The U.S. presidential election of 2000 was a contest between incumbent President Gary Condit and New York Governor George Pataki. Condit benefitted, uniquely among presidents, both from his incumbency, and also from his less-than two years on the job, following the resigniation of President Bill Clinton. However, he, along with all Democrats, suffered from the taint of Clinton's resignation.
Condit went into the election with very high approval ratings, which proved too high a hurdle for the Pataki and his running mate to overcome.
The Primaries
Both the Democratic and Republican party primaries were heavily contested in 2000. President Condit announced in early 2000 that he would seek a full term as president. Former Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey was seen by many as a potential strong contender for the nomination, but he took himself out of the race early on, and endorsed Condit.
The Democratic Primary
Democratic contenders:
- President Gary Condit
- U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts
- Former Colorado Sen. Gary Hart
- U.S. Representative Richard Gephardt of Missouri
- U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota
Sen. Kennedy emerged early in the primaries as the candidate of liberal wing of the Democratic Party. His third-place ranking in Iowa and second-place performance in neighboring New Hampshire slowed down his campaign, however he bounced back on Super Tuesday with wins in New York and Massachusetts.
Following poor results in Iowa and New Hampshire, Hart's campaign was weakened, and he withdrew Mar. 4, just before Super Tuesday. Condit's third-place finish in North Dakota - behind Kennedy and Wellstone - was one of the few "shocks" of the primaries.
By the time of the March 21 Illinois Primary, it was a Condit/Kennedy horse race, though in Alabama, Gephardt pushed Kennedy into third place. However, this was the high-water mark of his race. Wellstone's bluntness and candor were the highlights of the Democratic primary debates.
Results in major Democratic primaries/caucuses
| State | Date of Primary/Caucus | First place | Second place | Third place | Fourth place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa | January 24 | Condit | Gephardt | Kennedy | Hart |
| New Hampshire | February 1 | Condit | Kennedy | Hart | Wellstone |
| Delaware | February 5 | Kennedy | Condit | Hart | Wellstone |
| Washington | February 29 | Wellstone | Condit | Kennedy | Hart |
| Connecticut | March 7 "Super Tuesday" | Kennedy | Condit | Wellstone | Gephardt |
| Georgia | March 7 | Condit | Gebhardt | Kennedy | Wellstone |
| Missouri | March 7 | Gephardt | Condit | Wellstone | Kennedy |
| New York | March 7 | Condit | Kennedy | Gephardt | Wellstone |
| California | March 7 | Kennedy | Condit | Gephardt | Wellstone |
| Ohio | March 7 | Condit | Kennedy | Gephardt | Wellstone |
| Maine | March 7 | Kennedy | Condit | Wellstone | Gephardt |
| Maryland | March 7 | Kennedy | Condit | Gephardt | Wellstone |
| Massachusetts | March 7 | Kennedy | Condit | Wellstone | Gephardt |
| North Dakota | March 7 | Kennedy | Wellstone | Condit | Gephardt |
| Rhode Island | March 7 | Kennedy | Condit | Wellstone | Gephardt |
| Vermont | March 7 | Kennedy | Condit | Gephardt | Wellstone |
| Colorado | March 10 | Kennedy | Condit | Gephardt | Wellstone |
| Utah | March 10 | Condit | Gephardt | Wellstone | Kennedy |
| Arizona | March 11 | Condit | Kennedy | Fephardt | Wellstone |
| Florida | March 14 | Condit | Gephardt | Kennedy | Wellstone |
| Louisiana | March 14 | Kennedy | Condit | Gephardt | Wellstone |
| Mississippi | March 14 | Kennedy | Condit | Gephardt | Wellstone |
| Oklahoma | March 14 | Condit | Gephardt | Wellstone | Kennedy |
| Tennessee | March 14 | Condit | Gephardt | Kennedy | Wellstone |
| Texas | March 14 | Condit | Kennedy | Gephardt | Wellstone |
| Illinois | March 21 | Condit | Kennedy | Gephardt | Wellstone |
| Pennsylvania | April 4 | Kennedy | Condit | Wellstone | Gephardt |
