[POL] 2004 Election Results for Every State

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/11/3/151355.shtml

<b><font size="+1">2004 Election Results for Every State</font></b>

NewsMax.com Wires

Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2004

<b><font size="+1">The Northeast</font></b>

<b>CONNECTICUT</b>

PRESIDENT (7) - Kerry all the way, by nearly 10 points.

SENATE - Democrat Chris Dodd became the state's first five-term senator.

HOUSE - Remains 3R, 2D. Two popular Republican incumbents, Chris Shays and Rob Simmons, survived an anti-Bush backlash.

EXIT POLL - About 40 percent of Kerry voters said they were voting against Bush rather than for the senator.

<b>DELAWARE</b>

PRESIDENT (3) - Support from women and blacks plus anti-war vote gave Kerry the win.

GOVERNOR - Democrat Ruth Ann Minner won re-election narrowly.

HOUSE - 1R. Republican Michael Castle averted Democrat sweep of statewide offices with easy re-election.

EXIT POLL - Kerry got strong support from moderates and voters who described themselves as worse off financially than they were four years ago.

<b>DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA</b>

PRESIDENT (3) - No surprise here: Kerry won handily in a city as Democrat as Wyoming is Republican.

HOUSE - Remains 1D. Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat, captured eighth term as shadow delegate who can vote in committee but not on the House floor. Norton has been a big proponent of District of Columbia statehood.

OTHER - Former Mayor Marion Barry resuscitated his career yet again, winning a seat on City Council. He was once caught smoking crack on an FBI videotape.

EXIT POLL - Seven of 10 voters said they were worried about another terrorist attack. Nine of 10 voters cast ballots for Kerry.

<b>MAINE</b>

PRESIDENT (4) - Kerry won both of Maine's congressional districts, ending speculation the state would split its four electoral votes for the first time in modern history.

HOUSE - Remains 2D. Democrat House members Tom Allen and Michael Michaud handily beat back Republican challengers.

PROPOSITIONS - Mainers rejected a proposal to cap property taxes and a bid to ban the use of bait, hounds and traps to hunt bears.

EXIT POLL - About half of Maine households own a gun, and Bush ran more strongly than Kerry among those that do. Kerry won more support from non-gun households.

<b>MARYLAND</b>

PRESIDENT (10) - Kerry kept state in Democrat column.

SENATE - Democrat Sen. Barbara Mikulski handily fended off challenge from millionaire GOP state Sen. E.J. Pipkin.

HOUSE - 6D, 2R. Second-ranking House Democrat leader Steny Hoyer and seven other incumbents coasted to victory.

EXIT POLL - Kerry won among voters in all income categories.

<b>MASSACHUSETTS</b>

PRESIDENT (12) - Kerry captured his home state without breaking a sweat: 62 percent to Bush's 37 percent.

HOUSE - 10D. Voters returned all Democrat incumbents to Capitol Hill, including Rep. James McGovern, who defeated a GOP leader of the anti-gay-marriage movement in Massachusetts.

LEGISLATURE - Democrats added three seats to their already-overwhelming majority.

EXIT POLL - Kerry, a Roman Catholic and protester against Vietnam War, won among veterans and Catholics.

<b>NEW HAMPSHIRE</b>

PRESIDENT (4) - Kerry became first Democrat since Woodrow Wilson in 1912 to beat a sitting Republican president in New Hampshire.

SENATE - Veteran Republican Sen. Judd Gregg handily beat 94-year-old Doris "Granny D" Haddock.

GOVERNOR - Democrat challenger John Lynch defeated Gov. Craig Benson, the first time since 1926 that a New Hampshire governor has been denied second term.

HOUSE - Remains 2R. Five-term GOP Rep. Charles Bass breezed past Democrat Paul Hodes.

EXIT POLL - Voters' anger over Iraq and frustration over their finances helped Kerry.

<b>NEW JERSEY</b>

PRESIDENT (15) - Kerry prevailed, but his 7-point margin was less than half the spread Al Gore got in 2000.

HOUSE - 7D, 6R. All members of delegation easily returned to office.

PROPOSITIONS - Voters in tiny town of South Belmar voted to change its name to Lake Como. Projected cost: up to $18,000 for items such as new signs and police badges.

EXIT POLL - New Jersey lost nearly 700 residents in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and about half the voters said they feel less safe from terrorism than four years ago. That's a slightly higher proportion than nationally.

