United States presidential election, 2000 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
United States presidential election, 2000

← 1996 November 7, 2000 2004 →

Nominee George W. Bush Al Gore Party Republican Democrat Home state Texas Tennessee Running mate Dick Cheney Joe Lieberman Electoral vote 271 266 States carried 30 20+DC Popular vote 50,456,002 50,999,897 Percentage 47.9% 48.4%

Presidential election results map. Red denotes states won by Bush/Cheney(30), Blue denotes those won by Gore/Lieberman(20+DC).

President before election Bill Clinton Democrat Elected President George W. Bush Republican

The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Democratic candidate Al Gore, then-Vice President, and Republican candidate George W. Bush, then-governor of Texas and son of former president George H. W. Bush.

Incumbent Democratic President Bill Clinton was not eligible to serve a third term, and Vice President Gore was able to secure the Democratic nomination. Bush was seen as the early favorite for the Republican nomination, and despite a contentious primary battle with Senator John McCain and other candidates, secured the nomination by Super Tuesday. Many third party candidates also ran, most prominently Ralph Nader. Bush chose former Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney as his running mate, and Gore chose Senator Joe Lieberman as his. Both candidates focused primarily on domestic issues, such as the budget, tax relief, and reforms for federal social insurance programs, though foreign policy was not ignored. Clinton and Gore did not often campaign together, a deliberate decision resulting from the Lewinsky scandal two years prior.

Bush narrowly won the November 7 election, with 271 electoral votes to Gore's 266. There was a disagreement over who won Florida's 25 electoral votes, the recount that happened there, and the uncommon event that the winner got fewer popular votes than the loser. The Court's contentious decision in Bush v. Gore announced on December 12, 2000, ended the recounts, effectively awarding Florida's votes to Bush and granting him the victory.

Candidates

Democratic Party

Nominees

Democratic Party Ticket, 2000
Al Gore	Joe Lieberman
for President	for Vice President
45th Vice President of the United States (1993–2001)	U.S. Senator from Connecticut (1989–2013)
Campaign

Withdrawn candidate

• Bill Bradley, former U.S. Senator from New Jersey (withdrew on March 9, 2000 and endorsed Al Gore)

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  Former Senator Bill Bradley of New Jersey (Withdrew on March 9, 2000)

Republican Party

Nominees

Republican Party Ticket, 2000
George W. Bush	Dick Cheney
for President	for Vice President
46th Governor of Texas (1995–2000)	17th U.S. Secretary of Defense (1989–1993)
Campaign

Withdrawn candidates

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  Senator John McCain of Arizona (Withdrew on March 9, 2000)

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  Former U.S. ECOSOC Ambassador Alan Keyes of Maryland (Withdrew on July 25, 2000)

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  Businessman Steve Forbes of New Jersey (Withdrew on February 10, 2000)

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  Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah (Withdrew on January 26, 2000)

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  Former Secretary of Labor Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina (Withdrew on October 20, 1999)

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  Publisher and author Pat Buchanan of Virginia (Withdrew on October 25, 1999)

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  Former Vice President Dan Quayle of Indiana (Withdrew on September 27, 1999)

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  Former Governor Lamar Alexander of Tennessee (Withdrew on August 22, 1999)

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  Senator Robert C. Smith of New Hampshire (Withdrew in October 1999)

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  Representative John Kasich of Ohio (Withdrew in July 1999)

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  Businessman Herman Cain of Nebraska (Withdrew early in campaign)

Images for kids

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  Bill Clinton, the incumbent president in 2000, whose term expired on January 20, 2001

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  Ralph NaderFounder of Public Citizen andprogressive activist(campaign)

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  Palm Beach County recount

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  2000 Palm Beach County voting stand and ballot box

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  Florida Supreme Court

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  Election results by county.

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  esults by Congressional District

See also

In Spanish: Elecciones presidenciales de Estados Unidos de 2000 para niños