U.S. presidential election, 2004 timeline

The following is a timeline of events during the 2004 U.S. presidential election:

Contents
1 2002
2 2003

2.1 January 2003
2.2 February 2003
2.3 March 2003
2.4 April 2003
2.5 May 2003
2.6 June 2003
2.7 July 2003
2.8 August 2003
2.9 September 2003
2.10 October 2003
2.11 November 2003
2.12 December 2003

3 2004

3.1 January 2004
3.2 February 2004
3.3 March 2004
3.4 April 2004
3.5 May 2004
3.6 June 2004
3.7 July 2004
3.8 August 2004
3.9 September 2004
3.10 October 2004
3.11 November 2004
3.12 December 2004
3.13 January 2005

4 Related timelines
5 External primary calendars

2002

2003

January 2003

February 2003

March 2003

April 2003

  • April 2: Speaking before an audience in Peterborough, New Hampshire, John Kerry says “We need a regime change not just in Iraq. We need a regime change here in the United States.” [2] (http://www.monadnockledger.info/2003/stories/1_news_040303.shtml) Republicans criticize Kerry for speaking out against a wartime president. [3] (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/04/03/national1601EST0726.DTL)
  • April 17 - Democratic fundraising totals for the first quarter of 2003 are reported. John Edwards raises $7.4 million, John Kerry raises $7.0 million, Dick Gephardt raises $3.5 million, Joe Lieberman raises $3.0 million, Howard Dean raises $2.6 million, Bob Graham raises $1.1 million, and Dennis Kucinich and Carol Moseley Braun raise less than $1 million each.

May 2003

  • May 1 - George W. Bush lands on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, in a Lockheed S-3 Viking, where he gives a speech announcing the end of major combat in the Iraq war. Clearly visible in the background is a banner stating "Mission Accomplished". Bush's landing is criticized by opponents as overly theatrical and expensive. The banner, made by White House personnel (according to a CNN story: [4] (http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/10/28/mission.accomplished/)) and placed there by the U.S. Navy, is criticized as premature. Nonetheless, Bush's approval rating in the month of May rides at 66%, according to a CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll. [5] (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/05/24/politics/main555427.shtml) This event will come back to haunt Bush as combat in Iraq continues for more than eighteen months.
  • May 3 - Democrats meet at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina in the first formal debate between the nine challengers for the 2004 Democratic party presidential nomination. The candidates disagree on the war against Iraq, health insurance, and even President Bush's tax cuts, but unite in criticizing Bush's handling of the economy.
  • May 6 - Gary Hart, former Senator from Colorado, announces he will not seek the Democratic nomination for President in 2004.
  • May 7 - Vice President Dick Cheney announces he will be President Bush's running mate again in 2004. Cheney's position on the ticket had been the subject of some speculation because he has had four heart attacks, though none as Vice President. Bush had still not formally announced he would seek re-election yet.
  • May 16 - President Bush formally files papers with the Federal Election Commission seeking a second term as President.

June 2003

  • June 17 - Howard Dean airs the first television advertising of the 2004 campaign. The two week ad campaign will cost more than $300,000.
  • June 23 - Howard Dean formally announces that he is running for President, filing to form a presidential election campaign with the FEC.
  • June 23 - U.S. Supreme Court upholds affirmative action in university admissions in Grutter v. Bollinger
  • June 24 - Liberal advocacy website MoveOn holds the first ever online Democratic "primary," which lasts just over 48 hours. It is an unofficial and non-binding affair, but with important symbolic and financial value. Of 317,647 votes, Howard Dean receives 44%, Dennis Kucinich 24%, and John Kerry 16%. Had any candidate received 50% of the vote, the candidate would have received MoveOn's endorsement and financial support. Instead, MoveOn supports all the candidates. [6] (http://moveon.org/pac/primary/report.html)
  • June 26 - U.S. Supreme Court rules sodomy laws unconstitutional in Lawrence v. Texas

July 2003

  • July 3 - Democratic fundraising numbers for the second quarter of 2003 are reported and announced. Howard Dean surprises many raising $7.5 million, John Kerry raises $6 million, while John Edwards and Joseph Lieberman raise roughly $5 million each.
  • July 14 - Edie Bukewihge, Republican, formally filed papers with the Federal Election Commission seeking a first term as President.
  • July 18 - David Cobb announces his candidacy for the Green Party nomination in Washington, D.C. As part of a "genuine effort to reach progressives across party lines", he announces that his strategy includes a "Strategic States Plan", concentrating efforts where Electoral College votes are not "in play". Some Greens decry the lack of an "all-out" strategy from Cobb and the loss of ballot status that would ensue.

