Al Gore 2000 presidential campaign facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Al Gore for President 2000
Campaign	2000 Democratic primaries 2000 U.S. presidential election
Candidate	Al Gore 45th Vice President of United States (1993–2001) Joe Lieberman U.S. Senator from Connecticut (1989–2013)
Affiliation	Democratic Party
Status	Announced: June 16, 1999 Presumptive nominee: March 9, 2000 Official nominee: August 17, 2000 Lost general election: December 12, 2000
Headquarters	Nashville, Tennessee
Key people	Donna Brazile, Campaign Manager William M. Daley, Campaign Chairman
Slogan	Leadership for the New Millennium Prosperity for America's Families

The 2000 presidential campaign of Al Gore was a major political event in the United States. Al Gore was the Vice President of the United States at the time, serving under President Bill Clinton. He officially announced his plan to run for President of the United States on June 16, 1999, in Carthage, Tennessee.

The Road to Becoming a Nominee

Becoming the Democratic Candidate

Al Gore was a member of the Democratic Party. To become the party's official candidate for president, he first had to win the Democratic primaries. These are like mini-elections where voters choose who they want to represent their party.

Gore worked hard during these primaries. He won enough support from voters and delegates. On August 17, 2000, he officially became the Democratic nominee. This meant he was the party's chosen candidate for the main presidential election.

The 2000 Presidential Election

Facing the Republican Challenger

After winning the Democratic nomination, Al Gore prepared for the general election. His main opponent was George W. Bush, who was the Governor of Texas and the candidate for the Republican Party. The election day was November 7, 2000.

Understanding the Vote: Popular vs. Electoral

In the United States, winning the presidency is a bit tricky. There are two ways to count votes:

• Popular vote: This is the total number of individual votes cast across the entire country. The candidate who gets the most votes nationwide wins the popular vote.
• Electoral College: This is a system where each state gets a certain number of "electoral votes" based on its population. To win the presidency, a candidate needs to get at least 270 electoral votes.

In the 2000 election, Al Gore won the national popular vote. More people across the country voted for him than for George W. Bush. However, the election was decided by the Electoral College.

The Florida Dispute

The election results were very close, especially in the state of Florida. The number of votes for Gore and Bush in Florida was so similar that it triggered a recount. This led to a long and complicated legal disagreement over how the votes were counted.

After much debate and several court decisions, the final count in Florida showed that George W. Bush had won the state's electoral votes. This meant he reached the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency.

Election Outcome

In the end, George W. Bush won the election with 271 electoral votes. Al Gore received 266 electoral votes. One elector who was supposed to vote for Gore did not cast their vote. This election was one of the closest and most talked-about in American history because of the close popular vote and the dispute over Florida's electoral votes.

Images for kids

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  Al Gore 2000 original campaign logo