New Hampshire was won by Democratic nominee John Kerry by a 1.4% margin of victory. Prior to the election, most news organizations considered it as a swing state. Traditionally a more Republican leaning state of the heavily DemocraticNew England region, it was the only state in all of the Northeast to vote Republican in 2000. The state is considered to be more fiscally conservative than its neighbors in New England. However, like the rest of New England, it is considerably more liberal on social issues, which benefits Democratic candidates. New Hampshire was the only state that Bush won in the 2000 presidential election but lost in the 2004 presidential election. Kerry's victory in the state, off the heels of Bush's statewide victory in the 2000 presidential election, makes New Hampshire the only state in the union to vote for the loser of the national popular vote in both 2000 and 2004.
Bush became the first Republican to ever win a presidential election without carrying New Hampshire. He was also the second consecutive Republican president (after his father) to lose New Hampshire in his second election after winning it in his first. This was also the first time since 1848 that a losing Democrat would carry New Hampshire, and the first time since 1976 that the state would back the losing candidate in a presidential election. It also remains the only time in history that a Republican has won the popular vote without carrying New Hampshire.