August 2003

  • August 11 - Delaware Senator Joseph Biden announces he will not seek the Democratic nomination, saying his campaign would be "a long shot" and that he could wield the most influence in the Senate.

September 2003

  • September 16 - John Edwards officially announces his candidacy on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
  • September 17 - retired General Wesley Clark announces his candidacy, bringing the number of Democratic presidential candidates currently in the running to the maximum of ten. This lasts until October 6th.
  • September 20 - Occupation of Iraq: Two American soldiers are killed and 13 wounded in a mortar attack in Abu Ghraib, and another soldier dies in a roadside attack in Ramadi, bringing the number of U.S. deaths since the war began to 304, of which 165 occurred after President Bush's "mission accomplished" statement of May 1. [7] (http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/21/international/middleeast/21CND-IRAQ.html?ex=1064808000&en=a6d794bc32612759&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE) A member of the Governing Council, Dr. Aquila al-Hashimi, is shot in an assassination attempt (she dies five days later). United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan strongly condemns the attack and warns that it only undermines the country's political progress. [8] (http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=8308&Cr=Iraq&Cr1=) George Bush's approval rating slides down to 50% according to a CNN.com poll, the lowest number since taking office [9] (http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2003/09/23/bush_approval_rating_in_decline_poll_suggests?mode=PF)
  • September 25 - Natural Law Party endorses Dennis Kucinich for President.

October 2003

  • October 6 - Bob Graham announces on Larry King Live that he is ending his presidential campaign.
  • October 22 - Ralph Nader removes his name from the California Green Party presidential primary ballot.
  • October 28 - In a press conference President Bush says the following about the May 1 "Mission Accomplished" banner on the USS Lincoln: "The 'Mission Accomplished' sign, of course, was put up by the members of the USS Abraham Lincoln, saying that their mission was accomplished. I know it was attributed somehow to some ingenious advance man from my staff they weren't that ingenious, by the way."
  • October 28 - In an interview President Bush said the following after massive attacks on US and Iraq police forces in Iraq: "The more successful we are on the ground, the more these killers will react," Bush said as he sat in the Oval Office with L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. administrator in Iraq. He added: "The more progress we make on the ground, the more free the Iraqis become, the more electricity is available, the more jobs are available, the more kids that are going to school, the more desperate these killers become, because they can't stand the thought of a free society."

November 2003

  • November 1 - In an interview with the Des Moines Register, Howard Dean is quoted as saying "I still want to be the candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks. We can't beat George Bush unless we appeal to a broad cross-section of Democrats." [10] (http://desmoinesregister.com/news/stories/c4789004/22649906.html) This comment stirs strong controversy among Democratic contenders.
  • November 18 - George W. Bush makes a state visit to London in the midst of massive protests against him.

December 2003

2004

January 2004

  • January 7 - George W. Bush's campaign manager Ken Mehlman announces that the President's re-election campaign raised $130.8 million from 494,000 individual donors during 2003. 415,000 of the 494,000 Bush donors contributed less than $200 each. Reportedly, the goal is to raise between $150 million and $170 million by the mid-summer conventions.
  • January 13 - The non-binding Washington, DC Democratic primary is held with four major candidates on the ballot. Howard Dean received 43% of the vote, while Al Sharpton had 34%. Carol Moseley Braun was in third place with 12% followed by Dennis Kucinich who had eight percent. The primary, however, was binding upon the Green Party, making it the Greens' first primary of the season. David Cobb received 37 percent of the vote, Sheila Bilyeu received 19 percent, 13 percent preferred the party not run a candidate, and the remaining 31 percent was distributed among write-in candidates.
  • January 15 - Saying she was proud of "breaking new ground" in her Presidential bid, Carol Moseley Braun drops out of the race and endorses Howard Dean.
  • January 18 - Howard Dean visits Plains, Georgia to meet with former President Jimmy Carter. Carter makes a statement in a press conference following a church service the two men attended: "I have made an announcement in advance that I'm not going to endorse any particular candidate. But I have been particularly grateful at the courageous and outspoken posture and position that Governor Dean has taken from the very beginning." [13] (http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0401/18/se.01.html)
  • January 19 - Iowa caucus results: The Iowa cacuses yield unexpectedly strong results for Democratic candidates John Kerry, who earns 38% of the state's delegates and John Edwards, who takes 32%. Former front-runner Howard Dean slips to 18% and third-place, and Richard Gephardt finishes fourth (11%). Dennis Kucinich and Al Sharpton received minimal support; Joe Lieberman and Wesley Clark had opted not to participate in the Iowa caucuses.
  • January 20 - Following his disappointing showing in Iowa, Dick Gephardt drops out of the Presidential race to return to private life following the expiration of his Congressional term in 2005.
  • January 22 - Howard Dean gives an interview to Diane Sawyer in an attempt to repair his image following the disappointing loss in Iowa, and to control the damage caused by his post-caucus speech, which was widely criticized and ridiculed as the "I have a scream" speech. [14] (http://abcnews.go.com/sections/Primetime/US/howard_judy_dean_transcript_040122-1.html) Sawyer and many others in the national broadcast news media later expressed some regret about overplaying the story after it becomes clear that that audio engineering played a role in his speech sounding so bad. [15] (http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/news/wabc_2004vote_012904dean.html)
  • January 27 - John Kerry wins the New Hampshire primary with 38.4% of the vote. Howard Dean finishes second with 26.4%, Wesley Clark third with 12.4%, John Edwards fourth with 12.0%, and Joe Lieberman receives 8.6%.
  • January 29 - First Presidential debate for Green Party candidates, at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, between David Cobb, Kent Mesplay, and Lorna Salzman.
  • January 31 - David Cobb wins the Ohio Green primary, partially conducted online, with 39% of the vote. Peter Camejo comes in second with 21%, and Lorna Salzman places third, with 13.5%. Ralph Nader, Paul Glover, Kent Mesplay, and Dennis Kucinich place fourth through seventh respectively, with single-digit percentages.

