Presidential Election of 2000

ON NOVEMBER 7, 2000, Americans went to the polls to cast their vote for the presidential candidate they wanted to succeed William “Bill” Clinton. As the votes were cast, Americans across the country witnessed one of the closest presidential elections in history. The American public was able to take part in a contest that would ultimately be decided not by the votes cast by the electorate, but by the final ruling of the Supreme Court.

Governor George W. Bush, the son of the 41st President George H.W. Bush, was elected as the Republican governor of Texas in 1994 and served for two consecutive terms until his bid for the White House in 2000. Governor Bush received his bachelor's degree in history from Yale University in 1968 and a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard University in 1975. Prior to entering the world of politics, Governor Bush participated in several business ventures that included the development of an independent oil company called Arbusto, in the mid-1970s, and the eventual purchase of a Major League Baseball team, the Texas Rangers, in 1988. His political career prior to entering the Texas governorship included a failed bid for the House of Representatives in 1978, and working as a campaign manager on Vice President George H.W. Bush's bid for the White House in 1988.

Vice President Albert A. Gore, Jr., a graduate of Harvard University, sought the White House for the Democratic Party in 2000 following his two successive terms as vice president during the Clinton Administration. The son of a former representative and senator from the state of Tennessee, Vice President Gore followed in his father's footsteps by serving as a representative 1977–85 and then as a senator 1985–93, prior to assuming the office of vice president in 1993. During his tenure as vice president, Al Gore urged the Clinton administration to improve governmental bureaucracy and was a steady advocate for environmental concerns.

During the Republican primary season, Senator John McCain (R-Arizona), who had an extensive resume that highlighted his service in the Senate and his decorated history as a Vietnam War hero, principally opposed Governor Bush. After earning the reputation of being a “maverick” and boarding his tour bus, “The Straight Talk Express,” McCain was a formidable opponent, but was eventually eliminated following a poor showing on March 9, or Super Tuesday. Following the defeat of his opponent, Governor Bush was faced with the challenge of selecting a vice presidential candidate who would complement the ticket and appease those in the Republican Party who had concerns regarding Bush's apparent lack of experience.

In response, Governor Bush tapped former U.S. Representative Richard “Dick” Cheney to run as vice president. Cheney had the experience in national politics as well as foreign affairs, serving as a representative from the state of Wyoming and as a member of several presidential administrations, which George W Bush's resume lacked.

Vice President Gore also faced a fair challenger in the form of Bill Bradley, former National Basketball Association star and U.S. senator from New Jersey. While [Page 663]Bradley seemed to be able to raise funds at a rate comparable to that of Gore, he was never able to mount a serious challenge and was swept in every primary, eventually conceding his bid for the nomination following a crushing defeat on Super Tuesday. To combat his apparent leftist leanings and the “heavy Clinton baggage he carried,” Vice President Gore selected Joseph Lieberman, a longtime senator from the state of Connecticut, an avid critic of the Clinton administration during the scandals of the late 1990s, and a Jewish senator who could reach out to those in the Democratic Party that Gore could not easily obtain on his own.

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