2000 and Beyond

[NickCT]

Chapter 5

It was a new year and there remained 11 months until the general election, but that wasn't on any candidate's mind. As President Clinton saw the quest to unseat him unfold on national television he was torn, but the candidates pressed on still. Vice President Gore focused on winning Iowa. It wasn't implausible, he was within the margin of error. With Governor Dean still hoping to take the state and Senator Bradley fighting to maintain a lead in the polls the state was visited by every Democratic candidate. Senator Kerry continued meeting with voters and visiting local coffee shops. On the Republican side few were willing to give up. Alan Keyes and Steve Forbes met frequently with voters and Forbes had four tv ads in Iowa the night before the caucus. Iowa could set the tone for the rest of the electoral fight. Governor Dole returned to North Carolina briefly to give the "State of the State Address" and then returned to the campaign trail in hopes of swaying undecided voters. Dole and Bush were hard at work campaigning for her campaign. John McCain had given up on Iowa and was focusing solely on New Hampshire. Polls showed Dole and Quayle were within striking distance of taking the state from him and he couldn't afford to let that happen, but despite this his poll numbers slipped, he was broke, and the pundits called his campaign "dead". Dan Rather went as far as to say, "the Republicans are just waiting for McCain's exit." That was just how McCain liked it. He wanted to be the underdog, it had always worked for him. Vice President Quayle was also skipping Iowa and focusing on New Hampshire. Lamar Alexander, however, was staying in Iowa. He told a group of supporters, "I know we can win, I can feel it!" Insiders in the campaign allege Alexander is hoping to get enough delegates to land a spot at the bottom of the ticket.

Soon January 24th had arrived. Senators Kerry and Bradley were out and about, touring the state of Iowa as Vice President Gore and Governor Dean also met with caucus goers. On the Republican side of things Governor Dole and former Governor Alexander were greeting people as was Alan Keyes. Steve Forbes spent a few hours in the state before leaving to head to Michigan to meet with potential voters, their contest was scheduled for February 22nd. Caucus goers arrived early and stayed late, eventually results began coming in. Early on Dole and Gore held convincing leads in the state, but quickly things changed. Dole and Quayle appeared neck-and-neck while Gore's lead had fallen with Bradley rising to the top. It was hard to project a winner in the caucus, but the Republican race was called first: Dole had won with 31%. Three hours later, at 2 a.m. the Democratic side was called, for Senator Bradley of New Jersey. Both Dole and Bradley addressed crowds of supporters as Howard Dean and Lamar Alexander announced they were withdrawing from the race. In a stunning turn of events the fields on both sides had been narrowed down to contain only the most serious of candidates. The New Hampshire primary was scheduled for February 1st and candidates had a week to prepare. McCain was already fighting hard in the state and was confident he could pull out a win, but Vice President Gore sought the opportunity to reclaim his status as the presumptive nominee. It was a long and brutal week as both Gore and McCain fought hard. Eventually the results began to pour in from the nation's first primary. At 9:30 PM, an hour and a half after polls closed, McCain, Quayle, and Dole were all tied up while Senator Kerry had a small lead on the Democratic side, no one was sure how the vote would turn up.

By 10:45 Quayle had fallen slightly behind Dole and McCain, but it was still too close to call. For the Democrats it appeared Senator Kerry would win the state, but it was impossible to truly predict. At 11:15 the State of New Hampshire was called for John McCain, Dole was a close second and Quayle also only a few points behind. Steve Forbes, who had finished behind Alan Keyes, announced that his strategy required winning Michigan and he hoped the state could savage his presidential bid. It wasn't until 11:45 that the state of New Hampshire was called for Vice President Gore. In the most surprising win of the night, the Vice President was able to take home a win. "I knew we could do it, New Hampshire! I knew we could!" It appeared that Dean voters staid home on Election Day and that proved harmful for Kerry who was relying on picking up Dean supporters. Though he'd yet to win a contest, Senator Kerry maintained his quest for the nomination was not over. "We will not give up, we will not quit!" the Senator told a crowded arena of supporters in a concession address. As Senator Kerry headed to Delaware, Dole and McCain flew to South Carolina and Delaware respectively. Kerry hoped that even though Delaware had 0 delegates at stake he would be able to win the state and prove his campaign was alive.

Vice President Gore visited California and other Super Tuesday states. As the Democrats had not anticipated a contested race they had scheduled their contests significantly later than the Republicans. Senator Bradley took a break in order to fundraise and also visited Washington, another beauty contest because there were no delegates at stake. Alan Keyes flew to Hawaii in hopes of making a second place finish, "Aloha! I am the only candidate willing to visit this beautiful state because I feel it is necessary to hear from every American!" Keyes proclaimed. It was an uphill battle but he was willing to camp out in the state in hopes of proving his viability as a candidate. Senator Ferraro took the time to announce she was endorsing Senator Bradley, a major bump for Bradley's numbers. Furthermore former Governor Alexander endorsed Governor Dole praising her "unmatched experience". With his fundraising down, former Vice President Quayle was searching for a contest to win. He decided to focus on winning the state of Arizona, in hopes of stealing it from Senator McCain. McCain had 50% in polls with Quayle at 18%, but Quayle unleashed a series of ads and visited the state frequently in hopes of taking the primary scheduled for February 22nd.

 

[NickCT]

Chapter 6

February was a simple month, or it started out like that rather. Kerry won the Delaware Primary...a beauty contest. McCain won the Delaware Primary for the Republicans, Dole won the Hawaii and South Carolina caucuses. Keyes only managed to pull fourth in Hawaii and last in South Carolina, exiting the race that week, but things grew interesting. On February 20th there were two days remaining until the Arizona Republican Primary. Quayle had brought the polls to 35 (McCain) - 31 (Quayle). Of course it would be embarrassing for McCain to lose his home state, but also to have to campaign there. He met with campaign staff and decided he'd drop out if he lost Arizona and Michigan. On the night of February 22nd Republicans across the country were glued to the screen. Dole won Michigan, McCain was in second, and Forbes finished third. All eyes focused on Arizona where McCain and Quayle were battling it out for the state. Polls closed at 11 p.m. and by 1:45 a.m. there was no winner. McCain had a lead of 32-30 with 55% of the votes in. Dole was in third. Eventually, at 2:39 a winner was called: Senator McCain had won by 144 votes. Vice President Quayle wasn't devastated though, if anything he was content that he proved himself a top tier candidate. On February 23rd Dole won Alaska's Republican Caucuses. On February 24th, after wasting millions of dollars, Steve Forbes left the race for President. The field, on both sides, had shrunk to three candidates. Five days later there were good results for the Dole campaign. Dole had won the Vriginia Primary and Quayle had won the North Dakota caucuses. John Kerry had won another beauty contest: Washington. Soon the month turned to March and Super Tuesday had arrived...

