View source for 2004 Democratic Party presidential primaries

{{Short description|Selection of the Democratic Party nominee}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{use mdy dates |date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 2004 Democratic Party presidential primaries
| country = United States
| type = primary
| ongoing = no
| previous_election = 2000 Democratic Party presidential primaries
| previous_year = 2000
| next_election = 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries
| next_year = 2008
| election_date = January 14 to June 8, 2004
| votes_for_election = {{Unbulleted list|4,322 delegates to the [[2004 Democratic National Convention|Democratic National Convention]]|2,162 (majority) needed to win}}

<!-- John Kerry -->| image1 = File:John F. Kerry (closein cropped 3x4).jpg
| image_size = 160x160px
| colour1 = 00539f
| candidate1 = '''[[John Kerry]]'''
| home_state1 = [[Massachusetts]]
| delegate_count1 = '''2,573.5'''
| states_carried1 = '''52'''
| popular_vote1 = '''9,930,497'''
| percentage1 = '''61.0%'''

<!-- John Edwards -->| image2 = File: John Edwards, official Senate photo portrait (cropped 3x4).jpg
| candidate2 = [[John Edwards]]
| colour2 = e50100
| home_state2 = [[North Carolina]]
| states_carried2 = 2
| popular_vote2 = 3,162,337
| percentage2 = 19.4%
| delegate_count2 = 559

<!-- Howard Dean -->| image4 = File:Howard Dean (44658398) (cropped).jpg
| candidate4 = [[Howard Dean]]
| colour4 = e7cf1e
| home_state4 = [[Vermont]]
| states_carried4 = 1
| popular_vote4 = 903,460
| percentage4 = 5.55%
| delegate_count4 = 167.5

<!-- Wesley Clark -->| image5 = File:General Wesley Clark official photograph (cropped).jpg
| candidate5 = [[Wesley Clark]]
| colour5 = 039042
| home_state5 = [[Arkansas]]
| states_carried5 = 1
| popular_vote5 = 547,369
| percentage5 = 3.4%
| delegate_count5 = 60

| map_image = {{2004 Democratic Party presidential primaries imagemap}}
| map_size = 350px
| map_caption = <br />
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-break}}
{{legend|#00539f|John Kerry|border=1}}
{{legend|#e50100|John Edwards|border=1}}
{{Col-break}}
{{legend|#e7cf1e|Howard Dean|border=1}}
{{legend|#039042|Wesley Clark|border=1}}
{{Col-end}}
| title = Democratic nominee
| before_election = [[Al Gore]]
| after_election = [[John Kerry]]
}}

From January 14 to June 8, 2004, voters of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] chose its nominee for [[President of the United States|president]] in the [[2004 United States presidential election]].

[[United States Senate|Senator]] [[John Kerry]] of [[Massachusetts]] was selected as the nominee through a series of [[Partisan primary|primary election]]s and [[caucus]]es culminating in the [[2004 Democratic National Convention]] held from July 26 to July 29, 2004, in [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]]. Kerry went on to lose the general election on November 2, 2004, to incumbent [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] President [[George W. Bush]].

== Candidates ==

===Nominee===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
! colspan="3" style="width:150px;" |Candidate
! class="unsortable" |Most recent office
!Home state
! data-sort-type="date" |Campaign
!Popular vote
!Contests won
!Running mate
|- style="background:linen;"
| style="min-width:80px;" |[[File:John F. Kerry.jpg|133x133px]]
|'''[[John Kerry]]'''
| style="background:#00539f;" |
|'''U.S. Senator''' <br>'''from [[Massachusetts]]'''<br>(1985–2013)
|{{flag|Massachusetts}}
| data-sort-value="0" |[[File:John Kerry 2004 president logo.svg|alt=|143x143px]]
<small>([[John Kerry 2004 presidential campaign|Campaign]])</small><br>'''Secured nomination:<br /> March 2, 2004'''
| data-sort-value="14,015,993" |'''9,930,497'''<br><small>(60.98%)</small>
| data-sort-value="44" |'''52'''
|[[John Edwards]]
|}

===Withdrew during primaries===
The following candidates received more than 1% of the national popular vote or were included in multiple major national polls:
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
! colspan="3" |Candidate
! class="unsortable" |Most recent office
!Home state
! data-sort-type="date" |Campaign
<small>Withdrawal date</small>
!Popular vote
!Contests won
|-
| data-sort-value="Kucinich" |[[File:Dennis Kucinich (cropped).jpg|alt=|103x103px]]
|'''[[Dennis Kucinich]]'''
| style="background:#ff69b4;" |
|'''U.S. Representative<br>from [[Ohio]]''' <br>(1997–2013)
|{{flag|Ohio}}
| data-sort-value="07-22-2004" |[[File:Denniskucinich2004logo.gif|alt=|120x120px]]<br>'''<small>Withdrew: July 22</small>'''<br><small>([[Dennis Kucinich 2004 presidential campaign|Campaign]])</small>
| data-sort-value="620,242" |620,242 <br><small>(3.81%)</small>
| data-sort-value="0" |'''0'''
|-
| data-sort-value="Sharpton" |[[File:Al Sharpton by David Shankbone (cropped).jpg|alt=|103x103px]]
|'''[[Al Sharpton]]'''
| style="background:#aa5f2f;" |
|Activist and <br>television host
|{{flag|New York}}
| data-sort-value="03-15-2004" |[[File:Al Sharpton presidential campaign, 2004.png|alt=|90x90px]]<br>'''<small>Withdrew: March 15</small>'''<br><small>([[Al Sharpton 2004 presidential campaign|Campaign]])</small>
| data-sort-value="380,865" |380,865 <br><small>(2.34%)</small>
| data-sort-value="0" |'''0'''
|-
| data-sort-value="Edwards" |[[File:John Edwards, official Senate photo portrait (cropped).jpg|103x103px]]
|'''[[John Edwards]]'''
| style="background:#e50100;" |
|'''U.S. Senator<br>from [[North Carolina]]'''<br>(1999–2005)
|{{flag|North Carolina}}
| data-sort-value="03-02-2004" |[[File:John Edwards 2004 campaign logo.svg|alt=|122x122px]]'''<br><small>Withdrew: March 2</small>'''<br><small>([[John Edwards 2004 presidential campaign|Campaign]])</small>
| data-sort-value="3,162,337" |3,162,337<br><small>(19.42%)</small>
| data-sort-value="2" |'''2'''<br>{{nobr|NC, SC}}
|-
| data-sort-value="Dean" |[[Image:HowardDeanDNC-cropped.jpg|103x103px]]
|'''[[Howard Dean]]'''
| style="background:#e7cf1e;" |
|'''Governor''' <br>'''of Vermont'''<br>(1991–2003)
|{{flag|Vermont}}
| data-sort-value="02-18-2004" |[[File:Howard Dean 2004 campaign logo.svg|alt=|100x100px]]
'''<small>Withdrew: February 18</small>'''<br><small>([[Howard Dean 2004 presidential campaign|Campaign]])</small>
| data-sort-value="903,460" |903,460 
<small>(5.55%)</small>
| data-sort-value="1" |'''1'''<br>{{nobr|VT}}
|-
| data-sort-value="Clark" |[[File:General Wesley Clark official photograph (cropped).jpg|alt=|103x103px]]
|'''[[Wesley Clark]]'''
| style="background:#039042;" |
|'''[[Supreme Allied Commander Europe|Supreme Allied]]''' <br>'''[[Supreme Allied Commander Europe|Commander Europe]]'''<br>(1997–2000)
|{{flag|Arkansas}}
| data-sort-value="02-11-2004" |[[File:Wesley Clark 2004 campaign logo.svg|alt=|100x100px]]<br>'''<small>Withdrew: February 11</small>'''<br><small>([[Wesley Clark 2004 presidential campaign|Campaign]])</small>
| data-sort-value="547,369" |547,369 <br><small>(3.36%)</small>
| data-sort-value="1" |'''1'''<br>{{nobr|OK}}
|-
| data-sort-value="Lieberman" |[[File:Joe Lieberman official portrait 2 (cropped) (cropped).jpg|alt=|103x103px]]
|'''[[Joe Lieberman]]'''
| style="background:#8E2791;" |
|'''U.S. Senator<br>from [[Connecticut]]'''<br>(1989–2013)
|{{flag|Connecticut}}
| data-sort-value="02-03-2004" |[[File:Joe Lieberman campaign logo 2004.svg|alt=|100x100px]]<br>'''<small>Withdrew: February 3</small>'''<br><small>([[Joe Lieberman 2004 presidential campaign|Campaign]])</small>
| data-sort-value="280,940" |280,940 <br><small>(1.73%)</small>
| data-sort-value="0" |'''0'''
|-
| data-sort-value="Gephardt" |[[File:Dick_Gephardt_color.jpg|101x101px]]
|'''[[Dick Gephardt]]'''
| style="background:#94673A;" |
|'''House Minority Leader'''<br>(1995–2003)
|{{flag|Missouri}}
| data-sort-value="02-20-2004" |[[File:Dick Gephardt bumper sticker 2004.gif|alt=|125x125px]]<br>'''<small>Withdrew: January 20</small>'''<br><small>([[Dick Gephardt 2004 presidential campaign|Campaign]])</small>
| data-sort-value="63,902" |63,902<br><small>(0.39%)</small>
| data-sort-value="0" |'''0'''
|-
| data-sort-value="Braun" |[[File:Sen. Carol Moseley Braun.jpg|alt=|105x105px]]
|'''[[Carol Moseley Braun|Carol Moseley<br>Braun]]'''
| style="background:#B3DDF2;" |
|'''U.S. Senator'''<br>'''from [[Illinois]]'''<br>(1993–1999)
|{{flag|Illinois}}
| data-sort-value="01-15-2004" |[[File:Carol Moseley Braun 2004 logo.png|alt=|102x102px]]<br>'''<small>Withdrew: January 15</small>'''
| data-sort-value="98,469" |98,469 <br><small>(0.61%)</small>
| data-sort-value="0" |'''0'''
|}

