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George W. Bush
SNAPSHOT
President Bush had the power of incumbency on
his side as he sought re-election to office. He has traveled extensively around
the country, amassing a campaign war chest that allowed him to avoid the need
for public financing, and the campaign spending limits that accompany it.
It was a recipe that worked well in his first campaign, in which he raised
so much money, that many of his dispirited Republican challengers dropped
out of the race before the first primary was held. Bush's popularity soared
following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Although his favorable poll numbers often dipped below 50 percent, Bush was able to stay on his message during his entire campaign: the fight against terrorism. In the end, according to exit polling on Election Day, the election was as much about the war in Iraq and the fight against terrorism, as an affirmation of Bush's policies.
He won the election on November 2, 2004 with the largest popular vote in the nation's history, thanks in large measure to a huge turnout.
Clinton advisor and Gore backer turns Bush booster
Political consultant Dick Morris is often credited with propelling Bill Clinton into the White House for a second term, despite having to resign before the campaign ended amid a prostitution scandal. He's not a Democrat, though. An avowed independent, Morris voted for Al Gore in 2000, but this year, he's thrown his support behind President George W. Bush. He explained his politics and offered his analysis of the American political process at the Commonwealth Club of California on August 10. ( 08/23/2004)
Bush campaign targets Wisconsin, Minnesota in latest swing
President George W. Bush is in Crawford, Texas, resting after a bus tour that took him through Wisconsin and Minnesota. The president made a campaign stop on Wednesday just across the St. Croix River in Hudson, Wis., followed by a rally at the Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul. He repeated many of the campaign's familiar themes on the economy and the war in Iraq. But he also opened the dialogue slightly by inviting audience members to pepper him with questions. (08/19/2004)
Presidential politics
With President George W. Bush coming to Minnesota for the third time in a little over a month, we talk with one of our political analysts about the state of the 2004 presidential campaign. Both the President and Democratic candidate John Kerry are campaigning unusually hard both in Minnesota and in swing states across the nation in what Arizona Sen. John McCain has called "the bitterest, most unsavory campaign in the nation's history." ( 08/18/2004)
O'Grady: Kerry's actions after Vietnam constituted treason
Scott O'Grady, the Air Force pilot who captured headlines in 1995 when he survived being shot down over Bosnia, on Friday said Sen. John Kerry committed "treason" during the Vietnam War. (08/13/2004)
Laura Bush woos female business owners
First lady Laura Bush made a campaign stop in central Minnesota Tuesday, visiting a quilt shop in the city of Waite Park near St. Cloud. After a tour through rows of colorful fabric, the first lady spoke to a crowd of female business owners. Laura Bush said her husband's policies are strengthening the nation's small businesses.
Meanwhile, a group of Democratic businesswomen in St. Cloud say the president hasn't done enough. They spent the morning touting John Kerry's proposals to strengthen small business. (08/10/2004)
The role of the first lady
President George W. Bush has been warming up crowds at campaign rallies lately with the applause line: "I'm going to give you some reasons why I think you need to put me back in office, but perhaps the most important reason of all is so that Laura will be First Lady for four more years." The crowd cheers, presumably expressing their preference for the president's wife over Theresa Heinz Kerry. And although the First Lady has no official duties, it's clear that the electorate pays attention to the people married to the candidates. But what does the American public expect from the First Lady? An activist? Someone who stays out of political fray? Or somehow both things at once? ( 08/10/2004)
Vice President Cheney visits East Grand Forks
Vice-President Dick Cheney visited East Grand Forks, Minnesota on Friday. Cheney's visit is part of a Republican push to win in Minnesota this fall. Traditionally a stronghold for Democrats in the presidential election, Minnesota is seen as a battleground state in 2004. (08/06/2004)
Farmers, hunters turn out for Bush stop in southern Minnesota
Minnesota is becoming familiar territory for President Bush. On Wednesday, the president made his 10th visit to the state since taking office. The purpose of the trip was two-fold. At a stop in LeSueur, he announced plans to expand a popular federal initiative called the Conservation Reserve Program. It pays farmers to take highly erodible land out of crop production. Later in the afternoon, he led a re-election rally in Mankato, where he encouraged several thousand supporters to get out the vote. (08/05/2004)
President Bush visits Minnesota
President Bush campaigns in LeSueur and Mankato. Political science professor Chris Gilbert discusses residential politics in Minnesota. ( 08/04/2004)
DFL mayor of St. Paul supports Bush re-election
St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly, a lifelong DFLer, is boarding a plane today, and touring the state with Republicans who support President George W. Bush. Mayor Kelly came out yesterday in support of the president's re-election campaign. Kelly's announcement comes just three days after the Democratic Party nominated Sen. John Kerry for president. Kelly's tour around the state brings him, Gov. Tim Pawlenty, and Republican State House Speaker Steve Sviggum to Rochester and Duluth. Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer spoke with St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly. (08/02/2004)
St. Paul mayor supports Bush for re-election
St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly broke Democratic Party ranks on Sunday to announce his support for President Bush's re-election. Kelly said he's remaining a Democrat, however. (08/01/2004)
MPR Poll: Minnesota voters divided about Iraq
A new poll shows Minnesotans continue to be divided about the war in Iraq and its aftermath. The Minnesota Public Radio-St. Paul Pioneer Press poll finds no overwhelming consensus on whether the U.S. intervention will make things better in Iraq, and whether it will improve the United States' standing in the world. (07/20/2004)
MPR Poll: Presidential race a dead heat
A new poll suggests Minnesota voters are evenly divided between re-electing President George Bush or replacing him with Democratic rival John Kerry. The survey, commissioned by Minnesota Public Radio and the St. Paul Pioneer Press, shows 45 percent of likely voters favor Sen. Kerry and 44 percent support Bush. Ralph Nader attracted 2 percent support. Those results haven't changed much in the last few months. (07/19/2004)
Cheney fires up Republicans in Minneapolis
Vice President Dick Cheney rallied the Republican Party faithful Saturday at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The visit was part of Cheney's Midwest campaign swing through Michigan, Iowa and Nebraska. It follows just days after President George W. Bush's rally in Duluth. (07/17/2004)
Bush courts voters in Democratic territory -- Duluth
Thousands of people turned out to hear President Bush at a campaign rally in Duluth Tuesday evening. The president's visit comes on the heels of a northeastern Minnesota campaign stop by Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry earlier this month. In Duluth, Bush told supporters he -- not Kerry -- represents the values of the nation's heartland. (07/13/2004)
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