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2000 United States presidential election (Shpadoinkle Timeline)
← 1996 November 7, 2001 2000 →
  Al Gore, Vice President of the United States, official portrait 1994 Steve Forbes-0 Ralph Nader
Nominee Al Gore Steve Forbes Ralph Nader
Party Democratic Republican Green
Home state Tennessee New Jersey Connecticut
Running mate Dick Gephardt Elizabeth Dole Winona LaDuke
Electoral vote 295 242 0
States carried 22+DC 28 0
Popular vote 48,894,456 48,356,807 5,903,600
Percentage 46.38% 45.87% 5.6%

president before election

Mike Gravel
Democratic

Elected president

Al Gore
Democratic

The 2000 United States presidential election was the 54th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 7, 2000. Democratic candidate Al Gore, a U.S. Senator from Tennesse, won the election, defeating Republican nominee, publishing executive Steve Forbes, and Ralph Nader, former U.S. Senator and Secretary of Energy. The race is considered one of the closest elections in U.S. history.

Gore secured the Democratic nomination among a wide field, defeating challenges from New York Public Advocate Mark J. Green and Senator Joe Lieberman, among other major candidates. Senator John McCain and Senator and former First Lady Elizabeth Dole emerged as early frontrunners, but Forbes scored major victories which granted him the path to victory and clinched his party's nomination in May. Forbes chose Elizabeth Dole to be his running mate, while Gore chose House Minority Leader and Missouri Representative Dick Gephardt. Nader, who ran for president with the Green Party in 1996, successfully secured the party's nomination for a second time.

Both major-party candidates focused primarily on domestic issues, such as the budget, tax relief, and reforms for federal social insurance programs, although foreign policy was not ignored. Gore, considered a New Democrat, distanced himself from the more progressive President Mike Gravel, a choice which polarized parts of the Democratic base but is generally seen as benefitting Gore. Forbes attacked Gore as an "opponent of freedom" who wanted to use social programs to turn the country into a welfare state, while Gore characterized Forbes as a plutocrat who lacked the proper experience to hold public office. On election night, it was unclear who had won, with the electoral votes of the states of Florida and New Hampshire still undecided. New Hampshire, and subsequently the election, was called for Gore the following day. A machine recount showed that Gore had won the state of Florida by just 0.18%. This was the first presidential election since 1960 in which the nominee who won the state of Ohio did not also win the election.

Background[]

President Mike Gravel significantly decreased the poverty rate in the country, expanded worker's rights and created a record number of jobs. Though was popular among Americans, his social democratic policies polarized moderates within the Democratic Party, who blamed the party's leftward shift on their disappointing performances in congressional races. Many Democrats were concerned that the party was not properly addressing the deficit in the county and that Gravel's foreign policy initiatives, which substantially decreased the United States' military presence across the world, left the country vulnerable to foreign threats. A civil war began to emerge in the party between Social Democrats who wanted to continue Gravel's agenda and centrists who thought the party should promote a Third Way philosophy, a school of thought promoted by prominent Democrats like Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale. The Republican Party experienced similar conflicts of factionalism, who lacked a clear leader after losses in the previous two presidential elections and the resignation of disgraced House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Democratic Party Nomination[]

Main articles: Al Gore 2000 presidential campaign, 2000 Democratic Party presidential primaries

Democratic Party (United States)
2020 Democratic Party ticket
Al Gore Dick Gephardt
for President for Vice President
Al Gore, Vice President of the United States, official portrait 1994
Gephardt portrait
U.S. Senator

from Tennessee
(1985-2001)

House Minority Leader

(1995-2001)

Campaign
GoreGephardt200

Withdrawn candidates[]

  • Bill Bradley, U.S. Senator from New Jersey (1979-1997)
  • Wesley Clark, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (1997-2000)
  • Mark J. Green, New York City Public Advocate (1994-2001)
  • Bob Kerrey, U.S. Senator from Nebraska (1989-2001)
  • Joe Lieberman, U.S. Senator from Connecticut (1989-2003)
  • Robert Reich, U.S. Secretary of Labor (1993-1999)
  • Jay Rockefeller, U.S. Senator from West Virginia (1985-2015)
  • Paul Wellstone, U.S. Senator from Minnesota (1991-2002)

Primary[]

Al Gore emerged as an early frontrunner for the nomination. Several aspirants withdrew before the Iowa Caucus because they did not secure funding and endorsements sufficient to remain in competition with other candidates. These included Jay Rockefeller, Paul Wellstone, Wesley Clark, and Robert Reich. That left Gore, Mark J. Green, Bob Kerrey, Bill Bradley, and Joe Lieberman as the only candidates still in the race.

On January 24, Gore won the Iowa caucus with 40% of the vote. Green came in second with 30% of the vote. Lieberman received 15%, Bradley 12%, and Kerrey 2%. The media portrayed Gore as the establishment candidate. Lieberman, a conservative Democrat who was critical of President Gravel, had support from moderate voters and Independents. Bradley and Green were both viewed as insurgent candidates to the left of Gore, with Green representing the Gravel wing of the party.

On February 1, Gore won New Hampshire with 36% of the vote. Green came in second with 27%, followed by Lieberman, then Kerrey and Bradley. Kerrey subsequently withdrew from the race. Gore then won the Delaware primary on February 5. On Super Tuesday, Gore won contests in California, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, North Dakota, and Rhode Island, while Green won Hawaii, Maine, Ohio, Vermont, Washington, and his home state of New York. Bill Bradley withdrew from the race the following day. Lieberman withdrew on March 14 at the advice of the Gore campaign. Green won contests in Nevada, Arizona, and Minnesota; Gore won all remaining contests. Green suspended his campaign on May 4, but encouraged his voters in remaining states to vote for him to accrue more delegates with the goal of influencing the Democratic Party's platform. Green officially endorsed Gore on August 11, 2000. Six days later, Gore accepted the nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt was nominated for vice president by voice vote. Gore chose Gephardt over five other finalists: Senators Evan Bayh, John Edwards, John Kerry, and Joe Lieberman, Representative Maxine Waters, and New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen.

Delegate totals:

  • Senator Albert Gore Jr. 1873
  • Mark Joseph Green 1170
  • Senator Joseph Lieberman 322
  • Senator William Bradley 163
  • Senator Robert Kerrey 2

Republican Party Nomination[]

Republican Party (United States)
2000 Republican Party ticket
Steve Forbes Elizabeth Dole
for President for Vice President
Steve Forbes-0
Elizabeth Dole-0
Owner and Publisher of

Forbes Magazine
(1976-present)

United States Senator

from Kansas
(1997-2005)

Campaign
ForbesDole2000


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