The 2004 United States presidential election in South Carolina took place on November 2, 2004, as part of the 2004 United States presidential election which took place throughout all 50 states and D.C. Voters chose eight representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

South Carolina was won by incumbent President George W. Bush by a 17.08% margin of victory. Prior to the election, all 12 news organizations considered this a state Bush would win, or otherwise a red state. No Democrat had won this state since 1976. On election day, Bush won a majority of the counties and congressional districts in the state. The results were very similar to the state's results in 2000, and very similar to the results in neighboring Georgia this election, although Democratic Senator John Edwards of the bordering state of North Carolina was chosen as the vice presidential nominee. Bush won Greenville County, the largest county in the state, by a margin of 33.23%.

Democratic primary South Carolina's was the first primary in a Southern state and the first primary in a state in which African Americans make up a sizable percentage of the electorate.

The Democratic primary was held on February 3, with 45 delegates at stake. It was held on the same day as six other primaries and caucuses.

South Carolina's 45 delegates to the 2004 Democratic National Convention were awarded proportionally based on the results of the primary. The state also sent ten superdelegates.

As of the 2024 presidential election, this is the last time, in a non-incumbent Democratic primary, that the winner of South Carolina did not win the nomination.

Candidates General Wesley Clark of Arkansas Former Governor Howard Dean of Vermont Senator John Edwards of North Carolina Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts Representative Dennis Kucinich of Ohio Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, 2000 Democratic Party vice-presidential candidate Reverend Al Sharpton of New York

Withdrawn Representative Dick Gephardt of Missouri, former House Minority Leader Former Senator and Ambassador Carol Moseley-Braun of Illinois

Results Key: Withdrewprior to contest South Carolina Democratic presidential primary, 2004CandidateVotesPercentageNational delegates John Edwards 131,174 44.86% 28 John Kerry 88,508 30.27% 17 Al Sharpton 28,201 9.65% 0 Wesley Clark 21,011 7.19% 0 Howard Dean 13,815 4.72% 0 Joe Lieberman 7,147 2.44% 0 Dennis Kucinich 1,319 0.45% 0 Dick Gephardt 631 0.22% 0 Carol Moseley-Braun 577 0.20% 0 Totals 292,383 100.00% 45

Campaign Predictions

There were 12 news organizations who made state-by-state predictions of the election. Here are their last predictions before election day. DC Political Report

+SourceRankingD.C. Political ReportCook Political ReportResearch 2000Zogby InternationalWashington PostWashington DispatchWashington TimesThe New York TimesCNNNewsweekAssociated PressRasmussen Reports

Polling Bush won every pre-election poll, each with a double-digit margin (except for one) and with at least 49% of the vote. The final 3 poll average showed Bush leading 55% to 41%.

Fundraising Bush raised $3,113,641. Kerry raised $533,966.

Advertising and visits Neither campaign advertised or visited this state during the fall election.

Analysis South Carolina, historically part of the Solid South, has become a Republican stronghold in the past few presidential elections. Since Barry Goldwater carried the state in 1964, the only Democratic presidential nominee to win it was Jimmy Carter of neighboring Georgia in 1976. Since then, South Carolina has been a safe bet for the Republicans. , this is the last election in which Charleston County voted for a Republican presidential candidate.

Results 2004 United States presidential election in South CarolinaPartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes Republican George W. Bush (incumbent) 937,974 57.98% 8 Democratic John Kerry 661,699 40.90% 0 Independent Ralph Nader 5,520 0.34% 0Constitution Michael Peroutka 5,317 0.33% 0 Libertarian Michael Badnarik 3,608 0.22% 0 United Citizens Walt Brown 2,124 0.13% 0 Green David Cobb 1,488 0.09% 0 Totals 1,617,730 100.00% 8 Voter turnout (Voting age population) 51.8%

