United States gubernatorial elections, 2004
Encyclopedia
The United States gubernatorial elections of 2004 were held on November 2, 2004. Eleven states voted to select a governor (and in some cases, lieutenant governor
). There was no net gain in seats for either party.
Lieutenant governor (United States)
In the United States, 43 of the 50 states have a separate, full-time office of lieutenant governor. In most cases, the lieutenant governor is the highest officer of state after the governor, standing in for that officer when he or she is absent from the state or temporarily incapacitated...
). There was no net gain in seats for either party.
Election results
State names link to specific articles about its election| State | Incumbent | Party | Status | Opposing Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware Delaware gubernatorial election, 2004 The 2004 election for Governor of Delaware was held on November 2, coinciding with the Presidential election. Incumbent Governor Ruth Ann Minner faced a serious challenge from retired Superior Court Judge Bill Lee, but managed a 5-point victory on Election Day.... |
Ruth Ann Minner Ruth Ann Minner Ruth Ann Minner is an American politician and businesswoman from Milford, in Kent County, Delaware. She is a member of the Democratic Party who served in the Delaware General Assembly, as the 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Delaware and two terms as the first female Governor of Delaware.-Early life... |
Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
Re-elected, 50.9% | William Swain Lee William Swain Lee William Swain Lee is an American lawyer and politician from Georgetown, in Sussex County, Delaware. He is a member of the Republican Party, who served as a judge of the Delaware Superior Court. He was the 2004 and 2008 Republican candidate for Governor of Delaware.-Early life and family:Lee was... (Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... ) 45.8% Frank Infante (IPD Independent Party of Delaware The Independent Party of Delaware is a political party in the State of Delaware, United States.In 2000 the party ran Floyd Mcdowell Sr. for governor. He received 3,271 votes, making 1.1% of the total vote . In 2002 Maurice Barros, running for U.S. Senate, received 996 votes, for 0.4% of the total... ) 3.4% |
| Indiana Indiana gubernatorial election, 2004 The 2004 Indiana gubernatorial election took place on 2 November 2004 for the post of Governor of Indiana. The incumbent Governor, Democrat Joe Kernan, was defeated by Republican Mitch Daniels. Daniel's victory was the first time the Republican Party had held the Governor's office for 16 years and... |
Joe Kernan | Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
Defeated, 45.5% | Mitch Daniels Mitch Daniels Mitchell Elias "Mitch" Daniels, Jr. is the 49th and current Governor of the U.S. state of Indiana. A Republican, he began his first four-year term as governor on January 10, 2005, and was elected to his second term by an 18-point margin on November 4, 2008. Previously, he was the Director of the... (Republican) 53.2% Kenn Gividen (Libertarian Libertarian Party (United States) The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration... ) 1.2% |
| Missouri Missouri gubernatorial election, 2004 The 2004 Missouri gubernatorial election took place on 2 November 2004 for the post of Governor of Missouri. Missouri Secretary of State Republican Matt Blunt defeated State Auditor Democrat Claire McCaskill... |
Bob Holden Bob Holden Robert Lee "Bob" Holden, Jr. is an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as the 53rd Governor of Missouri.-Early life:... |
Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
Defeated in primary | Matt Blunt Matt Blunt Matthew Roy Blunt served as the 54th Governor of Missouri from 2005 to 2009. Before his election as governor, Blunt served ten years in the United States Navy, was elected to serve in the Missouri General Assembly in 1998 and as Missouri's Secretary of State in 2000.A Republican, Blunt was elected... (Republican) 50.8%% Claire McCaskill Claire McCaskill Claire Conner McCaskill is the senior United States Senator from Missouri and a member of the Democratic Party. She defeated Republican incumbent Jim Talent in the 2006 U.S. Senate election, by a margin of 49.6% to 47.3%. She is the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Missouri in her own... (Democratic) 47.9% John Swenson (Libertarian) 1% Robert Wells (Constitution Constitution Party (United States) The Constitution Party is a paleoconservative political party in the United States. It was founded as the U.S. Taxpayers' Party by Howard Philips in 1991. Phillips was the party's candidate in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 presidential elections... ) 0.4% |
