Kerry clinched his party's nomination in March after a series of primary victories over runner-up Edwards, who he ultimately selected to be his running mate.

The September 11, 2001, attacks decisively reshaped Bush's foreign policy goals and garnered him near-universal support early in his term.

Domestic issues were debated as well, including the economy and jobs, health care, abortion, same-sex marriage, and embryonic stem cell research.

Within a month, the forces of a coalition led by the United States entered Afghanistan, which had been sheltering Osama bin Laden, suspected mastermind of the September 11 attacks.

The assertion about WMD was hotly advanced by the Bush administration from the beginning, but other major powers including China, France, Germany, and Russia remained unconvinced that Iraq was a threat and refused to allow passage of a UN Security Council resolution to authorize the use of force.

Nevertheless, on May 1, Bush landed on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, in a Lockheed S-3 Viking, where he gave a speech announcing the end of "major combat operations" in the Iraq War.

Senator Lincoln Chafee from Rhode Island considered challenging Bush on an anti-war platform in New Hampshire but decided not to run after the capture of Saddam Hussein in December 2003.

[5] On March 10, 2004, Bush officially attained the number of delegates needed to be nominated at the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City.

During the convention and throughout the campaign, Bush focused on two themes: defending America against terrorism and building an ownership society.

[8] Other major candidates included North Carolina senator John Edwards and retired U.S. Army general Wesley Clark.

[9] On July 6, Kerry selected Edwards as his running mate, shortly before the 2004 Democratic National Convention was held later that month in Boston.

[10] Heading into the convention, the Kerry–Edwards ticket unveiled its new slogan: a promise to make America "stronger at home and more respected in the world".

[22] Bush focused his campaign on national security, presenting himself as a decisive leader and contrasted Kerry as a "flip-flopper."

This strategy was designed to convey to American voters the idea that Bush could be trusted to be tough on terrorism while Kerry would be "uncertain in the face of danger.

[25] According to one exit poll, people who voted for Bush cited the issues of terrorism and traditional values as the most important factors in their decision.

[34] Health savings accounts (HSAs) were introduced in 2004 as part of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act, signed by Bush in December 2003.

[41] During the campaign, Bush was accused of failing to fulfill his required service in the Texas Air National Guard.

[42] A scandal occurred at CBS News after they aired a segment on 60 Minutes Wednesday, introducing what became known as the Killian documents.

[43] Serious doubts about the documents' authenticity quickly emerged,[44] leading CBS to appoint a review panel that eventually resulted in the firing of the news producer and other significant staffing changes.

(Millions) On October 29, four days before the election, excerpts of a video of Osama bin Laden addressing the American people were broadcast on al Jazeera.

[60] On November 2, 2004, exit poll predictions of the outcome of the presidential race were broadcast on CNN and posted on the websit CNN.com.

Explanations proposed and then discarded included the "Republicans voted late" theory, and the claim that the exit polls oversampled Kerry voters.

[65] (c) Because Arrin Hawkins, then aged 28, was constitutionally ineligible to serve as vice president, Margaret Trowe replaced her on the ballot in some states.

It is not even known whether the vote for Edwards was deliberate or unintentional; the Republican Secretary of State and several of the Democratic electors have expressed the opinion that this was an accident.

In the afternoon of the day after the election, Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell announced that there were roughly 135,000 provisional ballots remaining.

Bush is the seventh Republican to have won re-election to a consecutive term, along with Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, William McKinley, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan.

[81] After the election, many blogs published false rumors claiming to show evidence that voter fraud had prevented Kerry from winning.

[84] Independent candidate Ralph Nader obtained a recount in 11 New Hampshire precincts that used Accuvote voting machines.

Boxer claimed that she had made the motion not to challenge the outcome but "to cast the light of truth on a flawed system which must be fixed now".

In the same article, Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said: "I'm not confident that the election in Ohio was fairly decided... We know that there was substantial voter suppression, and the machines were not reliable.