<b>NEW YORK</b>

PRESIDENT (31) - Kerry coasted to victory in state that has five Democrats for every three Republicans.

SENATE - Democrat Charles Schumer, with $26 million war chest, trounced defeated Republican Howard Mills for second term.

HOUSE - 19D, 10R. Race between Democrat Brian Higgins and Republican Nancy Naples for open was still undecided.

EXIT POLL - White New Yorkers split their vote evenly, but Kerry won 90 percent of state's black vote and large majorities of Hispanic and Asian vote.

<b>PENNSYLVANIA</b>

PRESIDENT (21) - Kerry won narrowly but did better in Philadelphia suburbs than Al Gore did four years ago.

SENATE - Republican Arlen Specter easily won a fifth term.

HOUSE - 12R, 7D. First-term Republican Rep. Jim Gerlach edged a Democrat challenger to keep his seat in a suburban Philadelphia swing district.

EXIT POLL - Kerry gained a slight edge over Bush among first-time voters.

<b>RHODE ISLAND</b>

PRESIDENT (4) - Kerry, by a 21 percent margin.

HOUSE - Remains 2D. Democrat Rep. Patrick Kennedy sailed to a sixth term.

PROPOSITIONS - Voters approved more than $300 million to improve roads, renovate college dorms and construct biotechnology center at University of Rhode Island.

EXIT POLL - Kerry took a large majority of voters who said their family's finances were worse today than four years ago.

<b>VERMONT</b>

PRESIDENT: (3) - Kerry won by 10 points.

SENATE - Democrat Patrick Leahy amassed 70 percent of the vote.

GOVERNOR - Republican incumbent James Douglas won a second term.

HOUSE - 1 Ind. Rep. Bernie Sanders, the House's only independent, won easy re-election.

EXIT POLL - A third of Vermonters, more than twice the level nationally, chose the war in Iraq as their most important issue in the presidential race. Six in 10 said they disapproved of Bush's handling of the war.

<b><font size="+1">The Midwest</font></b>

<b>ILLINOIS</b>

PRESIDENT (21) - Kerry easily beat Bush.

SENATE - Democrat Barack Obama will be nation's only black senator, winning in a landslide over Republican Alan Keyes, who moved from Maryland after a sex scandal forced GOP primary winner Jack Ryan out of race. Obama won four in 10 Republican voters and a third of conservatives.

HOUSE - New: 10D, 9R. Democrat political novice Melissa Bean upset Republican Phil Crane, 35-year veteran congressman and conservative stalwart.

EXIT POLL - Half of state's voters said they consider themselves moderate, and they largely went for Obama and Kerry.

<b>INDIANA</b>

PRESIDENT (11) - Bush won in a walk, continuing state's 36-year tradition of backing Republicans.

SENATE - Democrat Sen. Evan Bayh drew bipartisan support to defeat sociology professor Marvin Scott.

GOVERNOR - Former Bush budget director Mitch Daniels gave the GOP control of governor's office for first time in 16 years, defeating Democrat Gov. Joe Kernan.

HOUSE - Was 6R, 3D. Democratic Rep. Baron Hill did not concede, though GOP challenger Mike Sodrel declared victory.

EXIT POLL - More than three-quarters of Daniels supporters said they decided more than a month ago who would get their votes, compared with about two-thirds of Kernan's supporters.

<b>IOWA</b>

PRESIDENT (7) - Too close to call, with as many as 50,000 absentee ballots still outstanding.

SENATE - Republican Charles Grassley cruised to re-election.

HOUSE - Remains 4R, 1D. All five incumbents re-elected.

EXIT POLL - Kerry fared well among voters whose top issues were education, the economy and health care. Bush was favored by those interested in taxes and moral values.

<b>KANSAS</b>

PRESIDENT (6) - Bush in a landslide.

SENATE - Republican Sam Brownback won second term, trouncing Democrat who lost primary but got on ballot when nominee withdrew.

HOUSE - Remains 3R, 1D.

PROPOSITIONS - Wichita voters narrowly divided on proposal to impose a 1 percent sales tax to finance a $185.4 million downtown sports arena.

EXIT POLL - More than half of Kerry supporters said they voted mainly against the president.

<b>MICHIGAN</b>

PRESIDENT (17) - Kerry won as jobs and the economy were top issues for voters in a state with 6.8 percent unemployment and disappearing manufacturing jobs.