February 2004

March 2004

April 2004

  • April 2 - Democratic Party offices in Scottsdale, Arizona, are broken into and vandalised. This follows a previous break-in in March, in which the only thing taken was a computer containing campaign and membership information. [17] (http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/TheNote/TheNote_Apr204.html)
  • April 5 - Ralph Nader holds a rally in Oregon which needed 1000 registered voters to attend in order to get on the state's ballot as an independent. The rally attracts 741 people.
  • April 29 - Photographs showing Iraqi prisoners in the Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad being abused and humiliated by U.S. soldiers spark outrage around the world.

May 2004

June 2004

July 2004

August 2004

  • August 5 - An advocacy group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth debuts an ad calling into question John Kerry's account of how he earned his Purple Heart medals in Vietnam. [19] (http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/kerry/articles/2004/08/05/mccain_condemns_anti_kerry_ad/)
  • August 18 - Magazine publisher Deal W. Hudson, a Republican adviser and a key figure in the attempt to win Catholic support and question the morality of John Kerry's policies and voting record, resigns from the Bush campaign over an impending sex scandal. [20] (http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/4935870.html)
  • August 21 - Bush's campaign staff dismisses Kenneth Cordier as an advisor to the campaign for appearing in an ad sponsored by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. [21] (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22957-2004Aug22.html)
  • August 24 - Kerry appears on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in his first television interview after the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ad controversy flared up. The Daily Show's emerging role in the 2004 election as a comedy show remains a continuing controversy among conventional journalists. [22] (http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1093471810774&call_pageid=968867495754&col=969483191630)
  • August 25 - Benjamin Ginsberg, who served as the head lawyer for President Bush's re-election campaign, resigns. Ginsberg acknowledged he advised Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. [23] (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002015823_swift26.html)
  • August 30-September 2 - 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City, New York.