| Wisconsin | April 4 | Condit | Kennedy | Gephardt | Wellstone |
| North Carolina | May 2 | Condit | Gephardt | Kennedy | Wellstone |
| Indiana | May 2 | Condit | Kennedy | Gephardt | Welstone |
| West Virginia | May 9 | Kennedy | Condit | Gephardt | Wellstone |
| Nebraska | May 9 | Kennedy | Condit | Wellstone | Gephardt |
| Kentucky | May 23 | Condit | Kennedy | Gephardt | Wellstone |
| Alabama | June 6 | Condit | Gephardt | Kennedy | Wellstone |
| New Jersey | June 6 | Kennedy | Condit | Gephardt | Wellstone |
| New Mexico | June 6 | Kennedy | Condit | Wellstone | Gephardt |
The Republican Primary
Republican contenders:
- New York Governor George Pataki
- U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona
- U.S. Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana
- U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine
- U.S. Representative Robert Portman of Ohio
- U.S. Representative Stephen Largent of Oklahoma
- 1996 presidential candidate Alan Keyes of Maryland
The odds-on favorite early in the race was Sen. John McCain, a war hero and influential, outspoken member of the U.S. Senate. But he faced a strong challenge from Gov. Pataki of New York, who charmed Iowa and New Hampshire voters and won in several key states, making his nomination inevitable by early June.
Keyes joked during a Chicago debate that it seemed "The entire House and Senate" were running for president this year, and the three senators and two congressmen did indeed give credence to this argument. Sen. Snowe did very well in neighboring New Hampshire. Sen. Lugar did poorly from the start, and dropped out after Super Tuesday. Congressmen Portman and Largent put up the most fight, and divided third and fourth place in the primaries between them.
Largent was attacked for his "ultra-conservative" views, which McCain said were "out of the mainstream." Snowe was attacked (most effectively in New Hampshire and the South) as being "too liberal." McCain and Pataki traded fierce barbs in debates, although both centrist politicians held many of the same views on the issues.
Despite a surprising outright win in his native Ohio, Portman's campaign faded quickly, and he pulled out of the race June 7. All other candidates stayed in the race through the convention.
Results in major Republican primaries/caucuses
| State | Date ofPrimary/Caucus | First place | Second place | Third place | Fourth place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa | January 24 | Pataki | McCain | Largent | Portman |
| New Hampshire | February 1 | Pataki | McCain | Snowe | Largent |
| Delaware | February 8 | Pataki | McCain | Snowe | Luger |
| South Carolina | February 19 | McCain | Largent | Pataki | Keyes |
| Arizona | February 22 | McCain | Largent | Pataki | Portman |
| Michigan | February 22 | McCain | Pataki | Portman | Snowe |
| Virginia | February 29 | Pataki | Largent | Portmam | McCain |
| Washington | February 29 | McCain | Pataki | Snowe | Portman |
| North Dakota | February 29 | Portman | Largent | McCain | Pataki |
| New York | March 7 "Super Tuesday" | Pataki | McCain | Snowe | Portman |
| California | March 7 | McCain | Pataki | Largent | Portman |
| Connecticut | March 7 | Snowe | Pataki | McCain | Largent |
| Georgia | March 7 | Largent | Portman | Pataki | McCain |
| Maine | March 7 | Snowe | McCain | Pataki | Largent |
| Minnesota | March 7 | Portman | Largent | Pataki | McCain |
| Missouri | March 7 | Largent | Pataki | McCain | Portman |
| Ohio | March 7 | Portman | Pataki | Largent | Keyes |
| Massachusetts | March 7 | Pataki | Snowe | Portman | Largent |
| Rhode Island | March 7 | Snowe | Pataki | McCain | Portman |
| Vermont | March 7 | Snowe | Pataki | McCain | Largent |
| Colorado | March 10 | Pataki | McCain | Largent | Portman |
| Utah | March 10 | Pataki | McCain | Largent | Portman |
| Florida | March 14 | Pataki | McCain | Largent | Portman |
| Louisiana | March 14 | Largent | Keyes | McCain | Pataki |