| Montana Montana gubernatorial election, 2004 The 2004 Montana gubernatorial election took place on 2 November 2004 for the post of Governor of Montana. Democrat Brian Schweitzer defeated Montana Secretary of State Republican Bob Brown.-Democratic primary:... |
Judy Martz Judy Martz Judy Martz was the 22nd Governor of Montana, having served a single term from January 2, 2001, to January 3, 2005. Earlier, she was the Lieutenant Governor under Marc Racicot from 1997-2001... |
Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
Retired, Democratic victory | Brian Schweitzer Brian Schweitzer Brian David Schweitzer is an American politician from the U.S. state of Montana. Schweitzer is its 23rd and current governor, serving since January 2005. Schweitzer currently has one of the highest approval ratings among governors in the nation, with polls regularly showing a rating of above 60... (Democratic) 50.4% Bob Brown Bob Brown (Montana politician) Bob Brown was the Secretary of State for Montana and the Republican nominee for governor in 2004.As a young man, Brown was elected to Montana Legislature. Brown spent two years in the State House, 23 in the Senate and his final year in the Legislature as president of the Senate... (Republican) 46% Bob Kelleher (Green Green Party (United States) The Green Party of the United States is a nationally recognized political party which officially formed in 1991. It is a voluntary association of state green parties. Prior to national formation, many state affiliates had already formed and were recognized by other state parties... ) 1.9% Stanley Jones (Libertarian) 1.7% |
| New Hampshire New Hampshire gubernatorial election, 2004 In the 2004 New Hampshire gubernatorial race, multi-millionaire businessman John Lynch, a Hopkinton Democrat, defeated Republican incumbent Governor Craig Benson of Rye, and won a two-year term. Lynch was the first candidate to defeat a one-term incumbent governor in New Hampshire in 78 years... |
Craig Benson Craig Benson Craig R. Benson is an American politician and businessman. He served as Governor of New Hampshire from 2003 to 2005... |
Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
Defeated, 48.9% | John Lynch (Democratic) 51% |
| North Carolina North Carolina gubernatorial election, 2004 The North Carolina gubernatorial election of 2004 was held on 2 November 2004. The general election was fought between the and the Democrat incumbent Mike Easley and the Republican nominee Patrick J. Ballantine. Easley won by 52% to 46%, winning his second term as... |
Mike Easley Mike Easley Michael Francis "Mike" Easley is an American politician who served as the 72nd Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina, from 2001 to 2009. He is member of the North Carolina Democratic Party and became the first North Carolina governor to admit to a felony in a deal that halted a lengthy... |
Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
Re-elected, 55.6% | Patrick Ballantine (Republican) 42.9% Barbara Howe Barbara Howe Barbara Howe is the chair of the Libertarian Party of North Carolina and is a two-time Gubernatorial candidate. In 2000 Howe ran as the Libertarian Party candidate for Governor of North Carolina receiving 42,674 vote for 1.45% of the vote. In 2004 Howe made a second run for Governor receiving... (Libertarian) 1.5% |
| North Dakota North Dakota gubernatorial election, 2004 The 2004 North Dakota gubernatorial election took place on 2 November 2004 for the post of Governor of North Dakota. Incumbent Republican Governor John Hoeven was easily re-elected defeating Democratic former state senator Joe Satrom.-Republican nomination:... |
John Hoeven John Hoeven John Henry Hoeven III is the junior United States Senator from North Dakota. He is a member of the North Dakota Republican Party. He is expected to become the state's senior senator when Kent Conrad retires from the Senate in January 2013.Hoeven served as the 31st Governor of North Dakota,... |
Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