=== Withdrew before primaries ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
!Candidate
!
!Experience
!Home state
!Campaign<br><small>Withdrawal date</small>
|-
|[[File:BobGrahamCropped.jpg |alt=|98x98px]]
|'''[[Bob Graham]]'''
|'''U.S. Senator<br>from [[Florida]]''' <br>(1987–2005)
|{{flag|Florida}}
| data-sort-value="03-12-1988" |[[File:Bob Graham for president 2004 logo.svg|alt=|116x116px]]<br>'''<small>Withdrew: October 6, 2003</small>'''
<small>([[Bob Graham 2004 presidential campaign|Campaign]])</small>
|}

=== Declined to run ===
* Senator '''[[Joe Biden]]''' of Delaware<ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/08/11/biden/index.html|title = Sen. Biden not running for president|date = August 11, 2003|accessdate = April 2, 2025|work = [[CNN]]}}</reF>
* Former senator '''[[Bill Bradley]]''' of New Jersey
* Senator '''[[Hillary Clinton]]''' of New York
* Senator '''[[Tom Daschle]]''' of South Dakota<ref name=":0">{{cite news |last=Karl |first=Jonathan |date=January 7, 2003 |title=Daschle decides not to run for president - Jan. 7, 2003 |url=http://articles.cnn.com/2003-01-07/politics/Daschle.out_1_daschle-economic-plan-democratic-leader?_s=PM:ALLPOLITICS |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130119143257/http://articles.cnn.com/2003-01-07/politics/Daschle.out_1_daschle-economic-plan-democratic-leader?_s=PM:ALLPOLITICS |archive-date=January 19, 2013 |access-date=May 2, 2013 |publisher=Articles.cnn.com}}</ref>
* Former vice president and 2000 presidential nominee '''[[Al Gore]]''' of Tennessee
* Former senator '''[[Gary Hart]]''' of Colorado
* Reverend '''[[Jesse Jackson]]''' of Washington D.C.

==Primary race overview==
Ten candidates vied for the nomination, including retired [[general|four-star general]] [[Wesley Clark]], former [[Vermont]] Governor [[Howard Dean]], and [[United States Senator|Senators]] [[John Edwards]] and [[John Kerry]]. For most of 2003, Howard Dean had been the apparent front-runner for the nomination, performing strongly in most polls and leading the pack in fund-raising. However, Kerry won the [[Iowa caucus]]es and [[New Hampshire primary]], which gave him enough momentum to carry the majority of the rest of the states.

===Election issues===
According to exit polls taking during the [[Iowa Democratic caucuses, 2004|Iowa Caucuses]], the top 4 issues were ranked as follows:<ref>{{cite news| url = http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/primaries/pages/epolls/IA/index.html| title = CNN.com 2004 Primaries | access-date=May 1, 2010}}</ref>

# Economy/Jobs (29% of Respondents)
# Health Care/Medicine (28% of Respondents)
# The war in Iraq (14% of Respondents)
# Education (14% of Respondents)

====Economy====
Despite being characterized by many as an election on [[Iraq]], the economy and jobs were repeatedly cited as voters' top or one of top three concerns during the course of the primary season. In [[Iowa]], of those who cited the [[economy]] as their most important issue, 34% supported Kerry, while 33% supported Edwards, with Dean trailing at 16% and Gephardt at 12%.

Eventual nominee [[John Kerry]], much like other Democrats adopted policy stances of tax-cuts for the middle class, increased spending for Social Security, and assisting small businesses.<ref>{{cite news| url = http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/special/president/issues/index.kerry.html| title = CNN.com Specials | access-date=May 1, 2010}}</ref> On the aspect of job creation, Kerry strongly supported the creation and safety of infrastructure-related jobs, like those in the railroad industry. During the course of the primary Kerry continued to advocate positions such as fiscal responsibility and end state fiscal crises by giving states increased fiscal aid.

Runner up [[John Edwards]] ran a position of support for the [[middle class]] as well as [[budget]] caps and enforcement.<ref>{{cite news| url = http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/special/president/issues/index.edwards.html| title = CNN.com Specials | access-date=May 1, 2010}}</ref> Strongly opposing Social Security privatization, and interested in middle class tax cuts, Edwards's main economic theme was support for the middle class touting his own struggle, growing up the son of a poor mill worker in [[South Carolina]]. Another major component of Edwards's message was to be able to reinstate fiscal responsibility.

[[Howard Dean]], despite taking many of the same positions of his rivals including Edwards and Kerry, had a starkly different approach on the issue of Social Security and tax cuts.<ref>{{cite news| url = http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/special/president/issues/index.dean.html| title = CNN.com Specials | access-date=May 1, 2010}}</ref> On taxes, Dean favored repealing the [[Bush Tax cuts]] not only for the wealthiest of Americans as Senator Edwards and Senator Kerry proposed, but for all, including middle and lower classes.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/12/us/tax-cuts-split-the-democratic-presidential-field.html |title=Tax Cuts Split the Democratic Presidential Field |last=Rosenbaum |first=David E. |date=2003-09-12 |work=The New York Times |access-date=2017-12-09 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

==== Iraq War ====
After the 9/11 attacks, the Bush administration argued that the need to remove [[Saddam Hussein]] from power in [[Iraq]] had now become urgent. Over the course of several months, Bush presented several premises for war, but the turning point was the allegation that Saddam's regime had tried to acquire [[nuclear material]] and had not properly accounted for [[biological weapons|biological]] and [[chemical weapons|chemical]] material it was known to have possessed, potential [[weapons of mass destruction]] (WMD) in violation of [[Iraq sanctions|U.N. sanctions]].  This
situation escalated to the point that the United States assembled a group of about forty nations, including the [[United Kingdom]], [[Spain]], [[Italy]], and [[Poland]], which Bush called the "[[coalition of the willing]]", to invade Iraq without UN authorization.

