2004 United States presidential election in Iowa
The 2004 United States presidential election in Iowa took place on November 2, 2004, and was part of the 2004 United States presidential election. Voters chose seven representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Iowa was won by incumbent President George W. Bush by a 0.67% margin of victory, despite losing the state to Al Gore four years earlier. Prior to the election, most news organizations considered this a swing state. The Democrats had won Iowa in the previous four presidential elections, though only narrowly in 2000. Gore had won the state by only 0.32 points, a much weaker margin compared to 1988, when Democrat Michael Dukakis carried the state by 10 points in an otherwise strongly Republican year, and later when Democrat Bill Clinton won with a 6-point margin in 1992 and a 10-point margin in 1996. Iowa was one of just two states (along with New Mexico) to vote for Gore in 2000 but flip to Bush in 2004, although both times won by close margins.

Democratic caucuses
2004 Iowa Democratic caucuses

Campaign

Predictions

There were 12 news organizations who made state-by-state predictions of the election. Here are their last predictions before election day.

 D.C. Political Report: Lean Democratic
 Associated Press: Toss-up
 CNN: Bush
Cook Political Report: Toss-up
 Newsweek: Leans Bush
New York Times: Leans Bush
 Rasmussen Reports: Toss-up
 Research 2000: Lean Kerry
Washington Post: Battleground
Washington Times: Battleground
Zogby International: Kerry
 Washington Dispatch: Kerry

Polling
Polls showed the state was a pure tossup with neither candidate reaching a consistent lead. The last three polls averaged both candidates at 48%, with the last-second deciders the key to victory. The final Real Clear Politics average gave Bush leading with a margin of 0.3%, with 47.4% to Kerry at 47.1% and Nader at 1.0%.

Fundraising
Bush raised $671,335. Kerry raised $449,980.

Advertising and visits
The Kerry campaign visited the state 11 times to Bush's 10 times. Both campaigns spent between $400,000 to $600,000 each week in television advertising.

Analysis
Although Kerry dominated the higher populated areas, Bush dominated the ultra rural areas, specifically winning all the counties in the far west part of the state. Bush also won 3 of the state's 5 congressional districts. In just 2 counties did Bush obtain less than 40% of the vote. Bush's best performance in the state was in Sioux County, where he won with 86% of the vote.
Democratic candidate Barack Obama would win Iowa in both 2008 and 2012, whereas Republican candidate Donald Trump won the state by 9 points in 2016, which was the largest margin of victory for a Republican presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan in 1980. Bush would also became the first Republican presidential candidate since Reagan in 1984 to win Iowa.

Results

Results breakdown

By county

By congressional district
Bush won 3 of 5 congressional districts.

Electors

Iowa voters cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. Iowa has 7 electors because it has 5 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 7 electors, who pledge to vote for their candidate and his or her running mate. Whoever wins the majority of votes in the state is awarded all 7 electoral votes. Their chosen electors then vote for president and vice president. Although electors are pledged to their candidate and running mate, they are not obligated to vote for them. An elector who votes for someone other than his or her candidate is known as a faithless elector.

The electors of each state and the District of Columbia met on December 13, 2004, to cast their votes for president and vice president. The Electoral College itself never meets as one body. Instead the electors from each state and the District of Columbia meet in their respective capitols.

The following were the members of the Electoral College from Iowa. All were pledged to and voted for Bush and Cheney.
 Julie Hosch
 Velma Huebner
 Don Racheter
 Marilyn Bose
 Don Kass
 Dorothy Schlitter
 Wanda Sears