Re-elected, 71.3% | Joe Satrom Joe Satrom Joe Satrom is a businessman and environmental lobbyist from the U.S. state of North Dakota. He won the 2004 Democratic-NPL nomination for Governor, but was defeated by the Republican incumbent, John Hoeven.... (Democratic) 27.4% Roland Riemers (Libertarian) 1.4% |
| Utah Utah gubernatorial election, 2004 The Utah gubernatorial election in 2004 took place November 2, 2004. The Republican nominee was businessman Jon Huntsman, Jr.. The Democratic was son of former Utah governor Scott Matheson and brother of current US Representative Jim Matheson, Scott Matheson, Jr.. Huntsman won the election,... |
Olene S. Walker Olene S. Walker Olene Smith Walker was Utah's 15th Governor. She was sworn into office on November 5, 2003, shortly before her 73rd birthday, as Utah's first, and, to date, only female governor. She is a member of the Republican Party.... |
Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
Defeated in primary | Jon Huntsman, Jr. Jon Huntsman, Jr. Jon Meade Huntsman, Jr. is an American politician and diplomat who served as the 16th Governor of Utah. He also served in the administrations of four United States presidents and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.Huntsman worked as a White House staff assistant for... (Republican) 57.7% Scott Matheson Jr. (Democratic) 41.4% Ken Larsen Ken Larsen Ken Larsen was the Personal Choice Party candidate for governor of Utah in 2004, receiving 8,399 votes for 0.9%. He is a medical researcher in Salt Lake City and has a Ph.D. in Zoology from Brigham Young University... (Personal Choice Personal Choice Party The Personal Choice Party is a United States political party whose presidential candidate for 2004 qualified for the ballot in the state of Utah.... ) 1% |
| Vermont Vermont gubernatorial election, 2004 The 2004 Vermont gubernatorial election took place on 2 November 2004 for the post of Governor of Vermont. Incumbent Republican Governor Jim Douglas was re-elected defeating Democratic Mayor of Burlington Peter Clavelle.-Results:-Results:... |
Jim Douglas Jim Douglas James H. Douglas is an American politician from the U.S. state of Vermont. A Republican, he was elected the 80th Governor of Vermont in 2002 and was reelected three times with a majority of the vote... |
Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
Re-elected, 58.7% | Peter Clavelle Peter Clavelle Peter A. Clavelle is a Vermont politician and former mayor of Burlington. He was first elected mayor in 1989, serving seven terms... (Democratic) 37.9% Cris Ericson (Marijuana) 1.4% Patricia Hejny (Independent) 0.8% Hardy Machia Hardy Machia Hardy Machia was the Libertarian Party candidate for governor of Vermont in 2004, finishing 4th of 5 with 0.8% of the vote. In 1999, he entered the selectboard of Grand Isle, Vermont. In 2001, he became a Grand Juror, and the following year became the Grand Isle Justice of the Peace... (Libertarian) 0.8% Peter Diamondstone (Liberty Union Liberty Union Party The Liberty Union Party of Vermont, founded in 1970 by former Congressman William H. Meyer, Peter Diamondstone and others, originated in the anti-war and People's Party movements of the late 1960s and defines itself as a nonviolent socialist party.-History:... ) 0.4% |
| Washington Washington gubernatorial election, 2004 The election for governor of Washington on November 2, 2004 gained national attention for its legal twists and extremely close finish. Notable for being among the closest political races in United States election history, Republican Dino Rossi was declared the winner in the initial automated count... |
Gary Locke Gary Locke Gary Locke may refer to:*Gary Locke , Chinese American politician; U.S. Secretary of Commerce and former Governor of Washington*Gary Locke *Gary Locke... |
Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
Retired, Democratic victory | Christine Gregoire Christine Gregoire Christine O'Grady "Chris" Gregoire is the 22nd and current Governor of the state of Washington, and a member of the Democratic Party. Gregoire defeated Republican candidate Dino Rossi in 2004, and again in 2008. She is the second female governor of Washington... (Democratic) 48.873% Dino Rossi Dino Rossi Dino Rossi is an American commercial real estate executive, former Washington State Senator, two-time Republican candidate for Governor of Washington, and former Republican candidate for United States Senate. His first run for the Governor's mansion in the 2004 election became the closest... (Republican) 48.868% Ruth Bennett Ruth Bennett Ruth Bennett is a former chair of the Libertarian Party of Washington and Libertarian Party of Colorado. She is the current Vice-Chair of Outright Libertarians.... (Libertarian) 2.26% |