The coalition invaded Iraq on March 20, 2003.  Most contenders for the nomination were supportive of the effort.  Only Dean and Kucinich firmly questioned the aims and tactics of the administration, setting themselves apart in the eyes of war protesters. John Kerry, who had voted in favor of coalition invasion, said Bush had “failed miserably” in building that coalition and that "We need a regime change not just in Iraq. We need a regime change here in the United States."<ref>{{cite news | last=Poor | first=Eric | title=Kerry calls for new U.S. leadership |date=2003-04-03 | publisher=Monadnock Ledger | url=http://www.mledger.com/2003/archives/1_news_040303.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040917004530/http://www.mledger.com/2003/archives/1_news_040303.shtml | archive-date=2004-09-17}}</ref> Republicans criticized Kerry for speaking out against a wartime president.<ref>{{cite news | last=Pickler | first=Nedra | title=POLITICAL NOTEBOOK: Hastert, Delay assail Kerry speech; Edwards chats with Bush; Dean writing a book | date=2003-04-03 | agency=Associated Press | url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/04/03/national1601EST0726.DTL | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030624183241/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fnews%2Farchive%2F2003%2F04%2F03%2Fnational1601EST0726.DTL | archive-date=2003-06-24 | work=The San Francisco Chronicle | url-status=dead }}</ref>

The invasion was swift, with the collapse of the Iraq government and the [[military of Iraq]] in about three weeks. The oil infrastructure of Iraq was rapidly secured with limited damage in that time. On May 1, [[George W. Bush]] landed on the aircraft carrier [[USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72)|USS ''Abraham Lincoln'']] in a [[Lockheed Martin|Lockheed]] [[S-3 Viking]], where he gave a speech announcing the end of major combat in the Iraq war. Clearly visible in the background was a banner stating "Mission Accomplished". Bush's landing was criticized by opponents as being overly theatrical and expensive. The banner, made by [[White House]] personnel (according to a [[CNN]] story:<ref>{{cite news | last=Bash | first=Dana  | title=White House pressed on 'mission accomplished' sign |date=2003-10-29 |work=CNN | url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/10/28/mission.accomplished/}}
</ref>) and placed there by the U.S. Navy, was criticized as premature. Nonetheless, Bush's approval rating in the month of May rode at 66%, according to a CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll.<ref>{{cite news | title=Bush Jumpstarts '04 Fundraising |date=2003-05-24 | agency=Associated Press | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bush-jumpstarts-04-fundraising/ | work=CBS News}}</ref>

On May 3, 2003, Democrats met at the [[University of South Carolina Columbia|University of South Carolina]] in the first formal debate between the nine challengers for the nomination. The candidates disagreed on the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|war against Iraq]], health insurance, [[Bush Tax Cuts|President Bush's tax cuts]], but united in criticizing Bush's handling of the economy.

=== Dean emerges as front-runner ===
{{main|John Kerry 2004 presidential campaign| John Edwards 2004 presidential campaign| Howard Dean 2004 presidential campaign| Wesley Clark 2004 presidential campaign}}
[[Image:Howard Dean declaration of candidacy June 2003.jpg|thumb|300px|Howard Dean declared his candidacy on June 23, 2003, winning the MoveOn "primary" days later. His campaign would go on to lead most polls and raise the most money in the latter part of 2003.]]

On May 31, 2002, [[Governor of Vermont|Vermont governor]] [[Howard Dean]] formed a presidential exploratory committee.  Though this was almost two years before the Iowa Caucus, Dean hoped the early start would give him some much needed name recognition.  As a governor of a small state, Dean was not well known outside of New England.

In December of that year, [[John Kerry|John F. Kerry]], [[United States Senate|U.S. senator]] from [[Massachusetts]], announced on [[NBC]]'s ''[[Meet the Press]]'' his plans to form an exploratory committee for a possible 2004 presidential run, anticipating a formal announcement "down the road some months".  Kerry's experience as a decorated [[Vietnam War|Vietnam]] veteran generated some excitement among Democrats tired of being on the defensive about their candidates' suitability in the role of "commander in chief".

Two weeks later, former [[Vice President of the United States|vice president]] and [[2000 United States presidential election|2000 Democratic presidential nominee]] [[Al Gore]] announced on the [[CBS]] program ''[[60 Minutes]]'' that he would not seek election to the presidency in 2004. Gore had recently wrapped up a nationwide book tour and had been widely expected to run.

Other potential candidates were likely waiting to see what Gore's plans were, and thus the floodgates opened in January 2003. Senator [[Joe Lieberman|Joseph Lieberman]], Gore's 2000 vice presidential running mate,  had previously promised not to run should Gore seek their party's nomination and was willing to be Gore's running mate again. Freed from that obligation, Lieberman announced his intention to run.  Additionally, many other candidates announced their intention to form committees (a formality usually indicating an official run): U.S. Sen. [[John Edwards|John R. Edwards]] of [[North Carolina]], U.S. Rep. [[Dick Gephardt|Richard A. "Dick" Gephardt]] of [[Missouri]], and Reverend [[Al Sharpton]] of [[New York (state)|New York]].  In February, more candidates announced their intentions: former Senator from [[Illinois]] [[Carol Moseley Braun]], U.S. Representative from [[Ohio]] [[Dennis Kucinich]], and [[United States Senate|Senator]] [[Bob Graham]] of [[Florida]].

There were other potential candidates for whom some speculation was buzzing about a potential run. These candidates felt it necessary to officially state that they would not seek the party nomination. These included [[United States Senate]] Minority Leader [[Tom Daschle]], U.S. Senator [[Christopher Dodd]] of [[Connecticut]], and former U.S. Senator [[Gary Hart]] from [[Colorado]].

In April, Democratic fund-raising totals for the first quarter of 2003 were reported. John Edwards raised $7.4 million, John Kerry raised $7.0 million, Dick Gephardt raised $3.5 million, Joe Lieberman raised $3.0 million, Howard Dean raised $2.6 million, Bob Graham raised $1.1 million, and Dennis Kucinich and Carol Moseley Braun raised less than $1 million each.

In June 2003, [[Howard Dean]] aired the first [[television]] advertising of the 2004 campaign, spending more than $300,000.  During that time, he formally announced his run for president, filing to form a presidential election campaign with the FEC.  Later that month, liberal advocacy website [[MoveOn]] held the first ever online Democratic "primary", which lasted just over 48 hours. It was an unofficial and nonbinding affair, but with important symbolic and financial value.  Of 317,647 votes, [[Howard Dean]] received 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 supported all the candidates.<ref>{{cite web | title=Report on the 2003 MoveOn.org Political Action Primary | work=MoveOn.org | url=http://moveon.org/pac/primary/report.html | access-date=September 28, 2005 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050929062844/http://moveon.org/pac/primary/report.html | archive-date=September 29, 2005 }}</ref>

In July, the Democratic fund-raising numbers for the second quarter of 2003 were reported and announced.  Howard Dean surprised many raising $7.5 million, John Kerry raised $6 million, while John Edwards and Joseph Lieberman raised roughly $5 million each.  Dean's strength as a fund-raiser was attributed mainly to his innovative embrace of the Internet for campaigning.  The majority of his donations came from individual Dean supporters, who came to be known as ''Deanites'', or, more commonly, ''[[Deaniac]]s''.  His campaign's innovative use of the [[Internet]] helped to build a strongly supportive [[grassroots]] constituency, much of which remained intensely loyal to him long after the end of his candidacy.

By autumn of 2003, Dean had become the apparent front-runner for the Democratic nomination, performing strongly in most polls.  Generally regarded as a pragmatic [[centrist]] during his time as governor, Dean emerged during his presidential campaign as something of a [[populism|populist]], denouncing the policies of the Bush administration (especially the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]]) as well as fellow Democrats, who, in his view, failed to strongly oppose them.

