2004 United States Senate election in Georgia
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  Isakson: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Majette: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Tie: 40–50% 50% No data | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Georgia |
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The 2004 United States Senate election in Georgia took place on November 2, 2004, alongside other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. This election was the fifth consecutive even-number year in which a senate election was held in Georgia after elections in 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2002. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Zell Miller decided to retire instead of seeking a first full term in office, leaving an open seat.
Representative Johnny Isakson, a Republican, won the open seat, marking the first time in history that Republicans held both of Georgia's Senate seats. Democratic nominee Denise Majette became both the first African American and the first woman to be nominated for Senate in Georgia. Isakson would remain in the Senate until his resignation on December 31, 2019. This election was the first open-seat United States Senate election in Georgia for this seat since 1956.
Democratic primary
[edit]Following reports that Miller would retire, Democratic leaders unsuccessfully tried to convince outgoing Governor Roy Barnes to run for Senate. Max Cleland, a former Senator who lost his seat in the 2002 election, was also considered a possible candidate before choosing not to run.[1]
Majette's announcement that she would seek to replace Miller caught Democrats by surprise, as she was not on anyone's call list when Democrats began seeking a candidate to replace Miller. Further skepticism among Democrats about the viability of her candidacy surfaced when she announced that God had told her to run for the Senate.[citation needed]
Nominee:
- Denise Majette, U.S. Representative from Decatur
Eliminated in Runoff:
- Cliff Oxford, Businessman
Eliminated in Primary:
- Jim Boyd, Perennial candidate
- Mary Squires, Former State Senator
- Leigh Baier
- James N. Filkelstein
- Sid Cottingham
- Govind N. Patel
Declined to run:
- Roy Barnes, former Governor of Georgia
- Max Cleland, former Senator
- Zell Miller, incumbent Senator
- Michelle Nunn, nonprofit executive and daughter of former Senator Sam Nunn[2]
Initial results
[edit]Results[3] for the first round showed that since Denise Majette did not win a majority of the vote, a runoff was held between her and Cliff Oxford.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Denise Majette | 258,480 | 41.3% | |
| Democratic | Cliff Oxford | 128,540 | 20,6% | |
| Democratic | Jim Boyd | 87,702 | 14.3% | |
| Democratic | Mary Squires | 55,046 | 8.1% | |
| Democratic | Leigh Baier | 47,487 | 7.6% | |
| Democratic | Sid Cottingham | 16,200 | 2.9% | |
| Democratic | Govind N. Patel | 9,166 | 1.4% | |
| Total votes | 493,226 | 100.0% | ||
Runoff
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Denise Majette | 161,733 | 59.4% | |
| Democratic | Cliff Oxford | 110,526 | 40.6% | |
Republican primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]Nominee
- Johnny Isakson, U.S. Representative from Marietta and candidate for the United States Senate in 1996.
Defeated in primary
- Herman Cain, former CEO of Godfather's Pizza[4]
- Mac Collins, U.S. Representative from Butts County
Declined to run
- Ralph Reed, chair of the Georgia Republican Party[5]
Campaign
[edit]Positioning himself as a political outsider, businessman Herman Cain spent nearly $1 million of his own money on his Senate campaign.[6] To discredit Cain, Isakson's campaign dropped campaign mail pieces noting that Cain had donated to Democrats in the past, such as Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy.[7]
Results
[edit]
- Isakson—100%
- Isakson—80–90%
- Isakson—70–80%
- Isakson—60–70%
- Isakson—50–60%
- Isakson—40–50%
- Isakson—30–40%
- Cain—60–70%
- Cain—50–60%
- Cain—40–50%
- Collins—70–80%
- Collins—60–70%
- Collins—50–60%
- Collins—40–50%
- Collins—30–40%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Johnny Isakson | 346,765 | 53.2% | |
| Republican | Herman Cain | 170,464 | 26.2% | |
| Republican | Mac Collins | 134,053 | 20.6% | |
General election
[edit]Candidates
[edit]- Allen Buckley (Libertarian)
- Johnny Isakson, U.S. Representative from Marietta (Republican)
- Denise Majette, U.S. Representative from Decatur (Democratic)
Campaign
[edit]Majette received important endorsements from U.S. Senators Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, along with many others in Washington who campaigned and raised money for Majette. Her Senate campaign slogan was "I'll be nobody's Senator, but yours."