HOUSE - Remains 9R, 6D.

PROPOSITIONS - Voters approved constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage and to require new gambling sites to get voters' approval.

EXIT POLL - Jobs, the economy and the war in Iraq were uppermost in the minds of Kerry supporters. Bush backers focused on terrorism and moral values.

<b>MINNESOTA</b>

PRESIDENT (10) - Kerry won with more than 77 percent turnout, stopping GOP attempt to take Minnesota for first time since 1972.

HOUSE - Remains 4R, 4D. GOP Rep. Mark Kennedy won hard-fought race over missing-children advocate Patty Wetterling.

EXIT POLL - Kerry won strong majorities in biggest cities, with about six in 10 self-described moderates backing Kerry statewide.

<b>MISSOURI</b>

PRESIDENT (11) - Bush beat Kerry with 53 percent of vote, more than doubling number of votes by which he carried Missouri over Gore in 2000.

SENATE - Republican Sen. Kit Bond won fourth term with 56 percent against state Treasurer Nancy Farmer.

GOVERNOR - Republican Matt Blunt, son of Rep. Roy Blunt, beat state Auditor Claire McCaskill with 51 percent of vote. Blunt will be state's first GOP governor since John Ashcroft, now U.S. attorney general, who served 1985-93.

HOUSE - Remains 5R, 4D. Democrat Russ Carnahan, son of former Sen. Jean Carnahan and the late Gov. Mel Carnahan, won St. Louis seat of retiring Rep. Dick Gephardt.

EXIT POLL - Kerry had slight edge among voters 65 and older. Two candidates almost evenly split among Catholic voters.

<b>NEBRASKA</b>

PRESIDENT (5) - Bush coasted to victory in state that has backed Republicans since 1964.

HOUSE - Remains 3R. Republican Jeff Fortenberry won the seat of GOP Rep. Doug Bereuter, who left in 13th term to become head of the Asia Foundation.

PROPOSITIONS - Voters rejected casino gambling.

EXIT POLL - Bush did well among voters in small cities and rural areas. Kerry fared nearly as well as Bush in urban areas but got just 32 percent of statewide vote.

<b>NORTH DAKOTA</b>

PRESIDENT (3) - Bush won by wider margin than he did in 2000 and extended 40-year Democrat losing streak. Only three Democrat presidential candidates - Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson - have ever carried the state.

SENATE - Democrat Byron Dorgan won his third race.

GOVERNOR - Republican John Hoeven cruised to second term.

HOUSE - Remains 1D. Democrat Earl Pomeroy easily won seventh term.

PROPOSITIONS - Voters approved by more than 70 percent a constitutional amendment to bar gay marriage and civil unions.

EXIT POLL - Voters who didn't identify themselves as conservative or liberal supported Democrat incumbents Dorgan and Pomeroy and Republican Hoeven.

<b>OHIO</b>

PRESIDENT (20) - Kerry conceded Ohio and the presidency, though the race here remained too close to call with provisional and absentee ballots yet to be counted.

SENATE - Republican Sen. George Voinovich won second term, easily beating Democrat challenger Eric Fingerhut, who walked 355 miles across the state.

HOUSE - Remains 6D, 12R. All 18 incumbents, including Democrat Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who lost bid for the presidential nomination, easily won re-election.

PROPOSITIONS - Voters expanded a law banning gay marriage, already considered the nation's toughest, with a constitutional amendment against civil unions. Cincinnati voters threw out a ban on gay rights laws, the only one in the nation.

EXIT POLL: One in seven voters said they were voting in their first election.

<b>SOUTH DAKOTA</b>

PRESIDENT (3) - Bush got 60 percent of the vote, as he did in 2000.

SENATE - Republican John Thune ousted Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle by 4,535 votes out of about 400,000 cast.

HOUSE - 1D. Stephanie Herseth re-elected after winning special election last June to fill seat vacated by Bill Janklow, convicted of manslaughter in car crash.

PROPOSITIONS - Voters rejected repeal of the sales tax on food by a 2-1 margin.

EXIT POLL - Nine in 10 voters concerned about moral values voted for Bush.

<b>WISCONSIN</b>

PRESIDENT (10) - Kerry by a tiny margin in heated swing state.

SENATE - Democrat Russ Feingold handily won third term against a former Army Ranger.

HOUSE - Remains 4R, 4D. Democrat state Sen. Gwen Moore became the state's first black elected to Congress.