September 2004

  • September 2 - Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury announces that Ralph Nader's supporters failed to obtain enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot in that state; Nader's Oregon supporters file an appeal. Nader also suffered courtroom defeats in Texas and Michigan to gain ballot access in those states. However, Nader supporters were able to obtain almost double the 1,000 signatures needed to be placed on the Washington state ballot. [24] (http://www.oregonlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/front_page/1094126545322351.xml?oregonian?fpfp)
  • September 2 - A shot is fired at 10:30 PM at a Huntington, West Virgina Republican Party headquarters during Bush's acceptance speech. One person is slightly wounded by flying glass.
  • September 8 - Killian memos: The CBS News program 60 Minutes II announces the alleged discovery of newly uncovered records of President George W. Bush's service in the Air National Guard. Supporters of Democratic candidate Kerry conclude (1) that the records show then Lieutenant Bush disobeyed orders and (2) that the Bush campaign has lied about having made all such records public. The memos' authenticity is quickly questioned on numerous blogs.
  • September 9 -
    • A state judge in Florida denies Ralph Nader a place on that state ballot as the Reform Party candidate.
    • However in Oregon, Marion County judge Paul Lipscomb rules that Secretary of State Bill Bradbury exceeded his authority and orders Ralph Nader's name placed on the Oregon ballot. Bradbury's staff announces they will appeal the decision.
  • September 11 - Bush and Kerry neither campaign, nor run campaign ads to mark America Remembers. Kerry cites that 9/11 brought the country together. Bush's entire weekly radio address [25] (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/09/20040911-3.html) [26] (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/09/20040911-3.v.smil) [27] (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/09/20040911-3.a.ram), broadcast live on radio and television across the country, was devoted to the anniversary. With him when he gave his radio address from the White House were some of the relatives of the victims, including former solicitor general Ted Olson, who lost his wife, Barbara, on American Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon.
  • September 15 - Killian memos: John Killian's former secretary, Marian Carr Knox, says that the memos are forgeries but that their content is true and accurately reflects Killian's view of George W. Bush. [28] (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/15/politics/campaign/15guard.html?pagewanted=print&position=top)
  • September 17 - Laura Bush's speech at a firehouse in Hamilton, New Jersey is disrupted by anti-war campaigner Sue Niederer. [29] (http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/09/17/bush.protester/index.html)
  • September 17 - A Republican campaigner, Phil Parlock, claims he and his daugher were assaulted at a public appearance by John Edwards in Huntington, West Virgina. [30] (http://www.herald-dispatch.com/2004/September/17/LNtop1.htm) However, he is later revealed to have made similar claims during previous Presidential elections, and was present shortly after shots were fired at the local Republican campaign headquarters. [31] (http://rising-hegemon.blogspot.com/2004/09/bogus-assault-father-freeper-of-year.html)
  • September 17 - Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie says that he has no knowledge of a campaign flier mailed in West Virginia that charges unnamed "liberals" with wanting to ban the Bible. [32] (http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/9692718.htm) The flier is denounced by such organizations as People for the American Way ([33] (http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=17099)) and The Interfaith Alliance ([34] (http://www.interfaithalliance.org/site/apps/nl/content.asp?c=8dJIIWMCE&b=137966&content_id={8624FEEB-8D08-40F4-A9F0-1B774CB8E2F7}&notoc=1)).
  • September 18 - The Florida Supreme Court orders that Reform Party candidate Ralph Nader be included on the ballot in Florida for the upcoming election.
  • September 20 - Judges in Arkansas and New Mexico issue rulings in both states denying Ralph Nader access to the ballot in those states; his supporters say they will appeal those rulings. The Maryland Supreme Court orders election officials to accept 542 previously rejected petition signatures, which qualified Nader as a candidate in that state.
  • September 20 - Killian memos: CBS News admits that it cannot prove the authenticity of the documents and that airing the story was a "mistake" that CBS regretted. The source for the documents is named as Bill Burkett, and Burkett admits to having lied to CBS about how he got them. [35] (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/06/politics/main641481.shtml)
  • September 22 - the Washington Note reveals that the text of a Republican flier mailed in West Virginia, which charged liberals with wanting to ban the Bible, was also used for a flier (http://www.steveclemons.com/GOPMailer.htm) in Arkansas, and concludes that "this template, which [RNC Chair] Ed Gillespie said he knew nothing about, is being used in multiple states." [36] (http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/000080.html)
  • September 23 - the Republican National Committee admits that it was the source of mass mailings of fliers warning that the Bible would be banned if "Liberal politicians" were elected. [37] (http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/32-09242004-371495.html)
  • September 25 - Teresa Heinz Kerry crosses swords with a Republican at a question-and-answer session in Pueblo, Colorado. [38] (http://www.9news.com/acm_news.aspx?OSGNAME=KUSA&IKOBJECTID=36f146a1-0abe-421a-018e-f62f7c8edb48&TEMPLATEID=0c76dce6-ac1f-02d8-0047-c589c01ca7bf)
  • September 26 - Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell issues an order to state election boards that only voter registration forms printed on 80 lb. paper can be accepted as valid. This sparks a controversy, and within a few days Blackwell reverses his order to enforce this obscure requirement. (Columbus Dispatch) (http://www.columbusdispatch.com/election/election-local.php?story=dispatch/2004/09/29/20040929-A1-01.html)
  • September 28 - The New Mexico Supreme Court overturns a lower court ruling and allows Ralph Nader to run as an independent in that state.
  • September 28 - George Bush's hometown newspaper, the Crawford, Texas Lone Star Iconoclast, endorses Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. The editorial asks Texan voters "not to rate the candidate by his hometown [...] but instead by where he intends to take the country." In the previous election, the paper had endorsed Bush. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=6356211) (Lone Star Iconoclast) (http://news.iconoclast-texas.com/web/Columns/Editorial/editorial39.htm)
  • September 30

