2004 Orlando mayoral election
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| Elections in Florida |
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 Government |
The 2004 Orlando mayoral election took place on March 9, 2004. Incumbent Mayor Buddy Dyer, who was first elected in a 2003 special election, ran for re-election to a full term. He faced four opponents, including businessman Ken Mulvaney and retired police captain Sam Ings. Dyer narrowly avoided a runoff election and won a full term, receiving 51 percent of the vote to Mulvaney's 31 percent and Ings's 13 percent.[1]
Mulvaney contested the election results, alleging that Dyer illegally paid a consultant $10,000 to collect absentee ballots from predominantly Black precincts.[2] On March 10, 2005, Dyer was indicted by a grand jury for violating state election law, which prompted Governor Jeb Bush to suspend him from office and schedule a special election.[3] On April 20, 2005, the charges were dropped against Dyer, he was returned to office, and the special election was cancelled.[4]
General election
Candidates
- Buddy Dyer, incumbent Mayor[5]
- Ken Mulvaney, businessman[6]
- Sam Ings, retired Orlando Police Department captain[7]
- Sharon Leichering, former city employee, 2003 candidate for Mayor[7]
- Alex Lamour, perennial candidate
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Buddy Dyer |
Ken Mulvaney |
Alex Lamour |
Sam Ings |
Sharon Leichering |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy[8] | March 1–3, 2004 | 625 (RV) | ± 4.0% | 47% | 23% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 23% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Buddy Dyer | 12,422 | 50.96% | |
| Nonpartisan | Ken Mulvaney | 7,444 | 30.54% | |
| Nonpartisan | Sam Ings | 3,237 | 13.28% | |
| Nonpartisan | Sharon Leichering | 663 | 2.72% | |
| Nonpartisan | Alex Lamour | 609 | 2.50% | |
| Total votes | 24,375 | 100.00% | ||
Notes
- ^ Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear
References
- ^ Kassab, Beth (March 10, 2004). "Dyer wins in Orlando, narrowly avoids runoff". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida. p. A1. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
- ^ Schlueb, Mark (January 20, 2005). "Dyer denies breaking ballot law". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida. p. A1. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
- ^ Schlueb, Mark (March 12, 2005). "Mayor indicted: Dyer, 3 others surrender on charges of violating election law". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida. p. A1. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
- ^ Schlueb, Mark (April 21, 2005). "Dyer cleared: Absentee-ballot case against all 4 people dropped". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida. p. A1. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
- ^ Kassab, Beth (April 19, 2003). "Dyer cranks up fund-raising efforts for next race for mayor". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida. p. B3. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
- ^ Harris, Melissa (December 13, 2003). "Ex-pub owner to oppose Dyer". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida. p. B1. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
- ^ a b Kassab, Beth (January 13, 2004). "City puts residence question to voters". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida. p. B6. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
- ^ Kassab, Beth (March 5, 2004). "Dyer tops mayoral poll but still lacks majority". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida. p. A1. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
- ^ "Election Results 2000-2008" (PDF). Orlando City Clerk. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 15, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2025.