A number of factors led to Majette's loss. These include her late start, her valuable time and money spent in the runoff, larger conservative turnout from a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages (which Majette opposed), the popularity of President George W. Bush in Georgia, and her lack of experience (being a one-term congresswoman).
Debates
[edit]- Complete video of debate, October 31, 2004
Predictions
[edit]| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[9] | Safe R (flip) | November 1, 2004 |
Polling
[edit]| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Johnny Isakson (R) |
Denise Majette (D) |
Other / Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA[10] | October 28–30, 2004 | 624 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 56% | 40% | 5% |
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Johnny Isakson | 1,864,205 | 57.88% | +19.97% | |
| Democratic | Denise Majette | 1,287,695 | 39.98% | −18.22% | |
| Libertarian | Allen Buckley | 69,051 | 2.14% | +2.14% | |
| Majority | 576,510 | 17.90% | |||
| Turnout | 3,220,951 | ||||
| Republican gain from Democratic | Swing | ||||
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
[edit]- Atkinson (Largest city: Pearson)
- Baldwin (Largest city: Milledgeville)
- Ben Hill (Largest city: Fitzgerald)
- Berrien (Largest city: Nashville)
- Brooks (Largest city: Quitman)
- Butts (Largest city: Jackson)
- Chatham (Largest city: Savannah)
- Chattooga (Largest city: Summerville)
- Clinch (Largest city: Homerville)
- Cook (Largest city: Adel)
- Crawford (Largest city: Roberta)
- Crisp (Largest city: Cordele)
- Decatur (Largest city: Bainbridge)
- Dodge (Largest city: Eastman)
- Early (Largest city: Blakely)
- Elbert (Largest city: Elberton)
- Emanuel (Largest city: Swainsboro)
- Grady (Largest city: Cairo)
- Greene (Largest city: Greensboro)
- Hart (Largest city: Hartwell)
- Heard (Largest city: Franklin)
- Irwin (Largest city: Ocilla)
- Jasper (Largest city: Monticello)
- Jenkins (Largest city: Millen)
- Johnson (Largest city: Wrightsville)
- Lamar (Largest city: Barnesville)
- Lanier (Largest city: Lakeland)
- Long (Largest city: Ludowici)
- Marion (Largest city: Buena Vista)
- Miller (Largest city: Colquitt)
- Montgomery (Largest city: Mount Vernon)
- Polk (Largest city: Cedartown)
- Pulaski (Largest city: Hawkinsville)
- Putnam (Largest city: Eatonton)
- Schley (Largest city: Ellaville)
- Screven (Largest city: Sylvania)
- Seminole (Largest city: Donalsonville)
- Sumter (Largest city: Americus)
- Taylor (Largest city: Butler)
- Treutlen (Largest city: Soperton)
- Turner (Largest city: Ashburn)
- Wheeler (Largest city: Alamo)
- Wilcox (Largest city: Abbeville)
- Wilkes (Largest city: Washington)
- Burke (largest municipality: Waynesboro)
- Chattahoochee (largest municipality: Cusseta)
- McIntosh (largest municipality: Darien)
- Meriwether (largest municipality: Manchester)
- Mitchell (largest municipality: Camilla)
- Peach (largest municipality: Fort Valley)
- Telfair (largest municipality: McRae-Helena)
- Washington (largest municipality: Sandersville)
- Wilkinson (largest municipality: Gordon)
- Bibb (largest city: Macon)
- Jefferson (largest city: Louisville)
- Warren (largest city: Warrenton)
- Dooly (largest city: Vienna)
- Cobb (largest city: Marietta)
- Gwinnett (largest city: Peachtree Corners)
- Henry (largest city: Stockbridge)
- Rockdale (largest town: Conyers)
- Bacon (largest town: Alma)
- Banks (largest town: Baldwin)
- Bartow (largest town: Cartersville)
