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The2004 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania took place on November 2, 2004, and was part of the2004 United States presidential election. Voters chose 21 representatives, or electors to theElectoral College, who voted forpresident andvice president.
Pennsylvania was won by Democratic nomineeJohn Kerry by a 2.50% margin of victory. Although no Republican carried this state in a presidential election since Bush's fatherGeorge H. W. Bush in1988, early polling showed the race was a toss-up, thus was considered as a possible target for theRepublicans. Prior to the election, most news organizations considered this a toss-up, or a crucialswing state. Later polling favored Kerry, leading half of the news organizations to predict that Kerry would win the state, but the other half still considered it a swing state. Although the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania voted for the Democratic presidential nominee in six subsequent elections since1992, the margins of victory had become smaller over the past elections. On election day, Kerry won the state with 50.92% of the vote, but won only 13 of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania. Most of these 13 counties have the highest populations in the commonwealth. The biggest key to Kerry's victory was winningPhiladelphia County with 80.44% of the vote.
Bush was the first president elected to two terms in office without carrying Pennsylvania either time sinceWoodrow Wilson in1912 and1916, and is to date the onlyRepublican presidential candidate to win the presidency without carrying the state at least once, as well as the most recent Republican to win without the state. Although Pennsylvania was also not carried by the winner of the2000 presidential race, this election also marked the first time since1968 that Pennsylvania voted against the winner of the national popular vote.
As of2024, this is the most recent election to date in which Pennsylvania would vote for the losing candidate, thus the state is tied withWisconsin andMichigan for the longest bellwether streak in the nation. This was also only the second time since1968 (after2000) that it would vote for the losing candidate.
In order to vote in the primary, one must have been:[2]
Convicted felons could not vote from prison and were not allowed to register to vote for five years after being released from prison.
Individuals could register to vote at County Voter Registration offices, through the mail, at a Department of Transportation office, or at various other government agency offices.[3]
Voters must have been registered 30 days prior to the election in order to be eligible to vote.[3]
The Democratic primary took place on April 27, 2004. It was open to registeredDemocrats only.
| Candidate | Votes[4] | Percentage | Delegates |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Kerry | 585,683 | 74.1% | 150 |
| Howard Dean | 79,799 | 10.1% | 1 |
| John Edwards | 76,762 | 9.7% | 0 |
| Dennis Kucinich | 30,110 | 3.8% | 0 |
| Lyndon Larouche | 17,528 | 2.2% | 0 |
| Uncommitted | - | 2.2% | 27 |
| Total | 789,882 | 100% | 178 |
Note: 27 delegates remained uncommitted until they reached the floor of the convention. Kerry eventually received all 178 delegates from Pennsylvania.[5]
The Republican primary took place on April 27, 2004. It was open to registeredRepublicans only. Incumbent President George W. Bush ran unopposed.[6]
There were 12 news organizations who made state-by-state predictions of the election. Here are their last predictions before election day.[7]
| Source | Ranking |
|---|---|
| D.C. Political Report | Toss-up |
| Associated Press | Toss-up |
| CNN | Likely D |
| Cook Political Report | Toss-up |
| Newsweek | Lean D |
| New York Times | Lean D |
| Rasmussen Reports | Toss-up |
| Research 2000 | Lean D |
| Washington Post | Toss-up |
| Washington Times | Toss-up |
| Zogby International | Likely D |
| Washington Dispatch | Likely D |
Al Gore won Pennsylvania in 2000 with just over 50% of the vote. In late October 2004, the state was split at 47% on whether or not to approve of Bush. But Kerry won the poll 48% to 46% in the last Mason Dixon poll.[8] Throughout the election of 2004, Kerry won most of the polls in the upper 40% to lower 50% range. However, Bush polled within the margin of error, usually in the mid 40% range. In the lastReal Clear Politics average Kerry was leading with 48% and by almost a 1% margin.[9]
Bush raised $5,030,349.[10] Kerry raised $4,998,861.[11]
President Bush campaigned heavily and visited the state of Pennsylvania over twenty times in 2004. It was not enough to flip the state, as John Kerry won the undecided Pennsylvanians. He won the state's electors with almost 51% of the vote, outperforming Vice President Al Gore's performance four years earlier.[12][13]
This Kerry victory can be attributed to the overwhelmingly Democratic cities ofPhiladelphia,Pittsburgh, andErie. Although Kerry-held cities that voted for the Senator by narrow margins assisted him in advancing his margin over President Bush, many political analysts underscored the fact that if Philadelphia were excluded, PresidentGeorge W. Bush would have won Pennsylvania by a fairly slim margin, with 2,663,748 versus 2,395,890 for Kerry. Although Pennsylvania is closely divided in most elections, it did not voteRepublican in a presidential election from 1992 to2012.
