MISSOURI 11 Electoral Votes
Population 
(Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Missouri Secretary of State)
Total Population, July 1, 2004 est.       5,754,618
Total Registration, Oct. 2004                   4,194,146
Note: Missouri does not register by party.
Missouri has: 114 counties (116 local election jurisdictions counting Kansas City and St. Louis). 
Largest counties: St. Louis, Jackson, St. Louis city, St. Charles, Greene.
Largest cities: Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield, Independence.

Government
Governor: Bob Holden (D) defeated in the Aug. 3, 2004 Democratic primary.
State Legislature: Missouri General Assembly
Local: Cities and Counties NACO Counties
U.S. House: 5R, 4D - 1.L.Clay (D) | 2. T.Akin (R) | 3. R.Gephardt (D) | 4. I.Skelton (D) | 5. K.McCarthy (D) | 6. S.Graves (R) | 7. R.Blunt (R) | 8. J.Emerson (R) | 9. K.Hulshof (R)
U.S. Senate: Jim Talent (R) elected in 2002, Kit Bond (R) re-elected in 2004. 
Missouri saw many competitive campaigns.  In the governor's race Secretary of State Matt Blunt (R) defeated State Auditor Clair McCaskill (D) by 1,382,419 votes to 1,301,442 (50.8% to 47.9%) (two other candidates in the race).  The Lt. Gov., Sec. of State and Treasurer races were also close.  Sen. Kit Bond won re-election over Nancy Farmer with 56.1% of the vote.  In U.S House races Russ Carnahan (D) defeated Bill Federer (R) for the 3rd CD seat opened by Dick Gephardt's retirement, and in the 5th CD Emanuel Cleaver II (D) defeated Jeanne Patterson (R) 

The "Show-Me" State

 State of Missouri
Secretary of State

Progressive Party of MO (Grn)
MO Democratic Party
MO Libertarian Party
MO Republican Party
Natural Law Party of MO
Reform Party of MO
Constitution Party of MO

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Kansas City Star
Media (Newsp.)
Media (TV)

Politics1-MO
 

General Election -- Tuesday, November 2, 2004
Last day to register: October 6, 2004.
Kerry/Edwards (Dem.)
1,259,171
(46.10)
+Bush/Cheney (Rep.)
1,455,713
(53.30)
Badnarik/Campagna (Lib.) 9,831 (0.36)
Peroutka/Baldwin (Const.) 5,355
(0.20)
Nader (write in)
1,294
(0.05)
Total........2,731,364
 
2004 Overview
Missouri has voted for the winner in every presidential election of the 20th century but one, thereby earning the sobriquet of "bellweather state."  The exception was 1956 when voters backed Adlai Stevenson.  In 2004 Missouri maintained its bellweather status as Bush more than doubled his 2000 margin, gaining a plurality of 196,542 votes (7.20 percentage points).
General Election Details
Kerry/Allies  |  Bush/Cheney '04

Primary Election: August 3, 2004
 
Past Results
1996
Clinton (Dem.).....1,025,935
(47.54)
Dole (Rep.)............890,016
(41.24)
Perot (Ref.)............217,188
(10.06)
Others (3+w/ins)......24,926
(1.16)
Total........2,158,065

1992
Clinton (Dem.).....1,053,873
(44.07)
Bush (Rep.)...........811,159
(33.91)
Perot (Ind.)............518,741
(21.69)
Others(Marrou,w/ins).7,792
(0.33)
Total........2,391,565

Useful historical perspective can be found in:
David A. Leuthold.  1994.  Campaign Missouri 1992.  Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press.

2000
Gore/Lieberman (Dem.)
 1,111,138
 (47.08)
+Bush/Cheney (Rep.)
 1,189,924
(50.42)
Browne/Olivier (Lib.)
7,436
(0.32)
Phillips/Frazier (Const.)
1,957
(0.08)
Buchanan/Foster (Ref.)
9,818
(0.42)
Hagelin/Goldhaber(NLP)
1,104
(0.05)
Nader/LaDuke (Grn.)
38,515
 (1.63)
Total........2,359,892

Registered Voters: 3,860,672

2000 Overview
In 2000 the "Show Me" state was a hotly contested battleground.  Its 11 electoral votes went narrowly to Bush, as he gained a plurality of 78,786 votes (3.34 percentage points).  Gore carried 12 counties: 3 in the St. Louis area, 4 in the Kansas City area, 3 in the southeast tip, and a couple of others by thin margins.  Missouri also saw tight races for governor and U.S. Senate.  After the loss of Gov. Carnahan on Oct. 16, "Don't let the fire go out," became a rallying cry for Democrats.  Controversy arose on Election Day in the city of St. Louis, when a judge ordered polls be kept open past closing time. 
General Election Activity
.


Presidential Preference Primary -- Tuesday, February 3, 2004
The timing of the presidential primary is set out in Missouri Revised Statutes Title IX Section 115.123.  Section 115.395 sets out how the candidates are to be listed on the ballot.

A provision in the comprehensive election reform bill, S.B. 675, passed by the General Assembly in May 2002 moved the presidential primary forward -- "115.755. A statewide presidential preference primary shall be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in February of each presidential election year."  Rep. Robert Clayton (D-Hannibal) authored the provision.

CLARK   DEAN   EDWARDS   KERRY  KUCINICH   SHARPTON   former GEPHARDT (withdrew Jan. 20, 2004)
official results
Democratic  

 

Delegate selection process:

February 3 - Presidential Preference Primary.

February 26 -  local mass meetings. 

March 11 - County Conventions. 

March 25 - CD Conventions. 

Total Vote Percent
Joe Lieberman 14,727 3.5%
Dennis J. Kucinich 4,875 1.2%
Dick Gephardt w
8,281
2.0%
Wesley K. Clark
 18,340
4.4%
Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr.
953
0.2%
John Edwards
103,088
24.6%
+John Kerry
211,745
50.6%
Howard Dean
36,288
8.7%
Fern Penna
335
0.1%
Al Sharpton
14,308
3.4%
Carol Moseley Braun w
1,088
0.3%
Uncommitted 
 4,311
1.0%
Total 418,339
Delegates
Republican  
Total Vote Percent
George W. Bush 117,007 95.1%
Bill Wyatt 1,268 1.0%
Blake Ashby
981
0.8%
Uncommitted 
3,830
3.1%
Total 123,086
57 Delegates
54 Alternates
27 District level
30 At-large
Libertarian
Gary Nolan 899 (45.7%)     Ruben Perez 167 (8.5%)    Jeffrey H. Diket 155 (7.9%)    Uncomm. 746 (37.9%)
 

2000 page, including primary information>>

Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005  Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action.