INDEPTH: US ELECTION 2004
Campaign chronology
CBC News Online | Nov. 2, 2004
2002
May 31
Former Vermont governor Howard Dean announces he'll seek the Democratic nomination for president. He's seen as a fiscally conservative Vermont liberal and is able to create a buzz in the Democratic party by energizing its left wing.
Aug. 7
Vice-President Dick Cheney (AP Photo)
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Vice-President Dick Cheney says he'll run for a second term with George W. Bush.
Dec. 1
Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts enters the race for the Democratic nomination. The former Massachusetts lieutenant-governor and three-term senator is seen as a Washington insider although his days as a leader of the movement opposed to the Vietnam War resonate with the party's activist wing.
Both Kerry and Dean later pledge to run their campaigns solely on contributions from individuals. They refuse to accept public funds to pay any of their campaign costs. The move also frees them from having to limit their campaign spending in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Dec. 15
Former vice-president and presidential candidate Al Gore rules out another run for the White House.
2003
Jan. 2
Senator John Edwards (AP Photo)
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North Carolina Senator John Edwards becomes the third declared Democratic candidate. The rookie senator is considered a long-shot because of his lack of political experience. He declares his candidacy from a closed factory where his father worked and where he worked summers to put himself through law school.
Jan. 6
Representative Richard Gephardt of Missouri enters the race. It would be Gephardt's second try for the nod on the Democratic ticket. His 1988 bid faltered when he ran out of money on the eve of the Super Tuesday primaries. This time, Gephardt would be counting on solid labour support – and a strong showing in the Iowa caucuses. Polls suggested he was holding his own there.
Jan. 13
Al Gore's running mate from 2000 – Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman – enters the race. Lieberman's career had been built on compromise and bipartisanship. He is seen as a mild-mannered centrist at a time when the Democratic party is in no mood to work with the Republicans.
Jan. 21
Civil rights activist Al Sharpton becomes the sixth Democrat to declare. The civil rights leader has no previous political experience. His long-shot bid is seen as an attempt to gain some influence within the Democratic party.
Feb. 17
The list grows to seven as Representative Dennis Kucinich of Ohio steps forward. The former Cleveland mayor is unable to attract the support of a single member of the Ohio congressional delegation. He is the only candidate not to have voted to authorize the war in Iraq.
Feb. 18
Democratic presidential candidate Carol Moseley Braun (AP Photo)
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Former senator Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois becomes the first woman to enter the Democratic race. She will attract the support of the National Organization for Women and Ms. magazine founder Gloria Steinem. The best-known political name to endorse her is former senator Paul Simon. With his death on Dec. 9, 2003, she has no established political heavyweights in her corner.
Feb. 27
Florida Senator Bob Graham announces his intention to seek the Democratic nomination. Graham – a former governor of Florida – was a co-author of the congressional report on the 9/11 attacks. He was highly critical of the actions of U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
Sept. 17
Retired general Wesley Clark, the former commander of NATO, enters the race highly critical of the war in Iraq.
Oct. 6
Trailing badly in the polls and struggling to raise money, Graham drops out.
Dec. 9
Gore snubs Lieberman and endorses Dean.
2004
Jan. 15
Unable to generate interest in her campaign, Braun drops out of the race and endorses Howard Dean.
Jan. 19
John Kerry comes from behind to win the Iowa caucuses.
Democratic presidential hopeful former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean during his caucus night party in West Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 19, 2004. (AP Photo)
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Howard Dean – pumped up and trying to pump up his supporters – delivers a speech that quickly becomes known as "I have a scream!" His campaign stumbles and he spends the next month trying to salvage his bid.
Jan. 20
After placing fourth in Iowa with 11 per cent support, Gephardt drops out.
Jan. 27
Kerry makes it two in a row with a win in the New Hampshire primary.
Feb. 3
Kerry's momentum picks up even more steam with wins in the Missouri, Delaware and Arizona primaries, and caucuses in North Dakota and New Mexico. Edwards makes some noise as he captures his first primary in his birth state of South Carolina.
As expected, Clark wins his first and only primary – Oklahoma.
Unable to generate much interest, Lieberman drops out.
Feb. 7
Kerry steamrolls to wins in Virginia, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Utah, Washington, Michigan, Maine, Nevada, Hawaii, Idaho and the District of Columbia.
Feb. 10
Clark drops out and endorses Kerry.
Presidential hopeful Ralph Nader (AP Photo)
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Feb. 18
After starting out as the frontrunner, Dean drops out. He was unable to win a single primary or caucus.
Feb. 22
Ralph Nader announces he will run for president as an Independent. He forsakes the Green party banner, saying the party's process for selecting a presidential candidate left little time to fight to get onto the ballot in all 50 states.