October 2004

  • October 1
    • Using grass killer, vandals burn an 8 by 8 foot swastika into the lawn of a Madison, Wisconsin Bush supporter. Police investigate the incident as a hate crime. [41] (http://www.channel3000.com/politics/3776992/detail.html)
    • Republican Party officials in Nevada are accused of voter registration fraud. The FBI is contacted after 15 complaints are made to the registrar for Washoe County, Nevada. Several voter registration contractors are fired. [42] (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/10/02/politics1145EDT0035.DTL)
    • The day after the first Presidential debate, polling and pundits indicate that John Kerry won the 90-minute verbal contest [43] (http://www.indystar.com/articles/3/182977-9853-010.html)
  • October 2 - Three laptops are stolen from a Bush-Cheney headquarters office in Bellevue, Washington. Though police say the theft does not appear to be politically motivated, Republican Party chair Chris Vance compares the action to Watergate. The laptops contained information on GOTV efforts. Washington State Democratic Party spokespeople condemn the theft. [44] (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6155662/) [45] (http://www.komotv.com/stories/33333.htm)
  • October 5
    • Vice Presidential debate held between Dick Cheney and John Edwards in Cleveland, Ohio, moderated by Gwen Ifill of PBS. Described by an unidentified New York columnist as "Darth Vader versus Robin" and again focussing on Iraq and the War on Terror, the televised contest attracts more Republican viewers than Democrats and an initial poll by ABC indicates a victory for Cheney, while polls by CNN and MSNBC give it to Edwards. [46] (http://www.s5000.com/what_the_huck/589/cheney_edwards.php) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3716852.stm), (SF Chronicle) (http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/10/05/DEBATE.TMP) (ABC) (http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/Vote2004/vp_debate_poll_041006.html)
    • At local Bush-Cheney headquarters across the nation, union members take part in AFL-CIO-coordinated protests of new federal restrictions on overtime pay. In Orlando, protesters injure two Bush supporters, and draw horns and mustaches on pictures of Bush. Roughly a dozen protesters force their way into a Bush-Cheney headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota. Similar protests are reported in roughly 20 cities, including Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Detroit, Michigan. Republicans compare these activities to those of the brown shirts.
    • The Log Cabin Republicans accuse the Bush-Cheney campaign of villifying homosexuals. [47] (http://www.365gay.com/newscon04/10/100504logCabin.htm)
  • October 6 - With Dick Cheney having accidentally directed viewers of the Vice-Presidential debate to visit 'factcheck.com' instead of 'factcheck.org' (a website which attempts to debunk allegedly false facts in U.S. politics, including claims made about Halliburton), the company that owns the erroneously linked website redirects it to George Soros's website entitled 'Why we must not re-elect President Bush: a personal message from George Soros'. (Slate) (http://slate.msn.com/id/2107809/)
  • October 8
  • October 9
    • Afghanistan holds the first democratic election for president of its country. Pundits say that this will help Bush's campaign. [49] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3727878.stm)
    • The day after the second Presidential debate, pictures of an apparent hump on George Bush's back lead to speculation that he was wearing a radio receiver and being fed answers. [50] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3730364.stm)
    • Australian Prime Minister John Howard wins an unprecented fourth term, despite widespread opposition to Australia's involvement in the Iraq war. Domestic issues, including a strong economy and fears of interest rate increases, dominate the election. [51] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3731036.stm)
  • October 10
    • The New York Times Magazine publishes an interview with John Kerry. This quote is used by the Bush campaign to attack Kerry by claiming he is weak on terrorism, and used by Bush in the debate on October 13: "We have to get back to the place we were, where terrorists are not the focus of our lives, but they're a nuisance. As a former law-enforcement person, I know we're never going to end prostitution. We're never going to end illegal gambling. But we're going to reduce it, organized crime, to a level where it isn't on the rise. It isn't threatening people's lives every day, and fundamentally, it's something that you continue to fight, but it's not threatening the fabric of your life."
    • Bush-Cheney campaign headquarters in Spokane, Washington are broken into. Petty cash is stolen, and a TV and computer are targeted, but are left behind, presumably because the burglars were startled. Though this is the second second break-in of Bush-Cheney headquarters in the state in as many weeks, police doubt the burglary is politically motivated. [52] (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2002060393_breakin12m.html)
    • Bush administration is criticised for filming a promotional ad in the style of a news story. [53] (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&ncid=696&e=1&u=/ap/20041010/ap_on_el_pr/school_ads)
