63% | 36% | Sue Wilkins Myrick |
| 10th | 67% | 33% | Cass Ballenger |
| Patrick McHenry | |||
| 11th | 57% | 43% | Charles H. Taylor |
| 12th | 37% | 63% | Mel Watt |
| 13th | 47% | 52% | Brad Miller |
Technically the voters of North Carolina cast their ballots for electors: representatives to theElectoral College. North Carolina is allocated 15 electors because it has 13congressional districts and 2senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 15 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 15 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 afaithless elector.
The electors of each state and theDistrict 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 were pledged to and voted for Bush/Cheney:
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{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)State and district results of the2004 United States presidential election | ||
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