On March 10 , 2004 , Bush officially clinched the number of delegates needed to be nominated at the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City . He accepted the nomination on September 2 , 2004 , and retained Vice President Dick Cheney as his running mate . During the convention and throughout the campaign , Bush focused on two themes : defending America against terrorism and building an ownership society . Bush used populist ideals in an attempt to rally citizens behind him in a time of international terror . The ownership society included allowing people to invest some of their Social Security in the stock market , increasing home and stock ownership , and encouraging more people to buy their own health insurance
2004 Republican National Convention
2004 Republican National Convention
2004 United States presidential election