    • Bush-Cheney headquarters in Canton, Ohio are broken into, looted, and vandalized.
  • October 11
    • Republican nominee for State House District 82 in Tennessee, Dave Dahl, accuses incumbent Democrat Craig Fitzhugh of distributing a flyer portraying voting for George W. Bush as "retarded." But the man Dahl points to as being able to prove the accusation cannot do so, saying only that "someone" got the flyer from "somebody." Tennessee Democratic Party chairman Randy Button calls the accusation "dirty politics," and charges that the flyer was planted in Fitzhugh's campaign office. [54] (http://miva.jacksonsun.com/miva/cgi-bin/miva?NEWS/news_storyV2.mv+link=200410156591581)
    • The Sinclair Broadcasting Group orders its 62 television stations - many of them in battleground states - to air Stolen Honor: Wounds that Never Heal two weeks before the election. The documentary attacks Senator Kerry's testimony before the Fulbright Hearing in 1971, claiming his statements were untrue and led to increased suffering by American soldiers held as prisoners of war by the North Vietnamese. Eighteen Democratic senators oppose the showing, and ask the FCC to rule that Kerry is entitled to equal time. FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps comes out against the broadcast, saying, "This is an abuse of the public trust." On Fox News' "Dayside with Linda Vester" the next day, Kerry campaign spokesman Chad Clanton accused Sinclair of "obliterating every decent journalistic standard in the book". He also said of Sinclair: "I think they're going to regret this. They better hope we don't win." Sinclair is known for supporting President Bush, and in April refused to broadcast an episode of Nightline that reported on American military casualties in Iraq, for fear that it would hurt the Republican campaign. [55] (http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/story/0,13918,1325120,00.html), [56] (http://www.news24.com/News24/World/US_Elections/0,6119,2-10-1665_1603598,00.html), [57] (http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/10/12/1097406576192.html?oneclick=true), [58] (http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=64976), [59] (http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/10/12/172609.shtml)
    • In a speech at Newton, Ohio, Vice-Presidential candidate John Edwards claims embryonic stem cell research could mean that "people like Christopher Reeve are going to [...] get up out of that wheelchair and walk again," and criticises the Bush White House for not supporting such research. The recently deceased Reeve had supported embryonic stem cell research and the Kerry-Edwards campaign. [60] (http://edition.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/10/12/edwards.stem.cell/)
    • Bush-Cheney '04 Campaign Chairman, Governor Marc Racicot, sends a letter to AFL-CIO president John Sweeney protesting union activities that he claims have led to injuries, property damage, vandalism, and "voter intimidation" at Bush-Cheney '04 and Republican Party offices around the country.
  • October 12
    • Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R), says that John Edward's recent claims about Stem Cell Research may give false hope, branding them "shameful" and "crass". Frist is a medical doctor. [61] (http://edition.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/10/12/edwards.stem.cell/)
    • A former employee of Voters Outreach of America, operating in the state of Nevada, alleges that the group, after collecting voter registration forms, submitted the Republican forms but shredded the Democratic ones; the Republican National Committee admits having hired Voters Outreach of America but condemns fraud. [62] (http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2421595&nav=168XRvNe)
    • Democratic Party offices in Toledo, Ohio are broken into, and computers containing campaign information are stolen. [63] (http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041013/NEWS03/410130378)
    • RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie threatens MTV's "Rock the Vote" campaign with legal action for raising the possibility of a military draft. Gillespie argues that since a possible draft is an "urban myth" denied by "no less than the President of the United States," Rock the Vote's mention of the issue jeopardizes its non-profit status. MTV labels Gillespie's threat as censorship, and replies that "Just because President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and Secretary Rumsfeld, and for that matter Senator Kerry, say that there is not going to be a draft does not make it so."
  • October 13
    • Thomas Lipscomb's "Mystery surrounds Kerry's Navy discharge" appears on the front page of the New York Sun. The article speculates about possible Nixon administration attempts to deprive John Kerry of an honorable discharge from the Navy. [64] (http://www.nysun.com/article/3107)
    • The National Rifle Association endorses President Bush, promising millions of dollars for ads, phone banks and other get-out-the-vote efforts on his behalf.
    • Bush and Kerry meet for the third and final debate at Arizona State University. Transcript and Video (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,135380,00.html)
      • 51 million viewers watch the debate. Only 15.2 million viewers tune in to watch the Major League Baseball championship games broadcast simultaneously. [65] (http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/MediaNews/2004/10/14/669391-ap.html)
