Presidential Election2004

By: Brittani Berardi &

Ali Greenberg

Background Information

United States' 55th

quadrennial presidential

election

George W. Bush won the

presidency in 2000 and was the current U.S.

president

Foreign policy was the dominant theme throughout the

election campaign, particularly Bush's conduct of

the War on Terrorism and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

George W. Bush

•Popularity as a wartime president helped consolidate his base, and ward off any serious challenge to the nomination.

•Selected Vice President Dick Cheney as his running mate.

•Bush focused on two themes: defending America against terrorism and building an ownership society.

•Ownership society- allowing people to invest some of their Social Security in the stock market, increasing home and stock ownership, and encouraging more people to buy their own health insurance.

John Kerry

• Represented the Democratic Party

• U.S. Senator from Massachusetts

• Running mate was John Edwards• U.S. Senator from North Carolina

Promised to make America "stronger at home and more respected in the world."

Democratic Convention

Marked the formal end of the active primary election season

Boston from July 26 to July 29, 2004 at the FleetCenter

Kerry made his Vietnam War experience a prominent theme

In accepting the nomination, he began his speech with, "I'm John Kerry and I'm reporting for duty.”

Delivering the convention’s keynote address, Obama set the tone for the party platform

Primaries The series of presidential primary elections and caucuses is one

of the first steps in the process of electing the President of the United States

Debates

Three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate were organized by the Commission on Presidential Debates, and held in the autumn of 2004.

September 30 at the University of Miami: Foreign Policy

October 5 at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio the Vice Presidential debate

More Debates…

October 8, Second Presidential Debate was held at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Conducted in a "town meeting"

format, less formal than the first Presidential debate

October 13, Third and final debate at Arizona State University 51 million viewers watched the

debate which was moderated by Bob Schieffer of CBS News

Campaign Issues

Included civil rights, defense, taxes and spending, social issues, international policy, homeland security, healthcare, environment and energy

Main issue was defense/Iraq war

Issues Continued

Program Budgets

Bush- Would increase military spending 4.2 percent to $380 billion

Kerry- Invest in new equipment, technology; offer better pay, benefits

Increase Size of Army

Bush- Has not proposed increasing the Army's size

Kerry- Recruit more service members; start Community Defense Svc.

National Missile Defense

Bush- Has ordered limited NMD system deployed by 2004

Kerry- Opposes NMD, supports nonproliferation and arms control

Democratic Campaign

Republican Campaign

Results• Ohio’s 20 electoral votes gave Bush a victory over Kerry

•Electoral Vote

•Bush- 286

•Edwards- 251

• Popular Vote

•Bush-62,040,610

•Edwards- 59,028,444

See results page for a more!