United States Presidential election, 2004 (Napoleon's World)

The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. The incumbent, President Mitt Romney of the National Party, was ineligible to run as he was term limited. The Democratic nominee, James "Jay" Leno, the Governor of Massachusetts, defeated the Nationalist candidate, Jeb Bush, the Governor of Florida, by a margin of 14 electoral votes thanks to his somewhat controversial victory in Pacifica. The election marked the first Democratic President elected since 1992, and only the third Democratic President elected since 1960.

Background
The popular Mitt Romney was term limited after the 2004 election, and the election became a referendum on the path the country wanted to take with the economy finally robust once more. Romney's popularity had survived due to successful "military assistance operations" in Scotland and Cyrene during his first term and in Africa throughout his second. Democrats were highly critical of the newfound military presence in the Nationalist government and the "sphere of policing" Romney had established in strategically important nations. Some had interpreted Romney's actions as an attempted escalation of the Cold War to reestablish American might in the wake of France's disastrous campaigns in Vietnam during the 1980's and in Siam in the 1990's. However, the booming economy, especially between 2000-2003, helped Romney's image and the 2002 midterm elections had only seen a net loss of four seats for the incumbent Nationalists in the House of Representatives. The Mars Mission of 2003 was a huge victory for the Romney administration.

The 2004 election thus became a question of whether the National Party could find a worthy successor to their strongest President since Dick van Dyke, and how they planned to continue his plans. The Democrats, meanwhile, were determined to use the newfound growth and positive spirit in America to push ambitious social programs they had been trying to pass since the 1970's to little or no avail.

National Party Candidates Gallery

 * Florida Governor Jeb Bush declared for the election in early 2003. With his father having served as Vice President to Robert Redford and his grandfather having been President between 1945-1953, Bush was the clear frontrunner due to name recognition and experience.
 * Kahokia Senator Joshua Pollmer entered the election as the strongest Congressional presence in the National Party primary. A longtime Senator from Kahokia, many felt that Pollmer offered the best balance between conservative ideology and the "reform right" movement begun by Romney.
 * Texas Senator Jim Bicky had an early lead in campaign financing, having declared his intention to not just run but "win the Presidency" as early as 2002. His youthful appeal was considered his strongest asset going into the primaries.
 * Kansas Governor Oscar "Ossie" Clowney was considerered a strong potential candidate due to his presence as the first-ever black governor of Kansas - however, he was also unpopular in his home state of Kansas and considered a long-shot to win a third term at home in 2006.
 * Nova Scotia Congressman Clint Borsten emerged in late 2003 as a strong grassroots contender, but he was seen as too conservative by many moderate Nationalists and was also criticized by his opponents for hailing from a relatively sparsely populated district in his home state.