      • Photos taken after the third presidential debate fuel the "Bush bulge" theory, which started with photos taken during the second presidential debate, that the President was wearing a radio receiver and was fed his lines. [66] (http://www.washingtondispatch.com/spectrum/archives/000652.html)
      • In answering a debate question about whether homosexuality is a choice, Kerry says "If you were to talk to Dick Cheney's daughter, who is a lesbian, she would tell you that she's being who she was, she's being who she was born as." Although Mary Cheney is open about her sexuality (she is "out"), Kerry's remarks upset mother Lynne Cheney. She says, "[Kerry] is not a good man. What a cheap and tawdry political trick." AP (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041014/ap_on_el_pr/debate_lynn_cheney)
    • Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury and Attorney General Hardy Myers announce an investigation into allegations that Voters Outreach of America might have destroyed voter registration forms of potential Democrats. [67] (http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1097647496301300.xml&storylist=orlocal)
    • On ABC's Nightline, Ted Koppel broadcasts interviews with Vietnamese who say they were engaged with John Kerry during the Vietnam War. The interviews cast further doubt on the truth of accusations from the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Koppel also interviews SVBT head John O'Neill, who charges that Koppel trusts Communist Viet Cong veterans more than the American veterans who make up SVBT. (Veterans who served on Kerry's Swift Boats also dispute the SVBT charges.)
    • The Federalist Patriot, a conservative internet journal, circulates petition asking Richard Cheney, Bill Frist, and John Ashcroft for the disqualification of John Kerry from office and his prosecution for treason. Though over 170,000 sign the petition, Cheney, Ashcroft, and Frist do not immediately act to remove Kerry from the ballot. Text of Petition (http://patriotpetitions.us/kerry/)
  • October 14
    • Following the announcement in Oregon, Nevada also announces an investigation into claims that voter registration forms of potential Democrats were destroyed. [68] (http://edition.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/10/14/nevada.registration/index.html)
    • The Drudge Report posts a page from a Democratic Party field manual, which reads in part that "[i]f no signs of [Republican] intimidation techniques have emerged yet, launch a 'pre-emptive strike'" to stave off any such attempts. Image on Drudge Report (http://drudgereport.com/dnc.jpg). The Democratic Party web site argues that the Drudge has "unfairly characterized" the manual, and posts a fuller excerpt from the manual's section on "How to Organize to Prevent and Combat Voter Intimidation." DNC Website (http://www.democrats.org/news/200410140008.html)
    • Elizabeth Edwards, wife of Democratic vice-presidential candidate John Edwards, responds to Lynne Cheney's remarks about Kerry's comment on her daughter's homosexuality. Mrs. Edwards says, "I think that it indicates a certain degree of shame with respect to her daughter's sexual preferences." AP (http://apnews.myway.com/article/20041014/D85NDRJG2.html)
    • Eighteen Democratic Party senators write the FCC requesting equal time in response to Sinclair's broadcast of "Stolen Honor: Wounds that Never Heal." FCC chairman Michael Powell denies that Sinclair's broadcast violates equal time provisions, and responds only that the government will not block the broadcast. [69] (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1944&ncid=1990&e=3&u=/variety/20041014/va_ne_al/fcc_won_t_block_doc)
    • In Colorado, voter registration fraud becomes a concern as paid voter registration gatherers flood the state. One Coloradan tells local TV that he had registered to vote "about 35 times" after repeated encounters with registration gatherers. ACORN, whose registration gatherers are linked to similar cases in Ohio and Florida, cooperates with Colorado authorities to trace hundreds of questionable registrations. But ACORN Western regional director Jim Fleischmann argues that local media are making too much of the issue: "Registration fraud is different than voter fraud. Just because you register someone 35 times doesn't mean they get to vote 35 times. They can only vote once." [70] (http://washingtontimes.com/national/20041014-121509-9206r.htm)
  • October 15
    • Larry Russell joins the Bush-Cheney campaign in Ohio. Russell had recently resigned from his postition as the South Dakota Republican party get-out-the-vote coordinator amid allegations of voter registration fraud. (AP) (http://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/news/9927899.htm)
    • Pay-TV distributor iN Demand Networks backs away from a deal to air Michael Moore's film, "Fahrenheit 9/11," alleging "legitimate business and legal concerns." The company also noted that "we regret that our decision has led Michael Moore to consider legal action against us," though they did make clear what legal action they were referring to. Yahoo (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20041015/ap_on_el_pr/election_moore)
  • October 17 - John Kerry receives the endorsement of the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. George W. Bush is endorsed by the Chicago Tribune, the Denver Rocky Mountain News, and the Dallas Morning News.