Philadelphia and Pittsburgh were the biggest contributors to Kerry's victory in Pennsylvania. However, many independents in suburban Philadelphia counties (Bucks, Delaware, Montgomery, and somewhat in Chester) voted for Kerry, which may well have been the deciding factor. Kerry also had narrow margins of victory around cities like Allentown, Scranton, Erie, and the traditionally Democratic Pittsburgh suburbs; he also garnered many votes in certain rural areas such as parts of the Poconos and the Laurel Highlands, and in cities like Reading, Johnstown, Harrisburg, and State College. Bush's margins were extremely large in central Pennsylvania and the sparsely populated Northern Tier, with traditional GOP cities such as Lancaster, Lebanon, York, Altoona, Huntingdon, and Williamsport strongly throwing their support behind him. This area, along with rural western Maryland, was the most conservative in the Mid-Atlantic.
As of the2024[update], this is the last presidential election that the Democratic candidate wonWashington County,Beaver County andFayette County. This is also the last election in whichDauphin County andCentre County voted for the Republican candidate. This is also the last time thatChester County gave a majority to a Republican, although Mitt Romney did win the county with a plurality in 2012. This is the last time Democrats won a majority of congressional districts in the state.
| 2004 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic | John Kerry | 2,938,095 | 50.92% | 21 | |
| Republican | George W. Bush (incumbent) | 2,793,847 | 48.42% | 0 | |
| Libertarian | Michael Badnarik | 21,185 | 0.37% | 0 | |
| Green | David Cobb | 6,319 | 0.11% | 0 | |
| Constitution | Michael Peroutka | 6,318 | 0.11% | 0 | |
| Independent | Ralph Nader (write-in)[14][a] | 2,656 | 0.05% | 0 | |
| Independent | Write-ins | 1,170 | 0.02% | 0 | |
| Totals | 5,769,590 | 100.00% | 21 | ||
| Voter turnout (voting age population) | 60.5% | ||||
| County[16] | John Kerry Democratic | George W. Bush Republican | Michael J. Badnarik Libertarian | David Cobb Green | Michael Peroutka Constitution | Margin | Total votes cast | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 13,764 | 32.59% | 28,247 | 66.89% | 95 | 0.22% | 63 | 0.15% | 59 | 0.14% | -14,483 | -34.30% | 42,228 |
| Allegheny | 368,912 | 57.15% | 271,925 | 42.13% | 3,573 | 0.55% | 551 | 0.09% | 508 | 0.08% | 96,987 | 15.02% | 645,469 |
| Armstrong | 12,025 | 38.67% | 18,925 | 60.86% | 56 | 0.18% | 41 | 0.13% | 50 | 0.16% | -6,900 | -22.19% | 31,097 |
| Beaver | 42,146 | 51.06% | 39,916 | 48.36% | 165 | 0.20% | 141 | 0.17% | 175 | 0.21% | 2,230 | 2.70% | 82,543 |
| Bedford | 6,016 | 26.53% | 16,606 | 73.22% | 19 | 0.08% | 15 | 0.07% | 23 | 0.10% | -10,590 | -46.69% | 22,679 |
| Berks | 76,309 | 46.39% | 87,122 | 52.97% | 551 | 0.33% | 295 | 0.18% | 210 | 0.13% | -10,813 | -6.58% | 164,487 |