During his presidential campaign, critics on the right labeled Dean's political views as those of an extreme [[Liberalism|liberal]]; however, in liberal [[Vermont]], Dean, long known as a staunch advocate of fiscal restraint, was regarded as a moderate. Many critics on the left, who supported fellow Democrat [[Dennis Kucinich]] or independent [[Ralph Nader]], charged that, at heart, Dean was a "[[Rockefeller Republican]]"&mdash;socially liberal, while fiscally conservative.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/jan/17/politics |title=Howard Dean: 'the flip flop candidate' |last=Raban |first=Jonathan |date=2004-01-17 |work=The Guardian |access-date=2017-12-09 |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

=== Wesley Clark enters ===
Over the summer of 2003, several organized groups began a [[United States|nationwide]] campaign to "[[Political draft|draft]]" retired [[general|four-star general]] [[Wesley Clark]] for the Democratic Party's nomination for the 2004 presidential election. CNN on August 13 showed a [[Television commercial|commercial]] by one of these groups and interviewed Clark. He disavowed any connection with the "draft Clark" groups, but said he had been considering his position and that within a few weeks he would likely make public his decision on whether to
run. He also fueled speculation with a television interview in which he first declared himself a Democrat.

On September 17, 2003, in Little Rock, Arkansas, Clark announced his intention to run in the [[U.S. Democratic Party Presidential Primary, 2004|presidential primary election]] for the Democratic Party nomination, becoming the tenth and last Democrat to do so (coming many months after the others): "My name is Wes Clark.  I am from Little Rock, Arkansas, and I am here to announce that I intend to seek the presidency of the United States of America."  He said, "We're going to run a campaign that will move this country forward, not back."

His campaign focused on themes of leadership and patriotism; early campaign ads relied heavily on biography. His late start left him with relatively few detailed policy proposals. This weakness was apparent in his first few debates, although he soon presented a range of position papers, including a major tax-relief plan. Nevertheless, many Democrats flocked to his campaign.  They were drawn by his military background, and saw such foreign policy credentials as a valuable asset in challenging [[George W. Bush]] post-[[September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks|September 11]]. Advisors and supporters portrayed him as more electable than [[Howard Dean]], who was still the front-runner for the party's nomination.  Despite the burst of enthusiasm for Clark in late 2003, Dean maintained a strong lead in the polls for the latter half of the year.  Clark won the Democratic Presidential Primary in [[Oklahoma]], the only state carried by Clark in the primary election.

Criticism of Clark began almost the moment he entered the race. Originally heralded as an antiwar general, he stumbled in the first few days of his candidacy. He was perceived as changing his answer on how he would have voted on the Iraq war resolution.  His supporters argued that his perceived indecision was due to lack of experience with the media and their insistence on short "sound bite" answers.

=== Iowa and New Hampshire ===
Throughout the early campaigning season, [[Iowa Democratic caucuses, 2004|the Iowa caucuses]] appeared to be a two-way contest between former [[Vermont]] Governor [[Howard Dean]] and [[Missouri]] Representative [[Richard Gephardt]]. Dean, the national front runner, had been able to pour money into [[Iowa]] and [[New Hampshire]]. In total, Dean spent nearly $40 million in the two states.<ref>{{Cite news| url = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D05E1DF1038F93AA15752C0A9629C8B63| title =  THE 2004 CAMPAIGN: THE FORMER GOVERNOR; IN SHAKE-UP, DEAN NAMES GORE ALLY TO RUN CAMPAIGN | work=The New York Times | first1=Jodi| last1=Wilgoren| first2=Glen| last2=Justice| date=January 29, 2004}}</ref> Gephardt, coming from neighboring Missouri, won the state's caucus in 1988 when he first ran for the party nomination.

However, days before the Iowa caucuses were held, negative campaigning by Dean and Gephardt took a late toll on the two campaigns in Iowa as well as nationally. This, along with the resurgence of John Kerry and the emergence of John Edwards as major contenders in Iowa, put the Gephardt and Dean campaigns on edge.

A poll released by the ''[[Des Moines Register]]'' days before the caucus was held showed Dean and Gephardt had lost all of their lead in Iowa. In the poll, Kerry led with 26% of those surveyed, Edwards came in second with 23%, Dean came in third with 20%, and Gephardt came in fourth with 18%.<ref>{{cite news| url = http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/primaries/pages/misc/iowa.recap.html| title = CNN.com 2004 Primaries | access-date=May 1, 2010}}</ref>

On caucus night, as results were being tallied, it became evident that Kerry and Edwards were in a battle for first and Dean and Gephardt were in a battle for third.
[[File:Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses, 2004.svg|thumb|Iowa results by county{{legend|#2A7FFF|John Kerry}}{{legend|#ff7f2a|John Edwards}}{{legend|#00ff66|Howard Dean}}{{legend|#666666|Tie}}]] 
After all votes were tallied, John Kerry received 38% of the delegates, John Edwards received 32%, Howard Dean received 18%, and Richard Gephardt received 11%.

After his poor showing, Gephardt dropped out of the race.<ref>{{ cite news| url = http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/01/19/elec04.prez.gephardt/index.html| title = Gephardt to drop out of race | work=CNN | date=January 18, 2004 | access-date=May 1, 2010}}</ref> Kerry and Edwards claimed newfound momentum, while Dean attempted to downplay the results, which resulted into his infamous [[Dean scream]].

In [[2004 New Hampshire Democratic primary|the New Hampshire primary]], Kerry was able to defeat Howard Dean once again, beating him 38%-26%. The final debate before the primary was held at [[Saint Anselm College]]; Kerry's performance was superior to the others, helping him win the primary a few days later.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x172506 |title=Detroit News: Kerry talks tough, Dean tame in debate |publisher=Democratic Underground |access-date=2010-05-24}}</ref> Kerry carried nearly all constituencies during the primary according to exit polling data. Clark came in third with 12%, Edwards fourth with 12%, and Lieberman fifth with 9%.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/| title = Dave Leip's Atlas of Presidential Election}}</ref>

After Kerry's wins, he received attention for using the phrase "Bring it on!" during his speeches before and after the contests in response to potential attacks on his candidacy.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Purdum |first=Todd S. |last2=Halbfinger |first2=David M. |date=2004-02-01 |title=THE 2004 CAMPAIGN: THE MASSACHUSETTS SENATOR; With Cry of 'Bring It On,' Kerry Shifted Tack to Regain Footing |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/01/us/2004-campaign-massachusetts-senator-with-cry-bring-it-kerry-shifted-tack-regain.html |access-date=2024-02-18 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

=== Mini Tuesday, Super Tuesday and later primaries ===
{{Multiple image
 | align     = left
 | direction = horizontal
 | header    = Super Tuesday 2004
 | header_align = center
 | header_background =
 | footer    = Super Tuesday, 2004 held key Democratic contests including [[New York (state)|New York]], [[Ohio]], [[California]] and [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]

'''Nominating contests''': 10
* Won by Kerry: 9
* Won by Edwards: 0

'''Pledged delegates at stake''': 1,164<ref>{{cite news| url = http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/primaries/pages/dates/03/02/index.html| title = Super Tuesday, 2004 |work=CNN |access-date=May 1, 2010}}</ref>
* Delegates won by Kerry: 844
* Delegates won by Edwards: 207
* Delegates won by others: 13

'''Key results'''
*[[New York (state)|New York]]
** '''Kerry''': 61%
** Edwards: 20%
*[[Ohio]]
** '''Kerry''': 52%
** Edwards: 34%
*[[California]]
** '''Kerry''': 64%
** Edwards: 20%
*[[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
** '''Kerry''': 47%
** Edwards: 41%
 | footer_align = left
 | footer_background =
 | width     =
 | image1    = John Kerry headshot with US flag (2).jpg
 | width1    = 134
 | caption1  = [[Massachusetts]] Senator [[John Kerry]]
 | image2    = John Edwards, official Senate photo portrait.jpg
 | width2    = 140
 | caption2  = [[North Carolina]] Senator [[John Edwards]]
}}
Edwards's late stage momentum, as well as his departure from the [[negative campaigning]] which characterized other leading candidates,<ref>{{cite news | last=Archibald | first=Randal | title=Do You Need to Go Negative to Topple a Front-Runner? | date= February 15, 2004 | work=The New York Times | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/15/politics/campaign/15EDWA.html?ex=1128052800&en=15098e997467a46f&ei=5070&fta=y}}
</ref> carried him into a surprising second-place finish in [[2004 Iowa Democratic caucuses|Iowa]] with the support of 32% of caucus delegates, behind only [[John Kerry]]'s 38% and ahead of former front-runner [[Howard Dean]] at 18%. He finished with 12% in the [[New Hampshire primary]] one week later, essentially tied for third-place position with retired general [[Wesley Clark]]. The following week, dubbed [[Mini Tuesday]], Edwards won in [[South Carolina]] and nearly beat Clark in [[Oklahoma]].  However, Kerry won five primaries in various regions of the country to reinforce his status as frontrunner.