The most anticipated results were California. Early on the state went to Dole, but Bradley and Gore were fighting for the state. Eventually Gore managed to squeak out a win in the state, but he suffered loses in Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Maine to Senator Kerry and New York, Maryland, Ohio and Rhode Island to Senator Bradley. At the end of the night Gore had won California, Georgia, Idaho, Missouri, and North Dakota. The next morning it was announced Senator Kerry had won the Washington caucuses (winning delegates this time) and the state of Vermont. The Republicans had very different results. Dole won in every state except Connecticut, Maine, and Maryland. McCain won all of those states. Immediately Quayle withdrew, endorsing Dole. Dole began focusing efforts on Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah in hopes of sweeping all three states, basically guaranteeing her the nomination. Two days after Super Tuesday Bill Bradley won the state of South Carolina. The next day marked the end of the Republican campaign. After Dole won all three contests, McCain withdrew from the race endorsing Dole. While Dole's campaign began focusing on finding a Vice Presidential nominee and establishing a general election strategy, the Democrats remained in disarray.

The Democrats were not finished on March 10th however. Bradley won Colorado, but Gore won Utah. The Democrats were still very divided. The next day, however, Bradley swept the night winning Arizona, Michigan, and Minnesota. With Bradley having a slight edge the next day contained the Nevada caucuses. When Gore won those Kerry felt his campaign slipping underneath him. He met with Gore and Bradley but neither promised him anything for an endorsement, he decided to wait it out. As Dole began visiting key general election states like New Hampshire and Florida, March 14th arrived. Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas held their contests. Gore won every stat with Bradley in a close second. On March 20th Kerry withdrew. Bradley and Gore fought hard for Illinois, Wyoming, and Delaware. Later in March Bradley won Illinois and Delaware by comfortable margins as Gore pulled out a win in Wyoming. On April 2nd Kerry endorsed Bradley. With Kerry and Ferraro behind Bradley he hoped he could garner support from the rest of the electorate. On April 4th Pennsylvania and Wisconsin went for Bradley and on the 15th Virginia went for Bradley, Al Gore, who had just witnessed the end of his political career unfold before his eyes, dropped out of the race on April 19th. "This is the end of my campaign, but the White House will stay blue! I assure you!" Immediately Gore's campaign manager signed a book deal in which he supposedly alleges that tension mounted on Clinton to endorse Gore. The book, set for publication on October 23, 2000, would definitely be rushed in an attempt to skew the election and few felt it would be finished on time.

The campaign drew to a close but the general election was just beginning and voters across the country were looking forward to seeing the process unfold.

 

[NickCT]

Dole Short List

• John McCain
• Fred Thompson
• Dan Quayle
• Steve Forbes
• George W. Bush
• Lamar Alexander
• Gary Bauer
• Tom Ridge
• Dick Cheney
• John Ashcroft
• Bill Frist
• John Danforth
• Connie Mack
• Jon Kyl
• Chuck Hagel
• Frank Keating

 

[NickCT]

Bradley Shortlist

• Chirs Dodd
• Paul Wellstone
• Bill Richardson
• Al Gore
• Joe Lieberman
• Geraldine Ferraro
• John Kerry
• John Edwards
• Ted Kennedy
• Barbara Mikulski
• Howard Dean
• Dennis Kucinich
• Jeanne Shaheen
• Anne Richards

 

[NickCT]

Electoral Map: May

ELECTORAL VOTES
Elizabeth Dole 217 Electoral Votes
Bill Bradley 232 Electoral Votes
Undecided 89 electoral votes

POPULAR VOTE
Elizabeth Dole 44.5%
Bill Bradley 46.1%
Ralph Nader 2.1%
Undecided/Other 7.3%

 

[NickCT]

Chapter 7

Now that the general election had arrived Governor Dole began focusing her efforts in states like Pennsylvania, Oregon, and Florida. She visited all of the "Undecided" states in the month of May in order to gain valuable name recognition. In addition to this she redesigned her webpage in hopes of attracting younger Americans. Dole had positioned herself as the center-right candidate in the primaries which was good for the general election, too, but she needed to attract the Republican, Conservative base. She got her team to work in finding an experienced, conservative politician for her vice presidential choice. While Dole's staff was busy vetting potential running mates, Dole was out on the campaign trail. She made several appearances a day and by the end of May had held 26 Town Hall events in Pennsylvania. "I want the people to know that I am in this race for them and that I want to hear their concerns," Dole told the press. Though Dole was down slightly in the polls and had a lot of ground to gain in the electoral college, she was confident she could win the presidency. "I am not prepared to give up," she explained to a reporter, "If I was willing to give up I wouldn't have become the Republican nominee. We Doles don't give up, we get going." Dole's most trusted adviser was her husband, Bob, who was pretty much in charge of the operations of her campaign because much of Elizabeth's campaign management team was recycled from Bob's 1996 run. As Elizabeth Dole continued to meet voters and talk to packed stadiums, Bill Bradley was also fighting hard.

