Parties in Conflict: How the Republican and Democratic Parties Managed their Media, Message and Money in the 2004 Presidential and Senate Races in Florida

Parties in Conflict:

How the Republican and Democratic Parties Managed their

Media, Message and Money in the

2004 Presidential and Senate Races in Florida

Robert E. Crew, Florida State University

Terri Susan Fine, University of Central Florida

Susan A. MacManus, University of South Florida

The 2004 presidential election followed the 2000 presidential election which was

arguably the most dramatic in American history. The closeness of the 2000 vote in Florida made

it a key battleground state in 2004. A rare open U.S. Senate seat made Florida a Senate

battleground state as well. Florida was one of only two states deemed both a presidential and

Senate battleground state in 2004 (the other being Colorado) where “both major party

presidential nominees mounted serious efforts” along with both U.S. Senate nominees.

In 2000, the winner of the presidential election was determined solely based on how

Florida’s electors voted. Without Florida, Bush had 246 Electoral College votes while Gore had

266.

Florida was allotted 25 Electoral College votes in 2000 (which increased to 27 due to the

2000 census for the 2004 presidential election). The Electoral College vote in all other states

was determined by the time the polls closed in California on Election Night, except Florida.

Since neither Bush nor Gore had the 270 votes needed to win, and Florida was one of 49

(including the District of Columbia) winner-take-all states

, whoever won Florida would win the

presidential election. Accusations of ballot and voter access irregularities kept the Electoral Vote

0 With the assistance of Rebecca Young and Elise Heffner, Florida State University; Adrienne Matthews and Erica
Thomas, University of Central Florida and Amber Davis, University of South Florida.

Dancing without Partners: How the Candidates, Parties and Interest Groups Interact in the New Campaign Finance

Environment. 2005. David Magleby, Quin Monson and Kelly Pattereson, editors. Center for the Study of Elections
and Democracy: Brigham Young University, p. 5.

According to the National Archives and Records Administration website, one District of Columbia elector

(Barbara Lett-Simmons) cast a blank ballot for President and Vice-President. This means that Gore received 266
Electoral College votes and not 267 as many sources suggest. Together, 537, and not 538, Electoral College votes
were cast nationwide.

http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/2000/members.html#dc

(November 17, 2005).
0Nebraska and Maine use a proportional representation system for allocating Electoral College votes.