March 2
Kerry sweeps Super Tuesday, winning primaries in California, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island, as well as the Minnesota caucuses.
Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. John Kerry, with his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry celebrates the victories of his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, March 2, 2004. (AP Photo)
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March 3
With only one victory, Edwards decides he does not have enough support to continue his bid for the Democratic nomination.
March 9
Kerry wins primaries in Florida, Mississippi, Texas and Louisiana.
March 15
Sharpton drops out and endorses Kerry.
March 16
Kerry wins the Illinois primary, giving him enough delegates to secure the Democratic party's presidential nomination.
March 25
Dean endorses Kerry.
May 3
Bush launches campaign with visits to Michigan and Ohio.
June 26
The Green party selects activist David Cobb as its presidential nominee.
July 6
Kerry chooses former rival John Edwards as his vice-presidential running mate.
July 28
Kucinich officially drops out of the race. The Democratic party formally nominates John Kerry as its challenger to Bush.
Sept. 2
George W. Bush (AP Photo)
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The Republican party formally nominates George W. Bush and Dick Cheney for re-election. Bush promises victory, prosperity and conservative values. In the days following the convention, the campaign momentum is seen to be favouring Bush.
Sept. 8
The CBS News program 60 Minutes II broadcasts a story alleging the Bush family used its influence to keep the future president from having to go to Vietnam. It is later revealed that the story relied on what turned out to be forged documents.
Sept. 30
The first of three presidential debates takes place in Coral Gables, Fla. It focuses on foreign policy. Campaign analysts are almost unanimous in declaring Kerry as the clear winner. Bush argues a leader has to be strong and not send mixed messages. "There must be certainty by the U.S. president," Bush says. Kerry shoots back: "It's one thing to be certain. But you can be certain and be wrong."
Oct. 5
The vice-presidential candidates – Dick Cheney and John Edwards – face off in Cleveland, Ohio, for their only head-to-head debate. Cheney tries to regain some of the momentum lost in the first Bush/Kerry debate. He maintains that what the U.S. did in Iraq was "exactly the right thing."
Oct. 8
President Bush, left, and Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry during the presidential debate, Oct. 8, 2004 (AP Photo)
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Bush and Kerry debate for a second time. It's a more relaxed "town hall" format for the debate in St. Louis, Mo. Again, Kerry is seen as coming out slightly ahead. Meanwhile, the rumours fly across the internet about a mystery bulge on Bush's back caught by a television camera during the first debate. Speculation ranges from a transmitter to a bulletproof vest to an issue of tailoring.
Oct. 13
The third and final presidential debate takes place in Tempe, Ariz. Political pundits say Bush improved his performance in the debate, which focused on domestic issues. The two clash on health care, abortion rights and same-sex rights.
"You know, there's a mainstream in American politics, and you sit right on the far left bank,'' Bush says of Kerry.
Kerry is later criticized for referring to Cheney's lesbian daughter.
Oct. 25
Polls continue to show Bush and Kerry in a statistical dead heat. The polls suggest the number of undecided voters is declining. The two candidates focus their campaigns on the handful of states still considered to be up for grabs, especially Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, Iowa and Wisconsin.
In Florida, poll workers are told to be prepared to hand out provisional ballots to keep the lines moving if the eligibility of a large number of voters is challenged.
Democrats and Republicans line up thousands of lawyers to stand by on election day as concerns over inaccurate voters lists and registration fraud mount. Democrats have already filed nine lawsuits in Florida relating to potential irregularities. In Ohio, a Republican challenge of 35,000 registered voters is making its way through the courts.
Nov. 1
Two judges in Cincinnati rule political party representatives cannot challenge voters at polling places across Ohio. The judges rule only poll workers can determine a voter's eligibility to cast a ballot. Republicans are expected to appeal the ruling.
Bush spends a final full day of campaigning on a six-state seven-stop tour focusing mainly on the Midwest swing states. Kerry begins his day in Florida before heading to the same hotly contested area.
Nov. 2
Election day attracts more Americans to the polls than in any election since 1960.
An Ohio appeals court judge reverses the lower court ruling, clearing the way for party representatives to challenge the eligibility of disputed voters. Very few voters are challenged. No clear winner by midnight.
Nov. 3
Vice presidential candidate John Edwards emerges to say Democrats will fight for every vote as the crucial state of Ohio remains too close to call, although it is trending towards the Bush camp.
At 11:00 a.m., John Kerry calls President Bush to concede the race.
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| QUICK FACTS: |
Voting age population (VAP) in 2000:
205,815,000
Eligible voters (VEP) in 2000:
193,199,543
Voter turnout (% of VEP) in 2000:
54.5%
Numbers of seats up for election (2004):
House: 435 (all of them)
Senate: 34 (of 100)
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