2004 Orlando mayoral election

2004 Orlando mayoral election

←  2003 (special) March 9, 2004 2008  →

Candidate Buddy Dyer Ken Mulvaney Sam Ings Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Popular vote 12,422 7,444 3,237 Percentage 50.96% 30.54% 13.28%

Mayor before election Buddy Dyer Nonpartisan Elected mayor Buddy Dyer Nonpartisan

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

2004 Orlando mayoral election results ^[9]

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

1. Key:
   A – all adults
   RV – registered voters
   LV – likely voters
   V – unclear

References

1. Kassab, Beth (March 10, 2004). "Dyer wins in Orlando, narrowly avoids runoff". Orlando Sentinel . Orlando, Florida. p. A1. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
2. Schlueb, Mark (January 20, 2005). "Dyer denies breaking ballot law". Orlando Sentinel . Orlando, Florida. p. A1. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Harris, Melissa (December 13, 2003). "Ex-pub owner to oppose Dyer". Orlando Sentinel . Orlando, Florida. p. B1. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
7. Kassab, Beth (January 13, 2004). "City puts residence question to voters". Orlando Sentinel . Orlando, Florida. p. B6. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
8. Kassab, Beth (March 5, 2004). "Dyer tops mayoral poll but still lacks majority". Orlando Sentinel . Orlando, Florida. p. A1. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
9. "Election Results 2000-2008" (PDF). Orlando City Clerk. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 15, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2025.