Senator Kerry may have won the presidential election in Plymouth with sixty-five percent of the votes, but it was Ohio in the end that gave President George W. Bush the win over Senator John Kerry in 2004. The race was tight, however, and many news outlets were reluctant to announce the win until all the votes were in. The final electoral vote in the presidential race was 274 for President Bush and 238 for Senator Kerry.
By 11:40 p.m. Tuesday, The Kerry Camp was pessimistic about winning Florida’s twenty-seven votes. It was projected by midnight that President Bush had won Florida’s electoral votes, giving the president a strong lead at 234-188. One by one, however, the President began to win south-western states such as Colorado, Nevada and Arizona, all states dominated by Al Gore in 2000.
Many news agencies thought it was clear by 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday that President Bush had won Ohio’s twenty electoral votes, but it was unclear whether Senator Kerry would challenge the votes. Many people in the Kerry campaign were hoping to rely on the estimated 150,000 provisional ballots in Ohio. By 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning, however, Ohio had not been projected by CNN, and the race was tight, Bush 254, Kerry 252. Many waited for Kerry’s decision.
Senator John Kerry called the President at about 11 a.m. on Wednesday morning to congratulate him on his victory, and with that, Kerry conceded the presidency.
In an emotional speech given at Fanueil Hall in Boston, Senator Kerry had this to say: “I would not give up this fight if there were a chance that we would prevail. But it is now clear that even when all the provisional ballots are counted, which they will be, there won’t be enough outstanding votes for us to be able to win Ohio. And therefore, we cannot win this election.” Kerry went on to say that the president of the United States should “be decided by the voters, not a protracted legal process.”
President Bush celebrated his victory in Washington D.C. later Wednesday afternoon, and in his victory speech the president vowed to “reach out” to those 55 million Americans who supported Kerry for President saying, “I will need your support and I will work to earn it.”
President Bush not only won the electoral votes necessary for the presidency, but he also succeeded in winning the popular vote. An estimated 55 million voted for Kerry, while those who voted for Bush were an estimated 59 million.”America has spoken, and I’m humbled by the trust and the confidence of my fellow citizens,” Bush said. “With that trust comes a duty to serve all Americans. And I will do my best to fulfill that duty every day as your president.”
In the biggest voter turnout since 1968, nearly 117.8 million people headed to the polls and mailed in absentee ballots compared to 105.4 voters in 2000. An estimated 54 percent of eligible voters participated in the 2000 election as well as in this year’s election.