Bush presidential campaign, 2004
| George W. Bush for President 2004 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Campaign | U.S. presidential election, 2004 |
| Candidate |
George W. Bush President of the United States Dick Cheney Vice President of the United States |
| Affiliation | Republican Party |
| Status | Won Re-Election November 2, 2004 |
| Headquarters | 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington D.C |
| Receipts | US$196.0 million (2007-12-31) |
| Slogan | A Safer World and a More Hopeful America |
| Website | |
| (Internet Archive version, November 2, 2004) | |
George W. Bush had one major opponent, U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), whose primary campaign was successful in securing the majority of Democratic delegate votes. For his presidential campaign, see John Kerry presidential campaign, 2004.
George W. Bush's chief political strategist was Karl Rove, who had the title Senior Advisor to the President. Mark McKinnon was the chief communications strategist. He was later joined in August 2004 by Karen Hughes, a former Bush advisor who returned after some time away. His campaign manager was Ken Mehlman.
President Bush formally filed with the FEC on May 16, 2003. As he was virtually unopposed, he did no campaigning during the primary season.
On March 10, 2004, Bush clinched the number of delegates require for the nomination, 1608 Delegates 168 Super delegates.
In May 2003, Vice President Dick Cheney told reporters that "The president has asked me if I would serve again as his running mate. I've agreed to do that." In early 2004, with Bush expected to face a difficult re-election campaign, political commentators openly discussed the possibility that Cheney might be dropped from the ticket due to his "personal baggage". Such concern derived particularly from allegations that Cheney had promoted a false narrative about the rationale for the Iraq War, and that his former company Halliburton had profited inappropriately from that war. Some analysts even floated the idea that Cheney – who had previously suffered four heart attacks – might step down on his own for health reasons.
Among those viewed as strong contenders for his replacement were: Bill Frist, the Senate Majority Leader; Rudy Giuliani, the former Mayor of New York City; George Pataki, the Governor of New York; Rob Portman, congressman of Ohio; Bill Owens, the Governor of Colorado; and Tom Ridge, the Secretary of Homeland Security. In July, former Senator Al D'Amato, Republican of New York, publicly stated that Bush should replace Cheney, and suggested Secretary of State Colin Powell or Arizona Senator John McCain as potential choices. Going into the Republican National Convention at the end of August, many delegates still entertained the notion of a new Vice President, with Powell and Giuliani leading in a preference poll. Despite the speculation, Bush publicly maintained his support for Cheney, who accepted the party's formal nomination on September 1.
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