An Alternative Account of the 2004 Presidential Election

Abstract

The consensus immediately following the 2004 presidential election was that Bush won because of support for "moral values." I challenge this interpretation by showing that Bush won because of widespread increase in his support among white and married women. I hypothesize that this is a response to concerns about domestic security rather than support for Bush's position against gay marriage. In addition, Bush was generally helped by higher turnout, though Kerry's efforts brought down the Republican vote share in battleground states.

Recommended Citation

Burden, Barry C. (2004) "An Alternative Account of the 2004 Presidential Election," The Forum: Vol. 2 : Iss. 4, Article 2.
DOI: 10.2202/1540-8884.1057
Available at: http://www.bepress.com/forum/vol2/iss4/art2