  • October 18
    • George W. Bush visits New Jersey, a state that until recently was showing weak support for George W. Bush and strong support for John Kerry.
    • Rumors fly about John Kerry being excommunicated by the Catholic Church for his views on abortion. [71] (http://cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=32830)
    • George W. Bush denounces John Kerry's so-called "shameless scare tactics" calling it "wrong" and "old-style politics." Bush mentions Kerry's tactics of telling the elderly that if Bush is elected their social security checks will be cancelled; telling black voters that their votes are being repressed by Republicans; and telling young people that a draft is imminent. [72] (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,135814,00.html)
  • October 19 - Early voting begins in Florida, as well as ten other states, including Texas. Fears have plagued Florida officials since the controversy during the 2000 election, leading to reforms in voting procedures. However, there are claims that electronic voting is unreliable, and there are reported cases of attempts to disenfranchise voters. (CNN) (http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/10/18/mon/index.html) (Guardian) (http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/story/0,13918,1330495,00.html)
  • October 20
    • The Vatican announces that John Kerry has not been excommunicated for his position on abortion rights. [73] (http://reuters.myway.com/article/20041020/2004-10-20T151709Z_01_L20123025_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-CAMPAIGN-KERRY-VATICAN-DC.html)
    • Fox News publishes an article representing John Kerry's strategy to win the election. Strategies include declaring victory prematurely, and sending out six teams of so-called "SWAT teams" lawyers ready to fly out and fight legal and political battles in disputed states. [74] (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,136011,00.html)
    • An uproar in the Bush camp is heard after Teresa Heinz Kerry, wife of John Kerry, questions whether Laura Bush, wife of George W. Bush, has "ever had a real job." Bush camp responds that Laura Bush has worked as a teacher and as a librarian, and that raising children is a job. Teresa Heinz Kerry agrees and apologizes. [75] (http://apnews.myway.com/article/20041020/D85RBQNG1.html)
    • Channel One News announces the results (http://www.channelone.com/election_2004/results/) of a mock presidential election. George W. Bush wins 393 electoral votes and John Kerry won 145. Over 1.4 million teens voted.
  • October 21
    • The legal team of Democratic contender John Kerry, as well as activist groups, have already filed a number of voting-related lawsuits in Florida challenging the voting process. Joe Garcia, of the New Democrat Network, says "there are quite literally armies of lawyers." [76] (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/afp/20041021/ts_alt_afp/us_vote_florida_justice)
  • October 22
    • South Dakota Attorney General Larry Long announces indictments of five former staffers of a GOP get-out-the-vote effort, under allegations of absentee ballot application fraud. [77] (http://www.argusleader.com/breaking/Mondayfeature.shtml)
  • October 25
  • October 26
    • Near Boynton Beach, Florida, Steven Soper drags his girlfriend, Stacey Silveira, into her house, throws her to the floor, spits on her, points a knife at her and threatens to kill her, because he learned that she planned to vote for Kerry. Soper later pleads guilty to false imprisonment, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, battery and resisting arrest without violence. [78] (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-pbush31mar31,1,6128506.story?ctrack=1&cset=true)
  • October 27
    • The BBC reports that it has obtained a document from George W. Bush's Florida campaign headquarters containing a list of 1,886 names and addresses of voters in largely African-American and Democratic areas of Jacksonville, Florida. Democratic Party officials allege that the document is a "caging list" that the Bush campaign intends to use to issue mass challenges to African-American voters, in violation of federal law. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/3956129.stm)
  • October 28
  • October 29
    • The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked a Republican challenge to 20,000 voter registrations in Ohio. [79] (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=536&ncid=536&e=4&u=/ap/20041029/ap_on_el_pr/ohio_ballots)
    • A new video of Osama bin Laden is released, addressing the American people directly. bin Laden acknowledges responsibilty for the September 11, 2001 attacks, critizes President Bush, and notes to Americans that "Your security is not in the hands of Kerry or Bush or al-Qaida. Your security is in your own hands and each state which does not harm our security will remain safe." (CNN) (http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/10/29/bin.laden.transcript/)

November 2004

Missing image
Bush_Oval_Office_phone_call.jpg
President George W. Bush receives a phone call from Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in which the senator concedes defeat in the 2004 presidential election Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2004.

December 2004

January 2005

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