| Blair | 18,105 | 33.42% | 35,751 | 65.99% | 210 | 0.39% | 54 | 0.10% | 58 | 0.11% | -17,646 | -32.57% | 54,178 |
| Bradford | 8,590 | 33.49% | 16,942 | 66.05% | 57 | 0.22% | 27 | 0.11% | 36 | 0.14% | -8,352 | -32.56% | 25,652 |
| Bucks | 163,438 | 51.10% | 154,469 | 48.30% | 1,338 | 0.42% | 308 | 0.10% | 263 | 0.08% | 8,969 | 2.80% | 319,816 |
| Butler | 30,090 | 35.22% | 54,959 | 64.34% | 182 | 0.21% | 83 | 0.10% | 111 | 0.13% | -24,869 | -29.12% | 85,425 |
| Cambria | 32,591 | 48.66% | 34,048 | 50.83% | 159 | 0.24% | 86 | 0.13% | 99 | 0.15% | -1,457 | -2.17% | 66,983 |
| Cameron | 794 | 33.00% | 1,599 | 66.46% | 8 | 0.33% | 3 | 0.12% | 2 | 0.08% | -805 | -33.46% | 2,406 |
| Carbon | 12,223 | 48.81% | 12,519 | 49.99% | 229 | 0.91% | 42 | 0.17% | 30 | 0.12% | -296 | -1.18% | 25,043 |
| Centre | 30,733 | 47.74% | 33,133 | 51.47% | 227 | 0.35% | 90 | 0.14% | 70 | 0.11% | -2,400 | -3.73% | 64,374 |
| Chester | 109,708 | 47.53% | 120,036 | 52.00% | 632 | 0.27% | 263 | 0.11% | 184 | 0.08% | -10,328 | -4.47% | 230,823 |
| Clarion | 6,049 | 35.20% | 11,063 | 64.38% | 37 | 0.22% | 19 | 0.11% | 16 | 0.09% | -5,014 | -29.18% | 17,184 |
| Clearfield | 13,518 | 39.49% | 20,533 | 59.98% | 68 | 0.20% | 47 | 0.14% | 67 | 0.20% | -7,015 | -20.49% | 34,233 |
| Clinton | 5,823 | 41.69% | 8,035 | 57.53% | 83 | 0.59% | 13 | 0.09% | 13 | 0.09% | -2,212 | -15.84% | 13,967 |
| Columbia | 10,679 | 39.74% | 16,052 | 59.74% | 57 | 0.21% | 39 | 0.15% | 42 | 0.16% | -5,373 | -20.00% | 26,869 |
| Crawford | 16,013 | 41.79% | 21,965 | 57.32% | 176 | 0.46% | 63 | 0.16% | 105 | 0.27% | -5,952 | -15.53% | 38,322 |
| Cumberland | 37,928 | 35.75% | 67,648 | 63.77% | 265 | 0.25% | 112 | 0.11% | 129 | 0.12% | -29,720 | -28.02% | 106,082 |
| Dauphin | 55,299 | 45.62% | 65,296 | 53.87% | 274 | 0.23% | 171 | 0.14% | 168 | 0.14% | -9,997 | -8.25% | 121,208 |
| Delaware | 162,601 | 57.15% | 120,425 | 42.32% | 946 | 0.33% | 312 | 0.11% | 254 | 0.09% | 42,176 | 14.83% | 284,538 |
| Elk | 6,602 | 45.37% | 7,872 | 54.10% | 25 | 0.17% | 20 | 0.14% | 31 | 0.21% | -1,270 | -8.73% | 14,550 |
| Erie | 67,921 | 53.95% | 57,372 | 45.57% | 334 | 0.27% | 159 | 0.13% | 112 | 0.09% | 10,549 | 8.38% | 125,898 |
| Fayette | 29,120 | 53.23% | 25,045 | 45.78% | 447 | 0.82% | 43 | 0.08% | 52 | 0.10% | 4,075 | 7.45% | 54,707 |
| Forest | 989 | 38.44% | 1,571 | 61.06% | 8 | 0.31% | 3 | 0.12% | 2 | 0.08% | -582 | -22.62% | 2,573 |
| Franklin | 16,562 | 28.28% | 41,817 | 71.40% | 90 | 0.15% | 44 | 0.08% | 56 | 0.10% | -25,255 | -43.12% | 58,569 |
| Fulton | 1,475 | 23.52% | 4,772 | 76.10% | 15 | 0.24% | 4 | 0.06% | 5 | 0.08% | -3,297 | -52.58% | 6,271 |
| Greene | 7,674 | 49.30% | 7,786 | 50.02% | 32 | 0.21% | 44 | 0.28% | 29 | 0.19% | -112 | -0.72% | 15,565 |
| Huntingdon | 5,879 | 32.56% | 12,126 | 67.15% | 20 | 0.11% | 19 | 0.11% | 14 | 0.08% | -6,247 | -34.59% | 18,058 |