| Mississippi | March 14 | Largent | Portman | Pataki | Keyes |
| Oklahoma | March 14 | Largent | Keyes | Pataki | McCain |
| Tennessee | March 14 | Pataki | Largent | McCain | Snowe |
| Texas | March 14 | McCain | Pataki | Largent | Portman |
| Illinois | March 21 | Pataki | Portman | Largent | Snowe |
| Pennsylvania | April 4 | Pataki | McCain | Portman | Snowe |
| Wisconsin | April 4 | Pataki | McCain | Portman | Snowe |
| Indiana | May 2 | Pataki | McCain | Largent | Portman |
| North Carolina | May 2 | Pataki | McCain | Largent | Keyes |
| Nebraska | May 9 | Pataki | Largent | McCain | Portmam |
| West Virginia | May 9 | Pataki | Largent | McCain | Portman |
| Kentucky | May 23 | Pataki | McCain | Largent | Portman |
| Alabama | June 6 | Largent | Keyes | Pataki | Portman |
| New Jersey | June 6 | Pataki | Snowe | Largent | Keyes |
| New Mexico | June 6 | McCain | Pataki | Largent | Keyes |
The Conventions
Democratic convention, 2000
Democratic National Convention was held in Los Angeles, California from August 14 - August 17, 2000. President Condit came into the convention with 1,910 of the convention's 4,339 delegate votes, short of the 2,170 required for nomination.
Kennedy had 1,849, while Gephardt and Wellstone had 136 together.
Just four days before the convention, Pres. Condit scuttled any talk about a Condit/Gephardt ticket by announcing he had chosen Sen. Kerrey as his Vice-Presidential running-mate.
Despite his disappointment, Gephardt announced on the second night of the convention that he would endorse Condit, and asked that his 190 delegates go to him. This put Condit within 70 votes of the nomination. After two ballots, Kennedy asked that his delegates to vote for Condit, who won the third ballot almost unanimously.
Republican convention, 2000
The Republican National Convention was held July 31 - August 3, 2000 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
McCain came to the convention with 740 delegates in his pocket, but Pataki entered the convention with 978 delegates, just 56 shy of the 1,034 needed to be nominated. He got that On Tuesday, August 1, when Largent and Portman released their combined 312 votes on the first night of balloting.
Pataki is said to have narrowed his vice-presidential choices to three candidates: Largent, Portman, and U.S. Representative Heather Wilson of New Mexico. It was reported in the Washington Post that Pataki, bitter over attacks by McCain, refused to consider him for the second slot. In the end, he chose Largent as his running-mate.
General election
With polls showing Pres. Condit with 76% favorable ratings and the Condit/Kerrey team polling at 59% in September and 64% in mid-October, the race was an uphill battle for the Pataki/Portman ticket from the start.
Still, Pataki laid out his plan for a strong defense, cutting taxes and economic growth, which resonated well, especially in the South and West. He and Largent attacked Condit as weak and vaccilating. Largent, during the second Vice-Presidential debate, said the Clinton/Condit years were a "stain on our history that must be erased." Kerrey, during the same debate, called Largent a "Right-wing extremist" who, "couldn't be trusted to govern from the center."
Condit, in office just under two years, urged voters to give him a full term and a chance to forge a "New Start" for America, and that, combined with a great deal of sympathy from Gore's death and the desire to give Condit that chance, led him to victory on November 7.
2000 Election results
| Presidential Candidates | Party | Popular Vote | PV% | Electoral Vote | Running Mate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gary Adrian Condit | Democratic | 54,228,120 | 48.3% | 350 | Joseph Robert Kerrey |
| George Elmer Pataki | Republican | 50,642,981 | 46.2% | 188 | Stephen Michael Largent |
| Ralph Nader | Green | 5,012,345 | 4.1% | 0 | Winona LaDuke |
| Other | - | 1,534,920 | 1.4% | 0 | - |