Bradley had managed to get Vice President Gore and President Clinton on the campaign trail for him, something he'd hoped would pay off. As Gore and Clinton hit southern states like Florida and New Mexico, Clinton had a 57% approval rating and proved valuable to Bradley's efforts. The candidate himself, however, spent much of may in Oregon meeting with voters. He talked about his plans for continuing "America's greatness". Specifically he outlined his plans and proposals for issues like Health Care Reform and Welfare Reform. On Health Care Bradley believed strongly that reducing the amount of smoking in society would be an integral part of any health care measures, furthermore he wanted to replace medicaid with a competitive system. Voters in Oregon took what Bradley had to say to heart and as the frontrunner he needed to make sure he stayed afloat. Senator Bradley didn't attract as many people to his events as Governor Dole, but he hoped that he would be able to make up for the lack of turnout by meeting with voters one-on-one. As both candidates hit sidewalks talking with voters and handing out literature, it was clear that the election of 2000 was going to be a close one. Regardless of how close the race would get Bradley knew he was in the lead and his Vice Presidential candidate, if a good candidate, would only propel him to victory. He felt that he needed a strong, semi-symbolic choice of Vice President. It was hard to ignore the fact that Elizabeth Dole had executive experience as a Governor of North Carolina so Bradley felt someone with executive experience would only be valuable. Immediately his staff began meeting with the 14 names on his short list and they also began vetting. Immediately Geraldine Ferraro was eliminated when she told the Senator she "didn't have it in her" to participate in a national campaign. The second person eliminated was Dennis Kucinich who Bradley felt didn't have enough experience. The list had been narrowed, but Bradley still didn't find the candidate he was looking for.

As June approached the candidates were hard at work. The Republican National Convention was two months away, but Elizabeth Dole was hard at working hoping to have a lead going into the convention. She hit Florida hard and with the help of Jeb Bush she was successful in beginning to sway public opinion towards her. Dole focused heavily on issues like campaign finance reform and national security. She assured voters that just because she was a woman she could still be a "strong Commander-in-Chief". As the hot month of June continued Dole felt good about her chances. Voters were saying they were just "fed up" with the policies they'd seen out of the Clinton White House. Dole planned on announcing her Vice Presidential choice on July 14th which meant the campaign had to get serious about narrowing down the list. After several meetings with her vetting team, Dole agreed to eliminate Tom Ridge, John McCain, and Gary Bauer. She left it up to the staff to meet with more candidates and further vet them and Liddy headed out on the campaign trail. She told Americans that she was "a Reagan Republican" ready to make America a "shining city upon a hill, just like the Gipper promised", but she also explained to Americans that she was not "bought" by the Republican Party. "I'm not afraid of compromise," she told one crowd, "I want America to win!" As Dole talked about her moderate tendencies while explaining she would return the country to greatness, her team had eliminated a few more names: Frank Keating, Dan Quayle, John Ashcroft, and Dick Cheney. The candidate agreed to meet with the nine remaining candidates.

As for the Democrats, Bradley was in overdrive. Frequently making appearances in New Mexico and Pennsylvania, Bradley was hoping to win the election on Clinton's coattails. Unfortunately both Clinton and Gore had left the trail for Bradley in order to help First Lady Hillary Clinton in New York. With the success of Elizabeth Dole and ambitions of Hillary Clinton it was beginning to look like politics was more of a "who's married to who" game. Nevertheless, Bradley was alone and chugging away hoping to push himself farther ahead. The next to go on Bradley's short list were Howard Dean, Al Gore, and John Edwards. With the campaign in overdrive Bradley was satisfied with his showing in the polls. As June ended Dole and Bradley was looking to be an exciting race in the eyes of most Americans.

 

[NickCT]

Electoral Map: July

ELECTORAL VOTES
Elizabeth Dole 269 Electoral Votes
Bill Bradley 239 Electoral Votes
Undecided 30 Electoral votes

POPULAR VOTE
Elizabeth Dole 45.9%
Bill Bradley 45.8%
Ralph Nader 2.4%
Undecided/Other 5.9%

 

[MrHuman]

Bradley/Wellstone!

 

[NickCT]

Chapter 8

There was a lot of speculation over whom Elizabeth Dole would choose to round out the bottom of her ticket. In mid/late June she began the process of meeting with prospective candidates. Her short list had been narrowed to only nine names: Fred Thompson, Steve Forbes, George W. Bush, Lamar Alexander, Bill Frist, John Danforth, Connie Mack, Jon Kyl, and Chuck Hagel. Dole needed a true conservative on her ticket and someone with a tough background. Though she cared little about geography she did care about how much experience her nominee had. The first two she met with were the least likely to be picked: George W. Bush and Chuck Hagel. Bush was really only on the list because she felt she owed him. In the interview Dole wasn’t immediately impressed nor was she a big fan of his lack of experience. Next to hold an interview was Chuck Hagel. She admired Hagel’s experience, but his moderate streak posed a problem for Dole and the campaign. After the meetings were conducted both Bush and Hagel were eliminated from consideration. Next up for an interview was Connie Mack. Mack was the Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference and someone Dole had immense respect for. The interview went well and after Dole told the staff to “keep him on the list.” Her next meeting was with Lamar Alexander, but Dole was hardly convinced he was an exciting enough Vice Presidential Candidate nor was he the guy she was looking for. So far only Mack had survived the interview process. Her next meeting, however, was with Jon Kyl. Though Dole was impressed with Kyl and he may be a help in the West she ultimately decided that it would be to risky given that he was up for reelection in 2000, losing the Arizona Senate Seat was not something Elizabeth was prepared to accept. So the list had been reduced to five. Her next meeting was with Bill Frist. A Senator from Tennessee, Frist was a strong candidate and someone Dole felt could be a major advantage for her. With only two candidates surviving the interview process Dole met next with Senator Fred Thompson.

Thompson blew the Governor away. He demonstrated a mastery of the issues and was clearly someone who understood the ideas of the Governor. He was a conservative Senator who had been elected in a special election in 1994. He was a major part of the Watergate Scandal, but not in a bad way, and proved a tough prosecutor. He had a southern accent and was only 58, perfectly capable of succeeding Dole in eight years. Dole told her staff to cancel remaining interviews with Steve Forbes and John Danforth: Fred Thompson was her nominee for Vice President of the United States.