EXIT POLL - Quarter of voters said they wanted a president who would "bring about needed change." Nearly all of them voted for Kerry.

<b><font size="+1">The West</font></b>

<b>ALASKA</b>

PRESIDENT (3) - Bush easily took a state that has gone Republican for the last 40 years.

SENATE - Republican Lisa Murkowski earned a term in the Senate in her own right Wednesday, defeating popular former Gov. Tony Knowles and overcoming the commotion that arose when her father, the governor, appointed her to fill his Senate term.

With 96 percent of precincts reporting, Murkowski had 49.5 percent to Knowles' 45 percent.

HOUSE - Remains: 1R. Incumbent Don Young, who calls himself the "congressman for all Alaskans," won a 17th term.

PROPOSITIONS - Alaskans rejected a measure to legalize and tax the sales of marijuana. Another measure fueled by the Murkowski controversy to eliminate appointments to fill Senate vacancies was trailing in the polls.

EXIT POLL - A quarter of voters said they had served in the military. They voted for Bush by nearly 3 to 1.

<b>ARIZONA</b>

PRESIDENT (10) - Bush racked up double-digit win.

SENATE - Popular Republican Sen. John McCain, seeking a fourth term, drew broad support across political and demographic lines; he edged out Stuart Starky among Democrats and grabbed a majority of support from independents.

HOUSE - 6R, 2D. Incumbent Republican Congressman Rick Renzi soundly defeated Democrat Paul Babbitt, brother of former Interior Secretary and ex-Gov. Bruce Babbitt, for a seat targeted by both parties in expensive, nasty campaign. Party breakdown remains the same.

PROPOSITIONS - Ignoring opposition from state officials, voters passed measure requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration, and proof of legal immigration to obtain certain government services.

EXIT POLL - Two in five Kerry supporters characterized their votes as anti-Bush; four in five ignored McCain's support for Bush in making their choice.

<b>CALIFORNIA</b>

PRESIDENT (55) - John Kerry claimed the nation's largest haul of electoral votes.

SENATE - Democrat Barbara Boxer sailed to a third term, easily outpolling Republican challenger Bill Jones.

HOUSE - 33D, 20R. California's heavily Democrat congressional delegation was set to return to Washington with two new faces among its 53 members. Republican Dan Lungren won a Sacramento-area seat, and Democrat Jim Costa will fill the seat now held by retiring Democrat Rep. Cal Dooley.

PROPOSITIONS - Voters rejected two expensive casino gambling initiatives, but approved sale of $3 billion in bonds to pay for embryonic stem cell research. Measure to roll back "three strikes" sentencing law was too close to call.

EXIT POLL - Four in 10 voters earning more than $150,000 chose Kerry, despite his promises to roll back a tax cut.

<b>COLORADO</b>

PRESIDENT (9) - Bush enjoyed a comfortable margin of victory despite late visits by John Kerry to the state where he was born.

SENATE - State Attorney General Ken Salazar gave Democrats a pickup in a solidly Republican state, sliding by Republican beer executive Peter Coors in a tight race. Salazar becomes the first Hispanic senator in more than a quarter-century.

HOUSE - 4R, 2D with a final race outstanding. Salazar's brother, Democrat John Salazar, was neck-and-neck with Republican Greg Walcher in the one race for an open seat. All six incumbents, four Republicans and two Democrats, won easily.

PROPOSITIONS - The closely watched referendum over whether to split Colorado's electoral votes based on the popular vote was soundly rejected. Voters approved a 64-cent state cigarette tax to fund health and education programs.

EXIT POLL - Women in Colorado were split evenly between Kerry and Bush; nationally, women overwhelmingly supported Kerry.

<b>HAWAII</b>

PRESIDENT (4) - Tight race at the end, but Kerry pulled off victory in a state that's gone Democrat in every election but two since gaining statehood. Islands briefly became battleground at campaign's end after polls showed tight race.

SENATE - Veteran Sen. Daniel Inouye, 80, won a lopsided race against Republican Cam Cavasso, a former state legislator.

HOUSE - 2D. Reps. Neil Abercrombie and Ed Case breezed to re-election.

PROPOSITIONS - Four constitutional amendments on ballot, all relating to crime and criminal prosecution, won approval. State attorney general and the Honolulu prosecutor backed them; opponents had said they would infringe on civil rights.

