2004 United States presidential election in New York

2004 United States presidential election in New York

← 2000 November 2, 2004 2008 →
Turnout62.44% (Increase 1.74 pp)
 
Nominee John Kerry George W. Bush
Party Democratic Republican
Alliance Working Families Conservative
Home state Massachusetts Texas
Running mate John Edwards Dick Cheney
Electoral vote 31 0
Popular vote 4,314,280 2,962,567
Percentage 58.37% 40.08%


President before election

George W. Bush
Republican

Elected President

George W. Bush
Republican

The 2004 United States presidential election in New York took place on November 2, 2004, and was part of the 2004 United States presidential election. Voters chose 31 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

New York was won by Democratic nominee John Kerry by an 18.3% margin of victory. Prior to the election, all 12 news organizations considered this a state Kerry would win, or a safe blue state. The last Republican presidential nominee to have carried the state of New York was Ronald Reagan in 1984 and the last one to even be competitive was Bush's father George H. W. Bush in 1988.

As expected, Kerry won the state of New York in a landslide. Statewide elections in New York are dominated by the overwhelmingly Democratic stronghold of New York City, the most populated city in the United States where around 40% of the state's population lives. Kerry received around 75% of the vote in the city alone. New York gave Kerry his fourth largest statewide margin of victory behind Kerry's home state of Massachusetts, and neighboring Rhode Island and Vermont.

Although the state was left uncontested by both candidates, Bush did manage to significantly improve on his performance from 2000, reducing his margin of defeat from 25% to 18%; this is often attributed to increased support for Bush in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

This would be the last presidential election in which the Republican candidate received over 40% of the vote until Donald Trump got 44.3% of the vote in the state in 2024, lost by less than a 20% margin in New York State and carry Rockland County. As of the 2024 United States presidential election]], Bush remains the last Republican candidate to win Dutchess and Westchester Counties. This is also the last time that any candidate won a majority of the vote in Ontario County. Bush is also the first president elected twice without ever carrying New York.