2004 United States Senate election in Nevada
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The 2004 United States Senate election in Nevada was held on November 2, 2004. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Harry Reid, the Senate Minority Whip, won re-election to a fourth term despite Republican President George W. Bush carrying the state in the concurrent presidential race.
November 2, 2004
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Reid: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Ziser: 40–50% 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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Ziser
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
Wegner
- 20–30%
None of These Candidates
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
Tilley
- 20–30%
Background
Having only won re-election in 1998 by 428 votes, Harry Reid initially looked vulnerable given Nevada's position as a swing state for the presidential election. However the decisions of top Republican recruit Jim Gibbons and other potential high-profile challengers to pass on the race helped secure the election for Reid.[1]
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Harry Reid, incumbent U.S. Senator and Senate Minority Whip
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Richard Ziser, anti-gay marriage activist
Eliminated in primary
- Kenneth A. Wegner, U.S. Army veteran
- Robert Brown
- Royle Melton
- Cherie Tilley, businessman
- Carlo Poliak, perennial candidate
Declined
- Kathy Augustine, Nevada State Controller[2]
- Lynette Boggs-McDonald, Las Vegas City Council member and nominee for 1st district in 2002[3]
- Jim Gibbons, incumbent U.S. Representative and nominee for Governor in 1994[2]
- Dean Heller, Secretary of State of Nevada[2]
- Brian Krolicki, Nevada State Treasurer
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Richard Ziser | 40,533 | 33.50 | |
| Republican | Kenneth A. Wegner | 21,406 | 17.69 | |
| Republican | Robert Brown | 19,553 | 16.16 | |
| Republican | None of these candidates | 16,827 | 13.91 | |
| Republican | Royle Melton | 10,552 | 8.72 | |
| Republican | Cherie M. Tilley | 10,357 | 8.56 | |
| Republican | Carlo Poliak | 1,769 | 1.46 | |
| Total votes | 120,997 | 100.0 | ||
General election
Candidates
- Thomas Hurst (L)
- Gary Marinch (NL)
- Harry Reid (D), incumbent U.S. Senator
- David Schumann (I)
- Richard Ziser (R), conservative activist
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[5] | Safe D | October 26, 2004 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[6] | Safe D | November 1, 2004 |
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Harry Reid (D) |
Richard Ziser (R) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc./ Las Vegas Review-Journal[7] |
October 26–27, 2004 | 625 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 59% | 35% | 3% | 3% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Harry Reid (incumbent) | 494,805 | 61.08 | +13.22 | |
| Republican | Richard Ziser | 284,640 | 35.14 | –12.63 | |
| None of These Candidates | 12,968 | 1.60 | –0.26 | ||
| Libertarian | Thomas Hurst | 9,559 | 1.18 | –0.69 | |
| Independent American Party (Nevada) | David Schumann | 6,001 | 0.74 | N/a | |
| Natural Law | Gary Marinch | 2,095 | 0.26 | –0.38 | |
| Majority | 210,165 | 25.94 | +25.85 | ||
| Turnout | 810,068 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
By county
| County | Harry Reid Democratic |
Richard Ziser Republican |
None of These Candidates |
Thomas L. Hurst Libertarian |
David K. Schumann IAPN |
Gary Marinch Natural Law |
Margin | Total votes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Carson City | 12,478 | 54.68 | 9,559 | 41.89 | 330 | 1.45 | 188 | 0.82 | 197 | 0.86 | 67 | 0.29 | 2,919 | 12.79 | 22,819 |
| Churchill | 3,995 | 39.47 | 5,647 | 55.79 | 209 | 2.06 | 102 | 1.00 | 131 | 1.29 | 38 | 0.38 | -1,652 | -16.32 | 10,122 |
| Clark | 345,694 | 65.02 | 167,104 | 31.43 | 8,207 | 1.54 | 6,487 | 1.22 | 2,988 | 0.56 | 1,222 | 0.23 | 178,590 | 33.59 | 531,702 |
| Douglas | 10,409 | 44.66 | 12,120 | 52.00 | 304 | 1.30 | 210 | 0.90 | 205 | 0.88 | 61 | 0.26 | -1,711 | -7.34 | 23,309 |
| Elko | 6,084 | 40.57 | 7,912 | 52.76 | 384 | 2.56 | 270 | 1.80 | 265 | 1.77 | 82 | 1.26 | -1,828 | -12.19 | 14,997 |
| Esmeralda | 162 | 33.96 | 257 | 53.88 | 23 | 4.82 | 13 | 2.73 | 20 | 4.19 | 2 | 0.42 | -95 | -19.92 | 477 |
| Eureka | 267 | 36.38 | 404 | 55.04 | 33 | 4.50 | 12 | 1.63 | 14 | 1.91 | 4 | 0.54 | -137 | -18.66 | 734 |
| Humboldt | 2,524 | 47.98 | 2,431 | 46.22 | 137 | 2.60 | 73 | 1.39 | 85 | 1.62 | 10 | 0.19 | 93 | 1.76 | 5,260 |
| Lander | 908 | 44.86 | 989 | 48.86 | 59 | 2.92 | 19 | 0.94 | 39 | 1.93 | 10 | 0.49 | -89 | -4.00 | 2,024 |
| Lincoln | 745 | 36.81 | 1,128 | 55.73 | 81 | 4.00 | 22 | 1.09 | 42 | 2.08 | 6 | 0.30 | -383 | -18.92 | 2,024 |
| Lyon | 7,526 | 44.68 | 8,633 | 51.25 | 261 | 1.55 | 148 | 0.88 | 224 | 1.33 | 54 | 0.32 | -1,107 | -6.57 | 16,846 |
| Mineral | 1,565 | 68.73 | 591 | 25.96 | 37 | 1.62 | 20 | 0.88 | 51 | 2.24 | 13 | 0.57 | 974 | 42.77 | 2,277 |
| Nye | 7,521 | 53.52 | 5,798 | 41.26 | 273 | 1.94 | 178 | 1.27 | 223 | 1.59 | 60 | 0.43 | 1,723 | 12.26 | 14,053 |
| Pershing | 960 | 50.47 | 817 | 43.18 | 49 | 2.59 | 30 | 1.59 | 27 | 1.43 | 9 | 0.43 | 143 | 7.29 | 1,892 |
| Storey | 1,133 | 53.17 | 914 | 42.89 | 28 | 1.31 | 25 | 1.17 | 26 | 1.22 | 5 | 0.23 | 219 | 10.28 | 2,131 |
| Washoe | 90,706 | 58.27 | 58,994 | 37.90 | 2,432 | 1.56 | 1,705 | 1.10 | 1,399 | 0.90 | 416 | 0.27 | 31,712 | 20.37 | 155,652 |
| White Pine | 2,128 | 56.76 | 1,342 | 35.80 | 121 | 3.23 | 57 | 1.52 | 65 | 1.73 | 36 | 0.96 | 786 | 20.96 | 3,749 |
| Totals | 494,805 | 61.08 | 284,640 | 35.14 | 12,968 | 1.60 | 9,559 | 1.18 | 6,001 | 0.74 | 2,095 | 0.26 | 210,165 | 25.94 | 810,068 |
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Carson City
- Humboldt (largest municipality: Winnemucca)
- Nye (largest municipality: Pahrump)
- Pershing (largest municipality: Lovelock)
- Storey (largest municipality: Virginia City)
- White Pine (largest municipality: Ely)
- Washoe (largest municipality: Reno)
See also
Notes
- Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear