Compare And Contrast Presidential Elections Between 2004 And 2012
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There was quite a lot of change between 2004 and 2012, and the presidential elections in those years were no different. The presidential elections of 2004 and 2012 each had their own issues to decide, new campaign strategies, and even a different variety of voters compared to elections in the previous decade. In 2004, the candidates for the Republican Party was presidential nominee George W. Bush (Texas) and vice presidential nominee Dick Cheney (Wyoming); the Democratic Party nominated US Senator John F. Kerry (Massachusetts) for presidential nominee and US Senator John Edwards (North Caroline) for vice presidential nominee. At the end of the election, Bush was named winner by 286 electoral votes versus Kerry's electoral vote of 252. Granted the popular vote at the time was a small difference in percentage for both candidates. Bush had approximate 62,000 and Kerry had approximate 59,000. Then-president George W. Bush was still enjoying rather high approval ratings, helping his campaign for re-election. The biggest issue of the time was the war on terror, and both parties issued negative campaign ads in an attempt to discredit the military record of their opponent. In addition, the majority of voters were committed to their particular political…show more content… In the end, Barack Obama secured his reelection by obtaining 332 electoral votes versus Romney's 206 electoral votes. Once again, the popular vote was a small margin. With Obama at fifty-one percent and Romney at forty-seven percent. A huge factor for the close margin was the voter base, it was much different than it was in 2004. Many had switched sides in the last eight years, and the “swing states” had changed as