| Indiana | 15,831 | 43.67% | 20,254 | 55.88% | 77 | 0.21% | 47 | 0.13% | 39 | 0.11% | -4,423 | -12.21% | 36,248 |
| Jefferson | 6,073 | 31.05% | 13,371 | 68.36% | 58 | 0.30% | 28 | 0.14% | 30 | 0.15% | -7,298 | -37.31% | 19,560 |
| Juniata | 2,797 | 27.95% | 7,144 | 71.40% | 30 | 0.30% | 15 | 0.15% | 20 | 0.20% | -4,347 | -43.45% | 10,006 |
| Lackawanna | 59,573 | 56.30% | 44,766 | 42.30% | 1,288 | 1.22% | 113 | 0.11% | 79 | 0.07% | 14,807 | 14.00% | 105,819 |
| Lancaster | 74,328 | 33.58% | 145,591 | 65.77% | 705 | 0.32% | 255 | 0.12% | 399 | 0.18% | -71,263 | -32.19% | 221,372 |
| Lawrence | 21,387 | 49.23% | 21,938 | 50.50% | 56 | 0.13% | 26 | 0.06% | 35 | 0.08% | -551 | -1.27% | 43,442 |
| Lebanon | 18,109 | 32.53% | 37,089 | 66.63% | 323 | 0.58% | 51 | 0.09% | 93 | 0.17% | -18,980 | -34.10% | 55,665 |
| Lehigh | 73,940 | 50.96% | 70,160 | 48.36% | 638 | 0.44% | 160 | 0.11% | 193 | 0.13% | 3,780 | 2.60% | 145,091 |
| Luzerne | 69,573 | 51.15% | 64,953 | 47.75% | 1,195 | 0.88% | 180 | 0.13% | 127 | 0.09% | 4,620 | 3.40% | 136,028 |
| Lycoming | 15,681 | 31.31% | 33,961 | 67.81% | 279 | 0.56% | 77 | 0.15% | 51 | 0.10% | -18,280 | -36.50% | 50,081 |
| McKean | 6,294 | 36.12% | 10,941 | 62.79% | 148 | 0.85% | 23 | 0.13% | 20 | 0.11% | -4,647 | -26.67% | 17,426 |
| Mercer | 24,831 | 48.16% | 26,311 | 51.03% | 149 | 0.29% | 133 | 0.26% | 140 | 0.27% | -1,480 | -2.87% | 51,564 |
| Mifflin | 4,889 | 29.10% | 11,726 | 69.79% | 144 | 0.86% | 20 | 0.12% | 23 | 0.14% | -6,837 | -40.69% | 16,802 |
| Monroe | 27,967 | 49.64% | 27,971 | 49.65% | 287 | 0.51% | 64 | 0.11% | 53 | 0.09% | -4 | -0.01% | 56,342 |
| Montgomery | 222,048 | 55.57% | 175,741 | 43.98% | 1,088 | 0.27% | 349 | 0.09% | 365 | 0.09% | 46,307 | 11.59% | 399,591 |
| Montour | 2,666 | 34.97% | 4,903 | 64.31% | 34 | 0.45% | 10 | 0.13% | 11 | 0.14% | -2,237 | -29.34% | 7,624 |
| Northampton | 63,446 | 50.02% | 62,102 | 48.96% | 885 | 0.70% | 187 | 0.15% | 120 | 0.09% | 1,344 | 1.06% | 126,849 |
| Northumberland | 14,602 | 39.32% | 22,262 | 59.95% | 139 | 0.37% | 47 | 0.13% | 84 | 0.23% | -7,660 | -20.63% | 37,134 |
| Perry | 5,423 | 27.91% | 13,919 | 71.65% | 36 | 0.19% | 24 | 0.12% | 25 | 0.13% | -8,496 | -43.74% | 19,427 |
| Philadelphia | 542,205 | 80.44% | 130,099 | 19.30% | 895 | 0.13% | 483 | 0.07% | 387 | 0.06% | 412,106 | 61.14% | 674,069 |
| Pike | 8,656 | 40.64% | 12,444 | 58.43% | 144 | 0.68% | 31 | 0.15% | 24 | 0.11% | -3,788 | -17.79% | 21,299 |
| Potter | 2,268 | 28.49% | 5,640 | 70.84% | 18 | 0.23% | 9 | 0.11% | 27 | 0.34% | -3,372 | -42.35% | 7,962 |
| Schuylkill | 29,231 | 44.79% | 35,640 | 54.60% | 186 | 0.28% | 129 | 0.20% | 83 | 0.13% | -6,409 | -9.81% | 65,269 |
| Snyder | 4,348 | 29.02% | 10,566 | 70.52% | 33 | 0.22% | 18 | 0.12% | 18 | 0.12% | -6,218 | -41.50% | 14,983 |
| Somerset | 12,842 | 34.92% | 23,802 | 64.72% | 48 | 0.13% | 38 | 0.10% | 48 | 0.13% | -10,960 | -29.80% | 36,778 |