[[Image:John-Edwards-Shakes-Hands.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Edwards on the campaign trail in 2004.]]
After Dean's withdrawal from the contest, Edwards became the only major challenger to Kerry for the nomination. However, Kerry continued to dominate, taking in wins in [[Michigan]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], [[Maine]], [[Tennessee]], [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Nevada]], [[Wisconsin]], [[Utah]], [[Hawaii]] and [[Idaho]]. Remarking on an unexpectedly strong finish in [[Wisconsin]] on February 17, Edwards humorously cautioned Kerry: "Objects in your mirror may be closer than they appear." At this point, only Kerry, Edwards, Sharpton and Kucinich remained in the running. Dean, while not officially running, did not release his delegates, and still put in a strong showing considering that he was no longer mounting an official campaign.

Edwards maintained a positive campaign and largely avoided attacking Kerry until a February 29, 2004, debate in [[New York City]], where he attempted to put Kerry on the defensive by characterizing the front-runner as a "Washington insider" and by mocking Kerry's plan to form a committee to examine trade agreements.

In [[Super Tuesday]], March 2, Kerry won decisive victories in the [[California]], [[Connecticut]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[Maryland]], [[Massachusetts]], [[New York (state)|New York]], [[Ohio]] and [[Rhode Island]] primaries and the [[Minnesota]] caucuses. Dean, despite having withdrawn from the race two weeks earlier, won his home state of Vermont. Edwards finished only slightly behind Kerry in Georgia but, failing to win a single state, chose to withdraw, making Kerry the [[presumptive nominee]]. President [[George W. Bush|Bush]] called Senator Kerry to congratulate him that evening.

On March 11, after meetings with Democratic [[superdelegate]]s in [[Washington, D.C.]], and former [[Partisan primary|primary election]] opponents, Kerry accumulated the 2,162 delegates required to clinch the nomination. The [[Democratic National Committee|DNC's]] website acknowledged him as the party's nominee at that time, four and a half months prior to the [[2004 Democratic National Convention|Convention]].

''See also the [[John Kerry 2004 presidential campaign]]''

=== Nomination ===
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:KerryatDNC.jpg|thumb|238px|Kerry gave a salute and proclaimed, "I'm John Kerry and I'm reporting for duty."|{{deletable image-caption|1=Tuesday, 19 August 2008}}]] -->
{{further|2004 Democratic National Convention}}

On July 6, John Kerry selected John Edwards as his running mate shortly before the 2004 Democratic National Convention in [[Boston, Massachusetts]], held later that month.  Senators Kerry and Edwards were formally nominated by the Democratic Party at the convention.  The Kerry/Edwards ticket was on the ballot in all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia.  In [[New York (state)|New York]], the ticket was also on the ballot as candidates of the [[Working Families Party]].

[[Governor of New Mexico|New Mexico Governor]] [[Bill Richardson (politician)|Bill Richardson]] served as chairman of the convention while former presidential advisor to [[Bill Clinton]] [[Lottie Shackelford]]  served as vice chairman.  Defining moments of the 2004 Democratic National Convention included the featured [[keynote speech]] of [[Barack Obama]], a [[Honolulu, Hawaii|Honolulu]] native and candidate for the [[United States Senate]] from [[Illinois]], [[Bill Clinton]]'s opening night speech and the confirmation of the [[Democratic Party presidential nomination, 2004|nomination]] of [[John Kerry]] as the candidate for president and of [[John Edwards]] as the candidate for [[Vice President of the United States|vice president]].  Kerry made his [[Vietnam War]] experience a prominent theme.  In accepting the nomination, he began his speech with "I'm John Kerry and I'm reporting for duty."

Kerry and Edwards faced incumbents [[George W. Bush]] and [[Dick Cheney]] of the [[United States Republican Party|Republican Party]] in the [[2004 U.S. presidential election|2004 presidential election]].  Following his official nomination at the convention, Kerry received only a small [[convention bounce|bounce]] in the polls and remained "neck and neck" with Bush.  This was the first time in recent political history that a candidate failed to receive a substantial boost in post-convention poll numbers. Some political pundits attributed this small boost to the unusually small number of undecided voters as compared with previous presidential elections.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Inskeep |first1=Steve |title=Polls: Kerry Got Little Bounce from Boston |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=3809479 |website=NPR |access-date=28 January 2019 |language=en |date=2 August 2004}}</ref>

The general election was won by Bush, who defeated Kerry.  The election was fought primarily on the issue of the conduct of the [[War on Terrorism|War on Terror]].  Bush defended the actions of his administration, while Kerry contended that the war had been fought incompetently, and that the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|Iraq War]] was a distraction from the War on Terror, not a part of it.

== Endorsements ==
{{main|Endorsements in the 2004 Democratic Party presidential primaries}}

== Overview ==
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|
{| class="wikitable"
| style="background:#00f" |
|Nominee
|-
| style="background:#B0C4DE" |
|Withdrawn campaigns
|-
| style="background:#ff0" |
|Exploratory committee
|-
| style="background:purple" |
|[[2002 United States elections|Midterm elections]]
|-
| style="background:teal" |
|[[2004 Iowa Democratic caucuses|Iowa caucuses]]
|-
| style="background:limeGreen" |
|[[2004 New Hampshire Democratic primary|New Hampshire primary]]
|-
| style="background:#FFCC99" |
|Mini Tuesday
|-
| style="background:#FF7F00" |
|[[Super Tuesday]]
|-
| style="background:black" |
|Final primaries
|-
| style="background:darkBlue" |
|[[2004 Democratic National Convention|Democratic convention]]
|-
| style="background:red" |
|[[2004 United States presidential election|General election]]
|}
|}