The nomination was announced on July 14th in Ohio. Dole and Thompson continued to campaign in Ohio, Nevada, and New Mexico together until the start of the Republican Convention. In the meantime Senator Bradley had also begun the process of selecting his Vice Presidential nominee. Rather than meeting with every potential candidate in person as Dole had opted to do, he held phone conversations with everyone and would only meet the final three contenders in person. He held phone conversations with Chris Dodd, Paul Wellstone, Joe Lieberman, John Kerry, Ted Kennedy, Barbara Mikulski, Jeanne Shaheen, and Ann Richards. Lieberman was the first one eliminated because Bradley felt he posed no advantage to the ticket. Ted Kennedy declined the offer of Vice President citing he didn’t want to risk “overshadowing” the top ticket, though Bradley had been the butt of the Senator’s comment he fully understood that a Kennedy at the bottom of the ticket just wouldn’t look right. After continuing to think about the candidates Bradley decided to eliminate Kerry. Though he liked the Massachusetts Senator he didn’t want to make it look like he was “settling” for John. The list had been narrowed to Chris Dodd, Paul Wellstone, Barbara Mikulski, Jeanne Shaheen, and Ann Richards. Bradley’s staff advised the Senator to drop Mikulski from consideration, “If you want a woman,” his campaign manager explained, “pick someone with executive experience.” With Mikulski gone only four remained. Before the personal meetings Bradley decided to eliminate one more contender: Ann Richards. Richards was too controversial to be put on a national ticket for office, but he would consider her for a cabinet position if he got that far. So the list had been reduced to Dodd, Wellstone, and Shaheen. After the personal meetings Wellstone was eliminated. Senator Bradley felt that executive experience was crucial, but because Dodd had been in the Senate since 1981 he felt that experience was too valuable to give up. Wellstone entered the senate ten years after Dodd and held no executive experience, it wasn't a decision Bradley wanted to make rather one he felt he needed to make to save his campaign.

The choice in front of Bradley was difficult. He valued the symbolic choice of a woman, especially a female governor. Furthermore Shaheen would be able to put New Hampshire back in play for him. On the other hand Dodd was a well-experienced Senator, a political legend in Connecticut. He was known nationwide and promised to be a great candidate. Both personal meetings had gone well and Bradley knew a good choice was crucial to bring his campaign back. Bradley took a break from all the stress of a Vice Presidential candidate in order to continue campaigning, he decided to choose a nominee when Fred Thompson gave his speech at the Republican National Convention.

 

[historybuff]

So far, so good. Dole/Thompson, interesting Republican ticket.

 

[NickCT]

Republican National Convention

The Republican National Convention was held form July 31st to August 3rd. It marked the firs time that a major party would nominate a woman to become President of the United States. Elizabeth Dole became the Republican Nominee on the first ballot after winning the support of every delegate. The convention, held in Philadelphia, marked the beginning of a new era in Republican politics. On the first Colin Powell, the man who seemed poised to be Dole’s Secretary of Defense nominee, spoke to the convention. Outlining the Republicans’ plan on national defense, Powell’s address was well received. Also speaking was Elaine Caho, the former President of the United Way of America. Chao praised Dole’s leadership and told the convention “how proud she was” they’d nominated a female. The second night was full of major speakers. Senator John McCain was the first to address the convention. He talked to the convention about bipartisanship and about Dole’s record. Setting himself up to be the 2004 nominee should Dole lose; McCain took the time to praise himself. Regardless the convention loved the speech and red signs with white lettering saying, “MCCAIN” were distributed amongst the delegate. The next speaker was Bob Dole. As the 1996 Republican Presidential Nominee he talked to the convention about his wife, the nominee for 2000. “There’s no better person to lead America into a new millennium then my partner and beautiful wife, Liddy!” After Dole’s speech George Pataki of New York and Condoleezza Rice spoke about the importance of American exceptionalism. They talked about the new world America lives in and how it can be progressed. The Keynote Speaker held the final speech of the night: George W. Bush. Bush was chosen because of his intentions to seek the U.S. Senate seat in 2002 that’ll be vacated by outgoing Senator Phil Gramm. Bush’s speech was short and concise, but heavily regarded as a springboard for future political ambitions.

As August 1st drew to a close the third night of the convention arrived. Former Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney spoke as did former Senator Lamar Alexander and Senator Connie Mack. All three outlined what a Dole Administration would do for the country’s foreign, educational, and economic policies (respectively). Finally the moment arrived for Fred Thompson, the esteemed Republican Vice Presidential Nominee, to address the convention. His speech received millions of viewers as he explained who he was and what he would do starting January 2001. “I am not here today to look good in front of the cameras. I am not here today to gain name recognition or have my name written down in the history books. I am here today because this country needs to take a U-Turn. We need to start going down a place I like to call Prosperity Drive. To get there we need someone good in the driver seat of the car I’ll refer to as “America”. Elizabeth Dole is the only candidate in this race ready to drive that car and I am proud that she has selected me of all people to sit in the passenger seat!” However Thompson did more than praise Governor Dole, he relentlessly attacked Senator Bradley on education and national security. “Senator Bradley just doesn’t know what’s good for America!” Thompson said to the crowd of delegates below, “He’s not qualified to be our Commander-in-Chief!” As Thompson’s attacks on Senator Bradley grew, so did the amount of applause he received from the delegates. At the end of the address Presidential Nominee Elizabeth Dole walked out on to the stage and together America saw the Republican ticket for President and Vice President.

The final night of the convention had arrived. Millions of Americans tuned in in anticipation for Elizabeth Dole’s address to the convention. Dole’s address was amazing. Staying behind the podium, unlike her 1996 address, Dole repainted herself as the candidate, no longer the candidate’s wife. More Americans watched her speech than any other presidential acceptance address in history. As Dole walked to the podium the crowd, full of women, rose to their feet. Chanting “Lid-dy, Lid-dy, Lid-dy” and waving signs that said “Dole/Thompson” or “I (heart) Liddy” they stood in applause and awe for an unprecedented 21 minutes before the Governor was able to start her address. It was the first time a woman had been placed on the Republican ticket and the firs time a major party had nominated a woman to serve at the top of the ticket. Just as they had in 1984 for the Democratic Nominee Gerry Ferraro, male delegates gave up their passes to female alternates. The convention hall was packed and Dole stood in amazement for 21 minutes, watching the delegates before her blow their air horns and allow their hands to turn red and sore. Finally the Governor began, “My fellow Americans: my name is Elizabeth Hanford Dole and I will be this country’s first female President!” The convention rose to their feet again for two solid minutes, but for Dole it felt like 30 seconds compared to the earlier applause length. Liddy’s adrenaline was rushing and there was no stopping her. Her speech flowed well as she outlined the problems with the Clinton Administration, a potential Bradley Administration, and the Democratic Party. She then turned to talk to the audience about what she would do as president. Outlining her bold positions on issues like campaign finance reform and judicial appointments Dole fought to reconnect with the conservative base, “I do not believe that the Constitution defines a judge as a ‘legislator in a robe’. So, my friends don’t expect me to appoint a single activist judge to the bench! Change is in the air! Change is here! Change as arrived!” As Dole ended her speech her husband joined her on stage and balloons began to fall. Soon Senator Thompson was also on stage. The balloons and confetti fell and the Republican National Convention had ended.