- Bleckley (largest town: Cochran)
- Brantley (largest town: Nahunta)
- Bryan (largest town: Richmond Hill)
- Bulloch (largest town: Stateboro)
- Camden (largest town: St. Marys)
- Candler (largest town: Metter)
- Carroll (largest town: Carrollton)
- Catoosa (largest town: Fort Oglethorpe)
- Charlton (largest town: Folkston)
- Coffee (largest town: Douglas)
- Colquitt (largest town: Moultrie)
- Dade (largest town: Trenton)
- Dawson (largest town: Dawsonville)
- Douglas (largest town: Douglasville)
- Echols (largest town: Statenville)
- Effingham (largest town: Rincon)
- Evans (largest town: Claxton)
- Fannin (largest town: Blue Ridge)
- Floyd (largest town: Rome)
- Franklin (largest town: Lavonia)
- Glascock (largest town: Gibson)
- Gordon (largest town: Calhoun)
- Habersham (largest town: Cornelia)
- Hall (largest town: Gainesville)
- Gilmer (largest town: Ellijay)
- Harris (largest town: Pine Mountain)
- Haralson (largest town: Bremen)
- Houston (largest town: Warner Robins)
- Jones (largest town: Gray)
- Jackson (largest town: Jefferson)
- Jeff Davis (largest town: Hazlehurst)
- Lincoln (largest town: Lincolnton)
- Lowndes (largest town: Valdosta)
- Lumpkin (largest town: Dahlonega)
- Madison (largest town: Comer)
- McDuffie (largest town: Thomson)
- Monroe (largest town: Forsyth)
- Murray (largest town: Chatsworth)
- Newton (largest town: Covington)
- Oconee (largest town: Watkinsville)
- Oglethorpe (largest town: Crawford)
- Paulding (largest town: Dallas)
- Morgan (largest town: Madison)
- Pike (largest town: Zebulon)
- Pickens (largest town: Jasper)
- Rabun (largest town: Clayton)
- Spalding (largest town: Griffin)
- Stephens (largest town: Toccoa)
- Tattnall (largest town: Glennville)
- Tifton (largest town: Tifton)
- Towns (largest town: Young Harris)
- Troup (largest town: LaGrange)
- Union (largest town: Blairsville)
- Upson (largest town: Thomaston)
- Walton (largest town: Monroe)
- Ware (largest town: Waycross)
- Walker (largest town: Lafayette)
- Wayne (largest town: Jesup)
- White (largest town: Cleveland)
- Whitfield (largest town: Dalton)
- Worth (largest town: Sylvester)
- Appling (largest town: Baxley)
- Thomas (largest town: Thomasville)
- Laurens (largest town: Dublin)
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear
References
[edit]- ^ "Miller Signals Exit". Roll Call. January 8, 2003. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ "Democrats Fail to Entice Nunn Into Senate Race". Roll Call. October 24, 2003. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Three Republicans battling for spots in Georgia's likely Senate runoff". New.accessnorthga.com. March 27, 2004. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
- ^ "Georgia's Miller won't seek re-election - Jan. 8, 2003". CNN. January 8, 2003. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ Ball, Molly (October 14, 2011). "Herman Cain for Senate? The Inside Story of His First Insurgent Campaign". The Atlantic. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ Blake, Aaron (October 18, 2011). "Herman Cain's sleepy Senate campaign". Washington Post.
- ^ "United States Senator". Sos.georgia.gov. Archived from the original on October 21, 2011. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- ^ "The Final Predictions". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ^ SurveyUSA
- ^ "United States Senator". Georgia of Secretary of State. December 21, 2005. Archived from the original on November 28, 2008. Retrieved December 3, 2008.