==Results==

===Statewide===<!-- to edit this table, see instructions at http://meta.wikipedia.org/wiki/MediaWiki_User%27s_Guide:_Using_tables -->
{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left:10px; text-align:center"
|+ '''2004 Democratic primaries and caucuses'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/timeline.php?year=2004&f=0&off=0&elect=1|title=2004 Democratic Primary Election Events Timeline|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=3 April 2018}}</ref>
|- style="background:#eee;"
|colspan="2"|
|Delegates
| style="width:9%;"| [[Wesley Clark]]
| style="width:9%;"| [[Howard Dean]]
| style="width:9%;"| [[John Edwards]]
| style="width:9%;"| [[Richard Gephardt]]
| style="width:9%;"| [[John Kerry]]
| style="width:9%;"| [[Dennis Kucinich]]
| style="width:9%;"| [[Al Sharpton]]
|Others
|-
| colspan="10" |
|
|-
| colspan="2" style="background:#eee;"| '''Total Delegates'''¹
|4,322
| 60
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 167.5
| style="background:#bcf;"| 559
| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''2573.5'''
| 40
| 26
|
|-
| colspan="10" style="background:#000;" |
|
|-
| colspan="2" style="background:#eee;"| [[Superdelegate]]s¹
|802
| --
| style="background:#bcf;"| 53
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 23
| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''381'''
| 2
| 5
|
|-
| colspan="10" |
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| January 14
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 District of Columbia Democratic presidential primary and caucuses#Non-binding primary|District of Columbia]]²<br /><small>(non-binding primary)</small>
|0
| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''17,736'''
| --
| --
| --
| 3,435
| style="background:#bcf;" | 14,248
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| January 19
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses|Iowa]]³<br /><small>(caucus)</small>
|45
| --
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 2,342<br /><small>(5)</small>
| style="background:#bcf;"| 4,393<br /><small>(10)</small>
| 1,507
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''5,002'''<br /><small>'''(30)'''</small>
| 139
| 0
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| January 27
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary|New Hampshire]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|22
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 27,314<sup>4</sup>
| style="background:#bcf;"| 57,761<br /><small>(9)</small>
| 26,487
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''84,377'''<sup>4</sup><br /><small>'''(13)'''</small>
| 1%
| --
|
|-
| rowspan="7" style="background:#eee;"| February 3 (''[[Mini-Tuesday|Mini Tuesday]]'')
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Arizona Democratic presidential primary|Arizona]] <br /><small>(primary)</small>
|55
| style="background:#bcf;"| 27%<br /><small>(14)</small>
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 14%<br /><small>(3)</small>
| 7%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''43%'''<br /><small>'''(38)'''</small>
| 2%
| --
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Delaware Democratic presidential primary|Delaware]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|15
| 9%<sup>4</sup>
| 10%
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 11%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 1%<sup>4</sup>
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''50%'''<br /><small>'''(14)'''</small>
| 1%
| 6%<br /><small>(1)</small>
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Missouri Democratic presidential primary|Missouri]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|74
| 4%
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 9%
| style="background:#bcf;"| 25%<br /><small>(26)</small>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 2%
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''51%'''<br /><small>'''(48)'''</small>
| 1%
| 3%
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 New Mexico Democratic presidential caucuses|New Mexico]]<br /><small>(caucus)</small>
|26
| style="background:#bcf;"| 21%<br /><small>(8)</small>
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 16%<br /><small>(4)</small>
| 11%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 1%<sup>4</sup>
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''42%'''<br /><small>'''(14)'''</small>
| 6%
| --
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 North Dakota Democratic presidential caucuses|North Dakota]]<br /><small>(caucus)</small>
|14
| style="background:#bcf;"| 24%<br /><small>(5)</small>
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 12%
| 10%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 1%
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''51%'''<sup>4</sup><br /><small>'''(9)'''</small>
| 3%
| --
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Oklahoma Democratic presidential primary|Oklahoma]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|40
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''30%'''<br /><small>'''(15)'''</small>
| 4%
| style="background:#bcf;"| 30%<br /><small>(13)</small>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 1%<sup>4</sup>
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 27%<br /><small>(12)</small>
| 1%
| 1%
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[South Carolina Democratic primary, 2004|South Carolina]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|45
| 7%
| 5%
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''45%'''<br /><small>'''(27)'''</small>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#bcf;"| 30%<br /><small>(17)</small>
| --
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 10%<br /><small>(1)</small>
|
|-
| rowspan="2" style="background:#eee;"| February 7
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Michigan Democratic presidential caucuses|Michigan]]<br /><small>(caucus)</small>
|128
| 7%
| style="background:#bcf;"| 17%<br /><small>(24)</small>
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 13%<br /><small>(6)</small>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 1%<sup>4</sup>
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''52%'''<br /><small>'''(91)'''</small>
| 3%
| 7%<br /><small>(7)</small><br>
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Washington Democratic presidential caucuses|Washington]]<br /><small>(caucus)</small>
|76
| 3%
| style="background:#bcf;"| 30%<br /><small>(29)</small>
| 7%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''48%'''<sup>4</sup><br /><small>'''(47)'''</small>
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 8%
| --
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| February 8
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Maine Democratic presidential caucuses|Maine]]<br /><small>(caucus)</small>
|24
| 4%
| style="background:#bcf;"| 27%<sup>4</sup><br /><small>(9)</small>
| 8%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''45%'''<br /><small>'''(15)'''</small>
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 16%
| --
|
|-
| rowspan="2" style="background:#eee;"| February 10
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Tennessee Democratic presidential primary|Tennessee]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|69
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 23%<br /><small>(18)</small>
| 4%
| style="background:#bcf;"| 26%<br /><small>(20)</small>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''41%'''<br /><small>'''(31)'''</small>
| 1%
| 2%
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[Virginia Democratic primary, 2004|Virginia]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|82
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 9%
| 7%
| style="background:#bcf;"| 27%<br /><small>(29)</small>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''52%'''<br /><small>'''(53)'''</small>
| 1%
| 3%
|
|-
| rowspan="2" style="background:#eee;"| February 14
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 District of Columbia Democratic presidential primary and caucuses#Caucuses|District of Columbia]]²<br /><small>(caucus)</small>
|16
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|1%<sup>4</sup>
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"|17%<sup>4</sup><br /><small>(3)</small>
|10%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#7788ff;"|'''47%'''<br /><small>'''(9)'''</small>
|3%
| style="background:#bcf;"|20%<br /><small>(4)</small>
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Nevada Democratic presidential caucuses|Nevada]]<br /><small>(caucus)</small>
|24
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#bcf;"|17%<br /><small>(2)</small>
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"|10%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#7788ff;"|'''63%'''<br /><small>'''(18)'''</small>
|7%
|1%
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| February 17
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Wisconsin Democratic presidential primary|Wisconsin]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|72
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 2%
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 18%<br /><small>(13)</small>
| style="background:#bcf;"| 34%<br /><small>(24)</small>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''40%'''<br /><small>'''(30)'''</small>
|3%
|2%
|
|-
| rowspan="3" style="background:#eee;"| February 24
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Hawaii Democratic presidential caucuses|Hawaii]]<br /><small>(caucus)</small>
|20
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 1%<sup>4</sup>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 7%<sup>4</sup>
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 13%<sup>4</sup>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''47%'''<sup>4</sup><br /><small>'''(12)'''</small>
| style="background:#bcf;"| 31%<sup>4</sup><br /><small>(8)</small>
| --
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Idaho Democratic presidential caucuses|Idaho]]³<br /><small>(caucus)</small>
|18
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 11%
| style="background:#bcf;"| 22%<br /><small>(6)</small>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''54%'''<br /><small>'''(12)'''</small>
| 6%
| --
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Utah Democratic presidential primary|Utah]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|23
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 1%<sup>4</sup>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 4%
| style="background:#bcf;"| 30%<br /><small>(3)</small>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''55%'''<br /><small>'''(5)'''</small>
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 7%
| --
|
|-
| rowspan="10" style="background:#eee;"| March 2 (''[[Super Tuesday]]'')
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 California Democratic presidential primary|California]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|370
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 2%<sup>4</sup>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 4%
| style="background:#bcf;"| 20%<br /><small>(82)</small>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 1%<sup>4</sup>
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''64%'''<br /><small>'''(288)'''</small>
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 5%
| 4%
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Connecticut Democratic presidential primary|Connecticut]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|49
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 1%<sup>4</sup>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 4%
| style="background:#bcf;"| 24%<br /><small>(14)</small>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''58%'''<br /><small>'''(35)'''</small>
| 3%
| 3%
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Georgia Democratic presidential primary|Georgia]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|86
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 1%<sup>4</sup>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 2%
| style="background:#bcf;"| 42%<br /><small>(32)</small>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''47%'''<br /><small>'''(37)'''</small>
| 1%
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 6%
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Maryland Democratic presidential primary|Maryland]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|69
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 1%<sup>4</sup>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 3%
| style="background:#bcf;"| 26%<br /><small>(13)</small>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''60%'''<br /><small>'''(26)'''</small>
| 2%
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 5%
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Massachusetts Democratic presidential primary|Massachusetts]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|93
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 1%<sup>4</sup>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 3%
| style="background:#bcf;"| 18%<br /><small>(13)</small>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''72%'''<br /><small>'''(80)'''</small>
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 4%
| 1%
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Minnesota Democratic presidential caucuses|Minnesota]]<br /><small>(caucus)</small>
|72
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 2%
| style="background:#bcf;"| 27%<br /><small>(22)</small>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''51%'''<br /><small>'''(41)'''</small>
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 17%<br /><small>(9)</small>
| 1%
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 New York Democratic presidential primary|New York]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|236
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 1%<sup>4</sup>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 20,471
3%
| style="background:#bcf;"| 143,960
20%<br /><small>(54)</small>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 1%<sup>4</sup>
| style="background:#7788ff;"| 437,754
'''61%'''<br /><small>'''(174)'''</small>
| 36,680
5%
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 8%<br /><small>(8)</small>
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[Ohio Democratic primary, 2004|Ohio]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|140
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 1%<sup>4</sup>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 3%
| style="background:#bcf;"| 34%<br /><small>(55)</small>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 1%<sup>4</sup>
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''52%'''<br /><small>'''(81)'''</small>
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 9%<br /><small>(4)</small>
| --
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Rhode Island Democratic presidential primary|Rhode Island]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|21
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 1%<sup>4</sup>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 4%
| style="background:#bcf;"| 19%<br /><small>(4)</small>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''71%'''<br /><small>'''(17)'''</small>
| 3%
| --
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Vermont Democratic presidential primary|Vermont]]<br /><small>(primary)</small><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vermont-elections.org |title=Header |publisher=Vermont-elections.org |access-date=2010-05-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991128055457/http://vermont-elections.org/ |archive-date=1999-11-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|15
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 3%<sup>4</sup>
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''53%'''<sup>4</sup><br /><small>'''(9)'''</small>
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 6%<sup>4</sup>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#bcf;"| 31%<sup>4</sup><br /><small>(6)</small>
| 4%
| --
|
|-
| rowspan="5" style="background:#eee;"| March 9
| style="background:#eee;"| [[American Samoa]]<br /><small>(caucus)</small>
|3
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''83%'''<br /><small>'''(6)'''</small>
| style="background:#bcf;"| 17%
| --
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Florida Democratic presidential primary|Florida]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|177
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 1%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 3%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 10%<br /><small>(3)</small>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 1%
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''77%'''<br /><small>'''(119)'''</small>
| 2%
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 3%
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Louisiana Democratic presidential primary|Louisiana]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|60
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 4%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 5%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 16%<br /><small>(10)</small>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''70%'''<br /><small>'''(42)'''</small>
| 1%
| --
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[Mississippi Democratic primary, 2004|Mississippi]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|33
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 2%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 3%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 7%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''78%'''<br /><small>'''(33)'''</small>
| 1%
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 5%
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Texas Democratic presidential primary|Texas]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|195
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 2%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 5%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 14%<br /><small>(11)</small>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 1%
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''67%'''<br /><small>'''(62)'''</small>
| 2%
| 4%
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| March 13
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Kansas Democratic presidential caucuses|Kansas]]<br /><small>(caucus)</small>
|33
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 1%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 7%<br /><small>(1)</small>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 9%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''72%'''<br /><small>'''(32)'''</small>
| style="background:#bcf;"| 10%
| --
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| March 16
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Illinois Democratic presidential primary|Illinois]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|156
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 2%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 4%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 11%<br /><small>(2)</small>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''72%'''<br /><small>'''(154)'''</small>
| 2%
| 3%
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;" rowspan="2"| March 20
| style="background:#eee;"| [[Alaska Democratic caucuses, 2004|Alaska]]<br /><small>(caucus)</small>
|13
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 11%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 3%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''48%'''<br /><small>'''(8)'''</small>
| style="background:#bcf;"| 27%<br /><small>(5)</small>
| --
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Wyoming Democratic presidential caucuses|Wyoming]]<br /><small>(caucus)</small>
|13
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 3%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 5%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"|'''77%'''<br /><small>'''(13)'''</small>
| style="background:#bcf;"| 6%
| 1%
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| March 27
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Democrats Abroad presidential caucuses|Democrats Abroad]]<sup>5</sup><br /><small>(caucus)</small>
|7
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 10%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 19%<br /><small>(2.5)</small>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 9%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''56%'''<br /><small>'''(4.5)'''</small>
| 5%
| 1%
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| April 13
| style="background:#eee;"| [[Colorado Democratic caucuses, 2004|Colorado]]<br /><small>(caucus)</small>
|54
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 2%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 1%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''64%'''<br /><small>'''(39)'''</small>
| style="background:#bcf;"| 13%<br /><small>(4)</small>
| --
|
|-
| rowspan="2" style="background:#eee;"| April 17
| style="background:#eee;"| [[North Carolina Democratic caucuses, 2004|North Carolina]]<br /><small>(caucus)</small>
|90
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 6%
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''52%'''<br /><small>'''(57)'''</small>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#bcf;"| 27%<br /><small>(29)</small>
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 12%<br /><small>(4)</small>
| 3%
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[U.S. Virgin Islands|Virgin Islands]]<br /><small>(caucus)</small>
|3
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| '''--'''<br /><small>'''(3)'''</small>
| --
| --
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| April 24
| style="background:#eee;"| [[Guam]]<br /><small>(caucus)</small>
|3
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''77%'''<br /><small>'''(3)'''</small>
| --
| --
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| April 27
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Pennsylvania Democratic presidential primary|Pennsylvania]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|151
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 10%<br /><small>(1)</small>
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 10%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''74%'''<br /><small>'''(120)'''</small>
| 4%
| --
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| May 4
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Indiana Democratic presidential primary|Indiana]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|67
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 6%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 7%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 11%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''73%'''<br /><small>'''(62)'''</small>
| 2%
| --
|
|-
| rowspan="2" style="background:#eee;"| May 11
| style="background:#eee;"| [[Nebraska Democratic primary, 2004|Nebraska]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|24
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 7%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 14%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''73%'''<br /><small>'''(24)'''</small>
| 2%
| 2%
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 West Virginia Democratic presidential primary|West Virginia]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|28
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 3%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 4%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 13%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| --
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''70%'''<br /><small>'''(28)'''</small>
| 2%
| --
|
|-
| rowspan="3" style="background:#eee;"| May 18
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Arkansas Democratic presidential primary|Arkansas]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|36
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''66%'''<br /><small>'''(29)'''</small>
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 5%
| --
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Kentucky Democratic presidential primary|Kentucky]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|49
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|3%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|4%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|14%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''60%'''<br /><small>'''(44)'''</small>
| 2%
| 2%
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Oregon Democratic presidential primary|Oregon]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|46
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''81%'''<br /><small>'''(38)'''</small>
| style="background:#bcf;"| 17%<br /><small>(4)</small>
| --
|
|-
| rowspan="2" style="background:#eee;"| June 1
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Alabama Democratic presidential primary|Alabama]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|54
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''75%'''<br /><small>'''(47)'''</small>
| style="background:#bcf;"| 4%
| --
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 South Dakota Democratic presidential primary|South Dakota]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|14
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|6%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''82%'''<br /><small>'''(14)'''</small>
| 2%
| --
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| June 6
| style="background:#eee;"| [[Puerto Rico]]<br /><small>(caucus)</small>
|51
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| '''--'''<br /><small>'''(51)'''</small>
| --
| --
|
|-
| rowspan="2" style="background:#eee;"| June 8
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 Montana Democratic presidential primary|Montana]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|15
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 4%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| 9%
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''68%'''<br /><small>'''(15)'''</small>
| style="background:#bcf;"| 11%
| --
|
|-
| style="background:#eee;"| [[2004 New Jersey Democratic presidential primary|New Jersey]]<br /><small>(primary)</small>
|107
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"|--
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''92%'''<br /><small>'''(106)'''</small>
| style="background:#bcf;"| 4%
| --
|
|-
| colspan="10" |
{| style="margin:auto;"
|-
|'''Color Key:'''
|
| style="background:#7788ff;"| '''1st place'''<br /><small>(delegates earned)</small>
|
| style="background:#bcf;"| 2nd place<br /><small>(delegates earned)</small>
|
| style="background:#e3f3ff;"| 3rd place<br /><small>(delegates earned)</small>
|
| style="background:#ffe8e8;"| Withdrawn
|}
|
|}