| West Virginia West Virginia gubernatorial election, 2004 The 2004 West Virginia gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2004 for the post of Governor of West Virginia. Democratic Secretary of State of West Virginia Joe Manchin defeated Republican Monty Warner.-Candidates:... |
Bob Wise Bob Wise Robert Ellsworth "Bob" Wise, Jr. is an American politician. A Democrat, Wise served as the 33rd Governor of West Virginia from January 2001 to January 2005.-Early life:... |
Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
Retired, Democratic victory | Joe Manchin Joe Manchin Joseph "Joe" Manchin III is the junior United States Senator representing West Virginia. Manchin, a Democrat, was Governor of West Virginia from 2005 to 2010... (Democratic) 63.5% Monty Warner (Republican) 34% Jesse Johnson Jesse Johnson (politician) Jesse C. Johnson, Jr. is an Executive Committee member and former chair of the environmentalist Mountain Party, the West Virginia affiliate of the Green Party. He has twice been his party's candidate for Governor of West Virginia, and once for a Senate seat... (Mountain Mountain Party The Mountain Party is a political party in the state of West Virginia that on July 8, 2007, at its state convention, voted to become the West Virginia affiliate of the Green Party. At the 2007 Green Party National Meeting the party was admitted to the Green Party as a state affiliate. It is a... ) 2.5% |
| Territory | Incumbent | Party | Status | Competing candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Samoa American Samoan general election, 2004 General elections were held in American Samoa on 2 November 2004. A second round of the election for Governor was held on 16 November.- External links :*... |
Togiola Tulafono Togiola Tulafono Togiola Talalelei A. Tulafono is the Governor of American Samoa. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He had previously served as Lieutenant Governor, taking this position on January 3, 1997.... |
Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
Elected to full term, 48.45% (55.7% in Runoff) | Afoa Moega Lutu Afoa Moega Lutu Afoafouvale Leulumoegafou Su’esu’e Lutu is an American Samoan politician and lawyer. Lutu has served as the former American Samoan Attorney General.Lutu was defeated in the 2004 gubernatorial election by Togiola Tulafono... (Samoa Reunification Party) 39.39% (44.3% in Runoff) Te'o J. Fuavai (Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... ) 12.16% |
| Puerto Rico | Sila M. Calderon | PPD Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico The Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that supports Puerto Rico's right to self-determination and sovereignty, through the enhancement of Puerto Rico's current status as a commonwealth.... /Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
Retired, PPD/Democratic victory | Aníbal Acevedo Vilá Aníbal Acevedo Vilá Aníbal Salvador Acevedo Vilá is a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer. He served as the eighth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a Commonwealth of the United States, from 2005 to 2009. He is a Harvard University alumnus and a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico School of Law,... (PPD/Democratic) 48.4% Pedro Rosselló Pedro Rosselló Pedro Juan Rosselló González, M.D., , is a Puerto Rican physician and politician who served as the sixth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001... (PNP New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico The New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that advocates for Puerto Rico's admission to the United States of America as the 51st state... /Democratic) 48.2% Rubén Berríos Rubén Berríos Rubén Ángel Berríos Martínez is a lawyer, a Puerto Rican politician, and the current president of the Puerto Rican Independence Party... (Puerto Rican Independence Party Puerto Rican Independence Party The Puerto Rican Independence Party is a Puerto Rican political party that campaigns for the independence of Puerto Rico from United States suzerainty.... ) 2.7% |