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.
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.