Chapter 1
The Republican Race, Pt. I
The Republican Nomination fight began in January 1999 when Arizona Senator John McCain announced he was running for President of the United States. The senator was the early front runner for his party's nomination and the war hero promised to lead the country and be a strong Commander-in-Chief. Positioning himself as a centrist, McCain focused on winning the New Hampshire primary and immediately began focusing his efforts there. Soon though, only a week after he announced he was running, McCain's campaign was met with a challenge: Former Vice President Dan Quayle announced in Indiana he was forming an exploratory committee and would make a final decision in March 1999. Quayle had the potential to take out McCain's support in New Hampshire if he positioned himself right. Quickly the McCain camp began raising money and launched a website to coordinate efforts. McCain, considered a lackluster speaker, had much trouble raising money. In February Steve Forbes and Lamar Alexander announced they were seeking the Republican Nomination. Quickly though it appeared the only other "Top Tier" candidate, North Carolina Governor Elizabeth Dole, was positioning herself to be the next Republican nominee. Passing sweeping reforms and balanced budgets in only one term Dole was called "the most accomplished governor" by several National media outlets. By March Quayle formally announced his candidacy and Governor Dole announced she would be running for President. McCain's campaign team was increased as McCain brought on top political operatives, but Karl Rove immediately positioned himself with the Dole Campaign. With the field continuing to grow, frontrunner McCain hit New Hampshire hard, raising money and assuring voters he would represent what they wanted to see in a President.
The Democratic Race, Pt. I
Senator Bill Bradley of New Jersey officially announced his exploratory committee on January 8, 1999. In a short speech in front of the New Jersey State Capital, Bradley told Democratic Voters he offered a change from the "politics of yesterday". Continuously hammering Vice President Gore by calling him "conservative", the Senator insisted his positions on the issues would guide the country towards "a new dawn". Senator Bradley's honeymoon was cut short when Governor Howard Dean announced that he too would be seeking the Democratic nomination for President. Calling the race for President in 2000 "the most important election our country will ever face", Dean insisted a progressive liberal would be required to make America successful in the next millennium. Early on Dean was the only candidate bringing in substantial money, despite suffering from low polling numbers. With Dean and Bradley stealing the spotlight in January, Vice President Gore announced his candidacy in February. Gore said that experience was all that should matter when voters headed to the polls. "We cannot pretend that electing an inexperienced Commander-in-Chief is a smart thing to do," Gore reminded voters time and time again. In March Senator Kerry announced that he was also forming an exploratory committee for President. Kerry made aggressive fundraising pushes, and eventually gained ground in both fundraising and polling.