EXIT POLL - One in four voters strongly approved the U.S. decision to go to war with Iraq, and nearly all of them voted for the incumbent. Of the 35 percent of voters who strongly disapproved of the decision, nearly all went to Kerry.

<b>IDAHO</b>

PRESIDENT (4) - Bush won nearly 70 percent of the vote, one of the highest totals in the heavily Republican state's history.

SENATE - GOP incumbent Michael Crapo raised $2 million, and spent over a third of it, to fend off an anemic write-in challenge. Crapo got more than 99 percent of the vote.

HOUSE - Remains 2R. Underfunded Democrats offered little resistance to Michael Simpson and Butch Otter, who plans a bid for governor in two years.

EXIT POLL - Eight in 10 Idaho voters made up their minds about the presidential race a month or more before the polls opened, and seven of 10 had settled on Bush.

<b>MONTANA</b>

PRESIDENT (3) - Bush an easy winner.

GOVERNOR - Democrat Brian Schweitzer, who campaigned as an outsider promising bipartisan rule, scored a firm victory over Republican Secretary of State Bob Brown for office GOP has held for 16 years. Schweitzer made history by running with a Republican lieutenant governor.

HOUSE - 1R. Rep. Denny Rehberg by a mile over Democrat challenger Tracy Velazquez.

PROPOSITIONS - Voters turned down mining industry-backed initiative to overturn a ban on using cyanide in mining operations. Voters approved a constitutional ban on gay marriage and legalized medical marijuana.

EXIT POLL - Schweitzer, who supports importing less-expensive prescription drugs from Canada, received nearly two-thirds of the vote among those ages 60 and over.

<b>NEVADA</b>

PRESIDENT (5) - Bush took 50 percent vs. Kerry's 48 percent. He beat Gore 49.5 percent to 46 percent in 2000.

SENATE - Democrat Harry Reid, the Senate minority whip, easily defeated Republican challenger Richard Ziser and could be a contender for the minority leader's job left vacant by the defeat of South Dakota's Tom Daschle.

HOUSE - 2R, 1D. First-term Republican Rep. Jon Porter withstood a challenge from former casino executive Tom Gallagher.

PROPOSITIONS - Nevadans voted to raise the minimum wage and to give more protection to doctors from medical malpractice lawsuits. They also made education a top state budget priority.

EXIT POLLS - Exit polls showed Kerry ahead by a narrow margin, and Nevadans were concerned about a Bush-endorsed nuclear waste dump in the state. But though Kerry led in populous Las Vegas, he trailed in Republican-heavy Reno and in more conservative rural areas.

<b>NEW MEXICO</b>

PRESIDENT (5) - Bush and Kerry were locked in an extremely tight race with Bush about 3,600 votes ahead. Nearly 30,000 absentee and provisional ballots remained uncounted.

HOUSE - Remains 2R, 1D. Closest race was a repeat of 2002, with Republican Rep. Heather Wilson retaining her seat by withstanding a challenge from Democrat Richard Romero.

PROPOSITIONS - Voters agreed to allow runoffs in city elections where no candidate wins a majority or some other threshold percentage of the balloting.

EXIT POLL - Bush gained more Hispanic votes than he did in 2000, with about two in five Hispanics supported him. Other minorities, including American Indians, backed Kerry 2 to 1.

<b>OREGON</b>

PRESIDENT (7) - Kerry prevailed in state's all-mail balloting system.

SENATE - Heavily favored Democrat Sen. Ron Wyden easily won re-election, defeating little-known Republican newcomer Al King.

HOUSE - 4D, 1R. Rep. David Wu trounced Republican Goli Ameri, who attacked Wu in television ads, citing an October newspaper report that Wu tried to force a girlfriend to have sex in the 1970s.

PROPOSITIONS - Voters overwhelmingly adopted a constitutional amendment that bans gay marriage.

EXIT POLL - Nearly two of every three women surveyed cast their ballots for Kerry. Hispanics supported the Democrat candidate by a 4-to-1 margin.

<b>UTAH</b>

PRESIDENT (5) - Bush's win was a foregone conclusion.

SENATE - Another safe win for the GOP: two-term incumbent Bob Bennett coasted to a huge victory over Democrat Paul Van Dam, a former attorney general.

GOVERNOR - In a battle of household names, Republican Jon Huntsman Jr., trade official under President Bush and heir to a chemical fortune, defeated Scott Matheson, son of Utah's last Democrat governor.

