Missouri gubernatorial election, 2004
Encyclopedia
The 2004 Missouri gubernatorial election took place on 2 November 2004 for the post of Governor of Missouri. Missouri Secretary of State
Republican
Matt Blunt
defeated State Auditor
Democrat
Claire McCaskill
. This gave the Republican party control of both the Governorship and the Missouri General Assembly
for the first time in 80 years.
McCaskill had earlier defeated incumbent
Governor Bob Holden
in the Democratic primary
. This was the first time a sitting Governor of Missouri had been defeated in a primary and the first time any US
Governor had lost in a primary since 1994.
in 2000 which cost 1 million dollars
and which he struggled to pay for. The state economy suffered a downturn forcing him to make budget
cuts and the Republican party gained control of the State Senate
for the first time in 50 years. Holden was nicknamed
by his opponents as "One Term Bob".
Holden announced that he would run for re-election in March 2003 blaming the Republican party for many of the problems during his term as Governor. However Holden was challenged by State Auditor Claire McCaskill for the Democratic nomination, who said that she would be a stronger candidate in the General election
against Blunt.
McCaskill attacked Holden for delays in education
funding, the state's deteriorating roads and increases in tuition fees at Missouri's universities. Holden sought to defend his term in office and attacked McCaskill for the people she accepted campaign contributions
from. McCaskill picked up most newspaper endorsements
during the primary and won the primary on 3 August against Holden.
The first of two debates between Blunt and McCaskill was held on 18 October where McCaskill compared her experience to Blunt's inexperience; while Blunt said that McCaskill would not support the Marriage protection amendment
to the State Constitution. In the two debates Blunt described himself as bringing change to Missouri and was assisted by President
George W. Bush
during the campaign. McCaskill kept her distance from Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry
due to Bush's lead in Missouri.
In the end Blunt narrowly defeated McCaskill with surveys showing his conservative stance on social issues
and the strong showing of President Bush in Missouri helped him to victory. Blunt obtained strong leads in the rural parts of the state which was sufficient to overcome McCaskill's leads in St. Louis
and Jackson County
. Blunt thus became Missouri's second youngest Governor.
Secretary of State (U.S. state government)
Secretary of State is an official in the state governments of 47 of the 50 states of the United States, as well as Puerto Rico and other U.S. possessions. In Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, this official is called the Secretary of the Commonwealth...
Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Matt Blunt
Matt Blunt
Matthew Roy Blunt served as the 54th Governor of Missouri from 2005 to 2009. Before his election as governor, Blunt served ten years in the United States Navy, was elected to serve in the Missouri General Assembly in 1998 and as Missouri's Secretary of State in 2000.A Republican, Blunt was elected...
defeated State Auditor
State Auditors of Missouri
The State Auditor of Missouri is an elected official responsible for serving as the State of Missouri's chief fiscal regulator, conducting financial and performance audits for approximately 200 state agencies, boards, and commissions, and the state's judicial branch...
Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Claire McCaskill
Claire McCaskill
Claire Conner McCaskill is the senior United States Senator from Missouri and a member of the Democratic Party. She defeated Republican incumbent Jim Talent in the 2006 U.S. Senate election, by a margin of 49.6% to 47.3%. She is the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Missouri in her own...
. This gave the Republican party control of both the Governorship and the Missouri General Assembly
Missouri General Assembly
The Missouri General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Missouri. The bicameral General Assembly is composed of a 34-member Senate, and a 163-member House of Representatives. Members of both houses of the General Assembly are subject to term limits...
for the first time in 80 years.
McCaskill had earlier defeated incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
Governor Bob Holden
Bob Holden
Robert Lee "Bob" Holden, Jr. is an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as the 53rd Governor of Missouri.-Early life:...
in the Democratic primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
. This was the first time a sitting Governor of Missouri had been defeated in a primary and the first time any US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Governor had lost in a primary since 1994.
Campaign
Missouri Secretary of State Matt Blunt had token opposition. He easily defeated several lesser known opponents in the Republican primary.Results
Campaign
Bob Holden had a difficult term as Missouri Governor starting at his InaugurationInauguration
An inauguration is a formal ceremony to mark the beginning of a leader's term of office. An example is the ceremony in which the President of the United States officially takes the oath of office....
in 2000 which cost 1 million dollars
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
and which he struggled to pay for. The state economy suffered a downturn forcing him to make budget
Budget
A budget is a financial plan and a list of all planned expenses and revenues. It is a plan for saving, borrowing and spending. A budget is an important concept in microeconomics, which uses a budget line to illustrate the trade-offs between two or more goods...
cuts and the Republican party gained control of the State Senate
Missouri Senate
The Missouri State Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 160,000...
for the first time in 50 years. Holden was nicknamed
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
by his opponents as "One Term Bob".
Holden announced that he would run for re-election in March 2003 blaming the Republican party for many of the problems during his term as Governor. However Holden was challenged by State Auditor Claire McCaskill for the Democratic nomination, who said that she would be a stronger candidate in the General election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
against Blunt.
McCaskill attacked Holden for delays in education
Education in Missouri
This article concerns Education in Missouri, public and private.The Missouri State Board of Education has general authority over all public education in the state of Missouri...
funding, the state's deteriorating roads and increases in tuition fees at Missouri's universities. Holden sought to defend his term in office and attacked McCaskill for the people she accepted campaign contributions
Campaign finance
Campaign finance refers to all funds that are raised and spent in order to promote candidates, parties or policies in some sort of electoral contest. In modern democracies such funds are not necessarily devoted to election campaigns. Issue campaigns in referendums, party activities and party...
from. McCaskill picked up most newspaper endorsements
Political endorsement
Political endorsement is the action of publicly declaring one's personal or group's support of a candidate for elected office.In the case of a 4 or 5 party system, where one of the parties has a 15 to 20% predicted electoral support, just prior to the election, the official representative of the...
during the primary and won the primary on 3 August against Holden.
Results
Campaign
After the primaries finished Holden and McCaskill met to unite the Democratic party for the general election for what was always seen as being a close race against Blunt.The first of two debates between Blunt and McCaskill was held on 18 October where McCaskill compared her experience to Blunt's inexperience; while Blunt said that McCaskill would not support the Marriage protection amendment
Same-sex marriage legislation in the United States by state
This article summarizes the legal and political actions taken by the individual states of the United States regarding same-sex marriage. The texts are following.- Alabama :Texts :...
to the State Constitution. In the two debates Blunt described himself as bringing change to Missouri and was assisted by President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
during the campaign. McCaskill kept her distance from Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
due to Bush's lead in Missouri.
In the end Blunt narrowly defeated McCaskill with surveys showing his conservative stance on social issues
Social issues
Social issues are controversial issues which relate to people's personal lives and interactions. Social issues are distinguished from economic issues...
and the strong showing of President Bush in Missouri helped him to victory. Blunt obtained strong leads in the rural parts of the state which was sufficient to overcome McCaskill's leads in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
and Jackson County
Jackson County, Missouri
Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. With a population of 674,158 in the 2010 census, Jackson County is the second most populous of Missouri's counties, after St. Louis County. Kansas City, the state's most populous city and focus city of the Kansas City Metropolitan...
. Blunt thus became Missouri's second youngest Governor.