While the Republican National Convention ended Senator Bill Bradley had arrived at his Vice Presidential Nominee: Governor Jeanne Shaheen would be taking the spot at the bottom of the ticket. The balloons had fallen and the Republican Convention was being cleaned, but the Democratic Convention was a week away and anticipation was high. Bradley’s announcement of Shaheen was a good pick in the eyes of many Democrats and he hoped it would strengthen his chances in New Hampshire, a state he had to sway despite its low number of electoral votes. Hoping that Shaheen’s announcement would offset a Republican bounce, the Democrats got to work and the Republicans didn’t let up their campaign either. The general election was about to begin…

MORE PHOTOS FROM THE RNC​

 

[NickCT]

Electoral Map: August

ELECTORAL VOTES
Dole/Thompson 290 Electoral Votes
Bradley/Shaheen 222 Electoral Votes
Undecided 26 Electoral votes

POPULAR VOTE
Dole/Thompson 48.1%
Bradley/Shaheen 43.6%
Naer/LaDuke 2.5%
Undecided & Other 5.8%

 

[NickCT]

Democratic National Convention

Democrats were nervous heading in to the beginning of their convention. There was no doubt that Elizabeth Dole and Fred Thompson had received a massive bump from their convention, but Democrats were determined to pick up ground. As the Democratic National Convention kicked off on August 14th in Los Angeles, California delegates were nervous. They were nervous because it was growing increasingly unlikely that they would emerge the victors in the election campaign. As day one began Bill Bradley was nominated on the first ballot and immediately after Jeanne Shaheen was nominated via voice vote. The ticket was officially in place and the convention was progressing well. Delegates heard from Senate candidate and First Lady Hillary Clinton. Hillary addressed an enthusiastic crowd of delegates to prove that the Clinton Family was fully behind the Bradley nomination. Next up was Second Lady Tipper Gore who graced the convention by assuring the delegates she would be assisting Bradley on the campaign trail. After the ceremonial speeches Reverend Jesse Jackson addressed the convention: “My fellow Americans now is the time to advance this nation. Do not stay home in November get out and vote for a truly exceptional man, a longtime friend of minorities everywhere, and our next President: Bill Bradley!” After Jackson’s address President Bill Clinton approached the podium to address the crowd. As he walked out the delegates rose to their feet chanting “Four More Years!” in an attempt to drown out the thunderous “Hail to the Chief” playing in the background. President Clinton reassured delegates that he was 100% behind Bradley, “There is no doubt that the best person to succeed me is Senator Bill Bradley.!” After Clinton’s address the delegates packed up and headed home, anticipating the second day.

In prime time on the second night Al Gore approached the podium. In an attempt to unify former Gore supporters, Al called on all Democrats to support Bill Bradley for President while, at the same time, praising Jeanne Shaheen. The Vice President also cracked a joke in his speech, “I guess it was destiny,” he began, “that one great President named Bill would be succeeded by another Bill!” As the delegates roared in laughter, Senators Dodd and Kerry both spoke to the convention about the importance of the Democratic message. In two very patriotic addresses both senators praised Senator Bradley calling him, “the future of the country” As the night wore on delegates began growing antsy in anticipation for Jeanne Shaheen’s debut the next night. When the third day began it was Senator Ted Kennedy who took the floor before the VP Nominee. Ending his speech in the now famous, “…and for all those whose cares have been our concern: the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die!” As the convention rose to its feet to applaud Massachusetts’s Senior Senator, waving signs saying “KENNEDY”, Geraldine Ferraro arrived to introduce the next Vice President. After Gerry finished both female nominees stood together waving, it was a great and touching moment. Jeanne Shaheen was back stage getting ready for her address. The Governor of New Hampshire was ready for this moment, ready to prove her viability as a candidate for national office. Fred Thompson was a well-groomed candidate someone people associated “Vice President” or “Presidential Material” with, Shaheen on the other hand had little name recognition and was arguably unprepared for such a jump to the national scene. As Shaheen walked on to the podium the convention stood in applause and cheers. For eight straight minutes they stood applauding the second woman to be nominated for Vice President. Shaheen thanked the delegates and began her address: “My fellow Americans: my name is Jeanne Shaheen and I am here this evening to proudly accept your nomination for Vice President of these beautiful, United States!” Almost instantly the delegates were on their feet. For younger Americans it was the first time they could remember a woman getting nominated for a national ticket by the Democrats. Shaheen’s address criticized Elizabeth Dole saying she was, “nothing more than a part of the Republican establishment riding on her husband’s coattails.” She continued her attacks, “Now isn’t the time for a candidate’s wife to be President! Now is the time for a serious leader, like Bill Bradley, to take control at the White House!” Shaheen’s address was controversial and some say she took it too far, but Shaheen outlined the Democratic agenda and the New Hampshire Governor was well on her way to making a name for herself.