Notes:
:¹ Total delegate count includes superdelegates, delegates not assigned directly from primary or caucus results. State delegate counts include only those delegates assigned as a result of the state primary or caucus.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/primaries/pages/scorecard/index.html | work=CNN | access-date=May 1, 2010 | title=CNN.com 2004 Primaries}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/primaries/pages/scorecard/unpledged.html | work=CNN | access-date=May 1, 2010 | title=CNN.com 2004 Primaries}}</ref>
:² January 14 was a non-binding primary (no delegates apportioned). Ten of the District of Columbia's pledged delegates were awarded at ward-level caucuses on February 14; the other six were awarded based on the February 14 results in a convention on March 6.
:³ Only local delegates were selected at the Iowa and Idaho caucuses. National delegates were selected later.
:<sup>4</sup> These figures are based on correctly rounded percentages based on complete counts directly from the state parties and from ''[[The Washington Post]]''. These figures differ slightly from those reported in most major media outlets (including some linked at the bottom of the page), where percentages have been slightly mis-stated for some candidates in some elections (either by applying inconsistent rounding or by inconsistently excluding minor candidates or candidates who had dropped out).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hawaiidemocrats.org |title=Democratic Party of Hawaii - Home |publisher=Hawaiidemocrats.org |access-date=2010-05-24}}</ref>
:<sup>5</sup> [[Expatriate]] Democrats, represented the [[Democrats Abroad]] organization, held their 2004 caucus on April 7 in [[Edinburgh, Scotland|Edinburgh]], [[Scotland]].

