PENNSYLVANIA 21 Electoral Votes

Democrats appeared to have a couple of slight advantages in Pennsylvania compared to 2000.  With the election of Ed Rendell in 2002, they controlled the governorship.  Also, Senator Kerry's wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, chairs The Heinz Endowments, two foundations based in Pittsburgh whose mission is "to help southwestern Pennsylvania thrive as a whole community -- economically, ecologically, educationally, and culturally."  Shailagh Murray, in the Wall Street Journal (April 16, 2004), wrote that she is "regarded as St. Teresa in Pittsburgh."  The Kerrys have a home in Fox Chapel.

President Bush made a strong push in the Keystone State.  Prior to the campaign getting underway he had already made 25 visits to Pennsylvania (compared to 14 visits to Ohio).  In the eight months leading up to Election Day he continued to put time into the state, making 19 additional visits to the Keystone State (the same number as to Ohio).  Vice President Cheney also put in quality time, as he and Lynne Cheney did bus tours in July, August and October.

One of the leaders of the Democrats' campaign summed up the outcome thusly:

2004 continued the trend of polarization in Pennsylvania.  Democrats increased their margins of victory in Philadelphia, the surrounding "Main Line" counties, Pittsburgh, and most of Pennsylvania's other cities, while Republicans increased their margins in Central Pennsylvania and made significant inroads in the traditionally conservative Democratic counties surrounding Pittsburgh.
More succintly he stated, "The Democrats' victory was largely due to the massive turnout in Philadelphia and the surrounding counties.  Republicans also had great success with turnout, especially in Central Pennsylvania."  In fact, Karl Rove has singled out Pennsylvania and maybe New Mexico as swing states where Democrats did a better job of organizing than Republicans.1

Notes.
1. Nicholas Lemann.  "Fear and Favor: Why is everyone mad at the mainstream media?"  The New Yorker.  Feb. 14 and 21, 2005.
 
Bush-Cheney '04 Kerry-Edwards 2004
Organization details...  details...
BC'04 State Chair: Sen. Rick Santorum
Exec. Director: Guy Ciarrocchi
Deputy Exec. Director: Vince Galko
Comm. Director: Andrew Beck
Office: 116 Pine Street,  Harrisburg 

Victory Director: Peter Sheridan

Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania
State Chair: Alan P. Novak
Exec. Director: Dan Hayward
Office: 112 State Street, Harrisburg

 KE State Director: Tony Podesta
Deputy Director: Amanda Crumley
Comms. Director: Mark Nevins
Office: 1528 Walnut Street, 11th Floor,  Philadelphia

Coordinated Campaign Director: David Katz
Western Regional Headquarters: 225 Ross Street, Pittsburgh
Western Director: Art DeCoursey

Pennsylvania Democratic Party
State Chair: Rep. T.J. Rooney
Exec. Director: Dan Morabito 
Office: 510 N. Third St., Harrisburg

Travel  compare...
BUSH-CHENEY KERRY-EDWARDS
Final Month (Oct. 2-Nov. 2, 2004)
George W. Bush - 7 visits (7 days)
Dick Cheney (and Lynne Cheney) - 4 visits (5 days) 
Laura Bush (solo) - 2 visits (2 days)		 John Kerry - 4 visits (4 days) 
John Edwards - 3 visits (3 days) 
Teresa Heinz Kerry (solo) - 4 visits (8 days)
Elizabeth Edwards (solo) - 5 visits  (5 days)
Eight Months (March 2-Nov. 2, 2004)
George W. Bush - 19 visits (19 days)
Dick Cheney (and Lynne Cheney) - 9 visits (10 days)
Laura Bush (solo) - 5 visits 
Lynne Cheney (solo) - 1 visit (1 day)		 John Kerry - 19 visits (22 days)
John Edwards - 9 visits (11 days) 
Teresa Heinz Kerry (solo) - 8 visits (14 days)
Elizabeth Edwards (solo) - 6 visits (6 days)

Newspaper Endorsements
BUSH
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Erie Times-News
The Express-Times [Easton]
York Daily Record
Altoona Mirror
Lebanon Daily News
The Sentinel [Carlisle]		 KERRY
The Citizens' Voice [Wilkes-Barre]  (10/25/04)
Herald Standard [Uniontown]  (10/25/04) >
Pittsburgh Post Gazette  (10/24/04)
Morning Call [Allentown]  (10/24/04)
Centre Daily Times [State College]  (10/24/04)
Philadelphia Inquirer  (10/10/04)
Philadelphia Daily News  (06/16/04) ...first major newspaper to endorse
Bucks County Courier Times
Times Leader [Wilkes-Barre]
Doylestown Intelligencer 
Beaver County Times


Third Party and Independent
Nader Ballot Access
Nader needed 25,697 valid signatures to appear on the ballot.  His supporters filed some 51,000 signatures just before the deadline at 5:00 p.m. on Aug. 2, 2004.  A week later, on Aug. 9, attorneys went to the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg and challenged the validity of over 30,000 of those signatures.  A three-judge panel of the Commonwealth Court took up the matter and disqualified Nader and Camejo from being on the ballot as Independent candidates because they were running as nominees of the Reform Party in another state.  Judge Doris A. Smith-Ribner authored the Aug. 30 Opinion (No. 568 M.D. 2004).  On Sept. 20 the Pennsylvania Supreme Court reversed the ruling and ordered that the Commonwealth Court do a review of the signatures. The Commonwealth Court held hearings in five cities on Sept. 27 to consider challenges to the signatures.  On Oct. 14 Commonwealth Court President Judge James Gardner Colins issued a sharply critical ruling finding that only 18,818 signatures were valid.  On Oct. 21 the Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld the finding.  Nader requested the U.S. Supreme Court review the state court's decision; on Oct. 23 the Supreme Court denied Nader's appeal.  (Note that in the course of all this back and forth a few counties sent out absentee ballots with Nader's name on them, and there was some legal rangling over those; they were to be counted as write ins).

Pennsylvania State Coordinator (volunteer): Dan Martino  WPA-Justin McVay

Copyright © 2005  Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action.


The 2004 Campaign on the Web--Pennsylvania
Republican State Comm. of PA Democratic Party of PA
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Green Party of PA Libertarian Party of PA Constitution Party of PA
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PA Victory '04 (Democratic Coordinated Campaign) Environmental Victory Project - Pennsylvania
...Senate
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Arlen Specter (R) Joe Hoeffel (D) Jim Clymer (C) Betsy Summers (L)
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