After Jeanne had finished her speech Senator Bradley joined her and the two candidates, with their families, stood waving to the delegates below; it was a great moment. Finally the third day was over and one day was left: it was time to hear from the nominee. Before Senator Bradley had the chance to speak, however, Senator Joe Lieberman addressed the convention. Calling on all Jewish-Americans to support Bradley, Lieberman praised Bradley’s Senate career. Next was Governor Ann Richards who viciously attacked Elizabeth Dole. Calling her out for her many years of public service Ann Richards said, “She’s the same generic Republican we’ve seen on the ballot since Ronald Reagan!” As Democrats continued to make attacks against Dole by associating her with the “establishment” Bill Bradley finally approached the podium. Democrats were very excited to hear from their nominee. Bradley’s speech was strong, but created no memorable or quotable lines. He called on the Democrats to be the “biggest patriots” they could be and “support a President capable of leading”. Furthermore Bradley promised to continue the Clinton-era policies concerning welfare reform and the budget. At the end of his address the delegates rose to their feet and watched as their nominees stood together as the balloons and confetti fell, taking in the surreal moment as they nominated what they hoped to be a winning ticket.

In the remaining two weeks of August Bradley saw a respectable convention bump and took the lead in New Hampshire. With Shaheen and Bradley consistently on the trail, butting heads with Thompson and Dole, things looked to be exciting. The debates would begin in September and the voters were curious to see how they’d play out. There were to be four presidential debates and one vice presidential debate. Luckily, for Dole, two of the presidential debates would be a town hall format, easy for her to deal with considering, since the beginning of her campaign more than a year ago, she had held almost 1,000 town hall meetings. Bradley, on the other hand, headed to debate camp. The election of 2000 was looking to be closer than most had predicted…

MORE PHOTOS FROM THE DNC​

 

[Orville_third]

Could Keyes bolt and run as a third party candidate?

 

[NickCT]

Electoral Map: September

ELECTORAL VOTES
Dole/Thompson 242 Electoral Votes
Bradley/Shaheen 241 Electoral Votes
Undecided 55 Electoral votes

POPULAR VOTE
Dole/Thompson 47.3%
Bradley/Shaheen 47.3%
Naer/LaDuke 2.6%
Undecided & Other 2.8%

 

[NickCT]

Chapter 9

September was an important month in the presidential campaign. Both teams advanced their messages aggressively as both national committees unleashed several television ads. While Dole remained largely positive the majority of Bradley’s ads were negative as they continued to attack Dole by calling her the “establishment candidate”. Unfortunately for Dole the attacks began to work as Shaheen and Bradley continued to campaign across the country. Thompson was working hard for Dole in Ohio and Iowa as Dole took the time to campaign hard in Florida. Appearing numerous times with Jeb Bush at campaign stops across the Sunshine State, Dole was prepared to regain her lead in the state. She relaunched www.elizabethdole.com in an attempt to regain her connection with the voters. Her website now enabled to volunteers to write letters to the editor and phone bank directly from her website. Furthermore her number of donors increased as she continued to air positive ads. “There’s no doubt in my mind that we’ll win this election,” Dole told one crowd in Bradenton, Florida. While Dole continued her bus tour through Florida the book deal Al Gore’s campaign manager had made collapsed after he informed the publisher he wouldn’t be able to finish it on time. A relief for the Bradley campaign, they gladly accepted the break of good luck. Though the candidates were tied in the popular vote, Bradley had a strong lead in the electoral vote and continued to push ahead in critical states like Florida and Iowa. The streak of good luck for Bradley was broken when, in her first interview appearance, Shaheen made a series of gaffes. The first was when she said; “Well the Welfare Reform Act that Bill Bradley sponsored in the United States Senate was critical to turning welfare reform in the right direction.” Of course what Shaheen had meant was that Bradley supported forms of Welfare Reform, but Senator Bradley actually voted against the Welfare Reform Act of 1996. The next was when she praised Senator Thompson, “Senator Thompson’s record is more than respectable. He’s a great public servant and one with an admirable record.” Though it doesn’t sound all that bad earlier in the interview Shaheen had said, “Thompson is an irresponsible senator who can’t be trusted.” Though the bad interview performance wasn’t the end of the campaign for Bradley/Shaheen it was an unneeded problem. In fact Dole and Thompson released an ad for their campaign playing the clip where Shaheen praises Thompson.

On September 21, 2000 the candidates appeared in their debut debate performance. It was not a town hall format and the candidates were featured behind podiums, standard debate procedure. Most agree Bradley nailed his opening statement outlining the general theme of his campaign while Dole attempted to cram to many policy issues into her opening. Unfortunately, Dole ran out of time and came across as unprepared for the debate. Bradley was off to a head start. Both candidates showed a mastery of issues. When asked if he regretted choosing Shaheen has his Vice Presidential Candidate Bradley replied, “Everyone has things they regret in life, choosing Jeanne is not one of mine.” He went on to defend Shaheen’s record. When asked if she bought the claims by the Democrats that she was just part of the establishment, Dole replied, “I don’t even know what that means to tell you the truth! Is the establishment defined as the Republicans like Abraham Lincoln, Dwight Eisenhower, and Ronald Reagan? If so I’m proud to be apart of the establishment.” When asked to rebut with what he defined the “establishment” as, Bradley was unable to answer. By the time closing statements rolled around it was pretty much a draw. Dole finished strong reminding voters of her unmatched experience as a Cabinet Secretary and Governor. Bradley also had a strong closing asking, “Are you better off than you were 8 years ago?” A play on the words Ronald Reagan once used Bradley continued, “I think the answer is yes. So why change our course when we’re going in the right direction?”

As the debate drew to a close the month also ended. October was on the horizon and one month remained for candidates to convince voters they were the right choice.

 

[NickCT]

Chapter 10

The final month of the campaign came sooner than anyone had anticipated. Elizabeth Dole and Fred Thompson were fighting hard. They now had a major disadvantage in the Electoral College and had only one month to turn the results around. They were technically winning in the Electoral College, but they’re domination had disappeared and the campaign as trying hard to make sure they went into Election Night the clear winners. With Governor Jeb Bush fighting hard in Florida and Fred Thompson also spending considerable time there the hope was to win Florida and Iowa to sail to the nomination. Dole was fighting hard in Iowa. She reminded voters that she had won the state’s caucus. Furthermore she reminded them of her unwavering support for farmers. Elizabeth Dole continued to meet with the voters one-on-one. Going door-to-door meeting with people she was able to relate to their concerns. Bradley was also fighting hard in Iowa. He was meeting with voters constantly and continued to fight for their votes. He held picture-perfect town hall events as he sat on a hay bail, answering question after question. He painted himself as a native Iowan who genuinely cared about their concerns. Jeanne Shaheen was campaign vigorously in Pennsylvania. Her media appearances had been greatly reduced as she continued to meet with voters, “Bill and I are going to Washington for you, not the party establishment or political action committees. We’re going for you,” she told a crowd of supporters.

