United States Presidential Election in Georgia, 2004 - Analysis

Analysis

Like most of the rest of the southern states during the 2004 election, the political demographics of Georgia was based more around the racial majority in each county, with whites voting more Republican and blacks voting more Democratic. Democratic dominance in the state occurred in mostly black majority counties in the Black Belt region as well the urban center of the city of Atlanta (located mostly in central Fulton County) along with its core southern suburbs (Clayton and DeKalb County). Athens-Clarke County, home of the University of Georgia, also supported Kerry's bid, largely as a consequence of being a college town with traditionally left-leaning political views. Since just about every other part of Georgia had a majority white population, Republican dominance occurred in just about every other part of the state including suburban Atlanta where most of Georgia's population resides. Suburban Atlanta also includes northern Fulton county (the former Milton County area) which despite being part of heavily urban,and majority black central Fulton county, is predominately white, suburban, and perhaps the most affluent area in the state of Georgia. This area also voted heavily in favor of Republican presidential incumbent George W. Bush.

In other down ballot races, Republicans gained Georgia's Class III U.S. Senate seat which was then held by Zell Miller (D) with Johnny Isakson's (R) victory in the open seat race to succeed him and also gained control of the Georgia House of Representatives, and thus control of both houses of the Georgia General Assembly (having already gained control of the Georgia State Senate in 2002), for the first time since reconstruction. However, despite these achievements, Democrats gained one of Georgia's U.S. House seats with John Barrow's (D) victory over incumbent Representative Max Burns (R).