The 2004 United States presidential election in Mississippi took place on November 2, 2004, as part of the 2004 United States presidential election. Voters chose six representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president. It was the first presidential election since the 2000 United States census, after which Mississippi lost one electoral vote, reducing its elector count from seven to six, leaving Mississippi with the fewest electoral votes since 1848.
Mississippi was won by incumbent President George W. Bush of the Republican Party with a 19.69% margin of victory over Democratic nominee John Kerry. Prior to the election, Mississippi was considered a state Bush would win with ease, or a red state. Mississippi has not voted for a Democrat since 1976, when Jimmy Carter carried the state.
Campaign
Predictions
12 news organizations made state-by-state predictions of the election. These organizations published their predictions just prior to election day:
Polling
Bush won pre-election polling by a double-digit margin.
Fundraising
Bush raised $866,580. Kerry raised $599,665.
Advertising and visits
Neither campaign spent or visited this state during the fall campaign.
Analysis
The last Democratic presidential nominee to win Mississippi was fellow Southerner Jimmy Carter in 1976. Due to its reliably conservative voting pattern, neither of the two major party candidates campaigned in the state.
Mississippi is one of the most racially polarized states in presidential elections. Black Mississippians almost uniformly vote Democratic, while white Mississippians vote Republican nearly as consistently. In 2004, 14% of white Mississippians voted for John Kerry and 10% of African Americans voted for Bush. Kerry's main support lay in the western counties on the Delta and next to the Mississippi River.
Pike County, Copiah County, Oktibbeha County, and Yazoo County would not vote Republican again until 2024.
Results
Results by county
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Panola (Largest city: Sardis)
- Yalobusha (Largest city: Water Valley)
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Jasper (Largest city: Bay Springs)
Results by congressional district
Bush won three out of Mississippi's four congressional districts, including one held by a Democrat.
Electors
Mississippi was assigned six electors to cast votes to the Electoral college. Given that Mississippi voted for Bush, all electors were pledged to cast their ballots for Bush. The electors were:
- Kelly Segars
- John Phillips
- Wayne Parker
- Jimmy Creekmore
- Victor Mavar
- Billy Mounger
References