Another major factor of the final month was the number of debates. There were three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate. The first of the month was a Presidential Debate held on October 9th. Dole and Bradley squared off in a much-anticipated debate. Both Dole and Bradley fought hard to emerge as a winner. The focus of the debate was National Security. Unfortunately for Bradley he fell behind as Dole outlined her plan to tackle “moral weapons and physical weapons”. She outlined a strong and detailed-oriented plan on National Defense. Senator Bradley spent the debate playing catch-up in hopes of salvaging his debate performance. The debate was definitely called for Governor Dole. The next of the debates was October 14th and it was between the Vice Presidential candidates. This was a surprising win for Jeanne Shaheen. The Governor of New Hampshire managed to prove herself a viable candidate for national office by outlining her accomplishments as Governor of the Granite State and by accurately representing what a Bradley/Shaheen Administration would do in office. It was a great night for the Democratic ticket. The third debate was October 20th. The focus was the economy and Senator Bradley squeaked out a win. Talking about the success of the Clinton Administration in balancing the budget, Bradley portrayed himself as the obvious economic choice for President. Had Dole not been able to talk about her successful time as Governor Bradley would’ve overwhelmingly been declared the winner. The final debate of the season was over general domestic issues and proved another win for Bradley. As the days of October quickly vanished it was clear that this was going to be one of the closest elections in the entire history of the United States. Pundits were unable to make accurate predictions, but all agreed that when Election Night finally arrived it would be a very, very close race.

On November 7, 2000, the United States went to the polls. The United States Presidency was on the line. President and First Lady Clinton voted early, presumably for Senator Bradley and Governor Shaheen. Senator Bradley also voted early in the morning before heading back to his home in New Jersey to catch up on his sleep, but in a hotel outside Trenton his campaign staff was in overdrive looking over exit polling data. After Governor Shaheen voted, at noon, she would fly to New Jersey to join the Democratic Nominee. The Republicans had rented an entire floor of a hotel in Raleigh, North Carolina to view the results in their own comfort. Just as Senator Bradley was, Elizabeth Dole spent most of the day resting, catching up on sleep. During the campaign she had worked on 4-6 hours of sleep a day. Now was her time to gain some ground. Senator Thompson also voted early and flew to North Carolina. Once there he stayed with most of the campaign staff and appeared in several interviews. It was an exciting day across the country. Voters were heading to the polls and looking forward to Election Night. It felt like yesterday when Liddy Dole and Bill Bradley were longshot contenders for their respective party nominations, but things had changed and the voters were presented with a clear decision…

 

[NickCT]

Election Coverage, Pt. I

Tom Brokaw: “Hello and welcome to the 2000 Election Headquarters. I’m Tom Brokaw, your host for this evening. I’m joined tonight by NBC’s Tim Russert was we go state-by-state to see how this election plays out. Well, Tim, it’s certainly been an exciting campaign.”
Tim Russert: “Most definitely. Tonight is going to be the end of it all though and the voters across this country are excited to see who the new President will be. Neither President Clinton nor Vice President Gore are on the ballot tonight, but trust me: this election is all about them and it’s truly going to be Iowa, Iowa, Iowa! Iowa is the nation’s first caucus in the primaries and it will once again be the center of attention. This is the state that sealed the deal for Dole and saved Bradley and now it comes down to that state to see who our next President will be. I’m telling you, Tom, I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Tom Brokaw: “I agree, Tim, it’s going to be a thrilling night. Well it’s 8:30 and I can now call Massachusetts and Vermont for New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley. With Senator Bradley in the lead at 15 electoral votes, it’s off to an unsurprising start for this election.”
Tim Russert: “That’s right, Tim, and we can also call Indiana and Kentucky for Elizabeth Dole. This marks the first time electoral votes have gone for a female candidate. It’s hard to ignore the fact that whichever ticket wins history will be made! Right off the bat the Republicans are in the lead at 20 to 15. Right now, however, we are joined by New York Senator Geraldine Ferraro, Gerry how are you?”
Geraldine Ferraro: “I’m good Tim, thanks. I’m excited as well because I am confident about our party’s ability to cruise to victory tonight.”
Tim Russert: “So I take it you’re confident tonight?”
Geraldine Ferraro: “Oh of course. Look, Tim, I just got off the phone with Jeanne and she’s very confident. The exit polls are going very well. There’s strong turn out for the Democrats from African-American and young voters, something that’s definitely going to push us forward. I’m sure we can win this election.”
Tom Brokaw: “I’m sorry to interrupt, Senator, but NBC News can project the states of New York, Connecticut, and Maine for Senator Bill Bradley. That means that the Democratic Ticket is now in the lead at 52 to 20.”
Geraldine Ferraro: “Well, Tom, I’m happy New York is blue. I am also confident that First Lady Hillary Clinton will be joining me in the Senate delegation.”
Tim Russert: “Actually Senator you’re spot on. NBC News is prepared to call the New York Senate Election for First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton by a sizeable margin. It’s 9:54 and we also have a slew of states ready for the Presidential race as well: Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, and D.C. are all being called at this time for Senator Bill Bradley and Governor Jeanne Shaheen.”
Tom Brokaw: “On the other hand we are able to call Georgia, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama for the Republican team of Elizabeth Dole and Fred Thompson.”
Tim Russert: “We’ll be back right after this, thank you to Senator Ferraro for briefly joining us!”

