US Presidential Election, 2004
Colin Powell (M-VA) / Tom Vilsack (M-IA) vs
Bill Frist (R-TN) / Rick Santorum (R-PA) vs
Ron Paul (L-TX) / Gary Johnson (L-NM) vs
Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) / Barbara Lee (D-CA)
Winner: Colin Powell (M-VA)
Popular Vote: 32.9% vs
30.6% vs 21.5% vs 14.1%
Electoral Vote: 280 vs 182 vs 53 vs
23
President Glenn, at the age of 83, refuses to run for reelection and endorsed General Colin Powell for president. Vice President McCain chose not to run due to his timely skin cancer. General Powell promises that he would only serve for one single term. The economy remained strong, and having crushed the Catalan secession movement and terrorism, Powell was leading all his rivals for most of the campaign. However, after the televised debate, the election became too close to call.
Both the Moderate and Republican parties supported internationalism and strong national defense, while the Libertarian and Democratic parties preferred isolationism. Powell and Kucinich supported more investment on renewable energy and the continuous reduction of greenhouse gases; while Paul and Frist vowed that they would withdraw from the Hangzhou Protocol, aimed at fighting global warming. Regarding gun control, Powell defended gun ownership, but he also supported the registration of weapons and reasonable investigation of would-be registrants. Kucinich supported gun control, while Frist and Paul opposed it. Ron Paul vowed to privatize the universal health-care system established by former President Humphrey, while Kucinich vowed to prevent further privatization of social security; Powell claimed that he would maintain the status quo, while Frist proposed reforms to universal health-care that would make it more efficient and preferred a stronger role of private insurance companies.
After a long election night, Powell won a narrow victory, becoming the first African American president in US history. Powell won California, Florida by and Pennsylvania within 1%. Had he lost all three, Frist would have won the election.