By county CountyGeorge W. BushRepublicanJohn KerryDemocraticRalph NaderIndependentMichael PeroutkaConstitutionMichael BadnarikLibertarianWalt BrownUnited CitizensDavid CobbGreenMarginTotal # % # % # % # % # % # % # % # %Abbeville 5,436 54.77% 4,389 44.22% 28 0.28% 38 0.38% 13 0.13% 15 0.15% 6 0.06% 1,047 10.55% 9,925Aiken 39,077 65.68% 19,799 33.28% 198 0.33% 145 0.24% 153 0.26% 74 0.12% 46 0.08% 19,278 32.40% 59,492Allendale 985 27.43% 2,565 71.43% 6 0.17% 7 0.19% 11 0.31% 13 0.36% 4 0.11% -1,580 -44.00% 3,591Anderson 43,355 66.99% 20,697 31.98% 224 0.35% 152 0.23% 160 0.25% 75 0.12% 59 0.09% 22,658 35.01% 64,722Bamberg 2,138 35.42% 3,841 63.63% 5 0.08% 33 0.55% 5 0.08% 11 0.18% 3 0.05% -1,703 -28.21% 6,036Barnwell 4,606 53.03% 3,982 45.85% 18 0.21% 51 0.59% 12 0.14% 9 0.10% 7 0.08% 624 7.18% 8,685Beaufort 33,331 60.34% 21,505 38.93% 217 0.39% 44 0.08% 87 0.16% 25 0.05% 26 0.05% 11,826 21.41% 55,235Berkeley 32,104 60.65% 20,142 38.05% 151 0.29% 343 0.65% 95 0.18% 71 0.13% 31 0.06% 11,962 22.60% 52,937Calhoun 3,448 49.83% 3,393 49.04% 25 0.36% 15 0.22% 14 0.20% 16 0.23% 8 0.12% 55 0.79% 6,919Charleston 70,297 51.57% 63,758 46.77% 588 0.43% 957 0.70% 407 0.30% 179 0.13% 130 0.10% 6,539 4.80% 136,316Cherokee 12,090 64.60% 6,466 34.55% 62 0.33% 29 0.15% 30 0.16% 21 0.11% 16 0.09% 5,624 30.05% 18,714Chester 5,798 49.43% 5,790 49.36% 46 0.39% 30 0.26% 26 0.22% 32 0.27% 7 0.06% 8 0.07% 11,729Chesterfield 7,252 51.62% 6,729 47.90% 29 0.21% 12 0.09% 14 0.10% 6 0.04% 7 0.05% 523 3.72% 14,049Clarendon 6,061 45.92% 7,087 53.69% 21 0.16% 12 0.09% 9 0.07% 8 0.06% 2 0.02% -1,026 -7.77% 13,200Colleton 7,264 51.50% 6,699 47.49% 56 0.40% 34 0.24% 24 0.17% 20 0.14% 9 0.06% 565 4.01% 14,106Darlington 13,416 52.71% 11,829 46.47% 52 0.20% 62 0.24% 47 0.18% 28 0.11% 20 0.08% 1,587 6.24% 25,454Dillon 4,301 46.57% 4,832 52.32% 22 0.24% 40 0.43% 12 0.13% 23 0.25% 5 0.05% -531 -5.75% 9,235Dorchester 26,006 62.94% 14,733 35.66% 148 0.36% 283 0.68% 79 0.19% 37 0.09% 31 0.08% 11,273 27.28% 41,317Edgefield 5,611 57.57% 4,051 41.57% 22 0.23% 34 0.35% 16 0.16% 8 0.08% 4 0.04% 1,560 16.00% 9,746Fairfield 3,531 37.42% 5,764 61.09% 15 0.16% 77 0.82% 15 0.16% 29 0.31% 4 0.04% -2,233 -23.67% 9,435Florence 27,689 55.89% 21,442 43.28% 137 0.28% 65 0.13% 101 0.20% 76 0.15% 35 0.07% 6,247 12.61% 49,545Georgetown 12,606 53.43% 10,602 44.94% 152 0.64% 36 0.15% 57 0.24% 108 0.46% 32 0.14% 2,004 8.49% 23,593Greenville 111,481 66.03% 55,347 32.78% 655 0.39% 566 0.34% 438 0.26% 169 0.10% 177 0.10% 56,134 33.25% 168,833Greenwood 14,264 60.85% 8,954 38.20% 77 0.33% 51 0.22% 46 0.20% 33 0.14% 17 0.07% 5,310 22.65% 23,442Hampton 3,097 38.64% 4,832 60.28% 11 0.14% 58 0.72% 7 0.09% 9 0.11% 2 0.02% -1,735 -21.64% 8,016Horry 50,447 62.01% 29,547 36.32% 310 0.38% 575 0.71% 159 0.20% 102 0.13% 207 0.25% 20,900 25.69% 81,347Jasper 2,933 42.84% 3,840 56.09% 28 0.41% 8 0.12% 19 0.28% 11 0.16% 7 0.10% -907 -13.25% 6,846Kershaw 14,160 61.79% 