HOUSE - Remains 2R, 1D. Matheson's brother, Rep. Jim Matheson, held onto his seat despite a barrage of negative 11th-hour campaigning by his opponent, John Swallow. The race was a rematch of 2002.

PROPOSITIONS - Voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

OTHER - Democrat Peter Corroon barely won the Salt Lake City mayor race, beating a replacement candidate for who only got on the Republican ballot when incumbent Nancy Workman quit amid felony charges of misusing public money.

EXIT POLL - Eight out of 10 Mormons went for Bush.

<b>WASHINGTON</b>

PRESIDENT (11) - Kerry claimed a comfortable triumph in a state that no Republican has won in 20 years.

SENATE - Democrat Sen. Patty Murray thrashed GOP challenger George Nethercutt after divisive, expensive campaign.

GOVERNOR - Attorney General Christine Gregoire led Dino Rossi, Republican businessman and former state senator, by just 32 votes at one point early Wednesay with hundreds of thousands of absentee votes outstanding in race to succeed Democrat Gov. Gary Locke.

HOUSE - 6D, 3R. In a tight race for the open 8th, Republican Dave Reichert, the sheriff who hunted down the Green River Killer, led talk radio host Dave Ross.

PROPOSITIONS - Voters adopted a Lousiana-style primary system that would send the top two vote-getters to the general election regardless of party.

EXIT POLL - Washington's wealthiest residents backed Kerry by wide margins, while nationally most people earning more than $100,000 a year voted for Bush.

<b>WYOMING</b>

PRESIDENT (3) - Dick Cheney's home state gives Bush a landslide.

HOUSE - 1R. Republican Barbara Cubin beat political newcomer Ted Ladd for a sixth term as Wyoming's lone representative.

PROPOSITIONS - Voters rejected constitutional amendment to allow Legislature to put caps on medical malpractice damage awards.

EXIT POLL - Bush performed strongly among those who said they had a favorable opinion of Cheney. Kerry had strong support among those who have an unfavorable opinion of Cheney. About two-thirds of Wyoming voters said they had a favorable opinion of Cheney.

<b><font size="+1">The South</font></b>

<b>ALABAMA</b>

PRESIDENT (9) - Bush won by 26 percentage points, despite Democrats' bid to rally voters for Kerry.

SENATE - GOP Sen. Richard Shelby easily claimed a fourth term, marking his 10th straight election to congressional or state office in three decades.

HOUSE - 5R, 2D. All incumbents won, including first-term Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, who sought re-election in a district Democrats had hoped to capture.

PROPOSITIONS - Voters were divided over a measure to repeal segregation-era language from the state constitution. The measure, which remained undecided early Wednesday, drew criticism from opponents who claimed it could trigger a court order to increase public school funding, risking a potential tax increase.

EXIT POLL - Bush won in every age range, including 18-to-24-year-old voters and more than two-thirds of those over 65.

<b>ARKANSAS</b>

PRESIDENT (6) - Bush benefited from heavy conservative turnout for anti-gay marriage amendment, winning by larger margin than his 2000 victory over Al Gore.

SENATE - Blanche Lincoln won second term, easily surviving a bid by state Sen. Jim Holt, who called liberal federal judges a greater threat to the nation than terrorists.

HOUSE - Remains 3D, 1R. Incumbents coasted.

PROPOSITIONS - Anti-gay marriage approved by 3-1 margin. Voters also gave Legislature permission to OK incentives for large businesses wanting to invest in state.

EXIT POLL - Voters who believe nation is safer from terrorism now than in 2000 went for Bush by a 9-1 margin.

<b>FLORIDA</b>

PRESIDENT (27) - President Bush claimed victory in the nation's top battleground state, four years after it took a 36-day recount and U.S. Supreme Court decision to settle the battle of Florida.

SENATE - Democrat Betty Castor on Wednesday conceded to Republican Mel Martinez in the tight race to succeed retiring Democrat Sen. Bob Graham. Martinez becomes the state's first Hispanic senator.

HOUSE - 18R, 7D. Republican Rep. Katherine Harris, vilified by Democrats while she served as secretary of state during 2000 recount, won in a rematch with Sarasota attorney Jan Schneider. Republican Connie Mack IV, son of the ex-senator, took the seat given up by new CIA director Porter Goss.

