George Soros, the Hungarian-born financier worth billions, said on 28 September 2004 that he would put his money and his reputation behind an effort to keep George W. Bush from winning a second term in the 2 November election.
Soros, 74, planned a tour of 12 American cities starting 5 October, with stops in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa and Florida. He was mailing a pamphlet, "Why we must not re-elect President Bush," to two million voters, buying two-page newspaper advertisements, and opening a website to answer questions from undecided voters.
"This is the most important election of my lifetime," he wrote, casting himself as a reluctant newcomer to partisan politics. He acknowledged being a target of Republican attacks, among them a suggestion by House Speaker Dennis Hastert that his fortune came from drug money, a claim for which Soros demanded an apology.
The Republican National Committee dismissed him as a leading Democratic donor guarding the millions he had spent to defeat Bush. Retired general Wesley Clark introduced Soros and appeared with a group called Diplomats and Military Commanders for Change, which was to join parts of the tour.
Where it stands now. Bush won the 2 November 2004 election, defeating Kerry and securing a second term.
TurkishPress summary of a September 2004 wire report.