Bush was the first candidate since his father in the 1988 election to win over 50% of the popular vote, and is the most recent Republican candidate to have done so. Bush's victory also marked the first and only time that the nominee of a major party won a presidential election without winning any electoral votes from the Northeast. It also marks the final time to date that a Republican presidential nominee has won the states of Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Virginia. Bush served until 2009 and was succeeded by Democrat Barack Obama, whereas Kerry continued to serve in the Senate and later became Secretary of State during Obama's second term. As of 2021, this is the most recent presidential election where an incumbent president increased their electoral vote count from their previous election. This also remains the most recent election when the Republican candidate would be re-elected as President of the United States and the last time a Republican won the popular vote. This is also the most recent election where the winning candidate did not receive at least 300 electoral votes.