PROPOSITIONS - Voters approved a $1-an-hour increase in the state minimum wage and approved an initiative to limit privacy rights of girls under age 18, so that law could be changed to require parental notice if minors seek abortions. All eight amendments passed, including measures to limit medical malpractice and to repeal a multibillion-dollar passenger train.

EXIT POLL - Nearly eight in 10 voters picked their candidate more than a month ago. Kerry got a strong majority from people who made up their minds over the last month.

<b>GEORGIA</b>

PRESIDENT (15) - Bush trumped his 2000 margin of victory, getting 59 percent of the vote this time, compared to 55 percent then.

SENATE _ "Cream always rises to the top," said retiring Sen. Zell Miller, a maverick Democrat, about his GOP replacement, Rep. Johnny Isakson. Denise Majette was trounced in her bid to become the state's first black senator.

HOUSE - Democrat newcomer John Barrow and Republican freshman Rep. Max Burns remained locked in a race too close to call. Democrat Jim Marshall easily survived a GOP threat; Democrat Cynthia McKinney clinched the seat she lost two years ago to Majette.

PROPOSITIONS - Opponents of the state's new constitutional ban on gay marriages vowed to take it to the courts after it passed by more than a 3-to-1 margin.

EXIT POLL - With touch-screen machines in every precinct, nine of 10 voters said they were confident their votes would be accurately counted.

<b>KENTUCKY</b>

PRESIDENT (8) - Bush trounced Kerry, another big Southern loss for the U.S. senator from Massachusetts.

SENATE - GOP incumbent Jim Bunning in a squeaker over Daniel Mongiardo, denying the Democrats a potential pickup in the Senate. Bunning's odd behavior in the campaign's final days made it close.

HOUSE - Current, 4R, 2D; new 5R, 1D. Republican businessman Geoff Davis picked up the seat of retiring Democrat Ken Lucas in conservative district. Davis beat Nick Clooney, father of actor George Clooney.

PROPOSITIONS - Voters approved amendment banning gay marriage and civil unions by 3-to-1 margin.

OTHER - Former Gov. Julian Carroll, a Democrat, made a return to politics with a state Senate win over the governor's brother, Republican Harold Fletcher.

EXIT POLL - Nearly three-fourths of voters who described themselves as evangelical or born-again Christians backed Bush, and six in 10 supported Bunning.

<b>LOUISIANA</b>

PRESIDENT (9) - Bush easily took the state that neighbors his native Texas.

SENATE - Rep. David Vitter won a slim majority and barely avoided a runoff, becoming the first Republican from Louisiana to serve in the Senate since Reconstruction.

HOUSE - Remains 5R, 2D. Republican Bobby Jindal, who lost the governor's race last year, won to become the first Indian American in Congress. Republican Billy Tauzin III advanced to Dec. 4 runoff for the seat vacated by his father. He'll face Democrat Charlie Melancon.

PROPOSITIONS - Amendment established constitutional right to hunt and fish.

EXIT POLL - Although women nationwide were more likely to vote for Kerry, Bush was the choice of 60 percent of Louisiana's women.

<b>MISSISSIPPI</b>

PRESIDENT (6) - Bush swept in a state that has gone Republican in every presidential election since 1980.

HOUSE - Remains 2R, 2D. All four of Mississippi's incumbent congressmen won re-election, including Democrat Bennie Thompson, who faced a rematch against Republican Clinton LeSueur in a poor, primarily rural district stretching through the Delta.

PROPOSITIONS - A constitutional amendment banning gay marriage passed overwhelmingly; opponents plan a challenge in the courts.

EXIT POLL - Nine of 10 voters supported Bush's handling of the war in Iraq in a state that has 4,000 soldiers who have either served there or are preparing to.

<b>NORTH CAROLINA</b>

PRESIDENT (15) - Bush handily wins state traditionally in GOP column.

SENATE - Rep. Richard Burr won John Edwards' old seat, defeating former Clinton aide Erskine Bowles, who became a two-time loser after falling in the 2002 Senate race to Elizabeth Dole.

GOVERNOR - Incumbent Mike Easley won a second term, defeating GOP challenger Patrick Ballantine with a campaign that argued that Easley effectively led the state through tough fiscal times.

HOUSE - Remains 7R, 6D. For the third straight election, no seats changed party hands as Republican Charles Taylor won an eighth term, beating challenger Patsy Keever in western 11th district.

EXIT POLL - Republican appeals to moral and faith issues were effective; one quarter of Bush supporters said religious faith was their most important presidential quality.