8,515 37.16% 76 0.33% 48 0.21% 61 0.27% 37 0.16% 18 0.08% 5,645 24.63% 22,915Lancaster 12,916 62.05% 7,631 36.66% 104 0.50% 52 0.25% 64 0.31% 13 0.06% 34 0.16% 5,285 25.39% 20,814Laurens 14,466 60.71% 9,205 38.63% 67 0.28% 44 0.18% 31 0.13% 7 0.03% 9 0.04% 5,261 22.08% 23,829Lee 2,901 36.73% 4,960 62.80% 10 0.13% 4 0.05% 6 0.08% 10 0.13% 7 0.09% -2,059 -26.07% 7,898Lexington 67,132 71.85% 25,393 27.18% 295 0.32% 171 0.18% 255 0.27% 120 0.13% 66 0.07% 41,739 44.67% 93,432Marion 5,589 41.38% 7,767 57.50% 29 0.21% 80 0.59% 11 0.08% 24 0.18% 7 0.05% -2,178 -16.12% 13,507Marlboro 3,423 39.99% 4,984 58.22% 30 0.35% 73 0.85% 14 0.16% 29 0.34% 7 0.08% -1,561 -18.23% 8,560McCormick 2,396 46.78% 2,648 51.70% 11 0.21% 6 0.12% 8 0.16% 3 0.06% 50 0.98% -252 -4.92% 5,122Newberry 7,654 61.68% 4,483 36.13% 78 0.63% 42 0.34% 29 0.23% 84 0.68% 39 0.31% 3,171 25.55% 12,409Oconee 18,811 68.32% 8,395 30.49% 127 0.46% 72 0.26% 65 0.24% 42 0.15% 20 0.07% 10,416 37.83% 27,532Orangeburg 12,695 33.80% 24,698 65.75% 65 0.17% 53 0.14% 29 0.08% 14 0.04% 10 0.03% -12,003 -31.95% 37,564Pickens 29,759 73.46% 10,287 25.39% 141 0.35% 113 0.28% 130 0.32% 55 0.14% 25 0.06% 19,472 48.07% 40,510Richland 56,212 42.01% 76,283 57.01% 467 0.35% 227 0.17% 313 0.23% 174 0.13% 125 0.09% -20,071 -15.00% 133,801Saluda 4,537 59.87% 3,001 39.60% 24 0.32% 5 0.07% 6 0.08% 1 0.01% 4 0.05% 1,536 20.27% 7,578Spartanburg 62,004 64.08% 33,633 34.76% 300 0.31% 368 0.38% 226 0.23% 159 0.16% 68 0.07% 28,371 29.32% 96,758Sumter 18,074 48.84% 18,695 50.52% 74 0.20% 41 0.11% 64 0.17% 32 0.09% 23 0.06% -621 -1.68% 37,003Union 6,592 55.24% 5,236 43.87% 35 0.29% 27 0.23% 15 0.13% 16 0.13% 13 0.11%1,35611.37%11,934Williamsburg 4,795 34.45% 9,044 64.98% 25 0.18% 13 0.09% 19 0.14% 15 0.11% 7 0.05% -4,249 -30.53% 13,918York 45,234 64.45% 24,226 34.52% 259 0.37% 121 0.17% 206 0.29% 81 0.12% 54 0.08% 21,00829.93%70,181Totals937,97457.98%661,69940.90%5,5200.34%5,3170.33%3,6080.22%2,1240.13%1,4880.09%276,27517.08%1,617,730

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican Chester (Largest city: Chester)

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Sumter (Largest city: Sumter)

Results by congressional district Bush won five of six congressional districts including one that elected a Democrat. District Bush KerryRepresentative 61% 38%Henry E. Brown Jr. 60% 39%Joe Wilson 65% 34%Gresham Barrett65%34%Jim DeMintBob Inglis 58% 41%John Spratt 39% 60% Jim Clyburn

Electors

Technically the voters of South Carolina cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. South Carolina is allocated 8 electors because it has 6 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 8 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 8 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 8 were pledged for Bush/Cheney. Katon Dawson Buddy Witherspoon Wayland Moody Thomas McLean Brenda Bedenbaugh Edwin Foulke Robert Reagan Drew McKissick

References