=== Counties carried ===
[[File:Democratic presidential primaries results by county margin, 2004.svg|frameless|900px]]
{{collapsible list
| title = {{legend|#00539f|Kerry}}
|{{legend|#eef6fd|20–30%}}
|{{legend|#deedfb|30–40%}}
|{{legend|#b4d0ec|40–50%}}
|{{legend|#8db8e2|50–60%}}
|{{legend|#679fd7|60–70%}}
|{{legend|#4187cd|70–80%}}
|{{legend|#336aa2|80–90%}}
|{{legend|#244e79|90–100%}}
}}
{{collapsible list
| title = {{legend|#e50100|Edwards}}
|{{legend|#fdeeee|20–30%}}
|{{legend|#fbdedd|30–40%}}
|{{legend|#f1b4b2|40–50%}}
|{{legend|#ed8783|50–60%}}
|{{legend|#e55651|60–70%}}
|{{legend|#d02923|70–80%}}
|{{legend|#b00600|80–90%}}
|{{legend|#850400|90–100%}}
}}
{{collapsible list
| title = {{legend|#e7cf1e|Dean}}
|{{legend|#f0e6be|30–40%}}
|{{legend|#d7c477|40–50%}}
|{{legend|#c0a32f|50–60%}}
|{{legend|#a88600|60–70%}}
|{{legend|#564500|90–100%}}
}}
{{collapsible list
| title = {{legend|#039042|Clark}}
|{{legend|#d6efdc|30–40%}}
|{{legend|#a3d5af|40–50%}}
}}
{{collapsible list
| title = {{legend|#ff69b5|Kucinich}}
|{{legend|#fcdffc|30–40%}}
|{{legend|#efb6ef|40–50%}}
|{{legend|#e68ce6|50–60%}}
}}
{{collapsible list
| title = {{legend|#ac5f2b|Sharpton}}
|{{legend|#cc5f11|60–70%}}
}}
{{collapsible list
| title = {{legend|#000000|Uncommitted}}
|{{legend|#000000|Uncommitted}}
}}
{{collapsible list
| title = {{legend|#666666|Tie}}
|{{legend|#666666|Tie}}
}}
{{collapsible list
| title = {{legend|#999999|No votes}}
|{{legend|#999999|No votes}}
}}

[[File:Democratic presidential primaries results by county, 2004.svg|900px]]
{{legend|#00539f|[[John Kerry]]|border=1px #AAAAAA solid}}
{{legend|#e50100|[[John Edwards]]|border=1px #AAAAAA solid}}
{{legend|#e7cf1e|[[Howard Dean]]|border=1px #AAAAAA solid}}
{{legend|#039042|[[Wesley Clark]]|border=1px #AAAAAA solid}}
{{legend|#ff69b5|[[Dennis Kucinich]]|border=1px #AAAAAA solid}}
{{legend|#ac5f2b|[[Al Sharpton]]|border=1px #AAAAAA solid}}
{{legend|#000000|Uncommitted|border=1px #AAAAAA solid}}
{{legend|#666666|Tie|border=1px #AAAAAA solid}}
{{legend|#999999|No results|border=1px #AAAAAA solid}}

===Nationwide===
There were 4,353 total delegates to the [[2004 Democratic National Convention]], of which 802 were [[superdelegate]]s: party leaders, even including some of the candidates, who were not bound by any state's [[Partisan primary|primary]] or [[caucus]] votes and could change their support at any time. A candidate needed 2,162 delegates to become the nominee. Except for the [[Northern Mariana Islands]] and [[Midway Atoll]], all states, territories, and other inhabited areas of the United States offered delegates to the 2004 Democratic National Convention. John Kerry won 4,255 votes at the convention, including those won by all of his former rivals except Dennis Kucinich, who received 37 votes. There were 26 abstentions.

{{election table|title=Summary of the [[election results]]}}
|-
|  style="text-align:left; background:#e9e9e9; vertical-align:top;"|'''Candidates'''
! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Votes
! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|%
! style="background:#e9e9e9;"|Delegates
|-
|align=left|[[John Kerry]]
|&nbsp;9,871,270
| 61%
| 2573.5
|-
|align=left|[[John Edwards]]
|&nbsp;3,133,899
| 19%
| 559
|-
|align=left|[[Howard Dean]]
|&nbsp;894,367
| 5%
| 167.5
|-
|align=left|[[Dennis Kucinich]]
|&nbsp;617,264
| 4%
| 40
|-
|align=left|[[Wesley Clark]]
|&nbsp;536,148
| 3%
| 60
|-
|align=left|[[Al Sharpton]]
|&nbsp;384,766
| 2%
| 26
|-
|align=left|Other
|&nbsp;744,178
| 5%
|0
|- style="background:#e9e9e9;"
|  style="text-align:left; "|'''Total'''
|  style="text-align:right; width:75px; "| 16,181,892
|  style="text-align:right; width:30px; "| 100%
|  style="text-align:right; width:30px; "| '''4322'''
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align:left;"|Source: Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections
|}

==See also==
*[[2004 Republican Party presidential primaries]]
*[[Timeline of the 2004 United States presidential election]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===General references===
* [[CNN]]: [http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/index.html Election 2004]
* [[The New Republic]] Online: [http://www.tnr.com/primary The TNR Primary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040221062716/http://www.tnr.com/primary |date=2004-02-21 }}
* The Green Papers Online: [http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P04/paag.phtml 2004 Presidential Primaries At a Glance], [http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P04/D-Alloc.phtml Democratic Delegate Allocation]

==External links==
* [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/06/27/national1219EDT0608.DTL No Democratic candidate gets 50 percent in online primary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071122005204/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fnews%2Farchive%2F2003%2F06%2F27%2Fnational1219EDT0608.DTL |date=2007-11-22 }} - Associated Press, June 27, 2003
* [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13888-2003May4.html Debate Bares Democrats' Great Divide]{{dead link|date=January 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} - ''The Washington Post'', May 5, 2003
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20030504180452/http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/05/03/dems.debate.ap/ Democrats discuss Iraq early in debate] - Associated Press, May 4, 2003

{{2004 Democratic presidential primaries}}
{{2004 U.S. presidential election}}
{{U.S. presidential primaries}}
{{Democratic Party (United States)}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Democratic Party (United States) Presidential Primaries, 2004}}
[[Category:2004 United States Democratic presidential primaries| ]]
[[Category:Howard Dean]]
[[Category:John Edwards]]
[[Category:John Kerry]]