---
title: "Political Division Multipliers"
description: "President Bush’s margin last year over Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, 2.4 percentage points, was the smallest of any victorious presidential incumbent in history. He won a very close election. But in most of the country, the 2004 race wasn’t even close to being close. A Pew Research Center analysis shows that in the majority […]"
date: "2005-09-06"
authors:
  - name: "Pew Research Center"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2005/09/06/political-division-multipliers/"
categories:
  - "Election 2004"
  - "George W. Bush"
  - "Political & Civic Engagement"
  - "Voter Participation"
---

# Political Division Multipliers

President Bush's margin last year over Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, 2.4 percentage points, was the smallest of any victorious presidential incumbent in history. He won a very close election.

But in most of the country, the 2004 race wasn't even close to being close. A Pew Research Center analysis shows that in the majority of the nation's 3,153 counties, the election was a landslide -- with either Mr. Bush or Mr. Kerry winning by a margin of at least 20 percentage points.

[View Commentary](http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2005/sep/3/20050903-090947-2338r/)