| Sullivan | 1,213 | 36.93% | 2,056 | 62.59% | 10 | 0.30% | 5 | 0.15% | 1 | 0.03% | -843 | -25.66% | 3,285 |
| Susquehanna | 7,351 | 38.61% | 11,573 | 60.78% | 54 | 0.28% | 33 | 0.17% | 29 | 0.15% | -4,222 | -22.17% | 19,040 |
| Tioga | 5,437 | 30.94% | 12,019 | 68.40% | 49 | 0.28% | 23 | 0.13% | 43 | 0.24% | -6,582 | -37.46% | 17,571 |
| Union | 5,700 | 35.35% | 10,334 | 64.09% | 46 | 0.29% | 30 | 0.19% | 13 | 0.08% | -4,634 | -28.74% | 16,123 |
| Venango | 9,024 | 38.14% | 14,472 | 61.17% | 93 | 0.39% | 31 | 0.13% | 39 | 0.16% | -5,448 | -23.03% | 23,659 |
| Warren | 8,044 | 41.74% | 10,999 | 57.07% | 79 | 0.41% | 34 | 0.18% | 117 | 0.61% | -2,955 | -15.33% | 19,273 |
| Washington | 48,225 | 50.14% | 47,673 | 49.57% | 142 | 0.15% | 59 | 0.06% | 78 | 0.08% | 552 | 0.57% | 96,177 |
| Wayne | 8,060 | 36.69% | 13,713 | 62.43% | 136 | 0.62% | 23 | 0.10% | 35 | 0.16% | -5,653 | -25.74% | 21,967 |
| Westmoreland | 77,774 | 43.52% | 100,087 | 56.01% | 474 | 0.27% | 155 | 0.09% | 206 | 0.12% | -22,313 | -12.49% | 178,696 |
| Wyoming | 4,982 | 38.82% | 7,782 | 60.65% | 20 | 0.16% | 22 | 0.17% | 26 | 0.20% | -2,800 | -21.83% | 12,832 |
| York | 63,701 | 35.53% | 114,270 | 63.74% | 821 | 0.46% | 213 | 0.12% | 264 | 0.15% | -50,569 | -28.21% | 179,269 |
| Totals | 2,938,095 | 50.92% | 2,793,847 | 48.42% | 21,185 | 0.37% | 6,319 | 0.11% | 6,318 | 0.11% | 144,248 | 2.50% | 5,769,590 |
| Democratic Hold | Republican Hold Gain from Democratic |
Kerry won ten of 19 congressional districts, including four held by Republicans. Bush won nine districts, including one held by a Democrat.[17]
| District | Bush | Kerry | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 15% | 84% | Bob Brady |
| 2nd | 12% | 87% | Chaka Fattah |
| 3rd | 53% | 47% | Phil English |
| 4th | 54% | 45% | Melissa Hart |
| 5th | 61% | 39% | John E. Peterson |
| 6th | 48% | 52% | Jim Gerlach |
| 7th | 47% | 53% | Curt Weldon |
| 8th | 48% | 51% | James C. Greenwood |
| Mike Fitzpatrick | |||
| 9th | 67% | 33% | Bill Shuster |
| 10th | 60% | 40% | Don Sherwood |
| 11th | 47% | 53% | Paul Kanjorski |
| 12th | 49% | 51% | John Murtha |
| 13th | 43% | 56% | Joe Hoeffel |
| Allyson Schwartz | |||
| 14th | 30% | 69% | Mike Doyle |
| 15th | 50% | 50% | Pat Toomey |
| Charlie Dent | |||
| 16th | 61% | 38% | Joe Pitts |
| 17th | 58% | 42% | Tim Holden |
| 18th | 54% | 46% | Tim Murphy |
| 19th | 64% | 36% | Todd Platts |
Technically the voters of Pennsylvania cast their ballots for electors: representatives to theElectoral College. Pa. is allocated 21 electors because it has 19congressional districts and 2senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 21 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 21 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 21 were pledged for Kerry/Edwards.
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