In No More than 5 Sentences Describe the 2004 Election

[Rob]

In the 2004 presidential election, President Bush was challenged by Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts. Kerry, a Democrat and Vietnam veteran, criticised Bush's conduct of the war in Iraq, the major issue of the campaign. In turn, the Republicans portrayed Bush as a strong wartime leader and assailed Kerry as a "flip-flopper" with no strong convictions. The campaign generated intense interest, and both candidates received strong support from their respective parties. On Election Day, with the highest voter turnout since 1968, Bush won a narrow but decisive victory; he polled 51 percent of the popular vote and 286 electoral votes, to Kerry's 48 percent and 252.