ELECTORAL VOTES
Dole/Thompson 78 Electoral Votes
Bradley/Shaheen 99 Electoral Votes
Undecided 361 Electoral votes

POPULAR VOTE
Dole/Thompson 45.5%
Bradley/Shaheen 48.0%
Naer/LaDuke 2.9%
Other 3.6%

 

[NickCT]

Election Coverage, Pt. 2

Tom Brokaw: “Hello and welcome back to NBC’s Election 2000 Coverage. Over the break we’ve been able to make three more projections, all for Governor Dole: North Carolina, South Carolina, and Missouri are all squarely in Elizabeth Dole’s column. Dole has a slight edge in Florida, 48.2 – 47.6, with 85% of precincts reporting. Senator Bradley is barely winning in Pennsylvania, 49.0 – 48.3, and Ohio is slightly in the Dole column. In the race for 270 Democrats have 99 and Republicans have 111 votes.”
Tim Russert: “That’s right Tom, but we can make a numerous projections: Illinois, Minnesota, and Michigan for Senator Bradley.”
Tom Brokaw: “We can also call North and South Dakota, Nebraska and it’s 5 electoral votes, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and it’s 32 electoral votes, Arkansas, and Louisiana all for Governor Dole of North Carolina. Elizabeth Dole has 183 Electoral Votes and Bill Bradley has 149 Electoral Votes.”
Tom Brokaw: “Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania are too close to call but we can call Wisconsin and its 11 electoral votes for Senator Bill Bradley, putting Bradley’s total at 160 Electoral Votes.”
Tim Russert: “Well polls on the west have closed and we have numerous states to report: Montana and its 3 electoral votes, Idaho and it’s 4 electoral votes, Wyoming with its 3 electoral votes, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and Nevada all for Elizabeth Dole.”
Tom Brokaw: “Washington, Oregon, and California are all going for Bill Bradley! Oregon was a state we though we’d have to hold off calling, but it is definitely going for Bill Bradley tonight. That means that Elizabeth Dole at 218 and Bill Bradley has 232, it takes 270 to win.”
Tim Russert: “But that has all changed. We can call two, big states for Governor Dole! Both Florida with its 25 electoral votes and Ohio with its 21 electoral votes are being projected for Elizabeth Dole and Fred Thompson. Elizabeth Dole is only 6, 6 electoral votes away from becoming the first female President.”
Tom Brokaw: “The results coming out of New Mexico are surprising us, Tim, NBC had planned to project New Mexico for Senator Bill Bradley, but it appears that New Mexico and its five electoral votes are too close to call at this mome…”
Tim Russert: “We have breaking news Iowa and its 7 electoral vote is being called, at this time, for Governor Dole and that only means that the United States of America has elected its first female President. Elizabeth Dole has won this election!”
Tom Brokaw: “We’re also able to call Alaska for Dole and Hawaii for Bradley.”
Tim Russert: “We have even more good news for the Dole camp, Pennsylvania and its 23 electoral votes are being called for her! Earlier in the night Senator Bradley held a slight lead, but Dole has quickly overcome that, earning Pennsylvania’s 23 electoral votes. New Mexico, however, has joined Hawaii in going blue. All the states have been called and these are the final tallies: 297 for Dole/Thompson and 241 for Bradley/Shaheen.”

 

[NickCT]

Final Results: 2000

ELECTORAL VOTES
Dole/Thompson 297 Electoral Votes
Bradley/Shaheen 241 Electoral Votes

POPULAR VOTE
Dole/Thompson 50.4%
Bradley/Shaheen 46.3%
Naer/LaDuke 2.3%
Other 1.0%

SENATE RACES
Arizona: Jon Kyl Reelected - Republican Hold
California: Dianne Feinstein Reelected over Tom Campbell - Democratic Hold
Connecticut: Joe Lieberman Reelected over Philip Giordano - Democratic Hold
Delaware: Thomas Carper elected over William Roth - Democratic Gain
Florida: Bill McCollum elected over Bill Nelson - Republican Hold
Georgia: Zell Miller reelected over Mack Mattingly - Democratic Hold
Hawaii: Daniel Akaka reelected over John Carroll - Democratic Hold
Indiana: Richard Lugar reelected over David Johnson - Republican Hold
Maine: Olympia Snowe reelected over Mark Lawrence - Republican Hold
Maryland: Paul Sarbanes reelected over Paul Rappaport - Democratic Hold
Massachusetts: Ted Kennedy reelected over Jack E. Robinson III - Democratic Hold
Michigan: Spencer Abraham reelected over Debbie Stabenow - Republican Hold
Minnesota: Mark Dayton elected over Rod Grams - Democratic gain
Mississippi: Trent Lott reelected over Troy Brown - Republican Hold
Missouri: John Ashcroft reelected over Mel Carnahan - Republican Hold
Montana: Conad Burns reelected over Brian Schweitzer - Republican Hold
Nebraska: Don Stenberg elected over Ben Nelson - Republican Gain
Nevada: John Ensign elected over Edward Bernstein - Republican Gain
New Jersey: Jon Corzine elected over Bob Franks - Democratic Hold
New Mexico: Jeff Bingaman reelected over William Redmond - Democratic Hold
New York: Hillary Clinton elected over Rick Lazio - Democratic Hold
North Dakota: Kent Conrad reelected over Duane Sand - Democratic Hold
Ohio: Mike DeWine reelected over Ted Celeste - Republican Hold
Pennsylvania: Rick Santorum reelected over Ron Klink - Republican Hold
Rhode Island: Lincoln Chafee reelected over Robert Weygand - Republican Hold
Tennessee: Bill Frist reelected over Jeff Clark - Republican Hold
Texas: Kay Bailey Hutchison reelected over Gene Kelly - Republican Hold
Utah: Orrin Hatch reelected over Scott Howell - Republican Hold
Vermont: Jim Jeffords reelected over Ed Flanagan - Republican Hold
Virginia: George Allen elected over Chuck Robb - Republican Gain
Washington: Maria Cantwell elected over Slade Gorton - Democratic Gain
West Virginia: Robert Byrd reelected over David Gallaher - Democratic Hold
Wisconsin: Herb Kohl reelected over John Gillepsie - Democratic Hold
Wyoming: Craig Thomas reelected over Mel Logan - Republican Hold

Senate Before: 54 (R) - 46 (D)
Senate After: 54 (R) - 46 (D)

House Before: 223 (R) - 211 (D)
House After: 220* (R) - 213 (D)

*Only House election different from real life: Glenn Close defeated Republican Chris Shays in CT's 4th Congressional District