2004 Delaware gubernatorial election

2004 Delaware gubernatorial election
November 2, 2004
	Minner: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% ; Lee: 40–50% 50–60%
Governor before election; Ruth Ann Minner; Democratic	Elected Governor ; Ruth Ann Minner; Democratic

2004 Delaware gubernatorial election
← 2000 November 2, 2004 2008 →
	Minner: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% ; Lee: 40–50% 50–60%
Governor before election; Ruth Ann Minner; Democratic	Elected Governor ; Ruth Ann Minner; Democratic

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 2004 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 2004, coinciding with the U.S. presidential election. Incumbent Governor Ruth Ann Minner faced a serious challenge from retired Superior Court Judge Bill Lee but managed a five-point victory on election day. As of 2026, this is the last time Kent County voted Republican in a gubernatorial election, and the last time the Republican gubernatorial nominee won a majority of Delaware's counties.

Primaries

Democratic Party

Ruth Ann Minner, incumbent Governor of Delaware

Democratic primary results
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ruth Ann Minner (incumbent)	41,671	100.00

Republican Party

Bill Lee, former Delaware Superior Court Justice
David Charles Graham, state government employee
Michael D. Protack, pilot

Republican primary results^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bill Lee	15,270	70.47
	Republican	Michael D. Protack	5,108	23.57
	Republican	David Charles Graham	1,292	5.96
Total votes			21,670	100.00

Independent Party/Libertarian Party

Frank Infante, Independent Party of Delaware and Libertarian Party of Delaware fusion ticket nominee

Campaign

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
Sabato's Crystal Ball^[2]	Likely D	November 1, 2004

Results

Delaware gubernatorial election, 2004^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Ruth Ann Minner (incumbent)	185,548	50.87%	−8.38%
	Republican	Bill Lee	167,008	45.79%	+6.04%
	Independent Party	Frank Infante	12,203	3.34%	+1.8%
Majority			18,540	5.08%	−14.42%
Turnout			364,759
	Democratic hold		Swing

By county

County	Ruth Ann Minner Democratic		William Lee Republican		All Others
County	#	%	#	%	#	%
Kent	22,324	40.67	28,562	52.03	4,006	7.3
New Castle	128,953	55.26	99,479	42.63	4,942	2.12
Sussex	34,271	44.8	38,967	50.94	3,255	4.26
Totals	185,548	50.87	167,008	45.79	12,203	3.35

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Kent (largest city: Dover)
Sussex (largest city: Seaford)

References

^ "State of Delaware - Department of Elections - State of Delaware". Archived from the original on July 8, 2012.
^ "The Final Predictions". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
^ "State of Delaware - Department of Elections - State of Delaware". Archived from the original on November 28, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2011.

The 2004 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 2004, coinciding with the U.S. presidential election. Incumbent Governor Ruth Ann Minner faced a serious challenge from retired Superior Court Judge Bill Lee but managed a five-point victory on election day. As of 2026, this is the last time Kent County voted Republican in a gubernatorial election, and the last time the Republican gubernatorial nominee won a majority of Delaware's counties.