<b>OKLAHOMA</b>

PRESIDENT (7) - Bush won 2-to-1 in state that has majority of Democrat voters but hasn't elected a Democrat president since Lyndon Johnson in 1964.

SENATE - Former Republican Rep. Tom Coburn, an obstetrician, defeated Democrat Brad Carson with 53 percent of the vote to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Don Nickles.

HOUSE - Remains 4R, 1D: newcomer Dan Boren replacing Carson.

PROPOSITIONS - Voters endorsed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and approved a lottery and a measure giving state share of Indian casino profits.

EXIT POLL - Voters were twice as likely as those nationwide to be white evangelical and born-again Christians. Three-fourths of them backed Bush.

<b>SOUTH CAROLINA</b>

PRESIDENT (8) - Bush rolls with about 58 percent, a margin almost identical to his victory in 2000.

SENATE - Rep. Jim DeMint picked up an extra seat for the Republican Party despite a tough challenge from Democrat state Education Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum. Both hoped to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings.

HOUSE - Remains 4R, 2D. Republican Bob Inglis easily recaptured the 4th District seat, which he gave up six years ago. It came open when DeMint began his quest for Senate.

PROPOSITIONS - Ballot question lifting the requirement that bars and restaurants pour drinks from miniature bottles of liquor like those used on airliners was approved by a 3-2 margin.

EXIT POLL - Bush grabbed support from about 21 percent of minority men but from only about 12 percent of minority women. The state's population is almost 30 percent black.

<b>TENNESSEE</b>

PRESIDENT (11) - Blowout for Bush, who recaptured 2000 rival Al Gore's home state in 14-percentage point landslide.

HOUSE - Remains 5D, 4R. All incumbents win another term. Democrat Lincoln Davis had the only serious race, a repeat of his 2002 victory over Tullahoma alderwoman Janice Bowling.

EXIT POLL - A third of Tennessee voters said "moral values" was the most important issue in choosing a president. Of those voters, nine of 10 chose Bush.

<b>TEXAS</b>

PRESIDENT (34) - What'd you expect? Bush, former governor and favorite son of Crawford, claimed state and nation's second-largest trove of electoral votes.

HOUSE - 21R, 11D. After GOP-led redistricting, Chet Edwards was only one of five incumbent Democrats to win competitive races in Republican-tilted districts. Losers were Martin Frost, Max Sandlin, Nick Lampson and Charlie Stenholm.

PROPOSITIONS - Voters in Arlington, home of the Texas Rangers, approved a tax increase to pay half the $650 million price tag for new Dallas Cowboys stadium.

EXIT POLL - Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed said they supported Bush's decision to invade Iraq. Bush also won majority of the Hispanic vote, improving on his mark of four years ago.

<b>VIRGINIA</b>

PRESIDENT (13) - It looked close early on, but Bush picked up the rural vote, allowing Republicans to keep alive their presidential win streak going back 40 years.

HOUSE - Remains 8R, 3D. Republican state legislator Thelma Drake stepped in to keep Democrats from picking up a seat after incumbent Ed Schrock retired amid gay sex allegations. Democrat Jim Moran holds onto seat despite comments perceived as anti-Semitic.

PROPOSITIONS - Voters in state hit by Sept. 11 attackers backed constitutional amendment expanding list of successors to governor in event of an emergency.

OTHER - L. Douglas Wilder goes from first black elected governor in country's history to 1992 presidential candidate and now mayor of his hometown, Richmond. He beats the incumbent in a landslide.

EXIT POLL - Veterans in Virginia, home of several major military bases, went strongly for Bush, not the Vietnam-serving Kerry.

<b>WEST VIRGINIA</b>

PRESIDENT (5) - Bush's 12 percentage-point win doubled his winning margin in 2000.

GOVERNOR - Democrat Secretary of State Joe Manchin received 64 percent of the vote to defeat Republican Monty Warner and Mountain Party candidate Jesse Johnson in three-way race. Gov. Bob Wise did not seek re-election.

HOUSE - Remains 2D, 1R. West Virginia's three House members, including lone GOP member Shelley Moore Capito, were re-elected.

PROPOSITIONS - Veterans who served in Kosovo, Afghanistan or Iraq to receive cash bonus.

EXIT POLL - Seven in 10 voters said someone in their household owns a gun, and more than three in five of them voted for Bush.


<i>© 2004 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</i>
 
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