Here’s another installment in our State Election database – 2004. The real excitement that year was at the top of the ticket as Senator John Kerry attempted unsuccessfully to replace George W Bush as President. For this and all other annual election results, please visit our ELECTIONS page.

The big political news in 2004 was John Kerry’s run for president. In the Massachusetts presidential primary on March 2, Kerry received 440,964 votes to John Edwards’ 108,051, Dennis Kucinich’s 25,198, Howard Dean’s 17,076, Al Sharpton’s 6123, Joe Lieberman’s 5432, Wesley Clark’s 3109 and Carol Mosley Braun’s 1019. On the Republican side, George W Bush was unchallenged.

In the state primary, held on September 14, the only race contested locally was for Middlesex County Sheriff. Incumbent Jim DiPaola recieved 55,014 votes to Robert DeMoura’s 13,855 and Brian Gillis’ 8886. In Lowell, DeMoura (a Lowell Police Captain who lived in Chelmsford) received 1825 to DiPaola’s 1593 and Lowell-resident Gillis’ 486. DiPaola was unopposed in the state election.

In the November 2 state election, the Kerry-John Edwards ticket beat Bush-Dick Cheney, 1,803,800 to 1,071,109 (Kerry won Lowell, 18,195 to 10,554). In the Fifth Congressional District, Marty Meehan defeated Tom Tierney, 179,652 to 88,232. In the First Middlesex Senate District, Steve Panagiotakos defeated Republican Brooks Lyman, 43,080 to 13,737. In the only contested state rep race locally, Dave Nangle defeated Cliff Krieger, 9407 to 2671. Tom Golden and Kevin Murphy were unopposed for reelection (as was Marilyn Devaney for Governor’s Councillor).