The Republican Party struggled to maintain control of Washington DC during Pres. Bush's first administration. The 2000 election had resulted in a 50-50 tie in the Senate, and the Democrats reduced the Republican majority in the House to just nine. Outgoing VP Gore cast the tie breaking vote to help the Democrats organize the Senate on 1/3/2001, and incoming VP Cheney broke the tie to give the Republicans control on 1/20/2001. The Democrats regained control of the Senate on 5/24 when Sen. Jeffords changed from a Republican to an Independent caucusing with the Democrats.

Partisan rancor was set aside following the terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001. Congress passed a $15 billion bailout of the airline industry and created the Office of Homeland Security. An economic downturn led to the fall of giants Enron, Arthur Anderson, and WorldCom. In 2002, Pres. Bush began to provide information that Saddam Hussein, leader of Iraq, had weapons of mass destruction. He addressed the United Nations on 9/12/2002, and on 10/10/2002, Congress authorized him to use military force against Iraq if Hussein did not end his weapons program.

Soon after the vote, Pres. Bush took short campaign swings to help increase the Republican control of Congress. The tactic was successful. In the Senate, Republicans picked up one formerly independent seat and netted one Democratic seat in the midterm elections to regain a 51-49 majority. In the House, the Republicans moved to a 24-vote majority, just one shy of their earlier high water mark in 1995.

The year 2003 was dominated by news in Iraq. A group of inspectors appointed by the United Nations was unable to find any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and so on 3/19/2003, Pres. Bush ordered the first "shock and awe" missile attack on Baghdad. Two days later, US-led armed forces invaded Iraq. Baghdad was occupied in three weeks. Although Pres. Bush announced that major combat operations were over on 5/1/2003, intermittent insurgent attacks prolonged the tour of duty of US and allied troops. He asked Congress for an appropriation of an additional $87.5 billion, which was approved on 11/3/2003. Insurgent attacks in Iraq increased in the last eight weeks of 2003.

The Republican Presidential Primaries

At the beginning of 2004, Pres. Bush's popularity stood at 60%, which was relatively high for a president in times of turmoil. The Republican Party was mostly united behind him, and no major candidates challenged his re-nomination. He won 80% of the vote in the New Hampshire primary on 1/27/2004, which was his poorest performance in any primary. One in eight NH Republicans wrote in the name of one of the Democratic presidential contenders.

Bush fared much better in the following primaries. He ran unopposed in 11 primaries and won over 90% of the vote in 11 of the remaining 16 primaries. Only RI and NH gave him less than 85%.

As the primaries proceeded, the situation in Iraq worsened. Insurgents dramatically stepped up their attacks on 4/3/2004, and in the following month they killed 127 US soldiers. Bush's approval ratings fell below 50%, so he started a tour of battleground states on 5/3/2004, visiting OH, MI, IA, and WI. The furor over the Abu Ghraib photographs of prisoner abuse hit its height during this trip. Just as the primary season ended, former Pres. Ronald Reagan died, and Pres. Bush played a role in the formal memorial service at the Washington Cathedral.

Overall in the primaries, Bush won 98% of the vote and all delegates at stake.

Republican presidential primaries of 2000

Republican presidential primaries of 2008

Republican National Convention of 2004

Popular Vote of 2004

Electoral Vote of 2004